Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
Look at that cover art! Doesn’t it give you a Freudian whiplash? Or remind you of better times? (Before you were born! Those were the days.) Putridity is a Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore band, but you probably figured that out from the album’s colorful title: Morbid Ataraxia. You know this stuff is heavy when you have to check the dictionary to understand just how vile and repulsive the title is. But was it any good? Let’s find out.
Metalcatto
I was supposed to take it easy on local bands, but what can I do if they keep sending me stuff? Lepra, as the name implies, takes itself seriously. These guys clearly loved Kingdom of Heaven (yours truly has more mixed feelings about it), but considering where they come from, Mortuus Morgana should be one of those quiet, under-the-radar releases that doesn’t impress many, right? Well, to be fair, that was just me being condescending. Just because an album shows up without noise or drama doesn’t mean it can’t hit hard.
Vicky
I’d like to start this off by asking a very honest question: why are there so many bands named Cromlech? Trying to track down the Cromlech that’s about to release Of Owls and Eels is the Black Metal equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. Naming your band “Cromlech” is basically a cooler way to say “Stonehenge,” but I swear there are more Cromlechs out there than bands named Stonehenge—at least judging by what turns up on Encyclopaedia Metallum. I could be wrong, but in the Metal realm, guessing games are half the fun. Anyway, now that we’ve made it through that intro, let’s dig into Of Owls and Eels.
Metalcatto
I’ve been a Fallujah fan ever since Nomadic, then saw it grow with The Harvest Wombs, reach perfection with The Flesh Prevails (the remastered version that we reviewed, of course!), and finally fall into decadence and collapse with Dreamless and Undying Light. However, Empyrean was a return to form, so I’m honestly stoked to listen to Xenotaph—knowing full well the risk of getting all my hopes and dreams destroyed again is very real. But hey, I’m ready for the pain.
Metalcatto
Anyone who’s been into underground Metal long enough knows who Gaahl is. Probably the most memed man in Black Metal after Abbath. Ever since Gorgoroth made drum kits sound like someone smacking a table with their bare hands, Gaahl has changed a lot as an artist. And today, we’re taking a look at Gaahls Wyrd‘s Branding the Stories. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect, because this project has yet to impress me—but here I am, reviewing it after all the other writers said, “Oh look at the time, I need my beauty sleep.”
Stargazer Scholar
In 1741, J.S. Bach published a set of compositions that later became known as the Goldberg Variations, all the thirty pieces whereof explored the bass line and the chord progression of a single aria. In 1934, Sergey Rachmaninoff wrote his Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, which reproduced, inverted, and otherwise transfigured the great Italian’s 24th Caprice. In 2025, Katatonia’s new album, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, comes out… And I reckon you can see what I’m driving at.
Metalcatto & Vicky
As usual, I want our interviews to be about more than just the albums.I know many artists will sigh at this, since they see an opportunity for ruthless self-promotion slip away—but that’s not the case, people! We want to give you layers, and today we have Fia from Exiled Hope, someone who’s aiming to become a lawyer and defend your (yes, your!) rights against the predatory hands of the merchants of death. (That’s the music industry, of course.). But first, we asked Fia a bit about Apocrypha, her latest album—you know, the one Vicky reviewed here!
Milo Lane, Vicky & Metalcatto
We have a few bands here we would’ve liked to give more attention to, but the ruthless and unstoppable pace of time is unmatched. Also, I’m calling for backup—because I can’t be the only one left with all the underground fun and work, right? Without further drama, I leave you in the capable hands of our incredibly qualified writers.
Pegah
“Yes, the day the world ended and nobody was innocent again. God, how swiftly it all fell down!” ― Arthur Miller, After the Fall.
Metalcatto
I was there when Austere released To Lay Like Old Ashes. It was my first experience with Atmospheric Black Metal. And though it wasn’t a perfect album, I recall it to this day. Long after, I’m here, ready to review The Stillness of Dissolution, ready to appreciate how much the band—and I—have changed in these almost twenty years. Austere has already taken radical steps in its style, but will this continue, or will we see a return to its origins? Stay put for your favorite flavor of depression.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 