Suffering so you don't have to!
Vicky
If you’re reading this, it means you’re probably either very curious to find out who Cradle of Filth are, or you’re here to eventually correct me, stating things such as: “you are not trve enough.” Before we dig into the (sort of traumatizing) history of the Cradle, I think it would be alright for me to let you know how I, your laid-back Symphonic Metal fan, first started listening to them. It was a warm summer day, in 2025… No, let’s take it from scratch.
Metalcatto
Enough of helping the little bands! Time to get some clout by reviewing one of my most anticipated releases of the year: Green Carnation. If you need to know what the band is capable of, check our article here. After an epic comeback in 2020, the band is ready to start a full album trilogy with A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia. Long title, right? But not as long as the music itself! So get ready, because we’re about to dive into a poetic and intense journey straight into your childhood traumas.
Metalcatto
It’s that time again! Let’s go!
Vicky
I feel that, in a world where every rocker has at least one favorite “trve” Norwegian Black Metal band, the German extreme Metal scene has become undoubtedly underrated. However, it is not necessarily something bad – us, fans of Central European Dark Metal may see it as more of a treasure hidden in plain sight. You might expect the remainder of this article to be about a (new) release of a German band. And you are certainly not wrong. Here I am to give you more details about Der Weg Einer Freiheit (“The Way of a Freedom”)’s new album, Innern (“Inward”). Is this truly The Way to an Inner Freedom? From certain points of view, no.
Ixone
This was supposed to be easy… seems I was wrong once again. Typically, the “misanthropic Black Metal” genre tag is enough to guarantee an album a fairly high rating, at least on my behalf. So, when I dived into this album and I was right off the bat not very impressed by it, I felt the urge to slap myself in every fiber of my being. That being said, despite my initial reaction, SULT’s self titled debut ended up being a fairly pleasant listen. However, make sure you listen to it on a decent sound system and with a high volume, otherwise you’re doing yourself a huge disservice, and will end up feeling like you’ve wasted the last hour of your life.
Metalcatto
You keep bombing us with stuff, so no intro! Let’s go!
Metalcatto
Our favorite Black/Folk act that’s not really that Folk is here! Most of us were there when Blackbraid took the Metal world by storm with a short, effective album that captured our imagination. It was Black/Folk that didn’t bastardize its own roots — no gimmicks, just music as a tool to tell a story. Then Blackbraid II hit us, showing the full potential of a project that kept people debating the real cultural background of its creator. Personally, I have little interest in judging people’s identities; as long as they treat the matter with respect, I have no problem. So, can Blackbraid III surprise us?
Metalcatto
Here we go again—everyone’s favorite niche genre: Black Metal solo projects. But before you run away like you owe me money, let me tell you that Rauhnåcht actually has a label, plays more Folk than Atmospheric, and the production is surprisingly acceptable. That should be enough to entice you—or, if you’re Ixone, to totally disappoint you. Either way, let’s find out what Zwischenwelten is all about. We all have things to do and places to be, after all.
Ixone
It’s high time I leave aside any sort of thought that indicates that I know what I’m doing and just admit that this album left me scratching my head quite a lot. Having bothered to look into the background of Grimovetust before diving into Gates To Heptagon Tower I was certain that I was in for a scratchy, raw record with the most amount of grit possible. That being said, one can only imagine my surprise when the first thing I heard was a rather triumphant synth intro, soon followed by a reverb enhanced, fairly melodic piece of music, closer in sound to First Spell rather than A Blaze in the Northern Sky. At that point I was certain that I was about to have several grapes with this record, but something seemed hellbent on telling me otherwise…
Stargazer Scholar
I like it when bands take their time between records. Longer breaks leave the audience with a fair chance of truly understanding the artist’s vision, while the artists themselves are given plenty of time to evolve and produce their finest work without having to rush it. OK, I know that this view is somewhat idyllic, as it ignores label pressure and other natural constraints, but lo and behold, here’s our case in point. The trajectory of Abigail Williams is exemplary in that regard. As the gaps between the band’s output seem to grow, the music itself is becoming increasingly mature and compelling. We had six years at our disposal to imbibe, dissect and revisit the gripping Walk beyond the Dark, and now here we are with A Void Within Existence, the cover art shocking with its gloomy detachment, the title oozing pain, and the music… Well. let’s explore.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 