AOP Records – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Heretoir – Solastalgia

Metalcatto

It’s hard to get people’s attention in this era of pathetic short attention spans. It’s even harder to stand out as a German Post/Black Metal band, since so many of them already offer outstanding quality music. But Heretoir has a nerdy trick up its sleeve. It’s not every day I get an album with a freaking Phorusrhacos on the cover—especially one that looks so sombre (like they weren’t terrifying enough already). Now, I’m sure Solastalgia is going to offer uplifting and hopeful tunes, right? One can dream… or just show despair. Both are valid in the Metalsphere.

Karg – Marodeur

I’ve been hearing whispers about Karg for a while. It’s another band that can proudly join the whole German/Austrian Post/Black Metal scene. It’s been dominating this small niche for at least the last ten years. So yeah, I do feel kind of guilty that it took me this long to give the project a proper chance. Marodeur has a serious name, a serious cover art—so you obviously expect serious music. The kind of album that reminds you of those small mistakes you thought you’d let go, but still haunt you at night. Uplifting stuff, right? Let’s start!

Zéro Absolu – La Saignée

When I open my magic mailbox, I start salivating because this promo had everything a snob wanted. French? Check! Post/Black Metal? Check! Band members with no names but initials instead? Check! But most importantly, has the band been embroiled in drama as intense as the album? Probably. So here we are, ready to dive into Zéro Absolu and its album La Saignée. It’s basically a French supergroup, so of course, our expectations can’t be realistic.

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!

Servant – Death Devil Magic

Sometimes, release days are so packed that we have to keep talking about them long after they’ve passed. Sometimes, they leave us with things we can’t dare to miss. I picked up Servant‘s Death Devil Magic with the hope that this would be one of those cases—where I almost missed a cool release. I mean, just look at that art! It practically screams diabolical riffs that will melt faces, right? It can’t just be me trying to justify my laziness here. Well, I hope not. But let’s cut the self-pity and get down to business.

Groza – Nadir

Groza is Germany’s answer to Mgła. They share that traditional rawness, that sense of melancholy, and so far, no major controversies. So, it’s a more guilt-free experience (but we’re all guilty of something, aren’t we?). Album after album, I’ve watched the band evolve from a traditional Black Metal act into a more Post-Black entity. Yet, I always feel like Groza is just one step away from truly finding its own voice on the treacherous path to originality. Is Nadir the album where it finally reaches its full potential? Grab an umbrella, because it’s about to rain tears.

Ellende – Todbringerin

Stargazer Scholar

Metal and classical music have a lot in common. From direct quotations to arrangements and the general feeling of overarching grandeur, our beloved genre has borrowed heavily from its noble ancestor. However, while a romantic symphony or a baroque concerto are open to reinterpretation, Metalheads are known to be jealous guardians of the original incarnations of their favorite albums. And let’s be honest, more often than not, this stance is well justified. Nonetheless, the artists’ right to amend and reconsider their own creations should likewise be taken into account, leading us to a trade-off that is hard to resolve. This brings me to today’s topic.