#nov25 — Public Fediverse posts

Perdition Temple – Malign Apotheosis Review

By Mark Z.

Since coming to prominence as the guitarist and primary songwriter of Angelcorpse in the 1990s, Gene Palubicki has been tearing a burning warpath through the extreme metal underground, scorching eardrums with projects like his (sadly defunct) death-thrash band Blasphemic Cruelty and his current collaboration with Morbid Angel’s Steve Tucker and Origin’s John Longstreth1 in the death metal supergroup Malefic Throne. My favorite of Gene’s post-Angelcorpse projects, however, is Perdition Temple, probably because it sounds the most like Angelcorpse. In fact, as noted by the great Al Kikuras years ago in his review of the band’s 2015 sophomore album The Tempter’s Victorious, the band’s 2010 debut Edict of the Antichrist Elect was originally intended to be the fifth Angelcorpse album. Ever since Mr. Kikuras’s evocative prose turned me on to Perdition Temple, I’ve slowly become a salivating fanboy for them, going from trying to make sense of what the fuck I was hearing to scaring soccer moms in my neighborhood by walking around in a hoodie adorned with the album art of The Tempter’s Victorious (with inverted crosses on the sleeves for good measure).

After Tempter‘s, Gene stripped the band down to a power trio consisting of himself on vocals and guitar, Alex Blume (Ares Kingdom, ex-Blasphemic Cruelty) on bass, and Ron Parmer (Malevolent Creation, Brutality) behind the kit. This lineup appeared on 2020’s Sacraments of Descension (which was an enjoyable album that I probably underrated at the time) and 2022’s Merciless Upheaval (which was really more of a glorified EP, given that half of its eight songs were covers). Now, this same crew is back with 2025’s Malign Apotheosis, another firestorm of an album with just enough of a different approach to still feel fresh.

Of course, Perdition Temple are the sort of underground band that are never going to stray too far from their signature formula. And indeed, this album’s scalding blackened death metal approach is largely similar to what Perdition Temple have always done. The opening track, “Resurrect Damnation,” shows Gene’s trademark six-string attack leading the charge as well as we’ve ever heard it, with the song crammed full of supercharged Morbid Angel riffs, rapidly churning tremolos, lightning-speed solos, a vaguely thrashy midsection, and a quick devilish motif that just barely holds everything together.

“Quick” actually turns out to be apt description for these eight tracks as a whole. While Perdition Temple have always been fast, prior albums often incorporated notable slower moments to add some memorability and variety to the mayhem. Here, only “Kingdoms of the Bloodstained” really slows down for any decent amount of time, with its abrasive mid-tempo bridge sounding like Immolation reforged in the fires of blackened death metal. Most of these tracks instead take the approach of the follow-up song, “Purging Conflagration,” which maniacally barrels forward on violent, pounding chugs and squawking notes without ever stopping for air. The end result is perhaps the most relentless and vicious album the band have yet released.

That’s not to say there’s nothing memorable or noteworthy here. The title track, for example, strikes especially hard by incorporating its addictive, staccato main riff between bouts of sludgy Morbid Angelisms. Likewise, the closing track, “Fell Sorcery,” shows that Gene’s reunion with John Longstreth in Malefic Throne may have caused some Origin influence to bleed over into here, as the song climaxes with an explosive laser beam riff that could have easily been pulled from a tech death album. Through it all, Gene’s raspy vocals sound more biting and scornful than ever, while Ron Parmer proves once again to be the perfect fit for this project. The man wisely refrains from using constant blast beats and instead beats the hell out of his kit in a way that has surprising finesse, matching the momentum and frequently morphing nature of Gene’s riffing. Perhaps this album’s most notable trait, however, is the production, which is more raw than the band’s prior work and recalls the unpolished sound of Behemoth‘s The Apostasy. While this makes the sooty guitars feel a tad subdued, the drums more than make up for this by punching through everything with satisfying clarity.

A lot of bands tire out with age, but Perdition Temple apparently just gets dirtier and more relentless. Malign Apotheosis may not dethrone the band’s first two albums, but it’s a surefire win for fans of the band, and another reminder of how great blackened death metal can be when it’s written by one of the wildest riff-writers in the business.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Websites: perditiontemple.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/perditiontemple
Releases Worldwide: November 28th, 2025

#2025 #35 #americanMetal #angelcorpse #aresKingdom #behemoth #blackMetal #blasphemicCruelty #brutality #deathMetal #hellsHeadbangersRecords #immolation #maleficThrone #malevolentCreation #malignApotheosis #morbidAngel #nov25 #origin #perditionTemple #review #reviews

