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  1. Review: Sigh – Goh-Ka – The Progressive Subway

    Published by Vince on 2026/09/192026/09/19 Artwork by: Maciej Kamuda Style: Progressive Metal, Folk Metal, Avant-Garde Metal, Black Metal…
    #NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2026 #7.5 #Avant-gardeMetal #BlackMetal #Entertainment #FolkMetal #Japan #Japaneselyrics #mixedvocals #PeacevilleRecords #ProgressiveMetal #september
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  2. Sigh – Goh-Ka Review By Grin Reaper

    Great records offer something deeper than what glimmers on the surface, whether conceptual, musical, emotional or otherwise. Without at least one of these tethers, connecting with an album beyond a cursory listen presents significant challenges. Yet the best music, the kind that transforms listening into an experience, extends multiple threads with which to affix. It’s no wonder, then, that I resonate with Sigh’s oeuvre with such soul-plumbing profundity. Their concepts pierce with poignant potency, their compositions astound with instrumental mélanges that seem unthinkable on paper but coalesce exquisitely in fact, and Sigh’s main man, Mirai Kawashima radiates a charismatic earnestness within his music that I find utterly charming. Now, thirteenth album Goh-Ka is here, and once again we must cast a critical eye toward one of metal’s most singular entities. After thirty-six years, can Tokyo’s wonderfully weird export still Goh the distance?

    Many of Sigh’s albums flaunt high concepts, and their recent output has centered around psychological and mortal themes that prove morbidly fascinating. In Somniphobia explores the opaque limbo between the waking world and sleep, Hangman’s Hymn details the final thoughts of a sinful man leading up to his execution, and Shiki got personal for Kawashima, where he allegorizes the inevitability of death with the four seasons. Goh-Ka serves as a natural progression from Shiki, its conceptual inspirations drawn from Kuso-zu, ‘a series of Buddhist illustrations depicting the nine stages of a human body’s decomposition after death, created to encourage meditation on the impermanence of life.’1 Although Goh-Ka’s premise of decomposition and the ephemeral nature of existence might seem like it requires a dour soundtrack, Kawashima & Co. instead manifest these themes with competing currents of ebullience and pensiveness.

    Sigh sounds as vibrant as ever on Goh-Ka, welding together an eclectic amalgam of instruments and styles that guides listeners through a kaleidoscopic haze of one of their lushest sonicscapes to date. Flitting melodies and crushing riffs crash and congeal on “Anzenshokon,” which starts with layered, modulated vocals recalling Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan,” supported by flute and tribal drumming. Then come the implacable riffs and Mirai’s harsh rasps, inciting a stimulating duality as the track progresses. “Jinmenjushin” exhibits another enthralling back-and-forth modality, beginning with a creepy crawl reminiscent of Slayer’s “South of Heaven”2 that quickly ramps up the speed into a hyper-melodic chorus lightly recalling Imperial Circus Dead Decadence. The performances on Goh-Ka astound with stunning muscle and violent grace, where myriad ideas weave together into a gorgeous tapestry of avant-garde black metal. Mike Heller’s contributions underpin all the tracks with impossibly deft rhythms and grooves, squeezing in rabid fusillades one moment and swinging into a subtle shuffle the next (“Kuso-shi 1, 2, and 3,” “Jigoku-Zoshi 1: Unkamusho”). Ginzaburo Abe lays down some striking shamisen (“Unputenpu,” “Kuso-shi 1, 2, and 3”), imbuing Goh-Ka with a tantalizing folksiness, and Mirai’s keyboards ground the record with classic hard rock heft.3

    Goh-Ka unquestionably delivers conceptual and musical depth, yet it’s the emotional well I drink from deepest. Despite the macabre backdrop of death and decomposition, overwhelming doses of joy and catharsis saturate Sigh’s latest. Lead single “Unputenpu” is downright effervescent, and Mikael Åkerfeldt furnishes the perfect guest spot4 on a song that so readily evokes the psychedelic flourishes of 2010s Opeth. “Kuso-shi 4, 5, and 6” smolders with seesawing dispositions of pathos and release, electrifying me each listen with its seamless balance between the two. The latter half of “Kuso-shi 8 and 9: Mettaijakujo” likewise bubbles with an uplifting spirit even as tumultuous elements buffet the heavily synth-backed passages. By the song’s end, a satisfying finality cements the perfect capstone on an album fraught with essential moments.

    Each time I spin Goh-Ka, I fall in love all over again. After thirty-six years and thirteen albums, Sigh remains unflappably equipped to slap. Their music teems with intricate layers and a boundless eccentricity that allows each release to stand on its own while always adhering to their uniquely fabulous voice. Sure, the slow fadeout from “Jinmenjushin” might stretch a tad too long and “Kuso-shi 7” feels dispensable compared to the rest, but in the end Goh-Ka leaves me in awe of the depth of Sigh’s vision and daring. If you were worried about Angry Metal Guy’s Law of Diminishing Recordings™ setting its sights on Sigh, don’t. Instead, you can rest easy knowing Sigh continues to Goh the extra mile on their best album since In Somniphobia.

    Rating: Excellent!
    DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: Peaceville Records
    Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
    Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

    #2026 #45 #AvantGarde #AvantGardeBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #GohKa #ImperialCircusDeadDecadence #JapaneseMetal #Opeth #PeacevilleRecords #Review #Reviews #RobZombie #Sep26 #Sigh #Slayer
  3. AMG Goes Ranking – Sigh By Grin Reaper

    The life of the unpaid, overworked metal reviewer is not an easy one. The reviewing collective at AMG lurches from one new release to the next, errors and n00bs strewn in our wake. But what if, once in a while, the collective paused to take stock and consider the discography of those bands that shaped many a taste? What if multiple aspects of the AMG collective personality shared with the slavering masses their personal rankings of that discography, and what if the rest of the personality used a Google sheet some kind of dark magic to produce an official guide to, and an all-around definitive aggregated ranking of, that band’s entire discography? Well, if that happened, we imagine it would look something like this…

    For my money, Japan’s Sigh reigns uncontested as the standard for avant-garde metal, resting on a throne forged from a stellar back catalogue over thirty years in the making. Though the band has mustered an appreciable following, how Sigh isn’t a much bigger deal in the metalsphere boggles the mind. From modest, key-forward black metal roots to totally unhinged, free-for-all arrangements, Sigh never holds back from the extraordinary visions mastermind Mirai Kawashima wields. Fully integrating orchestral might, from winds, strings and brass to sundry keys the world over, Sigh’s discography consistently challenges the definitions and boundaries of metal.

    With new album Goh-Ka arriving soon, we here at Angry Metal Guy felt compelled to honor this legendary and influential act with due consideration and a thoughtful dissertation. Whether you’re new to Sigh’s oddball antics or a longtime subscriber to their wonderfully outlandish hijinks, you can’t go wrong diving into any part of the band’s history. But in case you don’t want to jump in blind, outlined below is our definitive guide to appreciating one of metal’s most remarkable personalities.

    – Grin Reaper

    The Rankings

    Grin Reaper

    Each release within Sigh’s discography is unique, and as I weigh any one album against the others, I find myself categorizing each based on what instruments or styles feature most prominently. Imaginary Sonicscape indulges in keys and synths, Scenes from Hell spotlights big fat brass, and Scenario IV lumbers with thunderous umbrage. Yet no matter the prevailing mood, Sigh’s phasers are set to thrill. This has been a difficult ranking to assess and assemble, but also an incredibly rewarding one since I got to spend so much time blasting cherished records. At the very least, I hope reading this inspires you to either discover or revisit an unquestionably impeccable discography.

    #12. Scorn Defeat (1993) — Sigh’s debut, Scorn Defeat sits squarely under the black metal banner while manifesting in utterly different ways than the burgeoning second wave fomenting in Norway at the time. Though it’s a strong LP that exhibits plenty of character, Scorn Defeat still ranks at the bottom when assessing Sigh’s overarching canon. Mirai Kawashima’s unhinged vocals and the tremolo riffing satisfy black metal appetites, yet the key-driven dirge of “Gundali” that morphs into a captivating piano feature and the crawling trudges in “Ready for the Final War” and “Taste Defeat” completely subvert expectations of the genre. Although interesting ideas reside on Scorn Defeat, I rarely return to it unless I’m listening to Sigh’s discography in full.

    #11. Infidel Art (1995) — Picking up where Scorn Defeat left off, Infidel Art finds Sigh writing almost exclusively long-form tracks, with only “Suicidogenic” clocking under the eight-minute mark. Though the girthy durations don’t weigh down the front of the album, by the time “The Last Elegy” arrives on the heels of “Desolation,” Infidel Art begins to buckle. Luckily, “Suicidogenic” restores momentum, beginning with a flowery piano ballad supported by uplifting strings when a sinister chord progression waylays the build and diverts into a balls-out blackened thrasher that ends on the coy grace of a forlorn flute. The track presages Sigh’s unconventional song structures that would become an enduring hallmark of their sound, and the tandem of “Suicidogenic” and “Beyond Centuries” defines the best ending duo in Sigh’s discography until Gallows Gallery.

