#valeofpnath — Public Fediverse posts

In the game of reviews, expectations can either be a blessing or a curse. Whichever way they fall, one truth remains: expectations are a bitch. It’s a hard lesson that Canadian technical death metal outfit Apogean is about to learn firsthand. Back in 2024, the then largely unknown quintet—with little more than a single EP to their name—released their debut full-length, Cyberstrictive. Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, it was a dystopian barrage of assaulting technical death metal that paired jaw-dropping musicianship with memorable riffs and great songwriting, making it my most played record of the year. I crowned it my Album O’ the Year during my budding n00b days for this site, so when Waste Where Life Begins was announced, I was stoked. At the same time, however, the specter of the dreaded sophomore slump loomed large. Could Apogean make it two in a row after a list-topping debut, or would the weight of expectations prove too much to overcome?

Unfortunately, Waste Where Life Begins doesn’t come close to matching its predecessor, and the reasons are twofold. First, where Cyberstrictive was unabashedly a tech death record à la Vale of Pnath or Inferi, Waste Where Life Begins plants its flag much closer to deathcore and blackened death. Cuts like “Lie in Cinder” and “Waste Where Life Begins” make this shift painfully obvious, with endlessly chugged caveman riffs, half‑time knuckle‑dragging rhythms and tropey guitar squeals and string rakes. It’s easy to point to lineup turnover as the culprit behind the stylistic change—guitarist Gabriel Castro and drummer Jacob Wagner gave way to Jack Post and Doug Noel, respectively—but that doesn’t make the transformation any less jarring. To be sure, traces of their explosive past still exist. “Nassaru” and “Hologram (Singing Silently on an Empty Stage),” for example, are adrenalized tracks with the spunky riffing and technicality that worked so well before. Dexter Forbes’ and Post’s guitar solos also elicit plenty of flashy fretwork, but Waste Where Life Begins feels like Apogean has traded in their sports car for a lifted truck, to its detriment.

Second, Waste Where Life Begins would work far better as an EP. Despite running only thirty-three minutes, the record somehow feels long, like Apogean strained to add material. The album’s disjointed sequencing reinforces this impression, pushing and pulling in conflicting directions, and the completely purposeless interlude “Ritual” adds nothing except the suspicion that someone insisted on hitting a minimum runtime. Some songs embrace unadorned composition (“Daughter of Oak,” “Lie in Cinder,” and the title track), while others attempt to recapture the cybernetic stylings of old (“Black Smoke, Bleeding Earth,” “Hologram (Singing Silently on an Empty Stage), “Nassaru”), resulting in a bifurcated flow with little sense of cohesion. Further compounding matters is the repetitive songcraft. The first third relies so heavily on the same chugging and squealing guitar patterns that they begin to blur together, as if a song’s worth of ideas were stretched across multiple tracks.

Apogean remains a highly talented group, and Waste Where Life Begins contains enough strong performances to suggest a return to form for these lads remains within reach. Vocalist Mac Smith (Eschaton, ex-Alterbeast) and drummer Doug Noel, in particular, deliver impressive performances throughout. Smith grabs my attention with his dynamic range of growls, rasps, guttural belches, and pig squeals, effortlessly shifting between techniques and tones. His vocals sound downright burly and well-defined in the mix, consistently drawing my focus back to his performance. Noel is equally impressive, bringing a much-needed degree of versatility to the songwriting. His playing ranges from bludgeoning, syncopated grooves on tracks like “Nassaru” and the title track to raucous blast beats on “Black Smoke, Bleeding Earth” and “White Trees, Black Leaves,” all accented by some snazzy cymbal work that adds color to an otherwise flat palette.

I won’t sugarcoat it: Waste Where Life Begins is a disappointment. After eagerly anticipating a follow-up to Cyberstrictive, I’m left unsatisfied by a record that abandons much of what made its predecessor so great. The energetic, virtuosic, and memorable songwriting that defined Cyberstrictive has largely been replaced by a middling blend of deathcore and blackened death. Apogean’s decision to broaden its sound is certainly understandable, especially given the recent lineup changes, but this new direction is a clear step back. Apogean surely has the talent to right the ship, but Waste Where Life Begins is yet another example of the dreaded sophomore slump.

Rating: Disappointing
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: The Artisan Era
Websites: apogean.bandcamp.com/music | facebook.com/ApogeanOfficial
Releases Worldwide: July 10th, 2026

In the game of reviews, expectations can either be a blessing or a curse. Whichever way they fall, one truth remains: expectations are a bitch. It’s a hard lesson that Canadian technical death metal outfit Apogean is about to learn firsthand. Back in 2024, the then largely unknown quintet—with little more than a single EP to their name—released their debut full-length, Cyberstrictive. Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, it was a dystopian barrage of assaulting technical death metal that paired jaw-dropping musicianship with memorable riffs and great songwriting, making it my most played record of the year. I crowned it my Album O’ the Year during my budding n00b days for this site, so when Waste Where Life Begins was announced, I was stoked. At the same time, however, the specter of the dreaded sophomore slump loomed large. Could Apogean make it two in a row after a list-topping debut, or would the weight of expectations prove too much to overcome?

