Abramelin – Sins Of The Father

SonikGoat

It’s always great to see how many people are actively engaged in talking about, sharing, name-dropping, and posting new music. It’s part of what makes underground scenes so rewarding—the word-of-mouth aspect of how music finds its way to the most receptive ears. Especially in a fast-moving, worldwide scene like Metal, a band can quickly ascend from relative obscurity to cult status, propelled by the rapid, viral nature of word-of-mouth “promotion”. These days, it feels like a great album by a band I’ve never encountered lands on my radar at least once a week, if not more.

Ghostheart Nebula – Blackshift

Elased

VdB 141 is the astronomical designation for the distinctive Ghost Nebula in the constellation Cepheus.IC 1805, on the other hand, refers to the Heart Nebula in the neighboring constellation Cassiopeia. These two codes form the title of the intro to this album and at the same time explain the enigmatic name of the band, Ghostheart Nebula. In its musical vision, the band merges the two nebulae into a mystical collision of almost impenetrable soundscapes. It may seem an ambitious undertaking, but the name and the idiosyncratic symbol could hardly be more fitting. No one has ever captured the essence of void, loneliness, hopelessness, farewell, and loss in such astronomical dimensions of darkness, weightless spacelessness, and disembodiment.

Marche Funèbre – After The Storm

I don’t know when or how it happened, but the universe has conspired to make 90s Death/Doom cool again. More and more bands are rehashing this clearly underrated style, and I welcome it with open arms. Bring back the era of alienated pain! Marche Funèbre isn’t new to the sorrow game. The band has been delivering for more than a decade, always offering what angsty Metalheads need, which is why I approached After the Storm with uncalled optimism. So, let’s see how this is going to hurt me!

Glacial Tomb – Lightless Expanse

Alright, we’re picking up where last week’s madness left off. What can I say? If you look at Glacial Tomb’s album art, you’ll think, “Oh wow! This album has to slap”. It even has the perfect name: Lightless Expanse. If an album has an abstract or almost senseless title, you know it’s going to try to kill you. I’m sure some of you are coming in with your opinions already set. So instead of being an obnoxious contrarian just for clicks, I’ll try to add something meaningful to the discussion. Anyway, you’re here to find out if Glacial Tomb kicks butt or not. Let’s go!

True kvlt – Katana, Detonation Boulevard & Legion: Ritualis

Welcome back! Last week, we took a break from the never-ending battle—the one we can never win. No, it’s not the war on drugs; it’s the battle to review all the underground releases we get every week. We’ve reached a stalemate with the internet, but that can’t last. So, this week, I’m not slacking and will keep up the good fight. Today, we have bands that surprised me—without this section, I would’ve never sought out these experiences. The same could be true for you, my dear corpse-painted child. A good reason to keep reading.

Typhonian – The Gate of the Veiled Beyond

I’ve always said one of our principles is to give nostalgia a chance, even though we deeply hate leaning on it. Lately, we’ve been indulging bands that sound straight out of 1995. So, when I heard Typhonian was 90s-inspired with a Swedish Death Metal sound, I puked my breakfast all over my marble countertop—because, honestly, I can’t handle another retro album this week. However, The Gate of the Veiled Beyond promised something different, claiming to pay homage to Edge of Sanity—and I’m always down for that kind of nostalgia. So, let’s set aside our biases for once and check this beast out.

Coffin Rot – Dreams of the Disturbed

Coffin Rot is part of what’s already the wave in modern Death Metal. You know, retro-Death Metal that’s finally getting the production it deserves. However, the band strikes a strange spot, leaning heavily on Cannibal Corpse and Entombed, which makes it at least intriguing. Yet, in this year filled with wacky old-school extreme Metal, it’s going to take actual effort to impress my jaded heart. So, let’s welcome this crusty bag of moldy meat (Dreams of the Disturbed) and give it a chance, shall we? It’s okay! We’ll put some spices on it to make it taste good (don’t actually do that!).

Invernoir – Aimin’ for Oblivion

It’s starting to get cold where I live (despite my mansion being on a volcano—those Lamborghinis need a lot of heat to stay beautiful). What better way to embrace the slow but inevitable descent into darkness than with some Death/Doom from Invernoir, a project that blends the melancholy of Novembre and My Dying Bride with the fury of Décembre Noir? These bands always risk falling into clichés and well-worn tropes, but can Aimin’ for Oblivion manage to become unforgettable (see what I did there? Hehe…)?

Adorior – Bleed on My Teeth

SonikGoat

Galloping out of the fetid tunnels of darkest London after twenty-something years of silence, Adorior stops by only for a brief moment—but fear ye not! They simply want to make sure you’re bloodied, trampled, set afire, and offered up to Satan. Then, they’ll be on their merry way. Oh, and if you want to hold on to your bottles of strong booze and unravished virgins, you’d better hide them somewhere safe, because Adorior has come for those as well. To enact pandemonium on the scale described, key contributors from the likes of Grave Miasma, Qrixquor, and Destroyer 666 are at the helm—in other words, noted veterans of the metal underground.

Maul – In The Jaws of Bereavement

In the unforgiving landscape of the Death Metal scene, it’s hard for a band to find its own voice. Everyone has done it all—been too brutal, too technical, too weird—and we’ve loved and hated it all. Maul’s approach in its upcoming release, In the Jaws of Bereavement, aims to stand out from the sea of distortion and blast beats. Nobody said it would be easy, but I’m sure it’s going to be wild! So, let’s dig into this meat and potatoes now!