#nuclearblastrecords — Public Fediverse posts

Behemoth Unleashes “I, Scvlptor” Album

On September 4th the Polish extreme metal band Behemoth released the new album "I, Scvlptor" online via Nuclear Blast Records and physically via Massacre Records. Adam Nergal Darski has published several words about each song on the official Behemoth website. The album starts with the title song, which has an enigmatic intro, and after it spills all the demonic rage and fierceness of the existence upon the ears of the listeners. The following "Lords of the Horizons" is more melodic and has a […]

https://metalphotos.org/2026/09/05/behemoth-unleashes-i-scvlptor-album/

Behemoth Unleashes “I, Scvlptor” Album

On September 4th the Polish extreme metal band Behemoth released the new album "I, Scvlptor" online via Nuclear Blast Records and physically via Massacre Records. Adam Nergal Darski has published several words about each song on the official Behemoth website. The album starts with the title song, which has an enigmatic intro, and after it spills all the demonic rage and fierceness of the existence upon the ears of the listeners. The following "Lords of the Horizons" is more melodic and has a […]

https://metalphotos.org/2026/09/05/behemoth-unleashes-i-scvlptor-album/

Behemoth Unleashes “I, Scvlptor” Album

On September 4th the Polish extreme metal band Behemoth released the new album "I, Scvlptor" online via Nuclear Blast Records and physically via Massacre Records. Adam Nergal Darski has published several words about each song on the official Behemoth website. The album starts with the title song, which has an enigmatic intro, and after it spills all the demonic rage and fierceness of the existence upon the ears of the listeners. The following "Lords of the Horizons" is more melodic and has a […]

https://metalphotos.org/2026/09/05/behemoth-unleashes-i-scvlptor-album/

Behemoth Unleashes “I, Scvlptor” Album

On September 4th the Polish extreme metal band Behemoth released the new album "I, Scvlptor" online via Nuclear Blast Records and physically via Massacre Records. Adam Nergal Darski has published several words about each song on the official Behemoth website. The album starts with the title song, which has an enigmatic intro, and after it spills all the demonic rage and fierceness of the existence upon the ears of the listeners. The following "Lords of the Horizons" is more melodic and has a […]

https://metalphotos.org/2026/09/05/behemoth-unleashes-i-scvlptor-album/

Behemoth Unleashes “I, Scvlptor” Album

On September 4th the Polish extreme metal band Behemoth released the new album "I, Scvlptor" online via Nuclear Blast Records and physically via Massacre Records. Adam Nergal Darski has published several words about each song on the official Behemoth website. The album starts with the title song, which has an enigmatic intro, and after it spills all the demonic rage and fierceness of the existence upon the ears of the listeners. The following "Lords of the Horizons" is more melodic and has a […]

https://metalphotos.org/2026/09/05/behemoth-unleashes-i-scvlptor-album/

Conjurer – Unself Review

By Dear Hollow

I’m beginning to think Mire was a fluke. I’m not saying that as a bad thing, but I remember listening to Conjurer’s debut and thinking that it was a top post-metal album steeped in atmosphere and enigma, tied together with vicious vocals and vindictive weight.1 So then, I was immensely let down by follow-up Páthos because it seemed to shed substance for novelty: if I’m being honest, its stark dichotomy of heartwrenching melodies and kickass riffs felt inauthentic and shoehorned. Thus, I approached Unself carefully, hoping for something like Mire but tentatively expecting Páthos. What I got, however, was neither. You see, Mire was a fluke not in quality but in approach, because Unself proves that Conjurer prioritizes riff, weaponizing it for the very human tale of the deconstruction of self.