Unfortunately, Waste Where Life Begins doesn’t come close to matching its predecessor, and the reasons are twofold. First, where Cyberstrictive was unabashedly a tech death record à la Vale of Pnath or Inferi, Waste Where Life Begins plants its flag much closer to deathcore and blackened death. Cuts like “Lie in Cinder” and “Waste Where Life Begins” make this shift painfully obvious, with endlessly chugged caveman riffs, half‑time knuckle‑dragging rhythms and tropey guitar squeals and string rakes. It’s easy to point to lineup turnover as the culprit behind the stylistic change—guitarist Gabriel Castro and drummer Jacob Wagner gave way to Jack Post and Doug Noel, respectively—but that doesn’t make the transformation any less jarring. To be sure, traces of their explosive past still exist. “Nassaru” and “Hologram (Singing Silently on an Empty Stage),” for example, are adrenalized tracks with the spunky riffing and technicality that worked so well before. Dexter Forbes’ and Post’s guitar solos also elicit plenty of flashy fretwork, but Waste Where Life Begins feels like Apogean has traded in their sports car for a lifted truck, to its detriment.

Second, Waste Where Life Begins would work far better as an EP. Despite running only thirty-three minutes, the record somehow feels long, like Apogean strained to add material. The album’s disjointed sequencing reinforces this impression, pushing and pulling in conflicting directions, and the completely purposeless interlude “Ritual” adds nothing except the suspicion that someone insisted on hitting a minimum runtime. Some songs embrace unadorned composition (“Daughter of Oak,” “Lie in Cinder,” and the title track), while others attempt to recapture the cybernetic stylings of old (“Black Smoke, Bleeding Earth,” “Hologram (Singing Silently on an Empty Stage), “Nassaru”), resulting in a bifurcated flow with little sense of cohesion. Further compounding matters is the repetitive songcraft. The first third relies so heavily on the same chugging and squealing guitar patterns that they begin to blur together, as if a song’s worth of ideas were stretched across multiple tracks.

Apogean remains a highly talented group, and Waste Where Life Begins contains enough strong performances to suggest a return to form for these lads remains within reach. Vocalist Mac Smith (Eschaton, ex-Alterbeast) and drummer Doug Noel, in particular, deliver impressive performances throughout. Smith grabs my attention with his dynamic range of growls, rasps, guttural belches, and pig squeals, effortlessly shifting between techniques and tones. His vocals sound downright burly and well-defined in the mix, consistently drawing my focus back to his performance. Noel is equally impressive, bringing a much-needed degree of versatility to the songwriting. His playing ranges from bludgeoning, syncopated grooves on tracks like “Nassaru” and the title track to raucous blast beats on “Black Smoke, Bleeding Earth” and “White Trees, Black Leaves,” all accented by some snazzy cymbal work that adds color to an otherwise flat palette.

I won’t sugarcoat it: Waste Where Life Begins is a disappointment. After eagerly anticipating a follow-up to Cyberstrictive, I’m left unsatisfied by a record that abandons much of what made its predecessor so great. The energetic, virtuosic, and memorable songwriting that defined Cyberstrictive has largely been replaced by a middling blend of deathcore and blackened death. Apogean’s decision to broaden its sound is certainly understandable, especially given the recent lineup changes, but this new direction is a clear step back. Apogean surely has the talent to right the ship, but Waste Where Life Begins is yet another example of the dreaded sophomore slump.

Rating: Disappointing
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: The Artisan Era
Websites: apogean.bandcamp.com/music | facebook.com/ApogeanOfficial
Releases Worldwide: July 10th, 2026

After releasing debut LP Prodigy of the Grotesque in 2020, Canada’s Goreworm re-emerges from their burrow with follow-up full-length Miasmic Solitude. Prodigy of the Grotesque enchanted me when I ran across it a few years ago—sweeping guitars, slick bass grooves, and a deliciously vigorous percussive cannonade made for a tasty tech death treat. Now six years later, Goreworm has metamorphosed from the band that dropped Prodigy. Vocalist Jesse Suess and founding members drummer Sean Bruce and bassist Derek Gibbs bid adieu, leaving guitarists Jordan Estrela and Brent Moerschfelder to carry the torch. For Miasmic Solitude, Goreworm rounds out the ensemble with session drummer Robin Stone (Ashen Horde, Chestcrush), who flayed the skins on 2021 EP Plague of Shadows, and vocalist Robert Miller (Antheraea). With a revitalized crew and a fresh batch of jams in hand, can Miasmic Solitude worm its way into your heart?

