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Brainstorm – Plague Of Rats

Elyna Kahn

BRAINSTORM, a name that evokes power and creativity, is a German metal band with over two decades of experience. Soon, it’ll release Plague of Rats. This album is being hailed as a career milestone, revisiting the band’s fascination with Indu culture, a theme it first explored in 2003’s release, Soul Temptation. With high expectations, I dove into the album, listening to it multiple times to fully absorb its energy. The first thing that struck me was the “Live-in-Studio” sound, which gives the record an electrifying, concert-like atmosphere. Each of the 11 tracks bursts with energy, making it feel as though you’re standing in front of the stage, surrounded by flames and a roaring crowd.

The Great Old Ones – Kadath

If you’re wondering why I’m so late with this review, it’s because we didn’t get the promo, and I had to wait like a total pleb for the album to come out. Humiliating, I know! However, I’m a huge fan of The Great Old Ones. The band has been delivering astonishing and terrifying Lovecraft-inspired Black Metal for more than a decade now. Ever since EOD, I’ve been hooked. So, my expectations are as high as they can get when it comes to Kadath. I almost feel sorry for these guys and the impossible standards they’ll be subjected to.

True kvlt: Hell Winter, Rheûma & Haissem

It’s time! To show mercy to the underground and believe you people can send us quality. I’m starting to think that this intro paragraph should be made by an AI because you don’t really care about it, right? You’re just here to get a bunch of cool and quirky bands for your playlist, or maybe not—maybe you’ll actually open that wallet for once. Either way, we have a good mix of singles, EPs, and albums this time. Enjoy while you can!

Open Kasket – Trials of Failure

You see that art, and be honest with me—you think this is going to be an old-school Death Metal trip. What if I told you that you’re wrong? That for once, the art lies. Wouldn’t that make you curious? Well, Open Kasket still plays your expected extreme Metal with a hammer, but Trials of Failure is hoping to surprise us in more than one way. And though, at this point, I feel nothing could surprise me anymore, I’m willing to believe!

Mephitic Corpse – Sickness Attracts Sickness

Sometimes, as a reviewer, I wonder if bands are seriously trying to destroy my taste or if they’re just trolling me to see how far they can push us with the most heinous combinations of noise (looking at you, True kvlt classics). Mephitic Corpse has a new album titled Sickness Attracts Sickness, and though the artwork initially made me think of old Cannibal Corpse, I quickly realized that the horror had just begun. Let’s just say I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

Sepulchral Curse – Crimson Moon Evocations

Oh wow! We already have a new Sepulchral Curse album. It feels like yesterday when the band released Abhorrent Dimensions. So far, I only have good things to say about this Finnish pack—they deliver massive and evil Death Metal with zero remorse. However, it’s always been evident to me that the band could take another path. Maybe in Crimson Moon Evocations, the Finns will show us old-school Death Metal in a different way. Or maybe I’m just being hopeful…

Zéro Absolu – La Saignée

When I open my magic mailbox, I start salivating because this promo had everything a snob wanted. French? Check! Post/Black Metal? Check! Band members with no names but initials instead? Check! But most importantly, has the band been embroiled in drama as intense as the album? Probably. So here we are, ready to dive into Zéro Absolu and its album La Saignée. It’s basically a French supergroup, so of course, our expectations can’t be realistic.

Rats of Gomorrah – Infectious Vermin

Well, I wonder what comes to mind when you hear the name Rats of Gomorrah. It’s quite vivid, isn’t it? But is Infectious Vermin as biblical as the band’s name might suggest? No, of course not! In Metal, brutal words are often used as salad dressing—they enhance the experience, but we could also do without them (this is the part where you confess you haven’t touched a salad in years). I know you’re here for the rats, so let’s get to it before wrath takes over again.

Consumption – Catharsis

Stargazer Scholar

What makes a Metal song great?

I hope you’ll forgive me for this oversimplification. Despite the obvious personal filter that always comes into play whenever we talk about music, there is still something undeniably universal about the songs that work. You’re welcome to share your thoughts on what this X factor might be (fun fact: we have a comment section), and I promise to provide my own take in the conclusion of this review. But while you’re pondering, allow me to introduce an album that made me reflect on such existential mysteries in the first place. Enter Catharsis, the third offering by the Swedish Death Metal entity Consumption.

True kvlt: Purge of Relics, Nothing & Where The Light Fades

Here we go again. We survived another week of painful existence only to see what random stuff the deep underground wants to throw at us. This week feels a bit different, or at least I think so, because I bring you heavy elements—music so hostile and violent that I’m sure many of you will let this one pass. But hey, the people who love pure brutality need representation, too.