Reviews – Page 50 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Am I in Trouble? – Spectrum

Two thoughts crossed my mind when I got the promo for Am I in Trouble? – Spectrum. First: “Oh wow! There’s so much color here that there’s no way this is just a Black Metal album”. Second: “That’s one of the weirdest band names I’ve ever heard”. For an extreme Metal band, the name feels a bit… problematic (ooof, I know I’m getting punched for that one). And I’ve received promos with band names I can’t even post here! But I was intrigued, because I love albums that subvert expectations, and at least in its presentation, Spectrum was doing just that. But was it more than just a striking look? Let’s find out.

Patriarkh – ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ

I’ll spare you all the now-old drama surrounding the creation of Patriarkh (such a feminist name!). My job is to focus on the music; it’s yours to eat up the gossip. Anyway, in ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ, Patriarkh continues its quest to craft the most blasphemous mockery of Slavic Orthodox traditions. Full disclosure: yours truly might speak many tongues but has no clue what’s being said in this album from start to finish. Still, I assume it’s something evil and unholy, but, you’re not reading this for the lyrics. Let’s go!

Best Doom Metal Albums of 2024

Metalcatto

Here we are, about to start the countdown I’ve been dreading. Many of you voted on IG for a more comprehensive list instead of just a top 10 from me. Well, I owe everything to our readers, so here I am. Not every Metal subgenre will get its own list—doing that would take weeks—but I’ve chosen the ones that had the biggest impact this year. Sadly, no Thrash for 2024, but Doom’s incredible diversity makes it a perfect place to start. Doom is as broad as it gets, but every band in the genre follows one rule: play slow most of the time. That means Crypt Sermon’s excellent The Stygian Rose belongs in a Heavy Metal top instead. With that out of the way, let’s dive in!

Druparia – The River Above

It’s that time of the year when everyone in our deranged community swallows a pack of stimulants and tries to assemble an end-of-year list. Because why not? Why not put yourself through this absurd stress right when you’re (hopefully) on holiday? Anyway, in another attempt to procrastinate this thankless task, I’m reviewing Druparia’s The River Above. I’m feeling generous, and a unsigned band releasing a debut at the end of the year feels fitting for the season. Let’s go—I have a Christmas dinner to eat!

Morbus Dei – The Wold We Left Behind

Ixione

There are very few things on this planet that go together as well as Black Metal and Germany. As much as this may reflect my personal bias, I have yet to find a German Black Metal band that isn’t good—Morbus Dei is no exception. Its latest effort, The World We Left Behind, undoubtedly succeeds in delivering a freezing cold, razor-sharp sound that feels like a misanthrope’s greatest fantasy. At first glance, it may not seem like anything overly ambitious, but that is precisely where its strength lies.

SonikGoat’s Top Albums of 2024

SonikGoat

There are a couple of observations I can make about the albums I’ve chosen for my end-of-year lists. One relates to that most nebulous realm of terminology: the “progressive”. What this term means seems to vary from person to person and album to album, but the differences manifest in interesting ways. Take everyone else’s album of the year, Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere. The progressive element here lies largely in its bold combination of two distinct styles, blending Death Metal with what I’ll broadly call “vintage-flavored synth-driven Prog Rock”. Another album that adopts a progressive approach is Ontology of Nought by Ingurgitating Oblivion, but the results are markedly different. More on that below.

The other theme in my list this year is that several of the bands are well-established acts with multiple albums under their belts, yet I was either unaware of them or only barely familiar. I’m forever humbled by the sheer number of great musicians and bands I have yet to discover! Finding a band partway through their discography often feels like stumbling upon a treasure trove of musical riches.

Enough! On to the list. Eternal hails to the artists!

Lost in the Riffstorm 2024: Part 4

It’s hard to tell if we’re in the middle or near the end of our 2024 Lost in the Riffstorm saga, because let’s face it—there are always more albums to forget. This time is special, though. I asked people on Instagram if there were any albums they wanted us to talk about, alongside some direct reminders from the bands themselves (yes, we’re cool enough that bands actually mail us stuff personally). Alright, let’s get into it!

Monte Penumbra – Austere Dawning

Did you think we were done with new releases? That we were just going to remember the highs and lows of this year? Well, let me surprise you with some Black Metal from the cave. I’m talking about Monte Penumbra’s Austere Dawning, an album that, while it feels Icelandic in many ways, continues to establish tiny (but mighty) Portugal as one of the powerhouses in this niche sub-genre. We’ve had an exhausting week when it comes to tremolo picking, so how can this release top that? Let’s find out.

Lost in the Riffstorm 2024: part 3

Part three of the endless search for albums we missed. This is a bit of a mixed bag. We have huge omissions, but also some underground darlings that we couldn’t let pass—regardless of our excuses (usually staff shortages). I’m thinking about opening a review factory in some country with no workers’ rights, of course! So watch out, USA—here we come! But I digress. Let’s continue our dive into some albums worth remembering.

Lost in the Riffstorm 2024: Part 2

Let’s keep reviewing our greatest omissions of the year. Some of these are older than MER Industries itself, so you can’t blame us too much for missing them. However, I suspect that they’re are going to end up on a few end-of-the-year lists, so it would be criminal to let them slip by without glory—even if this moment of honor feels insignificant. Alright, so here’s part two of our redemption rounds. If your favorite album is missing, relax—there will be more parts.