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Retro-review: Opeth – Morningrise

The year is 1996. The Bosnian War ends, leaving Europe in moral shambles, Dolly the Sheep becomes the first mammal ever cloned, Hotmail is launched, and Tupac gets shot. Right, the Metal! It was a good year for depressing albums and for bands that were underground darlings but would soon rise to become the next big thing. Iconic work from Cradle of Filth, Emperor, and In Flames marked the cusp of Europe becoming an extreme Metal powerhouse. Today, we’re going to talk about an album from a band that would change the scene forever: Opeth’s Morningrise. Love it or hate it, we have to ask, is it still worth your time?

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Seth – La France des Maudits

I think it would be an understatement to say that right now, or whenever you’re reading this article, France is going through turbulent times. It’s a nation always in crisis, just like Argentina. Why am I talking about non-Metal matters? Well, because Seth’s new album La France des Maudits is thematically the most French album I’ve reviewed in the short history of this site. Also, it’s nice to talk about a French Black Metal band that won’t get me in trouble with half of the internet (you all know what I’m talking about). Great, so is this fresh work, or is it cursed? Stay with me!

OCTOPLOID – Beyond The Aeons

Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and that Finland will deliver interesting Metal every year. Here we have another debut: Beyond The Aeons. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking these are amateurs. OCTOPLOID is formed by members of Amorphis, Barren Earth, Swallow the Sun, and many more! This is the closest we’re going to get this year to a Finnish extreme Metal super band. However, I’ll stay sissu and show no apparent emotion until we listen to this carefully. Does it hold up to such high standards?

Liminal Shroud – Visions of Collapse

I’d like to tell you one of my romantic stories about how I ran into Liminal Shroud, but that’d be lying more than usual. I was looking for discounts on Bandcamp and saw that Through the False Narrows was cheap, so I bought it after listening to one track. It was solid Black Metal with Prog touches. The same could be said about All Virtues Ablaze. Hence, Visions of Collapse has a difficult task ahead: overcoming solid albums that, without much drama, have solidified the band’s reputation as a respectable act. Hopefully, this won’t ruin it. Let’s go!

Releases that almost fell down the cracks: Gurkkhas, Humanity Defiled, Gorgonchrist, Arx Artrata

Here are the releases that are either coming out soon or have just been released. They almost slipped through the cracks, but thanks to my persistence and the relentless nagging of my new interns, they get at least a few words today. I must emphasize, these are underground releases, so be a responsible Metalhead and do your part by sharing, buying, shouting about them, or whatever people do these days to get attention.

True kvlt: Eld Varg, Dark Age of Ruin, Kingseeker

This is a special segment dedicated to bands emerging deep from the underground, defying all odds to produce compelling work. These acts possess a rawness often absent from mainstream bands, though it might be an acquired taste. The choice is yours—show them love or hate, but whatever you do, give them something!

Piah Mater – Under the Shadow of a Foreign Sun

I can’t recall how The Wondering Daughters came to me. Probably it was a video recommending underground bands. Either way, Piah Mater managed to fill the void Opeth left in me when it decided to become a grandpacore band. Piah Mater was almost the missing link between Enslaved and Opeth. Even though you could feel it was copying those bigger bands, it was still great Prog Death/Black Metal, and that is hard to find. For years, I waited, and now I’m so excited to review Under The Shadow of The Foreign Sun. My expectations are high, and disappointment is always a possibility, but I’m diving in! Watch me!

Retro-Review: Death – Human

Welcome to Retro-Reviews, a space where I indulge in my own nostalgic reveries, reminiscing about a time that never truly existed, but one that I’ve crafted through various random albums that hold significance for me. Whether good or bad, one thing is certain: remembering can be a bittersweet journey.

Premier: Through Mists – My Muse & Branches

Alright, my beloved basement dwellers! Today, we have the humbling honor of hosting our first track premiere. It’s not something we’ll do often, but you should try everything at least once (except fentanyl!). So, here we have it!

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Akhlys – House of the Black Geminus

Here we go! I know that Akhlys has been involved in controversy in the past and has even been banned from some media outlets. Since I’m a cat, human affairs don’t affect me, and despite my ideological disagreements with, well, a lot of Black Metal bands, I’ll focus on the art this time. Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll admit that I loved The Dreaming I and that it’s one of the best albums of its kind! Though I enjoyed Melinoë, it just wasn’t the same. Hence, I approached House of the Black Geminus with mixed expectations. Let’s just fall into this endless pit, ok?