Suffering so you don't have to!
Elyna Kahn
Ensiferum will release its highly anticipated album Winter Storm soon! Renowned for its Melodic Death Metal sound, the band has built a successful career since forming in 1997. The 2020 album Thalassic achieved significant success, propelling Ensiferum to world tours before the pandemic ruined everything. Now, four years later, the band is back with Winter Storm, an album that promises to captivate fans with its powerful blend of Viking Folk Metal and evolved melodic elements.
The Black Dahlia Murder is a pinnacle of consistency. There hasn’t been an album in its long career that sucked. Even though the band has remained strict in style, TBDM has never fumbled the bag. However, it had to face its biggest challenge ever after the tragic loss of Trevor Strnad (everyone in the community struggled when the news hit, let’s face it), which is why I’m approaching this review differently. More than just jokes and expectations, I’m rooting for the band to show us that, despite how irreplaceable Trevor was, they can continue honoring his memory. Oh, and it’d be great if we love Servitude too! Let’s dive in.
KVAEN has been the underground’s darling for a while now. Needless to say, yours truly is a fan of the previous two albums, where KVAEN showcases speed, durability, heaviness, and exceptional songwriting that combines the best of old and new Black Metal. I think I speak for many when I say the expectations for The Formless Fire are huge, and the mightiest band from Kalix (the North of the North) has a monumental task ahead of it. However, this has been a good year for unrealistic expectations, so let’s keep it going, ok?
Don’t you ever feel that Black Metal is sometimes kind of stale? As if you’ve heard it all before? I don’t mean combined styles like Black/Folk, Black/Post, Blackened Death—those seem to be doing well. However, pure Black Metal can be more predictable than your morning routine. It’s almost as if there’s some edge lacking on the blade. Nifelheim was a project that understood this and added real excitement to this old formula. From its ashes rises Hellbutcher, a bit of a super band by Swedish standards (even if it’s technically a solo project). I know that “solo” and “super” at the same time might make you nervous, but should we give Hellbutcher the benefit of the doubt?
Metal Eclipse Reviews 