    #10. Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999) — Though lively moments dot Scenario IV: Dead Dreams, Sigh’s fourth LP frequently decelerates to lurching paces. On one hand, this gives songs like “Diabolic Suicide,” “Infernal Cries,” and “Iconoclasm in the 4th Desert” time to breathe. On the other, the accumulation of doomy moments dampens Scenario IV’s momentum, particularly during the album’s back half. Even so, I enjoy listening to this bridge between early Sigh’s blackened roots and the experimental mayhem that came after. I also admire the creative programming employed by Kawashima and its enmeshment within Scenario IV’s other elements, foreshadowing Imaginary Sonicscape’s untamed ingenuity. Also, that guitar solo on “Severed Ways” is magnificent. In all, Scenario IV presents beautiful and bestial moments that often excite but occasionally drag.

    #9. Hail Horror Hail (1997) — Hail Horror Hail rips straight outta hell from the start, with the title track slinging classic rock riffs, punky snarls, and a string-and-flute interlude to rousing effect. It’s the album where Sigh properly inaugurates the inclusion of diverse instrumentation and psychedelia that Scenario IV augmented and Imaginary Sonicscape fully realized. The airy flute interplay with distorted guitar on “42 49” and the bizarre synth injections on “12 Souls” enrich the album’s fore with unconventional depth, but Hail’s middle sags a tad before “Curse of Izanagi” fully reignites my interest with unorthodox cinematic drama. Hail Horror Hail would be a top treasure in most discographies, yet such is Sigh’s burden and a testament to the quality of their other albums.

    #8. Graveward (2015) — Inspired by classic Italian horror films and their soundtracks, Graveward embodies both a raw, DIY aesthetic and grandiose-to-the-point-of-camp schtick. More than most albums in Sigh’s oeuvre, Graveward splits fan opinions given its relatively scaled-back flamboyance, but I think this is a disservice to what Sigh accomplishes here. I largely attribute this attitude to following In Somniphobia, an impossible charge for a band putting out a new record after their last one met universal acclaim. Rather than outdoing themselves by going bigger, Kawashima et al. shifted to a direction that toes the line between garage rock spunk and their signature blend of orchestral shenanigans. Although the album might seem underwhelming relative to Sigh’s other records, “Kaedit Nos Pestis,” “The Tombfiller,” and “The Casketburner” supply hooks aplenty and catchy refrains that separate Graveward above their early era, while “Graveward” and “The Trial by the Dead” radiate lovable old-school cinematic pomp.

    #7. Gallows Gallery (2005) — There’s something about Gallows Gallery’s LoFi aesthetic that brings a smile to my face. The raw production and drastic shift in direction following Imaginary Sonicscape proved divisive, particularly for Sigh’s label at the time, given they refused to distribute the album.1 It’s an altogether different beast than what came before, leaning into blues-tinged and psychedelic rock arrangements that recall a bizarre cross-section of Pink Floyd, The Animals, and a dash of Rob Zombie. The album also flies by, making it a quick romp with singalong bops. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easier to see the threads that tie Gallows Gallery not just to its predecessor, but to the future journeys Sigh would guide listeners through. Ultimately, Gallows Gallery serves as a transition album, even for a band that constantly reinvents itself, and proves a kooky, succinct platter that hemorrhages fun.

    #6. Heir to Despair (2018) — As Kronos detailed in his review of Heir to Despair, Sigh’s eleventh album finds them at their most direct and stripped down. This direction began on Graveward, but Heir to Despair further dials down the weird in favor of a more straightforward, if still offbeat, metal record. While this might seem a disappointment to some fans, hearing Sigh take on a less variegated platter allowed them to shine in a new light. “Homo Homini Lupus” rings with Maidenesque grandeur while “In Memories Delusional” instantly recalls Ozzy classic “Bark at the Moon,” at least before Mirai devolves into feral madman phrasing. Following Heir to Despair’s concept of a descent into madness, the album progresses in a clever thread from direct rocker in the front half to the idiosyncratic plunge into a psychological fracture during “Hands of the String Puller” and the title track. I think that Heir to Despair gets slept on because it’s Sigh’s most subtle work, but it rewards listeners who check expectations at the door and dare to Despair.

    #5. Scenes from Hell (2010) — Sigh with horns! And not just the sweet, sweet sax that Dr. Mikannibal lends. Scenes from Hell boasts a bona fide mini orchestra,2 and it immediately sets Sigh’s eighth album apart from what came before. Another distinguishing factor is the sheer flexibility and audacity of their songwriting. One of Sigh’s defining characteristics is their plasticity, selecting what elements they want to use to invigorate an album and writing music around them to ensure the band remains fresh and exciting. Scenes from Hell begins with “Prelude to the Oracle,” where the brass section bounces between the raucous energies of a high school band section, mariachi madness, and cinematic action sequences, the latter of which gets amplified on follow-up “L’Art de Mourir” with the injection of classical strings and galloping drums. The rest of the album plays out in similar fashion, making for an excellently delectable Hellscape.

    #4. Shiki (2022) — Billed as a more personal album for Mirai, Shiki ponders mortality through the lens of seasons as his autumn wanes into winter. Similar to Heir to Despair, Shiki’s instrumentation forgoes the widespread multifariousness Sigh is known for, or at least reins it in as more emphasis is placed on drums, guitars, and vocals. The latter becomes especially important given the intimacy of the subject matter. I understand academically that listeners may not always appreciate Mirai’s frantic deliveries, yet I find his acidity and bite a perfect match for the chaotic beauty of Sigh’s music. Not too much on Shiki veers from this approach, but the vocals are a touch higher in the mix and occasionally draw out in tortured howls I find particularly effective. Despite being more straightforward than many Sigh offerings, Shiki still incorporates a healthy amount of flute and keys, along with some killer shredding (“Mayonaka no Kaii”) to keep the music lively and exciting. And though I sense that Sigh always makes the music they want to, there’s an earnestness on Shiki that elevates it above the various other contenders vying for the upper echelon of their corpus.

    #3. Hangman’s Hymn – Musikalische Exequien (2007)3 — Sigh goes Maiden on Hangman’s Hymn, describing the final moments and conscious thoughts of a man as he’s charged, condemned, and executed. “Hallowed Be Thy Name” is one of my all-time favorite songs, so magnifying that concept into a full-blown album presents a thrilling prospect—and boy does Sigh deliver. Though the album unfolds as a damnation of one flawed man, Hangman’s Hymn acts as a microcosm for humanity’s deserved judgment more broadly, where the solution is “Salvation in Flame.” Though bleak, Sigh furnishes this message with hellishly fun bombast. Fusing Teutonic thrash with German classical arrangements, Mirai forges an unforgettable funereal soundtrack that fumes with hellfire and musical opulence. “Inked in Blood,” “Me-Devil,” and “Salvation in Flame / Confutatis” are some of my favorite songs in Sigh’s discography, exquisitely melding the ‘ugliness’ of 80s German thrash with classical baroque underpinnings. Death never sounded so alive.

    #2. Imaginary Soniscape (2001) — The first time I heard Imaginary Sonicscape, something clicked. Sigh’s fifth LP wasn’t my introduction, but it’s what cemented them as a band I would always follow. Not just a fever dream of key-drenched psychedelia,[1, Although it’s definitely that, too.] Imaginary Sonicscape swells with experimentation and an unfathomable, irresistible fearlessness. “Scarlet Dream” borrows from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” with its half-step chromatic runs and adds an improbable 90s hip-hop synth, inducing a faint Faith No More undercurrent, while “A Sunset Song” meshes Beach Boys’ good vibes with smooth Michael McDonald butteriness and raw Celtic Frost edge. This thing should be a disaster, but it’s a masterpiece. A complete departure from what came before, Imaginary Sonicscape is weird yet accessible, heavy yet mellow, and an hour that disappears in a marvelous flash. Each song proves essential, and though front-loaded with my favorite tracks, bangers abound throughout and devise a record that would be the feather in the cap of many a discography. And yet…

    #1. In Somniphobia (2012) — …In Somniphobia just edges into the top spot with its master-crafted auditory blitzkrieg of eclectic instruments and styles. From the slick lick that opens “Purgatorium” through the sultry sax on “Amnesia” to “Equal”‘s Moron Police-level power pop jauntiness backing the gritty refrain of ‘kill me now,’ every second of In Somniphobia exudes the peak confluence of Sigh’s intrepid creativity and musical execution. The concept of the album emboldens its soundtrack, as it explores the fragility of reality when sleep eludes or assails us. In Somniphobia deftly conjures nightmarish fluidity with constantly shifting, genre-bending while simultaneously wrangling engrossing melodies with megaton hooks. AMG Himself nailed the Iconic rating, and for my money, In Somniphobia is not only the deadliest weapon in Sigh’s arsenal, but one of the best albums this century.

