Metal Eclipse Reviews

Zero Tolerance – Irresoluto

Elyna Kahn

Chilean band Zero Tolerance released its powerful EP Irresoluto a while ago. With this work, a heart-wrenching cry of denunciation and longing for justice emerges from the southern lands of the world. Irresoluto is a song of dignity and rage, materializing in fiery riffs, powerful drum-and-bass beats, and beastly vocals that seem to come straight from hell itself. Following its debut album Abismal in 2014, Zero Tolerance has reached audiences as diverse as Peru, Mexico, and even Asia, where it achieved several reissues of Abismal. This fact catches attention and augurs well for the EP’s success in those distant lands, because Zero Tolerance’s narrative, beyond Chile’s borders, echoes a scenario that has been repeating itself since time immemorial.

1914 – Viribus Unitis

Metalcatto

Many bands play war Metal, but very few truly understand it. 1914 certainly does, and Viribus Unitis proves once again that it’s more than just another band referencing history. The past two records could easily be considered modern classics, which made me approach this one with a mix of excitement and apprehension. How do you follow up something that already defined your sound so powerfully? And more importantly, how does a band that has built its identity around the horror and futility of war capture a tragedy of this scale without repeating itself? Those were the questions in my mind when I first pressed play.

Skovblod – In the Valleys of Winter

Metalcatto

Sometimes, as a reviewer, you find yourself in strange places, where you don’t know if your instincts are right and you’ve found gold, or if the band actually has no hype because your taste sucks. This is how I felt when I heard Skovblod’s In the Valleys of Winter. The band has next to no social media presence yet, but once I listened to the first seconds of this album, I knew I couldn’t let it slide. It hasn’t been the strongest year for Folk Metal, so I’m open to anything that could redeem so many mid experiences. So, should you care about this little Danish project? Let’s see.

True kvlt: Town Portal, Phosphoros, Desu Taem, & Antiquus Infestus

Metalcatto

I’m late, so this should start even faster!

Monograf – Occultation

Elyna Kahn

A strange yet charming combination of sinister sounds that evoke a creepy soundtrack, with encounters between 90s depressive Rock, Candlemass-style epic Doom, and depressive ambient, with hints of Celtic folk and an atmosphere reminiscent of a sunset walk through icy Nordic forests. All this unfolds on a tapestry that conveys innocence, tenderness, and a cosy feeling of peaceful pain, a kind of catharsis where loneliness and sadness become endearing companions who understand the shadows carried by the human soul. It is precisely what the Scandinavian band Monograph brings us with its new album, Occultation.

Novembers Doom – Major Arcana

Vicky

I won’t tell you about a certain deal I made with Catto a while ago, regarding Major Arcana.

Haimad – When Night Rode Across the North

Vicky

In case you’ve been living under a gigantic stone (not even a rock) for the past three or so decades and you have no idea what’s been going on in Northern European Black Metal, here’s a not-so-gory-and-without-too-many-details close-up: there was this Norwegian band called Mayhem, that started playing Occult Metal, did all sorts of highly “interesting” things, and got a lot of media attention due to two deaths in the group – the suicide of Per Yngve Ohlin (a.k.a. Dead), and the murder of Øystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous), committed by fellow bandmate Varg Vikernes (currently of Burzum). Now, with that in mind (and without too much morbid information on the topic, you’re welcome), we can go on and talk about the new Haimad material, the band’s debut album, When Night Rode Across the North. For your information, the band has been active for 25 years, however, as aforestated, this is their first full-length material.

QRIXKUOR- Womb of the World

Metalcatto

Not many bands can beat QRIXKUOR when it comes to impossible names to pronounce. Everything about this band exudes seriousness, the kind that promises music capable of taking you to new levels of despair and horror. Enter Womb of the World, an album that, judging by its cover art alone, is ready to fight for a spot in my top releases of the year. The album only has four tracks! This is either going to be amazing or crush my will to live in all the wrong ways. I’ll just warn you now: there won’t be anything easy about this tortuous journey.

Asenath Blake – Low Materialism

Metalcatto

This Halloween showed no mercy! I’m still catching up with it. However, I’d like to continue the tradition of giving projects that send me a FLAC or physical copy of their work an extra chance. Asenath Blake’s Low Materialism has an intriguing proposal, combining the myth of witches with the myth of French postmodernism. Yes, I’m a cat scientist, so you know I’ll jab at those ideas a bit. But we’re not here for intellectual posturing; we’re here to find out if this Post/Black album has something fresh to offer.

From Peasant to Pseudo-Intellectual: An Introduction to Snobbish Metal

Metalcatto

Let’s say you’re ready to leave the peasantry behind. You’re fed up with all those 4×4 drums and predictable lyrics. You dread the chorus, you don’t want anything to rim. Yet you desperately crave something that surprises you in this world devoid of fun — or at least fun that doesn’t end with an HR complaint. Even after this ominous intro, you’re still on the fence about everything Avant-Garde. You just don’t know where to start, and you want a human touch, not just a machine showing the light — preferably a human who hasn’t been replaced by AI yet. Alright, let’s get to it then!