#inverserecords — Public Fediverse posts

When Lord Heikkinen formed Soulgrind in 1992, it was a rough and raw solo death/doom band. He released two EPs and two LPs between 1993 and 1995 for the now-defunct Malodorous Mangled Innards Records before deciding to invite some band members along for the ride. This would drastically alter Soulgrind’s musical direction towards gothic black/thrash, a decision likely influenced by the introduction of vocalist Tanya Lilith. Lilith and Lord Heikkinen remain the only current band members from the 1997 record, Whitsongs, as long-time drummer and sometimes vocalist Agathon “The Beast” sadly passed away in 2022 from cancer. Soulgrind experimented with harsh vocalists until settling on keyboardist Azhemin in 2001, though they still incorporated a vocalist committee for some time. In 2010, Soulgrind released their ninth full-length album, The Tuoni Pathway, before suddenly disappearing. It took sixteen years until they finally found the time and inspiration to release their tenth album, Ad Pulchram Mortem.1

Soulgrind has seen a significant evolution in their sound since the beginnings of their life as a gothic act. Their early material was raw and evil-sounding, with demo-level production quality. The blackened rasps from Lord Heikkinen and Caesar McLaulone were sometimes grating,2 yet there’s no denying a hunger and passion in their music. The early 2000s felt like a period where Soulgrind were trying to figure themselves out, with some inconsistency in identity from release to release. Then something clicked in 2007 with the release of Pakana, and the music grew more cohesive as it began to revolve around Lilith’s melodic touch. The Tuoni Pathway would see this direction improved before Soulgrind’s lengthy hiatus. Ad Pulchram Mortem brings about a mix of the old and the new, continuing the melodic direction of the last two records while still including some of the rough blackened touches of the older material. This sounds like a veteran group that hasn’t lost an edge of its passion despite the long hiatus.

Ad Pulchram Mortem contains gothic touches resembling fellow Helsinki natives Hanging Garden and the melodic black metal of Sojourner. They dabble in thrash on the likes of “Jylhä Metsämies” and “A Whispered Curse Upon the Gale,” as well as Paradise Lost-style death/doom on the terrific “The Origin of the White Serpent.” The deep, grizzled blackened growls of Azhemin delve into a darkness and ugliness that bring a harsh edge to the music—sometimes at the risk of putting off listeners. Soulgrind occasionally gets weird, such as on the sinister “In the Circus of Tuonela,” yet typically the weirdness is offset by the melodic and catchy choruses from Lilith, as exemplified by “Tears of the Earth.” The duo of Lilith and Azhemin proves a boon, as she serves as the foil of beauty to his beast. Her emotionally charged cleans lift the spirits and act as a soothing balm. This culminates in an outpouring of passion and melody on finale, “Into the Shadows of Devotion,” that is simply jaw-dropping.

For a band with a sixteen-year gap between releases, there is, understandably, still some rust to shake out—in this case, struggles with consistency and length. The record generally works better when Lilith is singing, and she sometimes rescues songs that are otherwise just okay, such as “Tears of the Earth” and “As a Narrow Fjord Descends.” Even so, she occasionally has distracting issues with pitch or odd-sounding vocal tones. Perhaps the biggest miss is the mid-album tune, “In the Circus of Tuonela,” which feels out of place with its lack of memorable hooks. The inconsistency goes hand in hand with a need to edit. While Soulgrind has pretty consistently pumped out 45-minute records throughout their career, this one feels a bit YOLO, reaching the 65-minute mark, including an eleven-minute finale. This last song, incredible as it is, would have a greater impact in a tighter package.

Soulgrind write the sort of melodic music that I love to overrate, with choruses that have me swooning and a heavy crunch of guitar and growls that beautifully contrast with the gentler side of the music. Yet Ad Pulchram Mortem feels as if the band was a touch over-enthusiastic, unable to make the edits necessary to create a more cohesive record. In my heart, there is a 4.0 lurking within these 65 minutes. The compositions revolving around Lilith as well as her soaring performance are just too good. Now that they have this one under their (onion) belt, I hope Soulgrind can return to the studio and create another work with this level of artistry, but a little more cohesion.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Inverse Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 14th, 2026

Finnish modern metalcore band Ashes of Perishing released a new single Voidwalker!

https://voiceofnoir.com/2026/06/25/finnish-modern-metalcore-band-ashes-of-perishing-released-a-new-single-voidwalker/