Technical death metal can be a tough genre to craft thoughtful songs within. The most immediate hurdle is technical chops—if you can’t muster the dexterity to pull off instrumental mayhem, you’re sunk. Yet the ability to play at blistering speeds with robotic fidelity isn’t enough on its own; it’s merely the price of admission. To transcend in the genre as the best from Necrophagist, Obscura, and Archspire have, you need crystalline mechanics embedded within engrossing and memorable compositions. Goreworm’s brand of death metal lands amidst the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, Vale of Pnath and Abysmal Dawn, sporting burly riffs played at head-spinning velocity with occasional splashes of neoclassical color. This, at least, ensures the price of admission has been paid in full.

Goreworm members old and new unleash the razzle-dazzle on Miasmic Solitude as they pump gallons of adrenalized ear candy into its compositions. Estrela and Moerschfelder beget a sinewy string section, uncorking spidery leads that dash along fretboards with muscle and venom (“Monuments to Murdering,” “Miasmic Solitude”). Moerschfelder pulls double duty on the low-end, too, clanging and banging with satisfying heft. I only wish he broke away more from playing under the guitars and locking into root notes. To be clear, this is a nitpick on style and not a comment on his ability to bring the thunder. It’s just that compared to Gibbs’ bass on Prodigy of the Grotesque, Miasmic Solitude loses a dimension that helped set Goreworm’s debut apart. Meanwhile, Stone supplies a magnificent performance behind the kit, unfettering smooth rolls à la Chris Adler (“Amor Vincit Omnia”) and hammer-smashing cavalcades that recall the ferocity of Cannibal Corpse’s Paul Marzurkiewicz fused with the grace of Dirk Verbeuren (“No Reprieve”). Robert Miller proves a capable vocalist, and though his performance isn’t particularly dynamic, he supports the music well and sounds credibly savage throughout.

Goreworm crackles with vitality throughout Miasmic Solitude, yet the entirety falls short of the promise of its performances. The production proves a mixed bag, allowing the guitars and vocals to shine at the expense of the drums, which sometimes cut through but often become muddled during furious blasts, obscuring the pop of robust drum tones I loved on the debut. Perhaps the intent was to thematically embrace what a cloudy, claustrophobic atmosphere achieves, shining the spotlight on a single focus at a time. If so, I can appreciate the attempt, but it fails to properly incorporate all the ingredients into what Goreworm is cooking. Besides the mix, the songwriting highlights Goreworm’s technical acumen without sharpening their hooks enough to reel me back in once the music fades. To be fair, Miasmic Solitude rips throughout its runtime and is a qualified neck-wrecker—I just don’t feel compelled to revisit it afterwards.

Ultimately, Goreworm exhibits a myriad of traits I love to hear in technical death metal. With a more well-rounded production and carefully honed compositions that transcend being platforms for flexing technical mastery, Goreworm bears all the potential to annihilate expectations. As it stands, after several listens through Miasmic Solitude, there’s no doubt that Goreworm possesses the prowess necessary to deliver on the technical front. I’m just unconvinced of the magnetism their material yields to keep me coming back past the pyrotechnics.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 12th, 2026

After releasing debut LP Prodigy of the Grotesque in 2020, Canada’s Goreworm re-emerges from their burrow with follow-up full-length Miasmic Solitude. Prodigy of the Grotesque enchanted me when I ran across it a few years ago—sweeping guitars, slick bass grooves, and a deliciously vigorous percussive cannonade made for a tasty tech death treat. Now six years later, Goreworm has metamorphosed from the band that dropped Prodigy. Vocalist Jesse Suess and founding members drummer Sean Bruce and bassist Derek Gibbs bid adieu, leaving guitarists Jordan Estrela and Brent Moerschfelder to carry the torch. For Miasmic Solitude, Goreworm rounds out the ensemble with session drummer Robin Stone (Ashen Horde, Chestcrush), who flayed the skins on 2021 EP Plague of Shadows, and vocalist Robert Miller (Antheraea). With a revitalized crew and a fresh batch of jams in hand, can Miasmic Solitude worm its way into your heart?

Technical death metal can be a tough genre to craft thoughtful songs within. The most immediate hurdle is technical chops—if you can’t muster the dexterity to pull off instrumental mayhem, you’re sunk. Yet the ability to play at blistering speeds with robotic fidelity isn’t enough on its own; it’s merely the price of admission. To transcend in the genre as the best from Necrophagist, Obscura, and Archspire have, you need crystalline mechanics embedded within engrossing and memorable compositions. Goreworm’s brand of death metal lands amidst the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, Vale of Pnath and Abysmal Dawn, sporting burly riffs played at head-spinning velocity with occasional splashes of neoclassical color. This, at least, ensures the price of admission has been paid in full.