The title track enters with what I would expect from an early 2010s metalcore band intro,2 the Americana cover of 1919 gospel song “I Can’t Feel At Home in this World Anymore” morphing into a full-on dissodeath takedown via a barb of squealing dissonance. While this and the final song, “The World is Not My Home” seem to tie up the album into a thematic deconstruction of religion, Unself is a bit more complex than that. It reflects the journey of vocalist/guitarist Dani Nightingale through an autism diagnosis and discovery of them being non-binary. Similarly reflecting this complexity and remaining incredibly difficult to neatly categorize its sonic assault, Conjurer lays a foundation of post-metal’s meandering rhythmic hulk with death metal intensity, sludge tonal abuse, and a sleek modern production built atop, with – in Unself – hints of black metal. It’s not the second coming of Mire – it’s Unself and undeniably on-brand and completely authentic – and that’s perfectly okay for Conjurer.

Unself’s structure shows Conjurer’s devotion to natural growth, a welcome change from the shoehorned Páthos – largely because Nightingale’s sonic struggles with self-discovery undergird the movements. The two halves of the album are divided into three tracks, bookended by the Huntsmen-influenced thematic motif of the aforesaid “I Can’t Feel at Home in This World” morphed into ugly beatdowns and yearning sadness. The meat of the two suites fall into one of three categories: the relatively traditional post-metal waltzing of Amenra’s heavier moments in sprawling weight (“All Apart,” “Foreclosure”), the yearning chord progressions and melodies recalling Páthos’ emotive emphasis to a more effective degree (“There Is No Warmth,” “Let Us Live”), or the outright assaults of blackened sludge and -core breakdowns (“The Searing Glow,” “Hang Them in Your Head”). As the album progresses, so does the intensity. The latter, the most vicious of the bunch, feel like they nearly boil over, nearly forsaking the post-metal attack for an obscure death metal attack a la Convulsing or Adversarial – making interlude “A Plea” truly the eye of the storm in its minimalist approach, distant vocal samples, and acoustic strumming.

The balance between novelty and songwriting remains an issue for Conjurer. Because of the trichotomy of its sounds, Unself offers different levels of quality. At first, the more traditional post-metal cuts (“All Apart,” “Foreclosure”) feel like absolute bangers, touched with darkness and harmony – but then you hear the other two approaches and they suddenly feel overly long and uneventful in comparison. Likewise, there are several tracks that could stand a good trimming, simply because many feature a singular abrupt tonal shift from melodic to dissonant in its last respective third (“There is No Warmth,” “Let Us Live”). A more divisive take is that Conjurer’s production is very modern and sleek, the down-tuned leads more akin to 2010s metalcore acts like The Plot in You or The Sorrow, an accessibility largely contradicting post-metal’s historic opaqueness (Neurosis) and death metal’s hostility (Bolt Thrower), so while I liked its more “loud and ouchy” tones, others may not be so persuaded.

The novelty and the emotion are resolved in Unself, as Conjurer finally feels authentic and realized. No, Unself is not better than Mire, but it feels more genuine and human than Páthos, offering some of the act’s most intense material to date while chronicling the dismantling of the self into something more authentic. Not only does Dani Nightingale embark on a journey of self-discovery, but Conjurer does too. I’m just happy to be along for the ride.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: conjureruk.bandcamp.com | conjureruk.com | facebook.com/conjureruk
Releases Worldwide: October 24th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Adversarial #Amenra #BlackMetal #BoltThrower #BritishMetal #Conjurer #Convulsing #DeathMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Huntsmen #Neurosis #NuclearBlastRecords #Oct25 #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #SludgeMetal #TheOngoingConcept #ThePlotInYou #TheSorrow #Unself #VeilOfMaya

Aborted – Vault of Horrors Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

Finally, two reviews of an Aborted release by those who actually understand and appreciate these Belgian death grinders. Seriously, does anyone around here even know how to Aborted? Nothing to worry about now. Ferox and Grier are here to ensure you never rest for the next forty minutes of your life as Sven and crew tear your asshole up through your taint. For twenty fucking years, Aborted has been making a name for themselves in the brutal grindcore world without ever wavering from their style. Perhaps that’s why some of you idiots don’t like them. Because everything sounds the same to you. But, you’re wrong.1 For damn near their entire existence, Aborted has been consistent in both content and release cadence, always ensuring ole Grier has his fix of horror-themed aggression that causes my brain to implode and my intestines to eject from my rectum.23

