Metal Eclipse Reviews

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.

Beneath a Steel Sky – Cleave

It’s been a good week for releases and the Catto life, which is why we need to end it with something urban, decadent, and utterly depressing. Too much joy can spoil the soul, and Beneath a Steel Sky‘s album Cleave delivers the perfect antidote. This release promises to delve into your most painful memories and craft art from them. With my love for crushing Post-Metal—almost rivaling my affection for Finnish Death/Doom—let’s dive into this urban wasteland.

Atramentum – The Wrath Within

Pegah

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

― Haruki Murakami

The Wrath Within is the second full-length album by the German Doom Metal band Atramentum. The album’s title reflects themes of inner turmoil and personal challenges. The cover art’s color palette complements this concept: red symbolizes anger, conflict, and bravery, while the black lines evoke grief, mourning, and death. The two wolves featured on the cover embody duality, representing opposing forces such as fear, anger, and sorrow versus love, hope, and peace.

Harakiri for the Sky – Scorched Earth

Aren’t you excited? We finally get our first Post-Metal heavyweight of the year! I’ve been a fan of Harakiri for the Sky since III: Trauma, and though I enjoyed Arson and subsequent releases, it just hasn’t felt the same ever since. Enter Scorched Earth, an album that promises to erase all my doubts and put Harakiri for the Sky back into killer-track territory. There’s good reason to have hope because no other band can portray hopelessness as well as this one does. So let’s believe one more time!

Scitalis – Maledictum

It’s hard to stand out in the abyss of common tropes Black Metal often falls into. I know I repeat this often, but it’s genuinely difficult to be surprised lately. How many ways can you play a blastbeat before it becomes background noise? However, Scitalis seems to disagree with me. With Maledictum, its goal is to defy expectations while staying true to the kvlt essence of the genre. Being a Swedish band, I might be a tiny bit biased, but isn’t that what a review is all about? An exercise in bias? Alright, I’ll save the philosophy for later.

Phrenelith – Ashen Womb

Look at that art! Doesn’t it look desolate? Doesn’t it make you feel like Phrenelith is going to obliterate your ears so badly that you’ll actually start wearing earplugs at concerts (as a hearing expert, I highly recommend you do it anyway)? Ashen Womb promises what any Danish death metal album would: unfathomable agony and horror. But can it really stand out from the crowd? Let’s find out!

Caprahed – Empire

Pegah

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.” ― George Orwell, 1984

True kvlt – Tria Prima, Waldruine,Buzzard & Daniel Neel

Welcome back to another edition of our favorite section of the week: True Kvlt, where you send us your dungeon tapes, and we provide mostly constructive feedback—plus a few bad jokes to keep the audience engaged. Nothing too wild; after all, if you want to make it in the music world, you need to be ready to take a few punches from nameless creatures on the internet. Let’s dive in!

Retro-Review: Thaurorod – Anteinferno

Elyna Kahn

It is the year of our Lord 2013. The world bid farewell to Nelson Mandela, the South African leader who championed the fight against apartheid and racial injustice. In Southeast Asia, Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc, claiming over 6,000 lives in the Philippines. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building resulted in more than 1,000 fatalities. Right, the Metal…