    Creeping Ivy

    Sigh slashed their way into my life in 2022, when the bizarrely progressive strains of Shiki slaughtered my ears. Immediately, I explored much of their back catalogue, whether through the simple act of streaming (Heir to Despair, Imaginary Sonicscape) or the crapshoot destiny of crate digging (Scorn Defeat, In Somniphobia). Going through the entire Sigh discography for this ranking was a real treat—few metal bands can boast the consistent longevity and persistent creativity of Mirai Kawashima and crew. Here, AMG Faithful stands my humble offering to the inimitable Sigh!

    #12. Graveward (2015) — Sigh have no bad albums, so Graveward occupying my bottom spot should not be interpreted as any sort of slight. It’s more impressive, off-the-wall stuff for sure, but it hews a bit too close to musical theater for my taste. Graveward does, like many Sigh records, grow more interesting as it goes; I especially dig the burst of orchestral blackened punk that is “Out of the Grave.” Having to follow a certain album, however, was always going to be a challenge—at this point in their storied career, Graveward feels like Sigh Sighing to me.

    #11. Infidel Art (1995) — Superficially, Infidel Art seems like a marked step up from Sigh’s debut. “Izuna” and “The Zombie Terror” kick things off with kick-ass fluctuations between blackened plods, propulsive power chords, and ear-worm riffs that make the orchestral elements more central than Scorn Defeat. Gravitating towards sustained doom from “Desolation” onwards, the album ends up petering out for me in its back half. Having said that, Infidel Art portends great things to come, with “Suicidogenic” offering a late-album glimpse into Sigh’s potential for marrying macabre cinematics with metallic mobility.

    #10. Heir to Despair (2018) — Shiki is the first Sigh album that, I would say, sounds like ‘modern’ metal; to my ears, Heir to Despair initiated this development. Its status as a sort of transition album makes it interesting within the band’s trajectory, but it’s also a bit tepid by Sigh standards. Going for a more patient variety of avant-garde metal, Heir possesses some killer highlights: opener “Aletheia” boasts one of the band’s most infectious riffs, “In Memories Delusional” shreds on guitar/vocal fronts, and “Homo Homini Lupus” has some sweet Phil black metal vocals. “Heresy” I–III, however, doesn’t quite cut it for me—without this (totally weird and cool) experiment in its midst, Heir to Despair might have ranked a bit higher.

    #9. Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999) — Situated between two Sigh albums I love, Scenario IV is an album I’m intrigued by more than I love. I do enjoy it, muchly; “Infernal Cries” has some of my favorite riffing from the band, and who amongst us can resist peering “In the Mind of a Lunatic”? Getting real, though, I’ll say that Scenario IV was the first time I felt the length of a Sigh album when listening to their discography in order. Hinging between two of my top Sigh albums, Scenario IV is an album I listen to as a precursory lull of sorts (and one I can see making great leaps up my ranking upon re-listens).

    #8. Hangman’s Hymn (2007) — Switching to the middle of my ranking, I’ll say this: sometimes, a first impression is a lasting impression. I Saw the World’s End before I heard Hangman’s Hymn, and what I heard was the kind of breakneck, kooky, blackened extreme metal I’d come to know and love from Sigh. Going back to the rawer original for this ranking left me equally floored; from “Introitus/Kyrie” to “Hangman’s Hymn/In Paradisum/Das Ende,” Sigh never pumps the brakes. Hangman’s Hymn didn’t necessarily need to be re-recorded, I would say, but the fact that Sigh chose to re-record it unavoidably inflects my perception of the original: great, but maybe not singular.

    #7. Gallows Gallery (2005) — Seven and eight on my ranking are somewhat interchangeable, but Gallows Gallery gets the nod as, to me, the more unique mid-aughts Sigh album. If Gallows Gallery is, indeed, Sigh doing power metal, then it’s almost assuredly my favorite power metal album of all time. Guitar heroics will always put a smile on my face—”Pale Monument” and “Silver Universe” deliver the melodies, harmonies, and shred I can never get enough of. Having only clean vocals limits my enjoyment of this as a Sigh album, but when I adjust, I always have a damn good time with this record.

    #6. Scorn Defeat (1993) — Scorn Defeat might be the obvious candidate as Sigh’s weakest album, as it’s the most imitative and least experimental of the bunch. Indeed, the band’s debut sounds like Venom worship with hints of the insanity to come. Growing stronger as it goes, Scorn Defeat nevertheless reveals Sigh’s potential via the harpsichord intro to “The Knell,” the incredible ivory twinkling of “Gundali,” and the choral midsection in “Taste Defeat.” Hearing Scorn Defeat early in my discovery of the Sigh discography frames my relationship with it: a harbinger of things to come that simultaneously scratches the itch for first-wave fun.

    #5. Scenes from Hell (2010) — Scenes from Hell tops the middle of my ranking by wrapping bonkers mid-period Sigh in the crustier production of the early albums. Initiating the now-central fixture of Dr. Mikannibal into the fold, Scenes holds a special place in the Sigh discography, and it’s one that, for me, flirts with novelty in the best possible way. Grandiose yet gritty, the two funerals at the heart of Scenes showcase Sigh masterfully wielding orchestral elements as both central fixtures and subtle touches, never losing touch with the album’s punky black core. Hell’s soundtrack supersedes Heaven’s; this I always knew; what I didn’t know was how lively and fun this soundtrack actually is.

    #4. Shiki (2022) — Shiki introduced me to the wonderfully weird world of Sigh, and it’s an album I still hold in very high regard. I tend to love progressive music that embraces enabling constraints, and Shiki sees Sigh continuing the shift they made towards relative restraint on Heir to Despair (2018) with this meditation on mortality. Getting older sucks, but it sucks a lot less with a soundtrack of killer doom riffs (“Kuroi Kage”), bitchin’ bongo solos (“Skikabane”), and jazzy noir interludes (“Mayonaka No Kaii”). Having Frédéric Leclerq and Mike Heller on board as guest musicians helps reinvigorate the band (as adding Dr. Mikannibal did on Scenes from Hell)—Shiki ascends to the top of metal modernity by enlisting top-tier veterans.

    #3. Hail Horror Hail (1997) — Sigh truly became Sighcotic on their third album, the one I reach for when I want slow-burning nightmare fuel at an aesthetic distance. It took a few spins for Hail Horror Hail to fully sink its murderous hooks into me; once it did, it easily clawed its way towards the top of my ranking. Going for a more black n’ roll sound off the bat with the anthemic title track, “12 Souls” starts to give me the scaries, but “The Dead Sing” has me roving between fear and joy in a manner that can be called sublime. Hardest one to get into, most rewarding one to get into—this is my experience with Hail Horror Hail.

    #2. In Somniphobia (2012) — Sorting out the Sigh discography ended up being a two-horse race, with In Somniphobia slightly falling behind my winner. I found Sigh’s ninth in my local vinyl shop (and valiantly haggled the owner down $15), and it immediately floored me with its near-perfect balance of metallic speed, grandiose classicism, jazzy swagger, and a bunch of other things. Getting the Lucid Nightmare Suite alone would’ve made this Sigh’s second best; “L’excommunication a Minuit” gets my blood boiling with its Mortal Kombat riff, while “Amongst the Phantoms of Abandoned Tumbrils” brings me down with its haunting accordion compressions. Hearing In Somniphobia on double vinyl, however, made me realize that Sides A/D are an enveloping EP of sorts—best twofer ever!

    #1. Imaginary Sonicscape (2001) — Sonicscapes don’t get any more imaginary than this. In a discography where no two albums sound all that much alike, Imaginary Sonicscape truly sounds like no other Sigh record, which is precisely why it’s my favorite. Gushing about this album must be done in a concise manner, so I’ll leave it at this: “A Sunset Song” was the track that sold me on the album, full stop, and it’s still one of my favorite Sigh songs. Hearing this chaotic dreamsphere of crying corpses, Nietzschean conspiracies, and ecstatic transformations always feels like hearing it for the first time, and I love introducing people to it (metalheads, but anyone with a taste for the avant-garde).

    Angry Metal Guy Staff Ranking

    Combining the aforementioned analyses with the wisdom of more tenured staff, please enjoy the aggregated ranking below:

      1. Infidel Art (1995)
      2. Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999)
      3. Scorn Defeat (1993)
      4. Graveward (2015)
      5. Hail Horror Hail (1997)
      6. Heir to Despair (2018)
      7. Gallows Gallery (2005)
      8. Hangman’s Hymn (2007)
      9. Shiki (2022)
      10. Scenes from Hell (2010)
      11. Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)
      12. In Somniphobia (2012)

    For any uncultured readers who need a quick study on one of the best bands in the biz, check out the below.

