UK – Page 3 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

As The World Dies – Nebula

Well, this was a mistake! I was supposed to review this next month, but I mixed up dates and ended up listening to it now. I assume As The World Dies won’t mind getting an early review of Nebula. With the risk of getting repetitive, here we have another release that doesn’t necessarily fit any traditional mold in Death Metal aside from the space Metal one, which, as we know, becomes much harder to define with each passing year. So here we are, trying to put labels on this untamed beast with little success if you ask me, but let’s keep trying!

Abduction – Existentialismus

Abduction is clawing its way up the food chain, ready to become a recognized name in the underground—not just lurking in the depths of the scene. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the band unique since you can feel influences from all areas of Black Metal. However, Existentialismus (what’s with that name? Seriously!) proves that the band at least has the ambition to become the next hot thing in Black Metal. The real question now is: does it have what it takes? Stick with this sinister trip to find out.

Bile Caster – Writhing Between Birth and Death

Pegah

“There are certain sores in life that, like a canker, gnaw at the soul in solitude and diminish it. Since generally it is the custom to attribute these incredible sufferings to the realm of rare and singular accidents and happenings, it is not possible to speak about them to others“.
― Sadegh Hedayat, The Blind Owl

Winterfylleth – The Imperious Horizon

Stargazer Scholar (follow the scholar here!)

A band doesn’t need to invent a new genre to have an identity. Originality may earn you a paragraph or two in a history book, but at the end of the day, it’s the songwriting that sells records and boosts streaming stats. It’s that special, subtle something that makes you stand out from the crowd and be distinct. Case in point: Winterfylleth, who over the years have managed to carve out a niche within the overcrowded subspace of Melodic and Atmospheric Black Metal. Without being too groundbreaking or experimental, the Mancunians excel at conveying complex emotions with memorable tunes, and their mixture of bludgeoning pagan valor and moving melodicism has become a trademark. But did the band succeed in maintaining its standards with The Imperious Horizon?

Adorior – Bleed on My Teeth

SonikGoat

Galloping out of the fetid tunnels of darkest London after twenty-something years of silence, Adorior stops by only for a brief moment—but fear ye not! They simply want to make sure you’re bloodied, trampled, set afire, and offered up to Satan. Then, they’ll be on their merry way. Oh, and if you want to hold on to your bottles of strong booze and unravished virgins, you’d better hide them somewhere safe, because Adorior has come for those as well. To enact pandemonium on the scale described, key contributors from the likes of Grave Miasma, Qrixquor, and Destroyer 666 are at the helm—in other words, noted veterans of the metal underground.

Bragging Rights – Small Gods

Maybe we’ll do this more often—giving acts from the deep underground a full platform, as long as they send stuff in advance. Bragging Rights (the name cracks me up) is a project that, by looking at its cover art, you’d think was satirical. I wasn’t quite sure if this meant the album was going to be deeply serious or just troll me harder than this. Either way, I came in with a better disposition than usual because I was on vacation and felt like humanity deserved a chance again (I can’t wait for them to let me down…). Alright, let’s see what Small Gods puts on the table.

Retro-Review: Iron Maiden – Virtual XI (with Elyna)

Alright! I’m excited to announce that we’re welcoming our first guest writer to this section. I won’t lie to you; in my opinion, this is a hot take. So, kill each other with kindness in the comments. Anyway, go give Elyna Kahn a follow, or even better, check out her Patreon. Enough from me, I leave you in her hands.

Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction

Sometimes at MER, we want to show that we can do more than just review the most brutal and godless albums the internet can throw at us. We also enjoy some good Sludge or Stoner Rock. Yes, it’s even more niche and bad for our pathetic money ambitions, but for now, we have principles. Orange Goblin is what happens when you combine Mastodon, Sleep, and Electric Wizard. You’re going to feel the spices going up your bloodstream and down your toilet seat. So, where to put Science, Not Fiction in a long and illustrious career? Let’s see!

Diskord/ATVM – Bipolarities

I discovered Diskord by accident when they were part of Imperial Triumphant‘s first European tour. Needless to say, those two together have been the closest I’ve been to feeling under the influence of acid. I became a fan immediately and got myself a copy of Degenerations. As you’d expect, it was a degenerate experience that made me reconsider what metal was. Then there’s ATVM, which makes you feel just as high but takes a more technical route to success. Can you imagine the level of depravity that these two together can unleash? You don’t have to because Bipolarities is here!

Releases that almost fell down the cracks: Gurkkhas, Humanity Defiled, Gorgonchrist, Arx Artrata

Here are the releases that are either coming out soon or have just been released. They almost slipped through the cracks, but thanks to my persistence and the relentless nagging of my new interns, they get at least a few words today. I must emphasize, these are underground releases, so be a responsible Metalhead and do your part by sharing, buying, shouting about them, or whatever people do these days to get attention.