Post-Metal – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Unverkalt – Héréditaire

Metalcatto

Unverkalt knows exactly how to grab my attention. A Post-Metal release on Season of Mist, with a German/Greek background and a French title like Héréditaire? That’s basically a checklist designed to lure me in. It sounds refined, a bit pretentious, and unapologetically artsy—and yes, I’m fully on board with that. So forgive me in advance if my expectations run slightly ahead of what an underground act can realistically deliver, but that’s what happens when the promo does its job well. Either way, let’s see how long it takes before we spiral into existential despair again.

Ellende – Zerfall

Metalcatto

I’m late to this party again, but here we are: a new Ellende album exists, and that alone means we can’t just let it pass unnoticed. The band has been delivering stunning Post/Black Metal for years now, to the point where having an opinion on a new release isn’t just advisable, it feels almost mandatory. I also happened to see that one of the band members (L.G.) defended his PhD not long ago, which honestly explains a lot. Suddenly, the sheer emotional devastation of this record makes complete sense. Ellende, if you’re reading this, I’d love to say the academic pain is over, but judging by Zerfall, it has merely transformed into sound.

Metalcatto’s Top Post-Metal albums of 2025

2025 was a year where we had a substantial number of decent post-metal releases. However, only a handful of albums really stayed with me for the rest of the year, so this list was easier to make than the previous one. Anyway, let’s get into it!

The Gothic Metalhead’s Top Albums of 2025

The Gothic Metalhead

One of our most discreet collaborator has one last top to give us before the year is over. So, without further do, here’s The Gothic Metalhead‘s top.

Asenath Blake – Low Materialism

Metalcatto

This Halloween showed no mercy! I’m still catching up with it. However, I’d like to continue the tradition of giving projects that send me a FLAC or physical copy of their work an extra chance. Asenath Blake’s Low Materialism has an intriguing proposal, combining the myth of witches with the myth of French postmodernism. Yes, I’m a cat scientist, so you know I’ll jab at those ideas a bit. But we’re not here for intellectual posturing; we’re here to find out if this Post/Black album has something fresh to offer.

Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Innern

Vicky

I feel that, in a world where every rocker has at least one favorite “trve” Norwegian Black Metal band, the German extreme Metal scene has become undoubtedly underrated. However, it is not necessarily something bad – us, fans of Central European Dark Metal may see it as more of a treasure hidden in plain sight. You might expect the remainder of this article to be about a (new) release of a German band. And you are certainly not wrong. Here I am to give you more details about Der Weg Einer Freiheit (“The Way of a Freedom”)’s new album, Innern (“Inward”). Is this truly The Way to an Inner Freedom? From certain points of view, no.

Adur – We Fail to Love Ourselves

Metalcatto

Adur is walking a thin line for me. No, it hasn’t done anything wrong, and it hasn’t made awful music either. But it’s offering Post-Metal that deeply resembles Amenra and Cult of Luna—two bands I absolutely worship—which means We Fail to Love Ourselves has a tough battle ahead if it’s going to impress me. It’s not a competition, but comparisons are inevitable. And honestly, there aren’t many things I want more than a Post-Metal band that hits me hard in the feels instead of just giving me lounge Rock disguised as “atmospheric.” Let’s dive in.

True kvlt: DoomsVein, Maanvlinder, Slutavverkning, Igarka, Glitch & Steve X

Metalcatto

You guys are sending me so much stuff lately, so no need for an intro, let’s go!

Heretoir – Solastalgia

Metalcatto

It’s hard to get people’s attention in this era of pathetic short attention spans. It’s even harder to stand out as a German Post/Black Metal band, since so many of them already offer outstanding quality music. But Heretoir has a nerdy trick up its sleeve. It’s not every day I get an album with a freaking Phorusrhacos on the cover—especially one that looks so sombre (like they weren’t terrifying enough already). Now, I’m sure Solastalgia is going to offer uplifting and hopeful tunes, right? One can dream… or just show despair. Both are valid in the Metalsphere.

Oskoreien – Hollow Fangs

Metalcatto

It’s been a while since we’ve had some Post-Black Metal in our hands. You know how it goes with these types of albums: they either end up on a best-of-the-year list or fade into oblivion. There’s rarely anything in between. However, Oskoreien is a band that, despite having few releases, has been around for a while, which is why I approached Hollow Fangs with a decent amount of respect—and even a little hope. Besides, I kind of dig that dragon artwork (no, the dragon doesn’t look goofy—it’s art!). Now, let’s start throwing down.