Goreworm members old and new unleash the razzle-dazzle on Miasmic Solitude as they pump gallons of adrenalized ear candy into its compositions. Estrela and Moerschfelder beget a sinewy string section, uncorking spidery leads that dash along fretboards with muscle and venom (“Monuments to Murdering,” “Miasmic Solitude”). Moerschfelder pulls double duty on the low-end, too, clanging and banging with satisfying heft. I only wish he broke away more from playing under the guitars and locking into root notes. To be clear, this is a nitpick on style and not a comment on his ability to bring the thunder. It’s just that compared to Gibbs’ bass on Prodigy of the Grotesque, Miasmic Solitude loses a dimension that helped set Goreworm’s debut apart. Meanwhile, Stone supplies a magnificent performance behind the kit, unfettering smooth rolls à la Chris Adler (“Amor Vincit Omnia”) and hammer-smashing cavalcades that recall the ferocity of Cannibal Corpse’s Paul Marzurkiewicz fused with the grace of Dirk Verbeuren (“No Reprieve”). Robert Miller proves a capable vocalist, and though his performance isn’t particularly dynamic, he supports the music well and sounds credibly savage throughout.

Goreworm crackles with vitality throughout Miasmic Solitude, yet the entirety falls short of the promise of its performances. The production proves a mixed bag, allowing the guitars and vocals to shine at the expense of the drums, which sometimes cut through but often become muddled during furious blasts, obscuring the pop of robust drum tones I loved on the debut. Perhaps the intent was to thematically embrace what a cloudy, claustrophobic atmosphere achieves, shining the spotlight on a single focus at a time. If so, I can appreciate the attempt, but it fails to properly incorporate all the ingredients into what Goreworm is cooking. Besides the mix, the songwriting highlights Goreworm’s technical acumen without sharpening their hooks enough to reel me back in once the music fades. To be fair, Miasmic Solitude rips throughout its runtime and is a qualified neck-wrecker—I just don’t feel compelled to revisit it afterwards.

Ultimately, Goreworm exhibits a myriad of traits I love to hear in technical death metal. With a more well-rounded production and carefully honed compositions that transcend being platforms for flexing technical mastery, Goreworm bears all the potential to annihilate expectations. As it stands, after several listens through Miasmic Solitude, there’s no doubt that Goreworm possesses the prowess necessary to deliver on the technical front. I’m just unconvinced of the magnetism their material yields to keep me coming back past the pyrotechnics.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 12th, 2026

Wretched – Decay Review

By Dear Hollow

Wretched has always been a strange beast, incorporating the heft of deathcore with the technicality and atmosphere of more progressive acts. While breakout album (and my introduction to the band) Beyond the Gate was an elegantly elegiac deathcore album, swaying between the patient sprawls of “Birthing Sloth” and the bouncy chugs of “My Carrion,” follow-ups Sons of Perdition and Cannibal reflected the changing of the guard at vocals, as Glass Casket frontman Adam Cody injected an unhinged frenetic energy that had the band flirting with grind and thrash. Decay is an important album, released eleven years after its predecessor and existing as a return to form for a band that never had a slump.

While Cody injected the North Carolina act with a sense of urgency, the return of original vocalist Billy Powers returns Wretched to its more elegant and patient approaches. Although deathcore is on the bill, most of the proceeds recall The Black Dahlia Murder and Inferi rather than the Suicide Silences and Whitechapels of the world – landing somewhere in the core- and melo-realm of Vale of Pnath or early The Faceless.1 Yes, you’ll find some sticky chugs that punch through periodically, but the emphasis on the interplay between ominous and melodic shines brightest in Decay, reflecting a concept album that returns to the mythological roots as well as its musical roots – serving as a narrative prequel to the concept behind Beyond the Gate. Retaining that chthonic atmosphere, the balance between the light and dark and newfound experimentation are tantalizing, if imperfect, elements in the rebirth of Wretched.

If Beyond the Gate was your favorite Wretched record, Decay is a welcome return. Waltz-like 6/8 timing, drawn-out passages collapsing into Steve Funderburk’s signature melodic cascades, and periodic breakdowns amid the elegiac, adding a necessary spike to the beautiful melodies. Powers’ vocals, as is the case in debut The Exodus of Anatomy and Beyond the Gate, can feel a bit jarring in their raspier tone and regularly impressive range (feeling asynchronous with the elegant instrumental musings) – but he delivers a charismatic performance that drives the music forward. The bookends of Decay find themselves in this realm, balancing melody with chunky bite and shifting tempos (“Decay,” “The Royal Body,” “Blackout”), while more aggressive rhythms and anthemic lyrics offer bouncy fun (“Malus Incarnate,” “The Golden Tide,” “The Golden Skyway”). While this range works, some tracks feel too rooted in the former, relying on overly long and uninteresting sprawls rooted in semi-heavy open strum patterns (“The Crimson Sky”). Taken as a whole, the first act can be a bit too heavy a mood-setter than a series of interesting songs, as well, due to Wretched’s more subdued approach.

