Avant-Garde – Page 4 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Ulver – Liminal Animals

Here we are, reviewing one of the most important and influential bands in Metal, yet one that hasn’t actually played much of it in decades. Ulver is a master of alienating its fanbase with every release, and Liminal Animals is no different. It follows the Electronic and Pop elements of its previous entry, but this time, there’s a different tone. The band is recovering from an irreplaceable loss, so I’ll keep the humor—just with extra respect, ok? So, what can we expect from the most Metal non-Metal band out there? Let’s dive in!

Veilburner – The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom

SonikGoat

Mephisto Deleterio and Chrisom Infernom follow up 2022’s VLBRNR with their seventh and arguably most potent conjuring yet—and their fourth album on India’s Transcending Obscurity. For those not yet initiated into the Pennsylvania-based act’s particular cult of audial occultism, this is as good a place to begin as any. For those who have followed their earlier work, this album (The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom) delves further into the peculiar dimension I’ll dub the Veilburnerverse.

Thy Catafalque – XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek

It’s time to stop the doomscrolling! The man, the myth, the legend is here. You wouldn’t believe how excited I was when I got the promo for Thy Catafalque’s XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek (Satan, help me with this title!). No project sounds quite like this one. That’s the paradox of Thy Catafalque—you never know what you’re getting, yet you kind of do. Am I making sense? Probably not. I’ve been a fan since Rengeteg and loved almost everything since. But surpassing Alföld, which was album-of-the-year material, is a massive task. Let’s dive in!

Melted Bodies – The Inevitable Fork

Alright, people, this isn’t going to be our usual review because Melted Bodies is a band so strange and out-of-pocket (in the best way!) that I’m still trying to wrap my head around The Inevitable Fork. Like, what even is that album title? What does it mean? If you think the band is as bizarre as its album art suggests, let me tell you—yes, but maybe not in the way you’d expect. I’ll elaborate a bit to guide you through this journey into the depths of absurdity.

Pyrrhon – Exhaust

Well, this came out of nowhere—promo included! Not many bands can match Pyrrhon‘s ability to obliterate what little sanity the listener has left. The Mother of Virtues and What Passes for Survival are absolute classics, perfect soundtracks for puking while looking up (don’t try it at home, you’ll drown). However, Abscess Time left me a bit cold. I didn’t quite get it, which is why I approached Exhaust with caution. You can never be too safe with a band this volatile. In that sense, Pyrrhon had already succeeded in manipulating my expectations. But enough intro—let’s dive into the madness.

Zeal & Ardor – GREIF

Every once in a while, a band shows up and defies expectations to levels that we thought weren’t possible. Zeal & Ardor managed to mix oil and water; mixing Black Metal with Soul music in a way that even the biggest purist could respect. Yet it’s been years since Strange Fruit smacked us all in the mouth, and though Zeal & Ardor was good, I do wonder what can the band do next? It’s hard to keep innovating so much in this boring world. So stick around and find out here!

Ingurgitating Oblivion- Ontology of Nought

I was there when Ingurgitating Oblivion released Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light. It was album-of-the-year material in what was probably the best year Metal has had in my lifetime. This won’t be a typical review. You see, Ontological Nought isn’t music you listen to for dealing with emotional issues. This is art, and to fully embrace it, I’m pulling out every weapon in my snobbish arsenal. So I hope you’re ready for the most pretentious review since we covered Ulcerate or Aquilus. On y va!

Concrete Winds – Concrete Winds

Concrete Winds is a strange name for a band. It even feels like an immediate contradiction. Perhaps that was the plan all along because the band’s sound is absolute musical debauchery. It’s as if you take The Dillinger Escape Plan and Pyrrhon. So, you know this is going to be unbearable for 99.9% of the human population, but you’re not normal. You’re a freak of nature who enjoys discovering the most extreme music that hell can provide, which is why Concrete Winds might offer something for you, lunatic. Time to find out!