Sweden – Page 3 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Wombbath – Beyond the Abyss

I discovered Wombbath the way many of us have gotten into old-school Swedish Death Metal in this digital age—through a Bandcamp sale! I checked out a few of their albums and decided they were worth a shot. Needless to say, Wombbath is a pinnacle of consistency. To me, all its albums sit at least at a solid 3.5/5.0. However, there are only so many times you can pull off the chainsaw trick before it chops your arms off. And Beyond the Abyss is here to prove that the band can keep juggling familiar sounds without losing a limb.

KLPS – KLPS

This our first double review. So, just jump in!

Consumption – Catharsis

Stargazer Scholar

What makes a Metal song great?

I hope you’ll forgive me for this oversimplification. Despite the obvious personal filter that always comes into play whenever we talk about music, there is still something undeniably universal about the songs that work. You’re welcome to share your thoughts on what this X factor might be (fun fact: we have a comment section), and I promise to provide my own take in the conclusion of this review. But while you’re pondering, allow me to introduce an album that made me reflect on such existential mysteries in the first place. Enter Catharsis, the third offering by the Swedish Death Metal entity Consumption.

Scitalis – Maledictum

It’s hard to stand out in the abyss of common tropes Black Metal often falls into. I know I repeat this often, but it’s genuinely difficult to be surprised lately. How many ways can you play a blastbeat before it becomes background noise? However, Scitalis seems to disagree with me. With Maledictum, its goal is to defy expectations while staying true to the kvlt essence of the genre. Being a Swedish band, I might be a tiny bit biased, but isn’t that what a review is all about? An exercise in bias? Alright, I’ll save the philosophy for later.

Medusian – Library

Pegah

Medusian, a Swedish symphonic Metal band, has unveiled its new EP Library, featuring seven tracks that each weave a distinct and engaging narrative. Themes range from mythology and revenge to personal experiences and identity, with each track telling its own story. The cover art captures a solitary figure in a vast library, ascending a staircase toward a glowing, blue-lit window—a symbol of life, prosperity, and an ideal state. Framed by rich purple curtains, this imagery evokes power and mystery, serving as a fitting visual metaphor for the EP’s thematic exploration.

Mörk Gryning – Fasornas Tid

If Disso-Death has taken over Death Metal this year, I think it’s fair to say that MeloBlack is becoming the new meta within Black Metal. More and more bands are jumping on the sad but angry bandwagon that Dissection pioneered so long ago. Enter Mörk Gryning, a project that has been away for a while but promises to continue this newly rediscovered tradition. With Fasornas Tid, the band promises to stick to what it’s done but also adapt to these enigmatic times. Will it manage to stay on the bandwagon? Let’s find out.

Againt I – Songs for the Dying

It’s tricky to pick the last album to review this year before we all dive into top lists and rankings for the holidays. This is the perfect chance to explore some of the more discreet releases that might otherwise get drowned out by the noise. When I first checked out Against I‘s Songs for the Dying, two opposing thoughts crossed my mind: “It looks like Brave Murder Day, but it can’t be that good”, and also, “It can’t be produced that poorly either”. With that calculated, almost sociopathic train of thought, I put Songs for the Dying on. Let me tell you if it delivered.

Opeth – The Last Will and Testament

It’s been tough to write this one. You see, Opeth holds the closest sentimental spot in my heart. I loved everything from Orchid to Watershed with passion. I studied the tracks, played them, and then Opeth changed completely. Although I still enjoyed some albums from the Prog Rock era, they weren’t as ambitious or interesting—nothing the ’70s hadn’t already given us (get mad!). Now, The Last Will and Testament comes with big promises. We all heard that the growls were back, but I couldn’t care less—I wanted the songwriting to return. So, I wasn’t too hopeful after the single; I didn’t want to believe the hype! But let’s see if this is a true return to form or just overhyped by every reviewer site out there.

Tribulation – Sub Rosa in Æternum

Well, this is going to be tricky. You see, I’m what people would call an old-fashioned Tribulation fan. Here I am, eating chips and scratching my head, while the band has morphed from a Black Metal outfit into a Goth Rock one. Evidently, I’m a bigger fan of its first era, but I’m open to giving Sub Rosa in Æternum a chance. Goth albums typically fall into two categories: they either evoke the horrors of the night, or end up as cringeworthy festivals of edgy people in leather. Let’s see which one this album turns out to be.

Paganizer – Flesh Requiem

Here we go again! Another Old School Swedish Death Metal album. Yay… Oh, you can’t feel my excitement? Maybe that’s because we review a few of these each month in our True Kvlt section. However, Paganizer isn’t just another knockoff of Entombed or Dissection. This band means business and has been delivering solid albums for years. Flesh Requiem has the challenging task of offering something new from a band that values consistency above all else. Personally, I’m curious to see if Paganizer manages to break the Old School mold this time.