    #2026 #AMGGoesRanking #AMGRankings #AvantGardeBlackMetal #AvantGardeMetal #BeachBoys #BlackMetal #CelticFrost #FaithNoMore #IronMaiden #JapaneseMetal #MichaelMcDonald #MoronPolice #OzzyOsbourne #PeacevilleRecords #PinkFloyd #RobZombie #Sep26 #Sigh #TheAnimals #Venom
  4. Mortem – Mørketid Review By Andy-War-Hall

    Now here’s a band with pedigree! Norway’s black metal squad Mortem have been around since 1987, right at the forefront of the infamous second wave. Though their heyday produced only the Slow Death demo and their debut record, Ravnsvart, took until 2019 to release, their individual band members have kept themselves busy. Consisting of guitarist/keyboardist Steinar Sverd Johnsen, vocalist Marius Vold, drummer Jan “Hellhammer” Blomberg, and newcomer bassist Tor Stavenes, Mortem’s genealogy traces lines through the likes of Mayhem, Arcturus, Thorns, 1349, Emperor, and way too many other bands. Now, almost forty years since their inception, Mortem are unleashing their sophomore album Mørketid, promising in their promo “eight tracks of savage, eerie, and often epic black metal.” Will Mortem’s collective experience translate to top-shelf black metal, or will Mørketid’s time under the sun be short-lived?

    “Mørketid” is the Norwegian word for polar night, where the sun stays below the horizon for weeks during the winter months. It’s an eerie time that Mortem capture well on Mørketid. Between the persistent tremolos and rasps across Mørketid, an unsettling and understated melody gives the project an uncanny feel. Mortem’s keyboard presence does a lot for Mørketid’s texture, bestowing a creepy music box melody to “Aftermath” and a beefy Dimmu Borgir symphonic gothicness to “Ditt Ødes Ære.” But overall, if you’ve heard Mayhem’s early stuff, you know what to expect from Mortem. Buzzsaw guitars, phlegmy rasps, and drawn-out staggering through the dark are the name of the game here, highlighted on songs like “The Mighty Odious” and “Mørkets Ormebol.” Mortem have been around long enough to get these fundamentals down pat.

    Though Mortem clearly put in the work, there are yet few standout performances on Mørketid. Outside of some surprisingly shreddy solos across Mørketid’s back end (“Den Sanne Gud,” “Aftermath”), Johnsen’s riffs are murky and standard-issue black metal, and while I appreciate Stavenes’ pronounced bass presence and the punchiness that comes with it (“Skyggeånd”), it nonetheless stays too firmly in the pocket. Similarly, Vold’s rasps are thick and gritty but rarely venture off from his slow-n-low mode, making his vocal presence seep into the background. Johnsen’s keyboards and Hellhammer’s drumming deserve note, however, as spidery key runs on “Mørketid” and “Mørkets Ormebol” do the heavy lifting in building mood and identity on their tracks, and shifting grooves and blasts all across Mørketid are its most varied and exciting asset. Mortem’s songwriting approach likely contributes to the muted performances: they’re hellbent for murk. But Mortem have ludicrous talent in their ranks, and I think a few more standout moments would’ve easily elevated Mørketid.

    And therein lies Mørketid’s biggest issue: memorability. Besides “Blodvassen Grunn,” where Mortem open the blinds a smidge for a touch of lightness in their style, Mørketid is monotonously dark. Over-repetition plagues many of Mørketid’s tracks, watering down the vitality of songs like “Mørkets Ormebol” and “Skyggeånd” while inflating Mørketid’s runtime. None of Mortem’s songs are extraordinarily long, sitting around four to six minutes on average, but I often found myself checking the time halfway through each song anyway. Production owns some of the blame here; though everything’s clearly audible, everything sounds crushed and undynamic, wearing on both the ears and mind. There are times when Mortem flirt with variety, like the darkly groovy second half of “Aftermath” and the time “Den Sanne Gud” gets quiet and threatens to veer into an Iron Maiden epic,1 but these are few and far between on Mørketid. I don’t think I can give high marks to something I can’t remember after many listens.

    It’s crazy to think that a band whose line-up is as storied as Mortem’s could struggle with a sophomore slump this far into their career, but here we are. Mørketid isn’t a bad record, but one that’s played too safely to truly stand out. Production issues and monotonous songwriting knock it down a notch further. Mortem occupy a space in metal’s history where a subpar record isn’t going to blemish their legacy. They were instrumental in founding one of its most iconic sub-genres. But Mørketid wasn’t released in 1987, and so has to stand up against the scores of other black metal releases from the decades since then. Sadly, it doesn’t.

    Rating: Disappointing
    DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps MP3
    Label: Peaceville Records
    Websites: facebook.com/mortemnorway | bandcamp.com/album/morketid
    Releases Worldwide: July 3rd, 2026

    #1349 #20 #2026 #Arcturus #BlackMetal #DimmuBorgir #Emperor #IronMaiden #Jul26 #Mayhem #Mortem #Mørketid #NorwegianMetal #PeacevilleRecords #Review #Reviews #Thorns
  5. Review: Blindead 23 – Deuterium

    Published by Attila on 2026/06/272026/06/27 Artwork by: Journal of Emptiness Style: Post-metal, Sludge metal, Death metal (mixed vocals)Recommended…
    #NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #7 #CA #Canada #DeathMetal #Englishlylrics #Entertainment #may #mixedvocals #PeacevilleRecords #Poland #Post-Metal #SludgeMetal
    newsbeep.com/ca/766544/

  6. Review: Blindead 23 – Deuterium

    Published by Attila on 2026/06/272026/06/27 Artwork by: Journal of Emptiness Style: Post-metal, Sludge metal, Death metal (mixed vocals)Recommended…
    #NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #7 #DeathMetal #Englishlylrics #Entertainment #may #mixedvocals #PeacevilleRecords #Poland #post-metal #SludgeMetal #UK #UnitedKingdom
    newsbeep.com/uk/661290/

  7. Blindead 23 have released a new video for "You Are the Universe," the closing track from their recently released album Deuterium.

    Details: metalinsider.net/video/blindea

    #Blindead23 #Deuterium #PeacevilleRecords #YouAreTheUniverse

  8. Mork – Monolitt Review By Grin Reaper

    For those who abhor the second-wave of black metal and its worship,1 Mork’s Monolitt may not be your cup of iced tea. Frosty tremolos, glacial chugs, and biting rasps lurk within, offering a welcome blast of northern darkness as I stare down the barrel of another sweltering Atlanta summer. Established in 2004, Thomas Eriksen’s Mork has been dispensing rime and punishment since debut Isebakke dropped in 2013. Now thirteen years on, Mork unveils eighth slab Monolitt, which radiates icy, blackened ire. As is customary, Eriksen supplies the lion’s share of sounds, though Asgeir Mickelson (ex-Borknagar, ex-Ihsahn) plies the drums while Øyvind Kaslegard (Svart Lotus) contributes additional vocals. Monolitt translates to ‘Monolith’ in English, and though it provides wonderful imagery and is immediately evocative, the name also sells a promise. Can Mork’s Monolitt deliver by embodying a towering manifestation of second-wave mayhem, or will it get buried beneath the permafrost?

    Mork’s discography evolves with each release while maintaining a consistency of high-caliber craftsmanship that listeners can rely upon. Early Mork material embraced rawer production featuring buzz-sawing guitars and lo-fi fuzz, and though it blankets those albums in textureless uniformity, interesting ideas and riffs gleam through the static. Over time, Eriksen has refined his approach, finding ways to subtly experiment within the confines of second-wave black metal. In this way, Mork reminds me of Mayhem and Thron, continuously pushing the boundaries of their soundscape to expand their grasp of the genre. To me, 2024’s Syv acts as Mork’s most exploratory album to date, demonstrated by their foray into broader instrumentation as well as the beautiful acoustic and clean-sung finale, “Omme.” Monolitt, on the other hand, recenters the band squarely in second-wave territory, albeit with a smattering of Syv’s less conventional elements.

    Given the solid foundation Mork establishes within black metal’s most identifiable form, Monolitt proves to be a bit of a misnomer considering the wealth of diverse ideas within it. Leadoff track “Under Vekten av Verden” kicks off festivities in ferocious fashion, where Mickelson hammers the kit with clockwork rigidity, and Eriksen dispatches wicked licks and riffs that sound like they were pulled from the heart of winter itself. “Ødelagt” begins with the same fury, but by its end decelerates to a funereal crawl. Follow-up “Torden” rejuvenates the pacing with a simple yet exhilarating guitar lead and gusts of peppy drum patterns that never fail to get my head bobbing. Monolitt doesn’t hoard the goodies on the front end, though, as “Inn i en Annen Sfære” and “Jutul” overflow with well-crafted moments applied using a delicate touch, underpinning Mork’s growth as astute songwriters. “Inn i en Annen Sfære” sparkles like ice-capped snow, where crystalline guitars glide through bright, sustained synths as the pacing inevitably propels the song into proper blackened tremolos and Eriksen’s gruff rasp. Similarly, “Utryddelse” employs tempo and mood shifts throughout its runtime that develop riveting dynamics and remind me of Kampfar and newer Mayhem, while “Jutul” uses a dash of clean singing in addition to recalling early Gorgorth’s implementation of faint, understated melody.