The centerpieces of Decay find Wretched tossing out the template and flipping off the comfort zone. Blessedly, the experimentation is not without an adequate transition, as its simultaneously most brutal and most melodic (“Radiance”) appears to move fluidly into the more experimental meat. Grungy clean vocals and wailing guitar solos move through an almost Southern-fried bluesy melodic template (“Clairvoyance”), a heavenly choral interlude gives rest before the journey (“The Mortal Line”), and the longest Wretched track in its discography: the sixteen-minute long “Behind the Glass”2 moves between moods of despair, forgiveness, and light through layers of guitar leads, violin, flutes, and even accordion, deteriorating into viciously dark chugs. This is capped off by an unsettling foray into dissonance and jagged rhythms (“Lights”), before returning to the more aggressive third act.

At its worst, Wretched offers either dull shimmies of monotonous strums or a progressive edge so wild it can be disorienting. What’s remarkable, though, is that it nonetheless feels distinctly like Wretched, and a return to the mythological heyday of their sophomore effort – that flexibility has been a strength all along. Sure, Powers’ vocals can feel out of place in the gentler moments, some tracks don’t land, the heft is lacking, and the track list is shaped like an epic with weird-ass moments to shake you loose, but the band’s storytelling through its songwriting is well intact, if not better, than eleven years ago. It’s a welcome return to form for Wretched and speaks to avenues of possibility. The fifth full-length suggests more potential than it achieves but the moral is the same: ironically, no decay in sight.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: wretchednc.bandcamp.com | wretchedmusic.com | facebook.com/wretchednc
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #Deathcore #Decay #GlassCasket #Inferi #MelodicDeathMetal #MelodicDeathcore #MetalBladeRecords #MirrorOfDeadFaces #Oct25 #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SuicideSilence #TechnicalDeathcore #TheBlackDahliaMurder #TheFaceless #ValeOfPnath #Whitechapel #Wretched

Wretched – Decay Review

By Dear Hollow

Wretched has always been a strange beast, incorporating the heft of deathcore with the technicality and atmosphere of more progressive acts. While breakout album (and my introduction to the band) Beyond the Gate was an elegantly elegiac deathcore album, swaying between the patient sprawls of “Birthing Sloth” and the bouncy chugs of “My Carrion,” follow-ups Sons of Perdition and Cannibal reflected the changing of the guard at vocals, as Glass Casket frontman Adam Cody injected an unhinged frenetic energy that had the band flirting with grind and thrash. Decay is an important album, released eleven years after its predecessor and existing as a return to form for a band that never had a slump.

While Cody injected the North Carolina act with a sense of urgency, the return of original vocalist Billy Powers returns Wretched to its more elegant and patient approaches. Although deathcore is on the bill, most of the proceeds recall The Black Dahlia Murder and Inferi rather than the Suicide Silences and Whitechapels of the world – landing somewhere in the core- and melo-realm of Vale of Pnath or early The Faceless.1 Yes, you’ll find some sticky chugs that punch through periodically, but the emphasis on the interplay between ominous and melodic shines brightest in Decay, reflecting a concept album that returns to the mythological roots as well as its musical roots – serving as a narrative prequel to the concept behind Beyond the Gate. Retaining that chthonic atmosphere, the balance between the light and dark and newfound experimentation are tantalizing, if imperfect, elements in the rebirth of Wretched.

If Beyond the Gate was your favorite Wretched record, Decay is a welcome return. Waltz-like 6/8 timing, drawn-out passages collapsing into Steve Funderburk’s signature melodic cascades, and periodic breakdowns amid the elegiac, adding a necessary spike to the beautiful melodies. Powers’ vocals, as is the case in debut The Exodus of Anatomy and Beyond the Gate, can feel a bit jarring in their raspier tone and regularly impressive range (feeling asynchronous with the elegant instrumental musings) – but he delivers a charismatic performance that drives the music forward. The bookends of Decay find themselves in this realm, balancing melody with chunky bite and shifting tempos (“Decay,” “The Royal Body,” “Blackout”), while more aggressive rhythms and anthemic lyrics offer bouncy fun (“Malus Incarnate,” “The Golden Tide,” “The Golden Skyway”). While this range works, some tracks feel too rooted in the former, relying on overly long and uninteresting sprawls rooted in semi-heavy open strum patterns (“The Crimson Sky”). Taken as a whole, the first act can be a bit too heavy a mood-setter than a series of interesting songs, as well, due to Wretched’s more subdued approach.