I know what you’re thinking: “How in the hell does Grier like Aborted?” I know. Everyone has asked it since I chose to lead this charge and give you my opinion on Aborted’s Vault of Horrors. While I do have plenty of issues with grindcore, in general, there’s something about bands like Aborted and Pig Destroyer that speaks to me. I can’t explain it because there are a lot of bands like Aborted that I just loathe. You know, like Dying Fetus.4 But I can spin an Aborted record at any time and walk away pleased and eternally exhausted at the same time. And, as one would expect, Vault of Horrors has no shortage of earhole assault and relentless tendencies. Per usual, there are plenty of guest appearances on this new release, but the band went all in, inviting a different friend to scream and rasp on every song of Vault of Horrors. This adds a touch of vocal diversity to the barrage of nightmare-inducing songs that vary from two to nearly six minutes. Buckle in, motherfuckers.

As with most Aborted records, “Dreadbringer” sets the mood with a brooding atmosphere that explodes in a constant barrage of guitars and drums. When the signature vocals arrive, a new riff charges in to wreck your fucking neck. At the midpoint, sinister sustains push to the surface, leading the song into a build that combines spurts of tech death guitar work with melodic leads and soloing. Another monstrous piece that uses building atmospheres and ferocious guitar work is “The Golgothan.” The haunting keys in the introduction push this track into sympho-death territories before some intricate, squealing guitars pierce your inner ear canal and initiate vicious headbanging. The song continues to build before coming to a screeching halt. Then, the band activates ape-shit mode as the guest vocals of Hal Microutsicos (Engulf and Blasphemous) push farther to the front than any other track. As the solos swirl around the riffs, the atmosphere continues to climb, concluding the song in a gigantic way.

As massive as these two tracks are, the biggest is closer “Malevolent Haze.” A heavenly attack of blastbeats gets this thing rolling before the real steamrolling begins. The barrage is relentless as the guitars and drums lay to waste any remaining energy you might have. The only relief comes when the song slows to knee-deep mud, dragging your pathetic corpse through the muck. But before it can get any uglier, shocking clean guitars appear, producing a beautiful and haunting atmosphere. Then, a scream cracks the sky as the melodic build intensifies. As it grows, the vocals become more and more pained and the emotion is as thick as congealed blood. It’s a fantastic song and a killer way to close the album. But of all the tracks, “Death Cult” is the most addictive. Unlike the other songs mentioned, this one strips out the building atmosphere and focuses on a hooking chorus and stellar vocal performance. Utilizing the vocal prowess of Despised Icon’s Alexandre Erian, the gnarly “death cuuuuuuuult” chorus has a special power and adds a perfect emphasis to the crushing riffage.

Of these ten tracks, the only one that doesn’t stick with me is “Naturom Demonto.” But, not because it’s bland or lifeless. After close to thirty minutes of relentless pummeling, it does little to push past its predecessors and does little to set up the massive closing track. But even that can’t hurt the outcome of Vault of Horrors. Neither does the compressed master manage to upset my listening experience. This is the kind of absolute chaos that you would say benefits from the lack of dynamics because it elevates the horror. After comparing the staying power of Vault of Horrors to the band’s other offerings, this new record might be their best since 2016’s Retrogore—providing just enough diversity in the tracklist to keep me coming back again and again. I’m not quite sure where Vault of Horrors will sit on my end-of-the-year list, but it’ll definitely be there.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: abortedmetal.bandcamp.com | goremageddon.be | facebook.com/abortedofficial
Releases Worldwide: March 15th, 2024

#2024 #40 #Aborted #BelgianMetal #Blasphemous #DeathMetal #DespisedIcon #DyingFetus #Engulf #Gindcore #Mar24 #NuclearBlastRecords #PigDestroyer #Review #Reviews #VaultOfHorrors