    The whole of Monolitt is as impressive as the sum of its parts, and on it Mork endeavors to distill their essence even further. The mixing (Børge Finstad) and mastering (Jack Control and Maor Appelbaum) highlight the music wonderfully, giving each instrument ample space and retaining an edge to the tones such that Monolitt never sounds polished or slick. I only wish that the album’s middle was as consistent as its bookends. The tracks I’ve mentioned stand out as grade-A black metal, and though the other songs are good to very good, they don’t quite live up to the heights established at the pinnacle of Monolitt.

    Through eight albums, Mork utterly convinces that their creative well runs deep. Monolitt stands tall, a monument to second-wave songwriting that demonstrates further exploration of the style doesn’t have to be stale. While Syv edges Monolitt out as my favorite Mork release, it’s damn close, and more than anything else, I’m left incredibly impressed with the band’s maturation and steadfast output. It’s rare for a band putting out so much material in so short a time to maintain this level of quality, but you better believe this one’s a genuine, bona fide, electrified, nine-track Monolitt. Now say it again, and hop on board!

    Rating: Very Good!
    DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: Peaceville Records
    Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
    Releases Worldwide: June 19th, 2026

    #2026 #35 #BlackMetal #Borknagar #Ihsahn #Jun26 #Kampfar #Mayhem #Monolitt #Mork #NorwegianMetal #PeacevilleRecords #Review #Reviews #SvartLotus #Syv #Thron
  9. Blindead 23 – Deuterium Review By Dear Hollow

    Blindead’s third album Affliction XXIX II MXMVI is one of the most underrated classics of the 2010s. The Polish band’s sound was bigger than its fanbase, tragically, but that didn’t stop them from releasing an ambitious concept album whose stars aligned in both sound and lyrical themes. Rooted in the enigmatic and mammoth style of post-metal, the grey world it painted with broad sludge brushstrokes portrayed the experiences and perceptions of a child with ASD: “The shape of a city stood in the grayness, like a charcoal drawing sketched across the waste” (“Dark and Gray”). Alongside titles like Amia Venera Landscape’s The Long Procession and Dirge’s Elysian Magnetic Fields, Blindead was included on a long list of post-metal deep cuts that lay below the decade’s surface.

    In spite of the laziest band name, Blindead 23 is the reincarnation of the act, this time armed with a star-studded lineup. The core of long-time guitarist Mateusz Śmierzchalski (aka Havoc, former Behemoth guitarist from 2000-03) and vocalist Patryk Zwoliński, Blindead 23 is rounded out by drummer Pawel “Pavulon” Jaroszewicz (known for his time in Vltimas, Vader, and Decapitated) and guitarist Roger Öjersson (known for his time in Katatonia). After the relative fizzle of Blindead’s final post-metal/alt rock albums Absence and Ascension, and the outta left field punk swansong Niewiosna, Blindead 23 returns to its roots with a tried-and-true blend of post-metal hugeness and hardcore intensity, sounding right at home with the likes of Rosetta, Neurosis, and Mouth of the Architect. First LP Deuterium is a love song to post-metal, a welcome return that won’t turn too many heads – but it’s the riffiest and the dirgiest post-metal that is both overlong and extremely promising.

    Blessedly, the Blindead 23’s riffs are truly a force of nature, amplified by Öjersson’s soulful trademark melodies. The opening “Immersion” suite offers you a front-and-center attack that showcases the intensity and range – chuggy riffs and ominous melodies collide in formidable intensity. The more intense portions take on a nearly mechanical, death metal-bordering heaviness thanks to choppy staccato chugs and cold atmospheric tricks (“Immersion II,” title track), while solos and cleans inject the necessary humanity to keep them from wallowing in industrial aloofness (“Immersion I” and “II,” “Wither,” title track). Other tracks happen upon a more hardcore-inspired approach, chaotic movements, and shifty rhythms recalling the likes of Black Sheep Wall and Knut (“Worst Laid Plans”), Jaroszewicz’s drums laying a foundation of shifting sands.

    The fifty-four-minute runtime is both a blessing and a curse for Blindead 23: while it allows them the breath to explore all their facets, it drags on the slower moments to a snail’s crawl. While the more hypnotic and dirgelike pieces can be bolstered by an eerie atmosphere (“Immersion II”), they have the potential to drag on for way too long and rob the band of the intensity they have effectively established (“Wither”), and even good tracks can feel a few minutes too long (“Worst Laid Plans”). While range is the name of the game, a few tricks feel too out-of-left-field, such as the bluesy and twangy plucking or jazzy melodies (“Toward the Dark”) or a surprising optimism that clashes with the overall darkness of the debut (“You Are the Universe”). However, this is not Blindead – it’s Blindead 23 – and it’s better that a band explore all avenues instead of just playing it safe.

    Deuterium is the sound of a band hungry for the return, but not to the way things were. Already, a revolving door of contributors make Deuterium a distinct sound compared to 2024 debut EP Vanishing, and it shows in a solid output that sounds like the veterans they are. While the inconsistency is jarring and the sprawl leads to the excessive runtime, individual star power with an immensity greater than the sum of its parts graces the Polish juggernaut in an exploration of all avenues. An embarrassment of riches awaits them. Deuterium may not be their magnum opus, but it’s the prelude for Blindead 23.

    Rating: 3.0/5.0
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Peaceville Records
    Website: facebook.com/blindead23
    Releases Worldwide: April 22nd, 2026

    #2026 #30 #AmiaVeneraLandscape #Apr26 #Behemoth #BlackSheepWall #Blindead #Blindead23 #DeathMetal #Decapitated #Deuterium #Dirge #Hardcore #Katatonia #Knut #MouthOfTheArchitect #Neurosis #PeacevilleRecords #PolishMetal #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #Rosetta #SludgeMetal #Vader #Vltimas
  10. Darkthrone – Pre-Historic Metal Review By Dr. A.N. Grier

    Yup, it’s late, and I don’t even feel bad about it. Because, once again, no promo, no stream, no nothing from the lovable assholes that are Nocturno Culto and Fenriz. Who would even write a review at this point? You don’t care. I don’t care. And Darkthrone certainly don’t care. Well… because I sorta care. Just a little.1 Mostly I care because I wanted to see if the band could bounce back after their dreadful 2024 release, It Beckons Deez Nutz…………. Though the band has been chasing “pre-historic” metal since their significant shit at Hate Them and Sardonic Wrath, one can only assume Pre-Historic Metal is meant as a definitive homage to the ways of the olde.2 Which means, half of the staff (and most of you) have already moved on to your hip, new-wave shit—sucking back a Truly and trying to hold your vape like you’re fucking Humphrey Bogart from The Maltese Falcon.3 I guess I’m the only one with balls around here.

    Anyway, this new, ear-splitting opus from Darkthrone does indeed explore even more of the classics, ranging from Maiden gallops to Mercyful Fate guitar play and hair metal groovery—the good stuff. The stuff before Zack Morris and gang ruined fashion, music, and my life.4 With that, even come shifts that are new to the band. Like, having rocking, accessible grooves that you could put on the radio. Just kidding. Idiots. But you’ll be surprised by some of the arrangements and the slickness of the songwriting. The other thing Pre-Historic Metal has over many of the band’s previous releases is… RIFFS. Lots and lots of fucking RIFFS. Do they all work? No. Do they tend to blend? Yes. Do they still kick ass? Also, yes.

    To open the album, “They Found One of My Graves” borrows some inspiration from Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica, delivering some hooking licks that transition only when the urge for Motörhead-meets-Mercyful Fate-isms takes hold. The result is the funnest song on the record, and perhaps one of the grooviest of the band’s career. “Siberian Thaw” is another with that big, fun energy. After the instruments gently fade in, the song alternates between mid-paced chuggery and waist-deep murkery. The best part comes around the middle, when everything falls away and is replaced by eerie effects and a stellar bass lead. I’m not sure I’ve heard such prominent bass work on a Darkthrone album before, but they should do it more often.