The centerpieces of Decay find Wretched tossing out the template and flipping off the comfort zone. Blessedly, the experimentation is not without an adequate transition, as its simultaneously most brutal and most melodic (“Radiance”) appears to move fluidly into the more experimental meat. Grungy clean vocals and wailing guitar solos move through an almost Southern-fried bluesy melodic template (“Clairvoyance”), a heavenly choral interlude gives rest before the journey (“The Mortal Line”), and the longest Wretched track in its discography: the sixteen-minute long “Behind the Glass”2 moves between moods of despair, forgiveness, and light through layers of guitar leads, violin, flutes, and even accordion, deteriorating into viciously dark chugs. This is capped off by an unsettling foray into dissonance and jagged rhythms (“Lights”), before returning to the more aggressive third act.

At its worst, Wretched offers either dull shimmies of monotonous strums or a progressive edge so wild it can be disorienting. What’s remarkable, though, is that it nonetheless feels distinctly like Wretched, and a return to the mythological heyday of their sophomore effort – that flexibility has been a strength all along. Sure, Powers’ vocals can feel out of place in the gentler moments, some tracks don’t land, the heft is lacking, and the track list is shaped like an epic with weird-ass moments to shake you loose, but the band’s storytelling through its songwriting is well intact, if not better, than eleven years ago. It’s a welcome return to form for Wretched and speaks to avenues of possibility. The fifth full-length suggests more potential than it achieves but the moral is the same: ironically, no decay in sight.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: wretchednc.bandcamp.com | wretchedmusic.com | facebook.com/wretchednc
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #Deathcore #Decay #GlassCasket #Inferi #MelodicDeathMetal #MelodicDeathcore #MetalBladeRecords #MirrorOfDeadFaces #Oct25 #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SuicideSilence #TechnicalDeathcore #TheBlackDahliaMurder #TheFaceless #ValeOfPnath #Whitechapel #Wretched

Speeding though my morning. https://valeofpnath.bandcamp.com/album/accursed #ThursDeath #ValeOfPnath

Speeding though my morning. https://valeofpnath.bandcamp.com/album/accursed #ThursDeath #ValeOfPnath

Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

After dropping a new album last year under his Nachtmystium moniker, I had a sneaky suspicion Ken Sorceron would bless us with a new Abigail Williams record this year. And, sure as shit, A Void Within Existence is here. I’ve been covering this outfit for some time now, thankfully, after their spell in the metalcore realm. And each new album continues to push new boundaries, inching closer to grabbing the counter by the balls and dragging it through blackened muck. While some would disagree, 2019’s Walk Beyond the Dark was a brilliant record that might arguably be the band’s best work. That sets a new bar for this ever-evolving group that, I can only assume, becomes more difficult to overtake with each new album and the swinging door of lineup changes and guest appearances. At least for now, the arsenal Sorceron surrounds himself with on A Void Within Existence is a tight group that meshes nicely together. But will this new record deliver the goods and bitch-slap the counter?

One of the best guests on this year’s release is Mike Heller (Changeling, Malignancy, Raven, and a thousand other fucking bands) on drums. Heller brings the intensity that adds layers of depth to A Void Within Existence, which are rarely found on the band’s previous albums. John Porada’s1 prowess also does wonders to the bass-heavy songwriting of Abigail Williams. Complete it with Vale of Pnath’s Vance Valenzuela on guitar, and we have one of the best Abigail Williams lineups. A Void Within Existence sets this foursome down a road of wreckage that can either end in annihilation or perfection. And it all weighs on the songwriting, performances, production, and, well… everything involved in crafting a release, especially with the depth involved in the lyrics and musical direction. Let’s see if I start crying.

A Void Within Existence wastes no time getting off the ground as it explodes with a heavy-bass assault and a murky, dissonant riff. It eventually settles into a groove as the spitting, slathering vocals arrive, supported powerfully by thundering backing vocals. Oddly enough, the pace and vocal arrangements evoke Hypocrisy. But things really get moving with the follow-up track, “Void Within.” Heller’s drum work, in particular, is the perfect teaser of what’s to come on later tracks. After opening with a meloblack passage, the razor-sharp riffs intensify around Sorceron’s vicious rasps. For nearly six minutes, this conglomeration of crushing black riffs, touches of orchestration, and absolute sinisterness paints a picture of sheer darkness. With wild guitar leads, impressive drum work, and a climax to make it worth the journey, “Void Within” is one of the most rounded ditties on the record.

