#immortal — Public Fediverse posts

Being the manager of a large arcade, you’d correctly imagine that summer has been kicking my keister. Consequently, this review is late, and not in a “I had it written, and Steel took his sweet time getting its glory to the masses” way.1 This one is my fault altogether, such that I almost let it slip through the cracks and gave it the TYMHM treatment. And yet, I cannot. International outfit (by way of Sweden and Italy) Feralia have quietly come out with a release which has enticed and enthralled me, warts and all, til I felt spiritually obligated to make sure I spoke of its darkness in a semi-timely manner. Third album Ultima Requies has been released, and while ostensibly black metal, it draws from so many colors within its palette that it makes for a quality and engaging listen.

In a stunning, fist-shaking gesture of defiance to AMG HQ procedures appropriate for my country celebrating the 4th of July, I’m gonna knock the whining out of the way up front. Ultima Requies has a lot of clean vocals, and not all of them stick the landing. Opening track “Ballata Avernale” is the worst offender, where the vocals don’t so much transition as much as startle with an effort at a baritone reminiscent of modern Mayhem but with a much more jarring, disjointed presentation. They do get smoother as the album unfolds; “Defigere” in particular manages to hit a particularly mournful tone about halfway through which fits quite well. Nevertheless, they’re easily the part that takes the longest to warm up to, and Feralia needs to improve their ability to mesh this element in with their overall sound.

The good news is Feralia has such a masterful command of textures that you shouldn’t let this get in the way of your enjoyment. Ultima Requies utilizes an excessive breadth of extra instrumentation ranging from organs (“Ballata Avernale”) to synthy choirs to acoustic guitars to a full-blown Beard-bait-dudgeon-synth-adjacent interlude (“Emperio”), and not one of them feels forced or uncalled for. While there aren’t any riffs here that could be classified as life-changing, the band exercise a mastery of flow from requisite crushing power to melancholic, introspective calm without missing a step. Ultima Requies is an excellent example of an album with a journey, escorting the listener across brief dollops of straightforward Havukruunu charge, and occasional Fell Omen riffs by way of mid-era Immortal tones, assembled between and around calmer moments of introspective peace with the arrangement skill of Nechochwen. Listeners should not come in expecting hellfire and suffering, but also not a lovely waltz through the woods; here there be thunderstorms and toppled statues as much as peace and serenity.

This defiance of easy classification is the most enticing thing about Ultima Requies. It isn’t so overtly assaulting as to be called a blackened slab of violence; nor does it rely on its interludes and peaceful moments enough to properly be classified as atmospheric. It has some whiffs of dissonance, trying to channel the most Omega of Deathspells (“Ver Sacrum”), but these moments collapse into bass-led melody as quick as they appear. Said bass, courtesy of member Krhura is given a lot of spotlight, with the guitars sometimes turned down for him to take complete sonic command in the stylings of more modern Krallice. Occasional leads pop up in the spirit of less flashy Aran Angmar but always with a focus on raw atmosphere and emotion rather than the slaughter of one’s enemies. Despite this constant carousel of mood and tone, Feralia have offered up a cohesive, well-assembled work which refuses to be limited by its genre labels despite working well within its established ideas.

Ultima Requies is a confusing album in the best possible sense. Not content to merely make you headbang, but also not trying to drag you into depression; not so evil as to make you throw horns but hardly giving in to anything that could be considered light and joy, it is a kaleidoscope of sound under a black metal umbrella. Driving home at two in the morning, exhausted from ten hours of exposure to the cacophony of screaming children, it hits different. Feralia have offered a great encapsulation of power spent, of the peace after the storm, with enough sparks of remaining spirit and might to invigorate as much as soothe and relax. That’s a rare treat in the realm of black metal, and in this abominable heat and exhausting season, it’s worthy of your time.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: Lost to time | Format Reviewed: Bandcamp stream
Label: Aeternitas Tenebrarum Musicae Fundamentum
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: June 26th, 2026