    Following “Siberian Thaw,” “Deeply Rooted” takes many of its predecessor’s doomy, damning qualities and pushes harder against Pre-Historic Metal’s outer walls. Adding some melody to the mid-paced groveling, the song creates an ascending character that only climbs higher as it progresses. Like the previous track, “Deeply Rooted” has a definitive moment of stoppage before more Metallica vibes kick in and the band goes flying. Continuing with this ridiculous continuity that has existed since Soulside Journey and only recently carried on, the album closes with the fourth part of “Eon.” Unlike the rest of the album, “Eon 4” is far more Darkthrone in approach. It contains classic tremolos and a black metal edge. When Fenriz’s absurd vocals arrive, they somehow feel far more fitting on this song than on others. But, as with the rest of the album, the moment you think you’ve settled in, everything around you changes. This time, the 1980s hit you like a fucking brick as the band hammers out one of the most headbangable licks on the record. Toss in a horse chase of galloping energy, and you have a winner in “Eon 4.”

    While the instrumental, “So I Marched to the Sunken Empire,” is mostly unnecessary, it does point to a time when it seemed like every metal album had at least one. And even though the title track sounds like tired, overdone Darkthrone, with its ugly chord bends and even uglier Fenriz vocals,5 it still contains a killer lick on the back-end that’ll have you growing out your hair.6 Pre-Historic Metal is exactly as described. It’s a journey back in time, delivered through the eyes of two metal titans that have been doing this shit for forty fucking years.7 And the result is one of the most straightforward the band has produced. Keeping the weirdness to a minimum and letting the riffs shine throughout. With a respectable master that lets all things surface at the right time, Pre-Historic Metal is one of the best Darkthrone records of this era.

    Rating: 3.5/5.0
    DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: ALAC
    Label: Peaveville Records | Bandcamp
    Websites: facebook.com/darkthroneofficial
    Releases Worldwide: May 8th, 2026

    #2026 #35 #BlackMetal #Darkthrone #DoomMetal #HeavyMetal #May26 #NorwegianMetal #PeacevilleRecords #PreHistoricMetal #Review #Reviews #SpeedMetal
  11. Sigh – I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

    Before we start… yes. Yes, we received I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV on time…
    #NewsBeep #News #Music #2025 #Avant-gardeMetal #Entertainment #FearFactory #Hangman'sHymnMMXXV #ISawTheWorld'sEnd #JapaneseMetal #Malignancy #Pallbearer #PeacevilleRecords #Sigh #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #UK #UnitedKingdom
    newsbeep.com/uk/307922/

  12. Sigh – I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

    Before we start… yes. Yes, we received I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV on time…
    #NewsBeep #News #Music #2025 #avant-gardemetal #CA #Canada #Entertainment #FearFactory #Hangman'sHymnMMXXV #ISawTheWorld'sEnd #JapaneseMetal #Malignancy #Pallbearer #PeacevilleRecords #Sigh #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025
    newsbeep.com/ca/335603/

  13. Sigh – I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

    By Grymm

    Before we start… yes. Yes, we received I Saw the World’s End – Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV on time back when it was released this past June. There was a debate behind the scenes whether a complete remake of Sigh’s seventh full-length from 2007, Hangman’s Hymn, justifies a full-length review. At the end of the day, newer, current bands and releases that were created in 2025 needed precedence, and thus a remake of a classic album, one that many feel didn’t necessarily need one, took a backseat. In doing so, many people slept on it and decided to move on. Which would be a shame, as not only does I Saw the World’s End sound a hell of a lot better than the original, it improves upon it in almost every aspect.

    What Sigh mainman/bassist/vocalist Mirai Kawashima possessed in 2007 was a plethora of ideas and a hunger to see them to fruition. The Mirai of 2025 still possesses those qualities, but also now has a backing band to see them come to life, and the results are a jaw-dropping improvement. Former guitarist Shinichi Ishikawa and former drummer Junichi Harashima weren’t slouches when Hangman’s Hymn was originally released, but current guitarist Nozomu Wakai and session drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy, ex-Fear Factory) bring so much more to the table creatively. The revamp of “Me-Devil” sees Wakai turn the chorus from a straight-ahead thrash riff to a near-blackened assault. His solos are also a massive departure over Ishikawa’s, soaring as opposed to just being a placeholder.

    And Heller? Seriously, just listen to “Introitus/Kyrie” of 2025 and compare that to the original. While the original kept a straight-ahead marching attack, Heller’s variety, speed, and skill elevate the song, with rolling tom flourishes, blasts, and fill after glorious fill highlighting Kawashima’s songwriting genius. Elsewhere, his near-militaristic take on “The Memories as a Sinner,” combined with Wakai’s shred-tastic soloing, turns the song into a much meaner tune. In fact, what both men bring to the reworking of Hangman’s Hymn is such a vastly superior improvement that showcasing a few examples was difficult, when they’re all impressive.


    It doesn’t hurt that the Lasse Lammert production cleans things up where they’re needed (especially in the bass and live brass instrumentation), and beefs things up where necessary (the drums and guitars). The vocals of Kawashima and his wife, Dr. Mikannibal (who joined just after the original was released), also cut through with alarming clarity and focus, often playing off each other’s delivery. Sure, some of the original’s hiccups remain (I’m still trying to wrap my head around Kawashima’s impish Baby Ms. Piggy-like vocals in the choruses of “Inked in Blood,” but I recognize that that’s a Me Thing), but everything else answers why Kawashima would choose to rework an album that’s already a classic in many people’s eyes. While I loved the original, I Saw the World’s End is several notches above it; it’s frightening. After all, I would take this over a poorly-produced, massively downgraded redux any day of the week.1

    Tracks to Check Out: This really is a “sit and absorb” kind of album, so sit and absorb it, will ya?

    #2025 #AvantGardeMetal #FearFactory #HangmanSHymnMMXXV #ISawTheWorldSEnd #JapaneseMetal #Malignancy #Pallbearer #PeacevilleRecords #Sigh #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025

  14. Novembre – Words of Indigo Review

    By Owlswald

    Melancholic is the word that best describes the atmospheric sound of Italy’s Novembre. Existing in the dark corners of doom and death metal since their origins as Catacomb in 1990, the group—spearheaded by brothers Carmelo and Giuseppe Orlando—adopted the name Novembre in 1993, spending over three decades fusing their emotive sound of metal aggression and classical composure. Despite being largely underrated, their output includes the acclaimed cornerstone, Novembrine Waltz (2001), and the progressively leaning Materia (2006) and The Blue (2007). Following a prolonged hiatus—and the crucial departure of Giuseppe Orlando—2016’s URSA provided proof of life. While the album had enough trademark characteristics to appease many (like Grymm), it failed to impress me, raising my fears that the Novembre I once loved was gone. The burden of proof now rests on their ninth LP, Words of Indigo, to prove these longstanding veterans still possess their romantic magic.

    If you liked URSA, it’s likely you will love Words of Indigo. Despite the nine-year break and additional lineup shifts,1 fresh blood has instilled a dynamism and richness that was missing on URSA. Novembre’s outstanding musicianship explores territories both old and new, delivering phenomenal guitar leads with the group’s familiar romantic passages. Buttery, soothing textures and serene melodies are often undercut by moments of calculated aggression. These elements interlace death, power, rock and doom to build a sonic architecture of musical contrast, constantly ebbing and flowing between tranquil plateaus, cinematic sweeps and energetic torrents. Carmelo Orlando’s mumbling vocals remain prevalent, though they frequently adopt a darker and heavier identity, his blackened rasps matching Novembre’s waves of death metal aggression. Among the rich instrumental additions of piano (“Statua”), saxophone (“Your Holocene”), church bells (“Chisea dell’alba”) and acoustic guitar (“Intervallo”), Words of Indigo evokes an Enslaved-meets-Anathema synthesis, containing considerable depth and a classic sensibility that pays homage to their Italian heritage.

    Driven by gloomy, foreboding melodies juxtaposed with transcendent bridges of beauty and serenity, Words of Indigo is a complex emotional landscape, dynamic and rich in its sculpting. “Statua” washes the listener in a sea of layered, solemn progressive tones before its gorgeous, piano-driven end grants a necessary homecoming. “Neptunian Hearts” balances black intensity with beautiful resolving melodies—including one of the best guitar solos on the album—while “House of Rain” uses a brooding vibe, a midpoint solo and beautiful contributions by Ann-Mari Edvardsen (The 3rd & the Mortal) to fuel its delicate crescendo. Even lengthy instrumental “Ipernotte” shifts rapidly from technical tapping and thundering double-bass to a dystopian, crestfallen tone, its chaotic ending mitigated by a percussive and underutilized flamenco guitar. The combined guitar work of Alessio Erriu, Federico Albanese and Carmelo Orlando is arguably Words of Indigo’s engine. Their leads paint a diversely progressive palette of virtuosic shredding (“Brontide”) and Fallujah-like atmospherics (“Sun Magenta”) to flashy power tapping and bright harmonics (“Your Holocene,” “Brontide”), elevating Novembre’s songwriting to the next level.

