Suffering so you don't have to!
Vicky
Before our calendars even think about telling us that we have entered the realm of December, I think we need a top 10 songs that have been released throughout 2025 just to motivate us. Now these tracks have been carefully selected by yours truly after spending 11 months listening to almost every single new material that Spotify could provide in the Rock/Metal domain, as well as going to different shows in my beloved homeland.
Vicky
2025 has been an interesting year for Doom Metal. I mean, let’s take a look back and see what we have witnessed earlier this year: Messiah Marcolin and Candlemass reunited for one show, My Dying Bride split in two and started collaborating with Mikko from Swallow The Sun, Paradise Lost, In The Woods…, Pilgrimage, and various othersreleased new albums. All in all, we had a pretty decent year in Rock/Heavy Metal as a whole, if we overlook the brilliant musicians we have unfortunately lost (Ozzy Osbourne, Ace Frehley, John Skyes, Adam Ramey, Tomas Lindberg, etc.). Hoping I didn’t depress you too much, turn on your sad music and buckle up, kids, ’cause we’ve got a great album to talk about today: Mediterranean Melancholy by Old Night.
Metalcatto
Black/Doom isn’t a thing, right? They seem to contradict each other in practice. However, Suffering is a band that’s trying to embody the most disturbing parts of Halloween. Things Seen But Always Hidden is an album aimed at those of you who love the occult, the macabre, and the idea of sacrificing stuffed animals at the altar of the unholy one. I approached this review with fascination but also caution. So many things felt new yet familiar that I couldn’t make up my mind at first, but now it’s time.
Metalcatto
Many bands play war Metal, but very few truly understand it. 1914 certainly does, and Viribus Unitis proves once again that it’s more than just another band referencing history. The past two records could easily be considered modern classics, which made me approach this one with a mix of excitement and apprehension. How do you follow up something that already defined your sound so powerfully? And more importantly, how does a band that has built its identity around the horror and futility of war capture a tragedy of this scale without repeating itself? Those were the questions in my mind when I first pressed play.
Elyna Kahn
A strange yet charming combination of sinister sounds that evoke a creepy soundtrack, with encounters between 90s depressive Rock, Candlemass-style epic Doom, and depressive ambient, with hints of Celtic folk and an atmosphere reminiscent of a sunset walk through icy Nordic forests. All this unfolds on a tapestry that conveys innocence, tenderness, and a cosy feeling of peaceful pain, a kind of catharsis where loneliness and sadness become endearing companions who understand the shadows carried by the human soul. It is precisely what the Scandinavian band Monograph brings us with its new album, Occultation.
Vicky
I won’t tell you about a certain deal I made with Catto a while ago, regarding Major Arcana.
Vicky
Doom Metal as a whole is one of the most niche genres out there. It has a little something for everyone, and without a doubt, we all once found ourselves in a Doom Metal song – ranging from slightly less depressive (Candlemass deserves credit for coming up with “please let me die in solitude”), all the way to the even more mournful part (think of this: Swallow The Sun once sang “My old friend will you lay me back to rest? I’ve been suffering so long without you. Come and take me away from this pain”. If that doesn’t scream out Metal Dostoevsky, I don’t know what will).
Metalcatto
I have a complex relationship with Melodic Death Metal. You see, I’m a sucker for all those Death/Doom sad puppy bands that make us want to go back to therapy — but that’s exactly the problem too. Originality is scarce in this niche. So, Sun of the Dying has the difficult task of impressing me in a year when we’ve already had some fantastic releases. However, A Throne of Ashes seems to promise a more varied experience that could break the shackles of old-school MeloDeath — and that’s always hopeful, right?
Metalcatto
Anyone who’s been following this blog since its start might remember our fan-requested retro-review of Primitive Man’s Scorn. Even more than a decade later, the band remains one of the most brutal, heavy, and grotesque forces in Doom/Sludge Metal. Before diving into Observance, I’d genuinely recommend you to hold on tight — especially if a) you’re already severely depressed, or b) you’ve recently killed your goldfish out of neglect. Expectations are high, but let’s see if, for once, that makes sense with what we’ve got here!
Metalcatto
Alright, we’ve had some weird and strange albums lately, so how about we return to something even your little cousin can listen to as an introduction to our dark world. Frayle’s Heretics & Lullabies is an enigmatic album in a way. You see, at first glance, it might feel like this is some Nu-Metal spin-off, but the band tends to dive more into Goth and even Doom Metal constantly, which makes it hard to label — but I guess that’s why I’m here, to put names on things people hate to label themselves. I’ll bite the bullet for you!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 