metalcatto

Whitechapel – Hymns in Dissonance

There’s no way around Whitechapel—it’s a band with a fiercely loyal fanbase that’s stuck with it through thick and thin. So, let’s get this out of the way: I’m fully aware that diving into Hymns in Dissonance might summon the wrath of the internet. You might be wondering, “Why even review something so ‘Core’?” After all, it’s almost a tradition at MER to trash the whole niche. But hey, someone’s gotta take one for the team, right? We’re aiming for more journalistic integrity these days, and being open-minded is part of the deal. Plus, if there’s one band that’s managed to elevate the genre, it’s Whitechapel, so why not give it the benefit of the doubt for once?

Cross Bringer – Healismus Aeternus

Ixone

Do you ever stumble across an album that makes you wonder what you’re actually listening to? Cross Bringer got me into that exact situation with its latest effort, Healismus Aeternus. Given that it’s an international band, I expected the music to be a blend of different sounds and atmospheres, as it is generally the case with such projects. That, along with the genre and sound description raising a few question marks, made me go into this album with a healthy dose of skepticism. However, I was, albeit unexpectedly, pleasantly surprised.

Avantasia – Here Be Dragons

Elyna Kahn

Avantasia‘s tenth studio album, Here Be Dragons, is here! Featuring 10 tracks, artwork by Rodney Matthews, and bombastic production by the renowned Sascha Paeth, this album retains the band’s signature essence: masterful choruses, Symphonic Metal elements, and creative sounds. Following its release, the band will embark on a highly anticipated European tour, much to the excitement of its dedicated fanbase.

KLPS – KLPS

This our first double review. So, just jump in!

Christian Mistress – Children of the Earth

Sometimes at MER, we need a break from all the monkey howling and the buzzing chainsaw guitars. We need to connect with our spirit animal (probably one of these). That’s why we have room for old-school Heavy Metal/Hard Rock bands like Christian Mistress, a band that’s essentially rising from the dead with its latest album, Children of the Earth. In our niche scene, we’re used to bands taking long breaks between albums—after all, nobody’s making money out of this “business”—but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited and have expectations, right? Let’s dive in!

Grima – Nightside

Stargazer Scholar

The wind sighs, and the forest weeps, oblivious and wise. The wind howls, and the snowfall turns into a blizzard. The icy tears mourn no human tragedy; the wooden limbs feel no fleeting warmth. Slowly, painfully, an exhausted wanderer labors through endless snowdrifts. It won’t be long before he succumbs to the freezing clutches of death, but for now he trudges on, all sense of direction and purpose lost. It won’t be long before he finally lies down and stares at the crisscrosses of black crooked branches barely discernible through the shimmering veil of white. It won’t be long before the forest stares back, indifferent and majestic…

As The World Dies – Nebula

Well, this was a mistake! I was supposed to review this next month, but I mixed up dates and ended up listening to it now. I assume As The World Dies won’t mind getting an early review of Nebula. With the risk of getting repetitive, here we have another release that doesn’t necessarily fit any traditional mold in Death Metal aside from the space Metal one, which, as we know, becomes much harder to define with each passing year. So here we are, trying to put labels on this untamed beast with little success if you ask me, but let’s keep trying!

Vermillia – Karsikko

Stargazer Scholar

The world was a different place seven years ago. At least when it comes to its currently troubled corner that I happen to inhabit. No joys of pestilence, no thrills of societal cataclysms, just life in all its glorious bleakness and naive hopefulness. It was a genuinely decent time. I’ve seen worse. And it was in that relatively peaceful summer of 2018 that I stumbled upon an album premiere video by a certain one-woman Pagan Black Metal project from Finland. The artist’s name was Vermilia, the record was entitled Kätkyt, and it took me about a song and a half to fall in love, pause the stream, relocate to her Bandcamp page, and click “order”. That’s how I became a fan. Years rolled by, and here we are in 2025, with Vermilia’s third LP fresh from the metaphorical oven and waiting to be discovered.

True kvlt: Revelation, Fourth Autumn, Onioroshi & Midnight Whiskey Massacre

Pegah & Metalcatto

It’s another session of Weekly Rapid Fire! Some of our readers sent us stuff, and we’ve been through the pain… I mean, the joy of listening to it live and then writing a paragraph or two so the hungry masses can quench their thirst for brutality for another 20 seconds. That’s not much, but it’s something. Alright, let’s get started—I don’t have all day!

Sacrifice – Volume Six

You know what we haven’t done this year? Review some fresh Tmehrash! I don’t know when the genre died again, but not so long ago, it was booming with ideas. At least last year, we got this beast. However, Sacrifice – Volume Six seems to aim for the more traditional side of the genre, where relentless pummeling and intense energy are the name of the game. You could even say they don’t make them like this anymore, so how about we dive into this modern relic?