When it comes to snakes and music, I’m a simple man. I think of Testament’s Brotherhood of the Snake, High on Fire’s Snakes for the Divine, Deicide’s Serpents of the Light, and Sir Mix-a-Lot. And now Philadelphia’s Crotaline1 slithers in flaunting first-wave-of-black-metal ballads rife with references to snake genitalia. Black metal’s second wave garners most of the attention, having shaped what most consider to be the genre’s trve north, but Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal, and Emperor never would have become what they are without Bathory’s lo-fi virulence, Venom’s proto-thrashed, punk-informed edgelording, and Celtic Frost’s sinister atmospheres and doomy trudges. First-wave black metal fairly characterizes what Crotaline provides on debut The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, as it’s ridden with direct, unadorned riffing, torturous plods, and a classically DIY aesthetic. Crotaline’s debut sounds like a blast, and I hope it is—my anaconda don’t want none unless it’s got fun, hun.

In many senses, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire is a primitive album. Crotaline relates carnal tales of ophidian lust in straightforward spurts of stripped-down metal, preferring uncomplicated riffs and instrumentation to deliver their herpetological gospel. In this way, Crotaline reminds me more of Hellhammer than Bathory or Celtic Frost. Tom G. Warrior’s (Triptykon) first project,2 Hellhammer distinguished itself more for its chaos and enthusiasm than its execution. Similarly, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire attacks with zealous verve, flitting through nine tracks of intermittently thrashy and doom-laden black metal. Despite the bold mashup of genres, though, Crotaline never quite brings their fangs within striking distance.

The Embrace of Cloacal Desire by Crotaline

Two primary issues plague The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, and each boils down to the same root cause—simplicity. While the drums supply a commendable rhythmic thunder, mostly Crotaline’s performance either plays too safe or lacks the technical firepower to achieve big moments. After a protracted minute-and-a-half intro, opener “Breeding the End” gets properly started. Unleashing a classic thrash riff recalling Bonded by Blood-era Exodus, a peppy bass groove joins in to underpin the melody. The pace slows at the chorus, cutting to a second riff before wending back to the main one. “Widow’s Web” kicks in next, treating listeners to a Venom-meets-Bathory hook that, just like the preceding song, tamps the brakes for vocals and a bridge. The pattern wears thin quickly, and The Embrace of Cloacal Desire suffers from this constricted songwriting—particularly in the back half. Too many half-formed ideas reach for big moments, only to topple into funereal crawls. For an album dedicated to dangerous snakes and sex organs, too often I’m left unthrilled and unfulfilled.

Ultimately, the lack of memorable passages and songs leaves The Embrace of Cloacal Desire as drab and listless as a shed snakeskin. Solid building blocks reside in Crotaline’s DNA, but the shapes of their assembled structures never coalesce into more than their constituent components. Where varying tempos can effectively lead to dynamic pacing and musical climaxes, Crotaline’s overuse of the fast-to-slow momentum shifts undercuts their songwriting. “As the Serpents Feast” exits the chorus and launches into a punky bridge begging for a wailing solo, but instead delivers an understated, unconvincing lead lacking excitement and dexterity. “Red Moon of Despair” starts promisingly enough, yet drops to a two-minute slog of glacial pacing. The same framework repeats on “Beneath the Reeds,” and yet again on “Hemipenes; The Embrace of Cloacal Desire.” Rather than mirroring a narrative or cleverly subverting expectations, these pivots can seem haphazard or lazy, leading to either frustration or boredom.

In spite of a great album concept and comparisons to bands I enjoy, Crotaline’s debut fails to charm my snake. Predictable songwriting and uninspired performances make The Embrace of Cloacal Desire’s thirty-five minutes feel longer than they are, and no song manages to entirely sidestep these issues. Even so, it takes guts to write this wild shit, and even more so to memorialize these ideas in song. Venom lurks within Crotaline, but the band needs to retool their bite. Hopefully they can figure it out and give us a rousing sophomore resurgence. Until then, I’m left to wonder if maybe I’m bored with it, or maybe it’s Crotaline.

