Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
With a name like Sepulchral, you can’t expect Beneath the Shroud to sound like puppies calling for their mom. It’d be dissociative—which is why your instincts are right: this is a Death Metal band. The real question is how old-school it will be, and whether it will honor the North American tradition or the Nordic one. It’s always hard to tell from the start. So let’s remove those doubts right away and aim for the kill once and for all! There’s no time to waste!
Vicky
Errata before even starting this article: I got lost somewhere around the presence of bonus tracks and regular songs, so there might be a few errors in my review. The band we’re talking about today is Gloombound, from Norway. But, lucky for you, I’m not in the mood to discuss the endless stream of “trve”-ness that comes from their homeland again. Let’s keep things short, simple, and lovely.
Metalcatto
Black/Doom isn’t a thing, right? They seem to contradict each other in practice. However, Suffering is a band that’s trying to embody the most disturbing parts of Halloween. Things Seen But Always Hidden is an album aimed at those of you who love the occult, the macabre, and the idea of sacrificing stuffed animals at the altar of the unholy one. I approached this review with fascination but also caution. So many things felt new yet familiar that I couldn’t make up my mind at first, but now it’s time.
Metalcatto
It’s so frustrating when I get a promo in my mailbox but simply don’t have enough days to review it before it’s out. Anyway, many of our followers have already given their takes on this album. Full disclosure: I had no clue who Lamp of Murmuur was or why so many nerds were hyped about The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy. And if I’m even more honest, this year’s pure Black Metal hasn’t impressed me much. But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream, right? I’m ready to be converted into something else.
Metalcatto
It’s been a week full of emotionally draining releases, so I thought: fine, I’ll give something more uplifting a chance for once. Sacred Leather couldn’t have a name more Judas Priest-inspired. The album is even named Keep The Fire Burning — like there’s no way this music isn’t going to take me to a happy place, you know, where ice cream is free and taxes aren’t a necessary evil. Anyway, what should you expect from this Heavy Metal adventure?
Elyna Kahn
Chilean band Zero Tolerance released its powerful EP Irresoluto a while ago. With this work, a heart-wrenching cry of denunciation and longing for justice emerges from the southern lands of the world. Irresoluto is a song of dignity and rage, materializing in fiery riffs, powerful drum-and-bass beats, and beastly vocals that seem to come straight from hell itself. Following its debut album Abismal in 2014, Zero Tolerance has reached audiences as diverse as Peru, Mexico, and even Asia, where it achieved several reissues of Abismal. This fact catches attention and augurs well for the EP’s success in those distant lands, because Zero Tolerance’s narrative, beyond Chile’s borders, echoes a scenario that has been repeating itself since time immemorial.
Metalcatto
Many bands play war Metal, but very few truly understand it. 1914 certainly does, and Viribus Unitis proves once again that it’s more than just another band referencing history. The past two records could easily be considered modern classics, which made me approach this one with a mix of excitement and apprehension. How do you follow up something that already defined your sound so powerfully? And more importantly, how does a band that has built its identity around the horror and futility of war capture a tragedy of this scale without repeating itself? Those were the questions in my mind when I first pressed play.
Metalcatto
Sometimes, as a reviewer, you find yourself in strange places, where you don’t know if your instincts are right and you’ve found gold, or if the band actually has no hype because your taste sucks. This is how I felt when I heard Skovblod’s In the Valleys of Winter. The band has next to no social media presence yet, but once I listened to the first seconds of this album, I knew I couldn’t let it slide. It hasn’t been the strongest year for Folk Metal, so I’m open to anything that could redeem so many mid experiences. So, should you care about this little Danish project? Let’s see.
Elyna Kahn
A strange yet charming combination of sinister sounds that evoke a creepy soundtrack, with encounters between 90s depressive Rock, Candlemass-style epic Doom, and depressive ambient, with hints of Celtic folk and an atmosphere reminiscent of a sunset walk through icy Nordic forests. All this unfolds on a tapestry that conveys innocence, tenderness, and a cosy feeling of peaceful pain, a kind of catharsis where loneliness and sadness become endearing companions who understand the shadows carried by the human soul. It is precisely what the Scandinavian band Monograph brings us with its new album, Occultation.
Vicky
I won’t tell you about a certain deal I made with Catto a while ago, regarding Major Arcana.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 