    Faithful to its roots, Words of Indigo retains some of Novembre’s familiar challenges: a tendency toward sonic conformance and Orlando’s persistent use of his signature mumbling vocal technique. As with URSA, the album suffers a bit from mid-point fatigue, as tracks tend to coalesce toward the center, causing my appetite for the remainder to wane. Though not a deal breaker, Words of Indigo’s track sequencing also struggles, presenting as separate pieces rather than a cohesive whole. Minor production choices, such as the unnecessary fade-out/fade-in ending of “House of Rain,” compound this segmentation. However, Words of Indigo is certainly better paced than its predecessor, with a superior variety of tempos, vocals and instrumental additions that help keep the songwriting interesting. Finally, Orlando’s characteristic delivery—highlighted on tracks like “Sun Magenta,” “Post Poetic,” and “Your Holocene”—remains divisive, directly eroding the vitality of the songwriting by distracting from the superior instrumentation.

    Words of Indigo marks Novembre’s definitive return following yet another long hiatus and lineup change and it delivers on nearly every front. It’s dynamic and richly textured, weaving the group’s familiar characteristics into a sonic tapestry defined by compelling, adventurous guitar leads. While clunky at times, Words of Indigo signals a new phase for Novembre, successfully positioning them not just as underappreciated doom and death metal mainstays, but as artists intent on consistently reimagining their core identity. This complex, nuanced emotional landscape absolutely warrants your attention and has firmly rekindled my intrigue for what is hopefully to come.

    Rating: Very Good!
    DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Peaceville Records
    Websites: novembre2.bandcamp.com/music | novembre.co.uk | facebook.com/Novembre1941#
    Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

    #2025 #35 #Anathema #Catacomb #DoomMetal #Enslaved #Fallujah #ItalianMetal #Nov25 #Novembre #PeacevilleRecords #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #The3rdTheMortal #WordsOfIndigo

  15. Cancer – Inverted World Review

    By Steel Druhm

    No one lists Cancer as their favorite death metal band. That’s because even in their heyday, they were pretty average. Early 90s platters like To the Gory End and Death Shall Rise were mildly enjoyable for their primitive, meatheaded approach, sitting at the crossroads of thrash and primordial death along with other bands of that era like Morbid Saint, Protector, and Incubus. 1993s The Sins of Mankind had a more proggy bent that cribbed notes from what Death was doing on Spiritual Healing and Human, and it had its moments. Yet none of these releases were formative or “Must Hear” records either then or now. After that, Cancer dubiously dabbled in nu-metal and groove, thereby alienating their fanbase. After 13 years in limbo, they started a second career redemption arc with 2018s Shadow Gripped, returning to their original death metal sound. Six years later, we get seventh album, Inverted World. Only vocalist/guitarist John Walker remains from the early days, and he brought in a whole new crew for this outing. The sound is basically what Cancer did on Shadow Gripped, offering proto-death with thrash influences. After a long, patchy history, can Cancer metastasize into a higher form?

    The short answer is nope. Inverted World is the same kind of stuff Cancer spat out in the old days, ignoring everything that’s happened musically over the last few decades. This kind of evolutionary resistance works for some (all caveman death and Sodom), but it doesn’t do any favors for Cancer. Opener “Enter the Gate” is mid-paced OSDM spiced with modest breakdowns and slight traces of prog. It has the basic Cancer sound, but it’s a very watered-down version of it, and John Walker’s vocals sound weak and uninspired. There are some interesting riffs and guitar bits, but it’s not enough to stick. This sets the stage for issues that plague the whole album. There are inspired moments, but few songs that thrill from start to finish. The title track is exceptionally dull, plodding along in a brain-numbing mid-paced slog, and the follow-up “39 Bodies” keeps it going for another painstaking 5 minutes. A few riffs sound like they came from Death’s Spiritual Healing, but that’s not enough to save things. Lead single “Amputate” is like a drunken Jungle Rot trying to do Leprosy-era Death, and it’s a lunkheaded clunker. It’s so painfully dull, actual amputation might be preferable.

    There’s not much on Inverted World that truly grabs the listener, but “Test Site” is a thrashy foray into Coroner-esque riffs that twist and corkscrew in interesting ways, and there are interesting hints of Voivod in the song structure. They even add a touch of dissonance to acknowledge the modern age. It’s still only decent, but at least it’s got some spunk. “When Killing Isn’t Murder” has flashes of lively guitar interplay and harmonies, but it’s still underwhelming. At 44 minutes, Inverted World feels longer due to the over-reliance on mid-paced tempos. Production-wise, the guitar tone is way too weak and non-confrontational to have any real impact. It also doesn’t help that Walker’s flat, monotone vocals are mixed so prominently. Especially since he’s barely even doing death vocals at this point.

    The modern Cancer sound revolves around riffs, and John Walker and new lead guitarist Robert Navajas are certainly talented six-stringers. There are minor flashes of inspiration dotting the album, but they only latch onto decent riffs on half the songs, creating a paucity of truly killer riffs. The writing is a huge letdown too, with nearly every song limping along in a mid-tempo fog. John Walker was never an A-list death metal vocalist, but he sounds washed out here, entirely lacking in gravitas and intensity. He sounds bored most of the time, which I can certainly relate to by album’s end. It’s drummer Gabriel Valcázar (Wormed) who comes off best here. He’s a punchy dynamo on the backline, providing a thunderous performance. He can only do so much, though, considering the album’s commitment to pedestrian pacing.

    Inverted World is better than the nu-groove stuff Cancer was churning out in the mid-90s, but it still doesn’t have much to offer the average death fiend. It’s too flat and static to inspire repeat listens, and its only appeal is to those who may have overly fond memories of Cancer’s early days. Go back to The Sins of Mankind if you bother to drill down into Cancer’s discography at all. This is a sleepy miss.

    Rating: 2.0/5.0
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: Peaceville
    Websites: facebook.com/goryend | instagram.com/cancerofficialband
    Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

    #20 #2025 #Apr25 #Cancer #Coroner #Death #DeathMetal #Incubus #InvertedWorld #MorbidSaint #PeacevilleRecords #Protector #Review #Reviews #UKMetal

  16. Yer Metal Is Olde: Opeth – Still Life

    By El Cuervo

    With a highly-anticipated new album due on the 22nd of November,1 there’s little introduction required for a progressive metal institution like Opeth. But on the eve of new material, I’m casting my ears back 25 years to the release that established these Swedes as one of the greatest bands in metal.2 I’ve loved most styles of Opeth and count a number of their records among my favorites ever. But, gun to my head, Still Life is at the top of my list. Is it the stylistic apex of their career? Possibly not; the mercurial Ghost Reveries represents the logical conclusion of their discography up to that point, seamlessly blending all facets of their sound that permeated their first decade of releases.

    So why is it Still Life that sticks with me? It falls in the middle of Opeth’s progression from inception to apex and marks the start of what most fans would consider their classic run. As such, it finds itself stretched in two directions. While lesser bands would be pulled apart, what leaks out here is nothing but quality. The songwriting is smoother and more sophisticated than My Arms Your Hearse, while its rougher edge distinguishes it from the professional, Steven Wilson-backed production that defines Blackwater Park. In fact, the guitar tone here is the best in the Opeth catalog, rivaled only by Orchid.3 It’s this sweet spot—ornate, dynamic songs fused with death metal production and riffs—that encapsulates Still Life. Look no further than the multiplicitous, textured movement of “Serenity Painted Death.” As if its opening riff wasn’t good enough alone, the transitory passage that begins at 0:50, traversing a shredding lead, tempo shift, dramatic pause, and outrageous groove, demarcates a song of rare quality. And there are seven more minutes to follow, shuffling harmonized singing, delicate acoustics, and gripping story-telling.

    Dynamic songwriting isn’t the only ‘best-in-catalog’ quality heard on Still Life. While the aforementioned groove excels, the first lead on “The Moor” and the guitars on the back half of “Face of Melinda” are worthy adversaries for some of the best riffs in metal. Meanwhile, the opening minutes of “The Moor” conjure the strongest atmosphere in the Opeth discography, with harmonized guitar whines and subtle acoustic melodies offering a mesmerizing introduction. “Face of Melinda” is my favorite Opeth track, bar none. It’s the archetypal Åkerfeldt tune, with spell-binding acoustic prettiness, poignant lyrics, and huge riffs. I wouldn’t like to guess how many times I’ve listened to it in total. But most of all, Still Life houses my favorite obscure progressive rock reference, in a band that’s famous for them. The acoustic lead on “Benighted,” while stunning, is a blatant rip-off from Camel’s “Never Let Go”.

