Album Reviews

German black metal duo Mystic Circle is back with an outstanding new album, 'Hexenbrand 1486', out via Reigning Phoenix Music on October 31st, 2025. Once again, Mystic Circle imposes on the melodic spectrum, drawing inspiration from 90s black metal. The musical composition on the eleventh opus draws elements from the band’s previous releases 'Mystic Circle' and 'Erzdämon'. The duo has bridged the melodic and the symphonic by emphasizing aggression with traditional heavy metal lead guitars.
Read More >

The Answer Lies in the Black void is a collaboration between Jason Köhnen and Martina Horvath. Jason is of course the drummer and one of the main creative forces behind one of my all-time favorite death doom bands, being Celestial Season, while some of you might recognize Martina from seeing the avant-garde troupe of Thy Catalfalque on stage.
Read More >

Within the sub-genre of symphonic black metal, no band can bring a feeling of eeriness to boost sonic dread like the symphonic black metal formation Carach Angren. The newest EP, “Cult of Kariba”, out via Season of Mist on October 17, 2025, forges the inspiration and identity that make it another grand entry in the band’s musical canon. Besides the duo's fascination with ghosts and haunting horror stories, the name Carach Angren is a reference from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", which means Iron Jaws in the Elvish language of Sindarin, indicating their interest in fiction.
Read More >

After countless albums covering the events of World War II and the last two albums about World War I the topic seems a bit exhausted, so it was interesting what Sabaton would do for their 11th studio album. And they delivered the perfect answer, an album in the same style as 'Heroes' - focusing on individuals instead of dates - dating far further back in time then ever before, all the way back to 1878 B.C.
Read More >

In the subgenre of funeral doom, the U.S. quintet Evoken reigns supreme alongside gigantic acts like Shape of Despair, Skepticism, Thergothon and Disembowelment. The band has presented itself as torchbearers of modern funeral doom metal. Their music conjured dreadful and morbid atmospheres which are well-embedded in studio works, such as 'Embrace the Emptiness', 'Quietus' and the masterpiece 'Antithesis of Light'. Evoken enshrined itself within an unprecedented sonic experience, unleashing darkness upon the listener, where the music summons unspeakable and spectral beings from unearthly domains.
Read More >

Since their founding 17 years ago, Battle Beast has continuously improved and reinvented their sound, and it's been a joy to watch them grow during the 13 years I've known this band. With 'Steelbound' they are ready to unleash yet another chapter of heavy metal madness. After a couple of listens, this album is now spinning relentlessly in my head non-stop.
Read More >

Melbourne-based death metal quartet Vile Apparition offers a classic brute delivery of Australia’s vile and monstrous profanity. The highly anticipated sophomore, “Malignity”, establishes its unique formula stemming from the band’s debut full-length album, “Depravity Ordained”, released in 2019. The ten songs are stacked with Suffocation-esque bass guitar, hammering riffs, and bludgeoning blast beats; despite the old-school flavor, Vile Apparition returns back with an impressive quality.
Read More >

Yellowcard is back with their first album in nearly a decade. In 2017, the band really thought they had played their last show ever. But after some time apart, wounds had time to heal and the band feels ready to play again. I'm curious to hear what violin punk rock they will bring. Lets check it out!
Read More >

Time for a bit of nostalgia. If you grew up in the eighties, chances are your bedroom was littered with all kinds of cool action figures from Star Wars, Master of The Universe, Transformers or G.I.Joe. This definitely must have been the case for the guys from Cold Slither since their monniker is taken from an infamous episode of the G.I. Joe Sunbow television series where Cobra Commander devised a cunning plot to corrupt America’s youth by hiding subliminal messages in the rock songs by this fictive rock band called Cold Slither.
Read More >

Hooded Menace has given us one of the towering albums in 2018 with their crushing release "Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed", helmed by the founder Lasse Pyykkö (guitars, bass, and keyboards), who has been inspired by the death doom acts of his country. “Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration” is the seventh studio album, offering the visceral elements of Hooded Menace's signature style and also uncovers the depth of the songwriting talent.
Read More >