Serpent God – Denial Review

By ClarkKent

The digital era, where a band can release singles or EPs at a whim, seems to have tossed aside the concept of a B-sides compilation record. These albums consist of tunes that, for whatever reason, just didn’t make the cut on the main LP. This isn’t necessarily because those songs are bad. System of a Down’s Steal this Album! is, in my mind, just as much fun as their regular studio releases, and The Masterplan by Oasis is widely considered one of their best. Denial, the debut from Finland’s Serpent God, owes its existence to such B-side material, albeit from a different band: Se, Josta Ei Puhuta. While Se, Josta Ei Puhuta skews melodic death and thrash,1 after completing their 2022 record, Gehenna, they found themselves with leftover tracks that were too slow and mournful for what that group wanted to accomplish. The songs were too good to just toss away, though. As a result, three members from Se, Josta Ei Puhuta formed Serpent God and decided to unleash nine tracks of melancholic doom upon the sadboi lovers of the world.

While many complain about instrumental openers, “Denial” does a good job of prepping listeners emotionally and musically for what’s to come, with doleful keyboards and guitar licks. However, Serpent God truly establish their ability to pen infectious leads with the two gut-wrenching pieces of melodic doom that follow. “Beneath” evokes My Dying Bride with its combo of sorrowful melodies, slow and thunderous drumming, and vocalist Samu Mänikkö’s low, deep growl (something that becomes more of a rasp on later songs). Just when they’ve gotten you all buttered up, Serpent God then drive a stake through your heart with the lovely melodic lead on follow-up “Repent,” a killer tune that’ll go down as one of the best pieces of doom this year. Both tracks are on the long side, averaging seven minutes, but their progressive structures and shifts in tempo ensure that they remain compelling throughout. With such a great start, you understand why these guys didn’t want to leave these songs in the trash bin.

Serpent God harness all of their tools to try to squeeze tears from their listeners. Along with the evocative melodic leads described above, Mänikkö, who is also the guitarist, creates plaintive refrains using tremolos similar to those played by To Escape and Winds of Tragedy (“Alive,” “Sermon”). Mänikkö’s gently plucked arpeggios provide a reprieve from the heavier material during the bridge (“Repent,” “Revelation”), or as a way to pluck heartstrings from the start (“Beneath,” “Alive,” “Oblivion”). Vocally, Mänikkö shows less variety, largely sticking with his blackened rasps, but occasionally he surprises with cleans that accent the woeful guitar tones. Lush production values help the instruments evoke their melancholic tones, though there are a few questionable choices. The drums and bass lack the oomph of the guitars, but even worse is that nearly every time the keyboards play alone, there’s a distinct and annoying hum in the background.

At 50 minutes, and with most songs in the six-minute range, Denial does start to grow wearying as it approaches its end. While Serpent God do make use of tempo shifts, particularly on the energetic and effective “Sermon,” to break up the dourness of the surrounding material, the final three songs do not live up to the quality of what comes before. They feel like B-sides the band should have cut. These tracks feature awkward riffs, whispers, and spoken word portions—something that plagues other songs as well—that, combined with a lack of strong hooks, leaves the final fifteen minutes underwhelming. The three-minute conclusion, “Void,” ends the album with a series of tinkling, crystalline synths that feel anticlimactic compared to some of the big emotions evoked on prior tracks.

Clearly, the extra stuff leftover from Se, Josta Ei Puhuta’s Gehenna provided plenty of material to record a solid album. With Denial, Serpent God’s three members have proven they can write potent melodies, and they know how to hit you right in the feels. There’s enough quality music on Denial to have written a very good album, if only its arteries weren’t clogged with too much doomy fat and B-side material. It’s a shame, because there are some great songs, and for that, I do think this is worth a listen, even if I don’t recommend Denial as a whole. If anything, they have proven themselves to be a group to keep on your radar.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Inverse Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025

#25 #2025 #DeathDoom #Denial #DoomMetal #FinnishMetal #InverseRecords #MelodicMetal #MyDyingBride #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #SerpentGod #ToEscape #WindsOfTragedy

#NewRelease #Joviac - Autofiction Pt. 1 - Shards out 16 May 2025 on #InverseRecords #Progmetal #ProgressiveRock https://joviac.bandcamp.com/album/autofiction-pt-1-shards-2

#NewRelease #KickTheGiant out on 5 July 2024 on #InverseRecords Energetic #ProgressiveRock from Finland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoUG1QW-fGY