Hardcore – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Erdve – Epigrama

Metalcatto

Are you an expert on experimental Hardcore? I thought so. Then you can imagine the level of confusion I was in when Erdve‘s Epigrama hit me with such an enigmatic artwork and overall musical proposal. This is probably the first or second album we’ve gotten fully in Lithuanian. They could be singing about their breakfast, and we’d be like “this is the sickest thing ever.” Anyway, there’s nothing cute about this release, so let’s try to navigate it without much emotional damage, shall we?

Impure Wilhelmina – Le Sanglot

Metalcatto

Impure Wilhelmina is a bit of an underground darling. The band has had an impressive run over the last few albums, delivering work that defies labels and isn’t afraid of change. Le Sanglot has big shoes to fill, but we can be confident that this Dark Rock and Prog Metal adventure will try its best to keep us impressed one more time. Oh boy, my optimism is ridiculous today.

Releases the almost fell through the cracks

Metalcatto

Mistakes were made. Some by me, some by the rest of the MER staff—you know who you are, I’ll find you. So this is the time for us to acknowledge the most important releases that I kept procrastinating to the point that I forgot and then said, “well, shoot. Now I need to write something short about them.” Let’s go.

Cross Bringer – Healismus Aeternus

Ixone

Do you ever stumble across an album that makes you wonder what you’re actually listening to? Cross Bringer got me into that exact situation with its latest effort, Healismus Aeternus. Given that it’s an international band, I expected the music to be a blend of different sounds and atmospheres, as it is generally the case with such projects. That, along with the genre and sound description raising a few question marks, made me go into this album with a healthy dose of skepticism. However, I was, albeit unexpectedly, pleasantly surprised.

OBRIJ – Joseph

It’s time for a debut album, my Metal grasshoppers! When I was reading OBRIJ’s promo, I was led to believe that Joseph would totally throw me out of my comfort zone, since it was supposed to have a ton of Hardcore influences. Yet, it was still a Death Metal album, and that always hits home for me. Plus, this work explores the atrocities of Comrade Stalin. There’s no way that horror isn’t Metal enough for us, but as a new band, I still wondered if these guys were capable of pulling anything interesting off. Stay with this cat and find out.

The Gothic Metalhead Top 10 of 2024

The Gothic Metalhead

My corpse-painted children! We have a special guest today—it’s The Gothic Metalhead, who will share their top 10 for 2024. So, in the spirit of this countdown, I won’t prolong this any longer. Let’s go!

One With the Riverbed – Succumb

SonikGoat

If Kalamazoo, Michigan, conjures the exoticism implied in the phrase “from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo”, then a band name like that of Kalamazoo natives One With The Riverbed immediately signaled to this writer an expectation for something rooted in the ever-growing Post-Metal genre. My mind went straight to ArcTanGent—that stellar UK festival that curates the best of Post-Metal and Post-Rock. Would Succumb merit the attention of the ATG scouts, a surefire marker of rising prominence for any young band?

True kvlt: Bullhead, Grimworm & Negative Bliss

It’s that time of the week again, when we look at our inbox and feel infinite mercy for the little guy. When we say: enough with the clout-chasing, let’s talk about those who took the time to send us a respectful, well-written email. Even if we don’t reply directly, consider this our thoughtful response to your submission. This week, I have to admit, I’m pleasantly surprised by the quality of material we’ve received. So, 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.

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!