Melodic Death Metal – Page 2 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Omnium gatherum – May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way

Metalcatto

Full disclosure: I’m a longtime fan of Omnium Gatherum. I’ve been following them since The Redshift and still consider New World Shadows and Beyond to be Melodic Death Metal classics. (If you haven’t listened to them yet, stop wasting your time and go fix that.) So when May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way dropped, I was all in. That said, I’m not blind to the band’s controversies — It’s always been compared, sometimes unfairly, to its peers. With OG, you never really know what you’re going to get: a genre-defining masterpiece or a divisive curveball. Either way, it’s never boring.

Sun of the Dying – A Throne of Ashes

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?

Age of Ruin – Nothingman

Metalcatto

You people seem to love when we cover small acts that are either only starting their journey in this cruel world or not getting the love they deserve. So, what about Age of Ruin? It’s a good name, but is Nothingman an underground darling, or am I about to be swallowed by derivative riffs? Don’t worry, you know I like rooting for the underdog, and you can count on this cat to give bands a fair chance without the need for a juicy bribe (though honestly, that’d help in this economy!).

True kvlt: NikoV, David, Felipe, IDŌL & Punisher

Vicky & Metalcatto

Hi there! A bit less madness this week, but still enough to make the normal mind insane. Let’s go!

In Mouring – The Immortal

Metalcatto

Saying that I was excited about In Mourning’s The Immortal would be an understatement. I’m old school; I’ve been a fan since Monolith and Shrouded Divine. Everything after that has been the highest level of MeloProg consistency ever seen in that niche. If anything, the band could easily top a list of the most underrated acts in Metal. However, with every great release, the risk of the next one being a flop increases. The Bleeding Veil was outstanding, but can the band keep up with this ridiculous run? Let’s find out!

Creating Amid Conflict: Denis (Die Entweihung) on Life, Music, and Resistance

Metalcatto

This interview has taken forever to complete. Mostly because of me being busy running this tiny Metal empire, but it was worth it to return to our humble origins—before wealth and fame corrupted us. Die Entweihung has the honor of being the first band we covered in True Kvlt. The raw MeloDeath project, led by Denis Tereschenko from Belarus, who also happens to live in Israel right now and is heavily political, made me have so many questions. And yes! I know this is a brutally heated and controversial subject. I’ll do my best to not misrepresent anyone and… who am I kidding? You’ll kill each other on IG anyway. Let’s go!

Soliloquium- Famine

One could argue that I’m now an old school Soliloquium fan, since Contemplations was my introduction to the band. Needless to say, I still listen to it today. It’s that perfect mix of Prog and Swedish Melodeath that’s not always easy to find. The band has done interesting things since then, but Famine seems to aim for a more personal direction – channeling all the suffering and pain its creator went through (something common in Metal, let’s be honest). So the real question is: will this satisfy us or leave us hungry?

Dawn of Solace – Affliction Vortex

Last year, we already had Saukkonen visiting us with Wolfheart, but this year, Dawn of Solace is back with Affliction Vortex, promising a tempest of sadness and melancholy with the signature Finnish sound. I don’t know how this man stays so productive, but we’ve learned that the more pressure and projects he has going on, the better the product. Also, since Dawn of Solace’s duo returned, they’ve probably been the most consistent of all his projects. Hence, I do have some discrete expectations. Don’t blame me—this is my guilty pleasure!

The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard

Looking for trivia for this review, I came to the obvious fact that The Halo Effect only has two albums (counting March of the Unheard), which honestly is shocking given how seasoned some of its members are. I always wondered if The Halo Effect would just follow whatever Dark Tranquillity or In Flames were doing and if it’d even be capable of competing with the OGs of Swedish MeloDeath. But not everything is about competition; sometimes you create a band to hang out with your friends, right? Sometimes, you just want to dive into music with the same excitement you once had for life, back when you were too young to own your mistakes.

Druparia – The River Above

It’s that time of the year when everyone in our deranged community swallows a pack of stimulants and tries to assemble an end-of-year list. Because why not? Why not put yourself through this absurd stress right when you’re (hopefully) on holiday? Anyway, in another attempt to procrastinate this thankless task, I’m reviewing Druparia’s The River Above. I’m feeling generous, and a unsigned band releasing a debut at the end of the year feels fitting for the season. Let’s go—I have a Christmas dinner to eat!