But the best tracks on the album are “Talk to Your Sleep” and the closing number, “No Less than Death.” Seven months into the year, “Talk to Your Sleep” threatens to be my song o’ the year for 2025. This thing is nothing like anything I’ve ever heard from the band. Bass and drum-led, the crushing riff that springs up throughout is arguably the most memorable and headbangable thing ever to come from Abigail Williams. After cracking pavement with its mid-paced approach, it swings back around to begin again, this time with some punching vocals that are further emphasized by the guitars and drums. Then, Porada’s disgusting bass wakes the beast once more as we headbang to the end. Like Walk Beyond the Dark’s “The Final Failure,” “No Less than Death” is a surprising piece that shows Sorceron continuing to push his limits as a vocalist. While “The Final Failure” teased at some clean vocals, while retaining the rasp as the lead, “No Less than Death” goes all out with soaring, soothing cleans and rasping support. This atmospheric beauty takes us along valleys and hills that never end, and, when you thought you’d heard everything this song could offer, it concludes with beautiful, old-school solo work that, depending on your mood, leaves you hopelessly depressed or naively optimistic

After a dozen listens, I can’t find much on A Void Within Existence that makes me unhappy. While it’s compressed, the production still allows all the instruments to lend their weight to the end product. There could be a bit more bass in places, but it’s made up for by the slick drum mix. And, surprisingly enough, the clean vocals are far more forward in the mix than the previous album, which is pleasant to hear. The most predictable track on the album is “Nonexistence,” but it’s a solid, slower piece that draws you into the album’s sad theme. Letting the songwriting brew for the last six years has done A Void Within Existence well. It’s a repeatable record that requires multiple listens to explore every nook and cranny. Knowing the history of the band and its lineup changes, I hope Sorceron can bring these gents back in the future, because this might be the best they’ve ever been.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb/s mp3
Label: Agonia Records
Websites: facebook.com/abigailwilliamsband
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AbigailWilliams #AgoniaRecords #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BearMace #BlackMetal #Changeling #Hypocrisy #Jul25 #Malignancy #Nachtmystium #Raven #Review #Reviews #ValeOfPnath

Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

After dropping a new album last year under his Nachtmystium moniker, I had a sneaky suspicion Ken Sorceron would bless us with a new Abigail Williams record this year. And, sure as shit, A Void Within Existence is here. I’ve been covering this outfit for some time now, thankfully, after their spell in the metalcore realm. And each new album continues to push new boundaries, inching closer to grabbing the counter by the balls and dragging it through blackened muck. While some would disagree, 2019’s Walk Beyond the Dark was a brilliant record that might arguably be the band’s best work. That sets a new bar for this ever-evolving group that, I can only assume, becomes more difficult to overtake with each new album and the swinging door of lineup changes and guest appearances. At least for now, the arsenal Sorceron surrounds himself with on A Void Within Existence is a tight group that meshes nicely together. But will this new record deliver the goods and bitch-slap the counter?

One of the best guests on this year’s release is Mike Heller (Changeling, Malignancy, Raven, and a thousand other fucking bands) on drums. Heller brings the intensity that adds layers of depth to A Void Within Existence, which are rarely found on the band’s previous albums. John Porada’s1 prowess also does wonders to the bass-heavy songwriting of Abigail Williams. Complete it with Vale of Pnath’s Vance Valenzuela on guitar, and we have one of the best Abigail Williams lineups. A Void Within Existence sets this foursome down a road of wreckage that can either end in annihilation or perfection. And it all weighs on the songwriting, performances, production, and, well… everything involved in crafting a release, especially with the depth involved in the lyrics and musical direction. Let’s see if I start crying.

A Void Within Existence wastes no time getting off the ground as it explodes with a heavy-bass assault and a murky, dissonant riff. It eventually settles into a groove as the spitting, slathering vocals arrive, supported powerfully by thundering backing vocals. Oddly enough, the pace and vocal arrangements evoke Hypocrisy. But things really get moving with the follow-up track, “Void Within.” Heller’s drum work, in particular, is the perfect teaser of what’s to come on later tracks. After opening with a meloblack passage, the razor-sharp riffs intensify around Sorceron’s vicious rasps. For nearly six minutes, this conglomeration of crushing black riffs, touches of orchestration, and absolute sinisterness paints a picture of sheer darkness. With wild guitar leads, impressive drum work, and a climax to make it worth the journey, “Void Within” is one of the most rounded ditties on the record.

