review – Page 19 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Cancer – Inverted World

Metalcatto

Cancer needs no introduction. It’s been here since the dawn of Metal, and with a name like that, it really limits my ability to make sick jokes—more limited than your insurance coverage (laughs in European!). Anyway, the OG is known for being what I like to call a “missing link” band—as in, it feels like the evolutionary step between Thrash and Death Metal. It’s impossible to forget classics like To the Gory End or Death Shall Rise, but how does Inverted World compare to those? Stay with me to find out!

Matraque – Nature Morte

Metalcatto

I’ve been a reviewer long enough to understand one thing: I’m not easily intimidated by album promos. So when Matraque’s Nature Morte came in claiming to be full of aggression, depression, and despair, I felt like saying, “Yeah, right—I’ve heard it all before. Start playing and then we talk.” However, there were a few signs this album was going to be something else in terms of horror. One: the sober and yet sinister artwork. Two: the small number of tracks. But let’s see if I was right after all.

Karg – Marodeur

I’ve been hearing whispers about Karg for a while. It’s another band that can proudly join the whole German/Austrian Post/Black Metal scene. It’s been dominating this small niche for at least the last ten years. So yeah, I do feel kind of guilty that it took me this long to give the project a proper chance. Marodeur has a serious name, a serious cover art—so you obviously expect serious music. The kind of album that reminds you of those small mistakes you thought you’d let go, but still haunt you at night. Uplifting stuff, right? Let’s start!

Braveride – The Great Awakening

Elyna Kahn

As a lifelong Metalhead and devoted fan of classic Power Metal, I hold the early works of Rhapsody (before the name drama), Blind Guardian, Stratovarius, and Sonata Arctica as sacred texts. That era – when music felt raw, honest, and untainted by excessive digital manipulation – represents the genre’s golden age to me. In recent years, I’ve watched with dismay as the obsession with Dolby Atmos and “modern” production has led many great bands to drown their essence in a sea of cinematic embellishments and artificial polish. While I won’t name names (some still manage to captivate me despite their transformations), this trend has left me yearning for the unadulterated Power Metal of yore.

Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail

Metalcatto

It’s been a while since we reviewed something darker than your credit score. Dormant Ordeal has already been flirting with glory before. The band isn’t just some other pointless, bashingly heavy act. If anything, it reminds what Behemoth would sound like if it truly embraced Black Metal and stopped the edginess. Hence, Tooth and Nail comes with the difficult task of putting the band where it should be, the top of the Metalsphere. Let’s see if the music fits the art quality.

Epica – Aspiral

Milo Lane

You might say you’re not a fan of Epica, and I’ve been guilty of making similar statements over the years. But, as I avoid eggs coming at my face for declaring such a thing publicly, I must accentuate my lack of bias—or expectation—upon hearing its newest release, Aspiral, and… I hope you’ll keep your groceries stored for better use. Having done my homework, I repent—and announce some serious drooling in the following text.

Diabolizer -Murderous Revelations

There’s a dark place in my heart reserved for Turkey’s Diabolizer. You see, it was the first album I ever purchased on Bandcamp. Despite Brutal Death Metal being one of Metal’s most monotonous subgenres, I was blown away by the sheer evil and violence of Khalkedonian Death. It hit that perfect sweet spot between technical prowess and heinous brutality. It’s felt like forever, but now Murderous Revelations is here—and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried the band might just end up being another Hyperdontia copycat. But could that really be true?

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?

Messa – The Spin

I have two awkward confessions. First, I almost forgot we’ve got this promo because, well, I now get more emails than a professor on sabbatical. Second, though, Messa has always been interesting and engaging—it’s a band that never really caught me. It always felt like retro-Metal to me, but now that I give The Spin a spin (don’t hit me!), could my opinion finally change? The band has been at it for a while, but it’s never too late for me to start a redemption arc, right?

Exiled Hope – Apocrypha

Vicky

I get that Burzum, Darkthrone, and Mayhem are considered to be the best Black metal bands, but can we agree to disagree? There are people (much like myself) who prefer Doom, Atmospheric, or Gothic Black Metal, and they probably won’t agree with those who think the style doesn’t go farther than those aforementioned bands. As a matter of fact, I want to tell you more about the latest album released by the Black Metal project Exiled Hope, Apocrypha—you can thank me later for helping you discover this hidden gem of dark music. First thing’s first, Apocrypha is Exiled Hope’s third full-length album, a follow-up to the band’s previous LPs, Exiled Hope (2020), and Angel of Greytown (2021). So this band plays Black Metal, but here’s the twist: it’s a US-based one-man band—or should I say, a one-woman band—founded by Sofia Frasz, also known for her work with the bands Figures and Stygal.