Avant-Garde – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Milo Lane’s Top Albums of 2025

Milo Lane

(according to vibes, weather, and emotional damage)

2025 seemed so forked (Catto still won’t let me swear, so The Good Place rules apply) that it felt like it would never end — and honestly, it still kind of does. I’m not entirely convinced it isn’t yet time for the apocalypse. If this list abruptly ends, please assume society collapsed or my attention span finally did. On a lighter note, there’s no better time to count your blessings than cold, cold December — the month of numb fingers, hot headphones, and staring out windows in contemplation. Hopefully this list leaves you more blessed than before you found it.

True kvlt: Desu Taem, Pick Up Goliath, Unholy, Oncu, & Monolyth

Metalcatto

Your toilet break is short, so let’s go!

Lost In The Riffstorm 2025: Part 1

Metalcatto

It’s that time of the year! When I try to look at the albums we missed because we were too busy covering other releases or making the horrible decision of having a life outside music. You should try it sometime — it’s rewarding and actually pays the bills! Alright, so let’s get to it.

Blut Aus Nord – Ethereal Horizons

Metalcatto

Not many bands can embody the meaning of the term eras like Blut Aus Nord. We have the Vetusta saga, the 777 saga, Disharmonium. A band that basically invented a niche with The Work Which Transforms God (a 5/5 in my list). I’m a huge fan if you haven’t noticed. So comparing Ethereal Horizons with the rest of the band’s work was way more challenging than I expected. All of its albums are different, and yet they share the same identity. So, where to put this one? Let’s see!

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.

Double Mute – Corporate Culture_FINAL_v2

Metalcatto

At MER, I make a lot of office jokes — which is ironic, because I’ve never had a conventional office job. However, holding Zoom lectures was definitely a thing in my past. So, when I got Double Mute’s satirical and Avant-Garde take on this dreadful existence, I couldn’t let it pass. Corporate Culture_FINAL_v might not win “coolest title of the year,” but that’s probably part of the joke. If you’re ready for something extremely weird that’ll defy your conception of Metal, then buckle up — this meeting is about to start.

Defigurement – Endbryo

Metalcatto

I’m feeling generous this week with all the debuts we’ve been reviewing for free. Defigurement presents itself as an experimental Grindcore band, and I’m honestly pleased to live in an era where Grind tries to go beyond the usual chaos we’ve come to expect. It’s not that the genre is too heavy—it’s that it often lacks innovation. However, Endbryo (yes, that’s an edgy title) promises to change the formula and offer something more than just relentless aggression. Before you get your hopes up too high, though, maybe you should read the rest of this review.

Umulamahri -Learning the Secrets of Acid

Metalcatto

When you see artwork like the one in Umulamahri’s Learning the Secrets of Acid, you might start wondering just how hard your face is about to melt. Will you even feel anything by the end? Calling this project Avant-Garde Disso-Death is almost an understatement. Its sinister and experimental nature promises a lot, especially since the minds behind it are masters of their craft. Now that I’ve set your expectations sky high, it’s time for this album to crush you, devour your carcass, and show us exactly what kind of secrets this substance holds.

Igorrr – Amen

Metalcatto

This has been a week dedicated to everything strange in Metal, so what better way to head into the weekend than with the weirdest of them all? It’s Igorrr, the embodiment of French weirdness. With a long career of unpredictable Avant-Garde, Electronic, and Classical influences, the project has stayed consistently risky as the years have passed. The real question now is whether Amen can keep giving us something new, or if we’re finally going to get fed up with the gimmick. I mean, there has to be a moment when this starts to feel like an AI summary, right?

Now I’ve Done It – An lll Guest

Metalcatto

I needed a change for a while, so I picked an album that’s going to be out in a while. When I first read about Now I’ve Done It’s promo, I was puzzled. It claimed to be a wild, strange album, but it also featured band members from Lör, one of the few Power Metal bands I can still enjoy these days. An Ill Guest was either going to be an amazing experience or suck harder than a curry with no spices (and if you felt attacked, then you probably have poor taste!). It promised to be something profound, yet the artwork looked pretty disturbing. Was this going to be a schizophrenic trip? Let’s find out!