Rating: Bad
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 3rd, 2026

Gruta – Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem Review

By Spicie Forrest

In his most recent visit to terrorize the unwashed masses known as writers, Steel gave me a choice: volunteer to cover Gruta or be voluntold to cover something (else) of his choosing. So it was that I found myself reviewing Gruta’s sophomore release, Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem. Hailing from Bogotá, Colombia, Gruta plays a style of black metal they’ve labeled “Chaos Black, a twisted gnarled amalgamation of black metal’s most vicious bits.”1 Between this description, loudly antifascist messaging, and opening the record by sampling the Dark Lord Sauron, my expectations were high. Does Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem deliver, or is Gruta just another passionate young band in search of their identity?

The core of Gruta’s sound straddles the line between black metal’s first and second waves. Although Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem opens bright and playful à la Slaegt, it quickly settles into something more traditional (“Niebla”). Drummer Flama unleashes blast beats and d-beat-laden assaults in equal measure, while guitarists Agnen and Garmr wildly oscillate between punky Bathory riffcraft and Immortally searing tremolos (“Oda a la Ruina,” “M.A.F.M”2). The resulting baseline is like a distant cousin to Darkthrone. Vocalist Dagnir is nearly a dead ringer for Mayhem, frog voice and all. Whether whipping up a crowd (“Ramas de Araña,” “Sword of Defilement”) or shouting incantations like Saruman over the winds of Caradhras (“Transfiguración”), Dagnir commands an impressive range of rasps, howls, shrieks, and croaks. Rather than choosing between black metal’s punky origins and the icy, atmospheric howl it became, Gruta uses both as a springboard for what they ultimately create.

“Chaos Black” had me expecting unhinged war metal, heavy dissonance, or traces of grindcore. Not so, apparently. While their blackened core is indeed closest to Darkthrone, Gruta incorporates DSBM atmospherics (“Stygos Tou Kosmos,” “M.A.F.M.”), heavy metal (“Oda a la Ruina,” “Ramas de Araña”3), Slayer-esque thrashing (“Al-Shuhada,” “Sword of Defilement”), punky piss and vinegar (“Ramas de Araña,” “M.A.F.M.”) and even emotive atmoblack structures (“Vorágine Espectral”). Rather than a caustic brew, the result shares much in common with Kvelertak. By injecting their formula with such wide-ranging styles, Gruta offers a fun and engaging ride. In crafting this refreshing take on black metal, Ataecina’s bass unexpectedly steals the show. Surprisingly forward in the mix, it’s vibrant and warm, very like Iron Maiden’s early releases. Ataecina weaves and dances around central riffs and rhythms, nimbly alternating between counterpointed leads and supporting Agnen and Garmr’s guitars (“Oda a la Ruina,” “Ramas de Araña”). Gruta is certainly black metal, but it is their ambitious maelstrom of influences that separates them from the pack.

Gruta’s biggest difficulty is in keeping their momentum up through the album. Opener “Niebla” struggles to get off the ground because of a false ending one minute in, and with a slow, atmospheric interlude that takes up a quarter of the track, “Niebla” feels more like a botched teaser than an actual song. “Stygos Tou Kosmos” suffers similarly. It downshifts from mid-paced, Mayhem-heavy black metal to haunting and eerie DSBM around 1:30, lingering there without clear purpose until it fades out two and a half minutes later. I hate to knock a song that literally screams “Death to Fascist Metal,” but “M.A.F.M.” has the same issue; the first half is an absolutely vitriolic barn burner, but the back half runs out of gas early and takes a couple minutes to eke across the finish line. I think if these songs were cut up differently, or perhaps ordered differently, this may not be as much of an issue, but as it stands, I find myself wanting to skip about a third of the album.

Opening with a soundbyte of Sauron the Deceiver is a good foot to start on, but Gruta doesn’t really need it. Retro guitars, iconic vocals, a deliciously clever bass, and punky, energetic drums come together to honor the greats and forge a path all Gruta’s own. Far from the harrowing trip I expected, Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem has a classic, old school feel, decked out in fun, nostalgic threads. Gruta’s style does come dangerously close to the kitchen sink, and I’d like to see a smidge more focus and a keener ear toward holistic composition on future releases. But problems aside, Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem is a solid and exploratory sophomore effort from a passionate band, and I’ll be very interested to see what Gruta does next.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

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