Withering Soul – Passage of the Arcane Review

By Andy-War-Hall

Much has changed in the decade since Withering Soul last graced this website. I was in high school when Madam X placed a scarlet 2.5 on Adverse Portrait, a scoring I would agree with wholeheartedly.1 It was an enjoyable but unfocused work, and its Moonspell-akin gothic tendencies didn’t mesh well with the band’s Dissection worship. But in a development not covered here, Withering Soul leveled up with 2021’s Last Contact, dropping the Type O Negative vocals almost entirely and amping up their blackened core with beefier riffs and more engaging compositions. Some gothic elements remained, and what did felt far better integrated into their style than before. Withering Soul continue down this stylistic path through their fifth album Passage of the Arcane, centered on the theme of “human experiences traversing into cursed oblivion.” Have Withering Soul really discovered a path of subliminal qualities, or will Passage of the Arcane only lead to disappointment?

Passage of the Arcane is a sensible progression from Last Contact for Withering Soul. Sporting Dark Fortress atmospheres brute-forced to life through death-influenced Dissection riffage, Withering Soul have departed even further from goth rock than Last Contact in favor of even more blistering melodic black metal. Gone are the low, clean croons of Withering Soul’s past, with lead man Christopher2 relying entirely on his powerful, hoarse screams for vocals. But the songs remain snappy with strong, hooky riffs and seamless transitions between various musical ideas. Death metal grime stains Withering Soul’s sonic tapestry on “Grievance Eludes the Light” and “Among Covetous Eyes,” while the sheen of synthesizers coats “Gallery of the End” and “Burden of the Valiant.” Withering Soul are clearly a talented bunch and everyone gets a chance to shine on Passage of the Arcane; with guitarist Frank G. layering “Gallery of the End” with a bright, melodic solo; drummer Rick hitting slick fills on “Grievance Eludes the Light” and bassist Joel dropping fat, sneaky lines on “Trajectory.” Withering Soul don’t break the mold with Passage of the Arcane, but they did craft an album better than their last.

There’s real dirt in Passage of the Arcane. The opening one-two-three punch of “Attrition Horizon,” “Grievance Eludes the Light,” and “The Monolith Embodied” sees Withering Soul swing with heavyweight might as Christopher and Frank G.’s guitars pummel through power chord abusive, tremolo-heavy riffs of winding, thrashy and frost rimed-natures. Things get more exploratory as Passage of the Arcane progresses, but Withering Soul never let off that initial intensity. Passage of the Arcane’s punchy production makes Rick’s kick drums really thump, and Joel’s bass comes through big time in Withering Soul’s chuggier, groovier moments (“Trajectory”). There’s an embarrassment of good riffs here, and everything clear of fat until, unfortunately, the closer “Burden of the Valiant,” but even that song picks up eventually. Like the blackened counterpart to Dormant Ordeal from earlier this year, Withering Soul more often than not embody aggression, dealing out some truly cut-throat metal on Passage of the Arcane.

But Withering Soul is held back from greatness by a lack of variety in certain areas. Riffs are multitudinous, but almost every guitar lead on Passage feels identical, usually consisting of basic eighth note arpeggios overtop tremolo riffs that don’t really do much to spruce up the chords (“Attrition Horizon,” “Gallery of the End,” “Burden of the Valiant”). It just stinks that Withering Soul couldn’t bring the creativity they have for rhythm guitar to lead. Similarly (and a bit ironically), vocal monotony is an issue, as Christopher only uses one style of scream across Passage of the Arcane’s 41 minutes. Perhaps a little goth bass singing wouldn’t go amiss, as a treat? These complaints may verge on nitpicks, but they are prominent and persistent enough to somewhat sully my enthusiasm for Passage of the Arcane.

Withering Soul assembled Passage of the Arcane out of common ingredients to the sub-genre, but tight songwriting and strong performances elevate the material. Though an immediate album in many ways, Passage was a grower for me, as repeat listenings revealed little details and how the pieces move. If you like your black metal riff-centric and melodic, this is an easy recommendation. Withering Soul may have reduced their sonic palette over the years, but the downsizing only made them leaner and meaner, and Passage of the Arcane is a lean, mean listen.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: witheringsoul.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/witheringsoulband | instagram.com/witheringsoul_77
Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025

#2025 #35 #americanMetal #blackMetal #darkFortress #deathMetal #dissection #dormantOrdeal #liminalDreadProductions #melodicBlackMetal #moonspell #nov25 #passageOfTheArcane #review #reviews #typeONegative #witheringSoul

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

#2025 #30 #Bathory #BlackMetal #ColumbianMetal #Darkthrone #Gruta #HymnusAdAtramMortem #Immortal #IronMaiden #Kvelertak #LiminalDreadProductions #Mayhem #Nov25 #Review #Reviews #Slaegt #Slayer