canada – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Sakna – De Syv Dødssynder

Metalcatto

I know that when you hear the words one-man Black Metal band, your heart fills with dread—especially if it leans toward the atmospheric side. However, today we’re doing something different. Sakna is a project that existed in hard drives for decades, but after the tragic passing of its creator, his brother S. took on the task of restoring Solemn’s legacy. Hence, this review is written with more respect than usual, because what could be more Black Metal than an artist speaking to us from the grave? De Syv Dødssynder is here!

Tales of Destiny – Ashes of Destiny

Elyna Kahn

It’s a pleasure to discover the depth of some Power Metal bands, whose musical fabric is composed of several layers, textures, nuances, and endearing sonorities. Tales of Destiny is a great example of a band that makes power metal not only a familiar experience, but a significantly deep and emotional one. Born in a small town in Quebec, the band emerged when five young teenagers came together to bring a musical dream to life. Feeling the call of metal and inspired by legends such as Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, and Children of Bodom, they managed to find their own sound, full of fury, passion, and conviction.

Ültra Raptör – Fossilized

Metalcatto

Fun isn’t usually my thing. In fact, this review is only happening because Metalkitten (my three-year-old) saw dinosaurs and lasers in Ültra Raptör‘s promo and said, “that one has dinos in, so it’s cool.” With such crushing logic used against me, I had no option but to comply and give this Speed/Heavy Metal ride a chance to prove that it could be more than silly entertainment for the late afternoon. You see? I might be old now, but I still listen to the youth here and there.

Völur & Cares – Breathless Spirit

Metalcatto

I’ve seen it all in my short life—from bands trashing venues for fun to false nuclear armageddons. Not much surprises me anymore. And yet, the world still has some strange tricks up its sleeve. This is where Völur & Cares step in. The band claims to be an Experimental Doom act, but to me, Breathless Spirit is pure Avant-Garde Metal. I mean, how else do you describe a Metal album with no guitars—just bass, violin, and drums—centered on an epic Icelandic saga? It’s full-on weirdness, and we’re diving straight in.

Zeicrydeus – La Grande Hérésie

Metalcatto

When we talk about retro-Metal at MER, we usually end up talking about rancid Death Metal or potato-production Black Metal. However, rarely do we run into a band like Zeicrydeus; one that’s honestly hard to define beyond saying “these guys play a bunch of Metal that reminds me of what dad used to put on here and there.” La Grande Hérésie should be promising just by the fact of having a French title. You know, that usually means this is going to be excellent or cause me indigestion. Let’s start!

Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence

Milo Lane

Hello, solstice, and hello, Cryptopsy Saturday! An Insatiable Violence arrives with the summer heatwave — relentless, overwhelming, and probably exactly what you didn’t know you needed. Just when you thought the Brutal Death Metal scene couldn’t get any more punishing, these Canadian legends throw down a record that will easily jackhammer an eardrum out of ya. And while I can’t tell you what to like, I can try my best to explain why this is a good thing.

Décryptal – Simulacre

Metalcatto

It used to be that if you learned English and maybe Swedish or German, you’d be able to understand around 90% of extreme Metal lyrics. However, that’s not true anymore. Now you need French too—because beyond France, Quebec is basically its own Metal country (this isn’t a political statement, don’t kill me!). Décryptal‘s Simulacre is bringing some old school Death Metal that promises to be disgusting enough that we’d actually remember it from the pile. Or at least that’s what the promo claimed. Let’s go!

A Flock Named Murder – Incendiary Sanctum

Milo Lane

A surefire way to pique my interest is to record one song and call it an album. However, not many things can be Dopesmoker or Crimson. A slightly more realistic move in today’s age of thirty-second attention spans is to put four humongous songs next to each other and call them an album. And in A Flock Named Murder – Incendiary Sanctum‘s case, I found it quite hard to lose focus.

Tribunal – In Penitence and Ruin

Sometimes in metal, as in life, appearances are deceiving. For example, I’m an invisible Metalhead – you’d never guess I belong to this illustrious community. So when Tribunal‘s Penitence and Ruin promo arrived from 20 Buck Spin, I assumed we had another reliable but predictable old-school Death Metal album on our hands. You know, the typical 3.0/5.0 or maybe slightly better. Oh, but I was surprised to find out this isn’t just a Doom Metal band – it’s a Symphonic Doom Metal band (I can already imagine some of you salivating over that). So, let’s see if this formula works.

Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea

If we go back to 2021, most of you were locked into your homes, thinking about how many shows were left to watch before the total apocalypse consumed us. However, that wasn’t the only surprise of the year. We got Eternal Blue, an album that put Spiritbox on the map as one of the new ambassador bands (bands that bring newcomers into the genre). Being such a band can deeply divide the Metal world, which is why Tsunami Sea is one of the most anticipated—and dreaded—releases of 2025. I’ll be honest, I enjoyed the debut as much as anyone, but I understood its limitations. So, where does Tsunami Sea stand?