    I will also emphasize that although this piece has thus far cited examples from incredible songs, Still Life is an incredible album. While the individual melodies and instrumental parts that occupy these 62 minutes are excellent, it’s how these are woven into movements that eclipse the mere tracks that encase them. Still Life is symphonic in feel, compositionally closer to a classical symphony than an album of tracks. There’s a natural lilt in its progression, flowing within the seven songs, but more importantly, outside these seven songs too. It’s almost impossible for me to hit play from any point on the record and not then listen all the way through.

    Romantics describe love at first sight; metalheads describe love at first listen. Opeth opened my ears to what was possible with music, and it was Still Life that opened my ears to Opeth. The completionism of Ghost Reveries engages my brain, but the aesthetic of Still Life engages my soul. There’s a big fat hole in the core of your being if you can’t engage with music like this. It’s what perfection sounds like.

    #1999 #DeathMetal #Opeth #PeacevilleRecords #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #StillLife #YerMetalIsOlde

  17. Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All……. Review

    By Dr. A.N. Grier

    As per usual with Darkthrone these days, a new record arrived without any notice and NO ONE got the promo until after its release. So, here I am trying to toss together a review at the last second for a band whose process is so annoying that I don’t even want to review them. But, I love Darkthrone. So I will ignore my annoyance and pen this fucking thing. Even after twenty full-length albums and nearly four decades in existence, Darkthrone can still surprise their fanbase with each new record—to the point that you don’t know what to expect. But, the last time I enjoyed a complete Darkthrone album was 2013’s The Underground Resistance and 2021’s Eternal Halls……. Keeping with the theme of the latter album, we have another record that uses unnecessary dots in its title. But, does It Beckons Us All……. have what it takes to keep these crusty old fuckers relevant after all these years?

    Since the days when Fenriz started lending his voice to Darkthrone albums, things have undoubtedly become weird. But, the band’s commitment to an old-school sound that no longer relies on the yesteryears of Norwegian black metal glory has been enlightening. Chipping away at classic ’80s riffs from the likes of Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and Sarcófago, Culto and Fenriz have been keeping old-man metal alive after pulling away from the first and second-wave scenes with Hate Them. Since then, they’ve been forging a path that has seen fans come and go, depending on which version of Darkthrone they prefer. But these two gents couldn’t care less. They could care so little that, as I type these words, I feel like I’m wasting my time. But, after listening to It Beckons Us All……., I wish they did care. Because this has to be one of the most disappointing things I’ve heard since Metallica’s 72 Seasons.

    “Howling Primitive Colonies” kicks things off with some weird, psychedelic effects that remind me of that mapping bot from Prometheus. Then, it slides into a classic, mid-paced Darkthrone groove that transitions to some boring, slow sustains and perhaps one of Culto’s worst vocal performances. Hell, I wouldn’t even call them vocals. It’s more like raspy rambling than anything else. It picks up the pace at the midpoint, but the one-dimensional “vocals” remain. Thankfully, “Black Dawn Affiliation” arrives a couple of songs later to kick some major ass. This song might be one of the most badass songs to come from Culto’s fingers. For over six minutes, he takes a basic riff and continues to add layers upon layers, evolving it to a massive headbanging climax as distant clean vocals swirl around it.

    The ten-minute closer, “The Lone Pines of the Lost Planet,” provides other interesting guitar moments. Specifically, the mid-section harmonizing work which also continues to evolve as it goes. It’s one of the more surprising pieces because it opens with reverberating clean guitars that feel like it’s about to morph into a Metallica ballad. It fails because it has so many worthless sections that drag it out unnecessarily. Plus, I swear to God, Culto says, “Sucking on hydrothermic chimneys.”1 But, at least it contributes something to the album. Unlike the absolutely worthless instrumental, “And in That Moment I Knew the Answer.” I could have spent those three minutes taking a shit instead of listening to this thing. “Eon 3” and “The Heavy Hand” also suffer in their own unique ways. While Culto refuses to sing on this album, Fenriz’s cleans on “Eon 3” are buried in the back and completely encapsulated in effects. And though “The Heavy Hand” has an engaging, haunting attitude, it spends four minutes going nowhere.

    After reviewing Darkthrone albums for years, this is the first time I’ve been this disappointed. It Beckons Us All……. is the most uninspiring collection of work the band has released in some time. Outside of the top songs, the others feel thrown together and completely lifeless. And the vocals are either borderline talking or so distant that they’re barely backing vocals. There is some surprising guitar work in songs like “Black Dawn Affiliation” and “The Lone Pines of the Lost Planet,” but it’s not enough to carry the rest of the songs. It’s a shame because the album is so dynamic that if rats were running around the studio, you’d hear them. Though I’m one of the biggest fans of this band, I won’t be returning to this one.

    Rating: 2.0/5.0
    DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Peaceville Records | Bandcamp
    Websites: facebook.com/darkthroneofficial
    Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024

    #20 #2024 #Apr24 #BlackMetal #CelticFrost #Darkthrone #Hellhammer #ItBeckonsUsAll_ #Metallica #NorwegianMetal #PeacevilleRecords #Review #Reviews #Sarcófago

  18. Morta Skuld – Creation Undone Review

    By Steel Druhm

    Wisconsin’s Morta Skuld have been dragging their nasty cave knuckles for so long, even their fingerprints have worn off. In existence on and off since 1990, these old school warriors have been a fairly reliable if not super prolific source of no-frills, beefbrained death metal. Their early works exuded an oily, swampy charm with a sound ripped from the classic Necrophagia and Obituary deathbooks. Later albums like Wounds Deeper Than Time and 2020s Suffer for Nothing were much more furious, pummeling affairs, with elements of Vader, Malevolent Creation, and Jungle Rot in their flavor profile. The latter was an especially fragrant tomb raid with a collection of riffy, groove-heavy numbers that won the Steel ov Approval though we never gave it a proper review. 2024 sees them returning with the same lineup and overall approach for 7th full-length, Creation Undone and that’s a solid plan in my humble opinion. Can this platter earn Morta Skuld a bigger beak with which to climb the death metal pecking order?

    The band do a lot of things right this time out. The album is a concise 44 minutes and songs all sit in a tight 3-5 minute window. Opener “We Rise We Fall” sets the template for what most of the album delivers —bruising, thrashy death with a nasty attitude and a big bat. As the riffs cascade, lock into heavy grooves and pulp your melon, you may be reminded of the salad days of Malevolent Creation. Some of the riffs venture into Morbid Angel territory and Dave Gregor’s death roars have a vague similarity to David Vincent. This is death metal for the old-school set and it’s effective and endearingly thuggish. Quality brutality keeps coming with the extra heavy crushitude of “The End of Reason,” and the romp and curb stomp of “Painful Conflict” smacks of recent Vomitory, which is a good thing indeed.

    Track after track showcases Morta Skuld in the best possible light, leading with their strengths while hiding any glaring shortcomings. Later album cuts like “Perfect Prey” and “Soul Piercing Sorrow” bring the hammers to the poser hammering festival, with faint whiffs of Suffocation cropping up here and there to choke the weak. It isn’t until penultimate cut “Oblivion” that their steady hand starts to slip. It’s not even that the song is all that bad. It’s just less on point and skull-shaking than its peer group and it drags on too long. Closer “By Design” is better, but its doomy plod eventually sends my attention span on a beer run despite the Azagthoth-adjacent riffage. The combination of these lesser tracks causes Creation Undone to end on its backfoot rather than attacking with raging wiolence. Drop these two numbers and the album jumps from good to very good quite easily.

    Creation Undone benefits greatly from the rock-solid riffery by Dave Gregor and Scott Willecke. Gregor’s been there since the beginning, and newer axe Willecke is a great counterpoint. Most tracks are fueled by pile-driving, bone-crushing leads and powerful grooves that will shake you around like a Dollar Store scarecrow. I can listen to the first 8 tracks and find any number of beefy chugs and phat grooves I appreciate and applaud. They aren’t doing anything the least bit new or innovative, just smoking your ass with vintage death tropes done well and heavily. Meanwhile, Gregor roars at you like a roid-raging psycho and former Jungle Rot skinsman Eric House takes you to the house with a brutal rampage behind the kit. And that makes sense because some of this stuff isn’t all that removed from what those long-running death groove cretins do.

    Morta Skuld may never pull themselves up into the upper echelons of the death metal scene, but if they keep churning out stuff like this, I’ll happily consume it in mass quantities and ask for MOAR. Creation Undone pushes no envelopes, gives nothing back to the academic community, and provides no public service of any kind save kicking ass. The high points are quite high and only a few slips toward the end keep this from a better rating. Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good, so give this an obnoxiously loud sample. Rib-cracking fun lurks within.

    Rating: 3.0/5.0
    DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: Peaceville
    Website: facebook.com/mortaskuld
    Releases Worldwide: February 23rd, 2024

    #2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #CreationUndone #DeathMetal #Feb24 #JungleRot #MalevolentCreation #MorbidAngel #MortaSkuld #PeacevilleRecords #Review #Reviews #Vader #Vomitory

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