But the best tracks on the album are “Talk to Your Sleep” and the closing number, “No Less than Death.” Seven months into the year, “Talk to Your Sleep” threatens to be my song o’ the year for 2025. This thing is nothing like anything I’ve ever heard from the band. Bass and drum-led, the crushing riff that springs up throughout is arguably the most memorable and headbangable thing ever to come from Abigail Williams. After cracking pavement with its mid-paced approach, it swings back around to begin again, this time with some punching vocals that are further emphasized by the guitars and drums. Then, Porada’s disgusting bass wakes the beast once more as we headbang to the end. Like Walk Beyond the Dark’s “The Final Failure,” “No Less than Death” is a surprising piece that shows Sorceron continuing to push his limits as a vocalist. While “The Final Failure” teased at some clean vocals, while retaining the rasp as the lead, “No Less than Death” goes all out with soaring, soothing cleans and rasping support. This atmospheric beauty takes us along valleys and hills that never end, and, when you thought you’d heard everything this song could offer, it concludes with beautiful, old-school solo work that, depending on your mood, leaves you hopelessly depressed or naively optimistic

After a dozen listens, I can’t find much on A Void Within Existence that makes me unhappy. While it’s compressed, the production still allows all the instruments to lend their weight to the end product. There could be a bit more bass in places, but it’s made up for by the slick drum mix. And, surprisingly enough, the clean vocals are far more forward in the mix than the previous album, which is pleasant to hear. The most predictable track on the album is “Nonexistence,” but it’s a solid, slower piece that draws you into the album’s sad theme. Letting the songwriting brew for the last six years has done A Void Within Existence well. It’s a repeatable record that requires multiple listens to explore every nook and cranny. Knowing the history of the band and its lineup changes, I hope Sorceron can bring these gents back in the future, because this might be the best they’ve ever been.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb/s mp3
Label: Agonia Records
Websites: facebook.com/abigailwilliamsband
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AbigailWilliams #AgoniaRecords #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BearMace #BlackMetal #Changeling #Hypocrisy #Jul25 #Malignancy #Nachtmystium #Raven #Review #Reviews #ValeOfPnath

Today's moving at quite a clip. #MittwochMetalMix #ValeOfPnath https://valeofpnath.bandcamp.com/album/accursed

Today's moving at quite a clip. #MittwochMetalMix #ValeOfPnath https://valeofpnath.bandcamp.com/album/accursed

Belphegor announce 2025 spring North American Tour w/ Arkona, Hate, & Vale of Pnath:

#Belphegor #Arkona #Hate #ValeOfPnath #Tour #NorthAmericanSpringTour #BelphegorLive

https://metalinsider.net/touring/belphegor-announce-2025-spring-north-american-tour-w-arkona-hate-vale-of-pnath

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#MetalInjection
The Weekly Injection: New Releases From ROTTING CHRIST, VALE OF PNATH & More Out Today 5/24
Plus releases from Abrams, lespecial, Sound&Shape, and Teramaze.

https://metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/heavy-new-releases/the-weekly-injection-new-releases-from-rotting-christ-vale-of-pnath-more-out-today-5-24

#newreleases #abrams #lespecial #rottingchrist #soundandshape #teramaze #valeofpnath #progressivemetal #melodicblackmetal #technicaldeathmetal #hardrock #progressivehardrock #metalcore #sludge #postmetal #mashup #progressiverock #blackmetal #gothicrock #doom

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
The Weekly Injection: New Releases From ROTTING CHRIST, VALE OF PNATH & More Out Today 5/24
Plus releases from Abrams, lespecial, Sound&Shape, and Teramaze.

https://metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/heavy-new-releases/the-weekly-injection-new-releases-from-rotting-christ-vale-of-pnath-more-out-today-5-24

#newreleases #abrams #lespecial #rottingchrist #soundandshape #teramaze #valeofpnath #progressivemetal #melodicblackmetal #technicaldeathmetal #hardrock #progressivehardrock #metalcore #sludge #postmetal #mashup #progressiverock #blackmetal #gothicrock #doom

Vale of Pnath, it has been a very long time.

Welcome.

I have REALLY been looking forward to this one, their last EP was absolutely brilliant, so there are high hopes happening right now.

#nowplaying #valeofpnath #metal

🤘

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#MetalInjection
VALE OF PNATH Streams New Single "Silent Prayers"
Get techy.

https://metalinjection.net/video/vale-of-pnath-streams-new-single-silent-prayers

#ValeOfPnath #SilentPrayers #BetweenTheWorldsOfLifeAndDeath #TechDeath #Blackened

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
VALE OF PNATH Streams New Single "Silent Prayers"
Get techy.

https://metalinjection.net/video/vale-of-pnath-streams-new-single-silent-prayers

#ValeOfPnath #SilentPrayers #BetweenTheWorldsOfLifeAndDeath #TechDeath #Blackened

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalSucks
Vale of Pnath Announce New Album, Share Single
They're back after five years without music.

https://www.metalsucks.net/2024/03/20/vale-of-pnath-announce-new-album-share-single/

#ValeOfPnath #NewAlbum #ShareSingle #MetalSucks #ImportantInfo

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalSucks
Vale of Pnath Announce New Album, Share Single
They're back after five years without music.

https://www.metalsucks.net/2024/03/20/vale-of-pnath-announce-new-album-share-single/

#ValeOfPnath #NewAlbum #ShareSingle #MetalSucks #ImportantInfo