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    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ad Mortem - In Honorem Mortis (2024)

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    Delivering a swift and brutal onslaught of Black Metal sickness, today we have Germany’s Ad Mortem and their debut full-length release “In Honorem Mortis”. Filled with piercing guitars, hellish screams and crafty drumming, this release contains eight tracks and over 43 minutes of intense music. Highly recommended for fans of Horna, Sargeist, Bexehen, etc., this album is one of the most punishing and yet refined releases of 2024.

    Things escalate quite quickly with the atmospheric opening of “Von hohen Himmeln”, that swiftly transforms into all-out war with intense riffing and blistering drumming. E. Aggressor’s vocals are your traditional BM harsh creams, perfectly fitting to the tremolo picking ways of the band. As “Größer als das Leben”, “Labyrinth”, and “Der letzte Feind”, roll around, the band also has a certain melodic edge to their sound with some crafty melodic interludes that quickly erupt into more crushing passages.

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    Darkestrah - Nomad (2024)

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    Unleashing a masterful atmospheric epic, today we have Darkestrah and their latest effort “Nomad”. Instantly transporting the listener to unknown lands and taking them on adventures, this release perfectly blends Pagan and Folk influences with a Black Metal core to deliver a lush listening experience. Hailing from Kyrgyzstan and having a few members of Iran in their ranks, this outfit has mastered the skill of blending in unconventional instruments, in Metal music, into heavy and punishing compositions.

    Setting the mood with the desolate “Journey through Blue Nothingness”, things quickly escalate with the lush atmospherics of “Kok Oy”, a track filled with crafty melodic guitars and ravaging tempo changes. Things get catchier and more Folkish on the album title track and dramatic instrumentation and hypnotic vocal arrangements. The epic “Destroyer Of Obstacles” brilliantly continues this flow of lavish instrumental arrangements around very melodic distorted guitars that are frantic at times.

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    Givre - Le Cloître (2024)

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    Unleashing a very expansive and diverse set of exploratory sounds, today we have Canada’s Givre and their latest opus “Le Cloître”. Featuring six tracks and over 41 minutes of music, the band explores six songs which each corresponding to a holy woman from Christian history. With a different take in each track, the band explores expertly crafted moments of total chaos that weave back and forth between dissonance and melody.

    Opening with “Marthe Robin (1902 - 1981)”, the band starts creating a very atmospheric and dense vibe with shoegazey elements that quickly transition into punishing Post-Metal/Blackgaze passages. The mood slightly shifts into more chaotic territories with the pummeling “Louise du Neant (1639 - 1694)” and its furious onslaughts of piercing riffs and hellish harsh vocals. “Sainte Therese d'Avila (1515 - 1582)” rounds up the first half of this release with fierce dissonant guitars and masterful tempo changes.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    They Came From Visions - The Twilight Robes (2024)

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    Creating a very captivating blend of Black Metal with Post-Metal/Rock elements, today we have Ukraine’s They Came From Visions and their sophomore release “The Twilight Robes”. Featuring seven tracks and nearly 45 minutes of elaborate music, this release perfectly delivers waves of fury alongside moody melodic passages, creating uniquely haunting and desolate atmospheres.

    Opening with the folky mood setting “Lughnasadh”, the album kicks into gear with the blistering riffing of “Equinox Ablaze”, a very crafty track that while having some of that 90’s Black Metal luster, it also features lush clean interludes filled with dreamy vocals and guitars. Our personal favorite track has to be the furious “Burning Eyes Blackened Claws” and its intense opening, and then perfectly transitioning into more melodic territories alongside pummeling drums.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sonata Arctica - Clear Cold Beyond (2024)

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    Over the years, Sonata Arctica continues to defy time by keeping their sound engaging and fresh. With “Clear Cold Beyond”, the band delivers their signature high-octane Power Metal with ten tracks and nearly one hour of superbly catchy music. Delivering a mixture of playfulness and masterful musical execution, this release is certainly a fun one from this Finnish outfit.

    The album kicks off with the lively “First in Line” and its playful keyboards perfectly paired with Tony’s staple vocals and a very upbeat and engaging tempo. The band’s ability to crank out catchy and yet technically engaging songs is clearly showcases on pieces like “California”, “Shah Mat” and “Dark Empath”. We have always loved how the band’s music is upbeat and sometimes to some degree a bit cheesy, but equally enjoyable.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Grey Skies Fallen - Molded By Broken Hands (2024)

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    Since While Heaven Wept disbanded a few years back, Grey Skies Fallen has been left carrying the torch for that unique mixture of Epic-ish Melodic Doom/Progressive Metal that mostly North American bands have been playing. With “Molded By Broken Hands”, the band further refined their sound while keeping their signature elements and delivering seven tracks and nearly 50 minutes of moody and melancholic music.

    Opening with the acoustic guitars of “A Twisted Place in Time”, the band quickly sets a very melancholic vibe as the doomy distorted guitars come in alongside harsh vocals and engaging atmospherics. The album title track dabbles into more atmospheric territories at first with some crafty guitar leads and it progresses with some excellent moody tempo changes.

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    Besotten/Funerelic - Abyssal Synodality (2024)

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    There are some days that you just want to play the foulest and most ravaging thing you can find to get through the day. For those days, “Abyssal Synodality”, a split release between Besotten and Funerelic, is just what the doctor ordered. Featuring four tracks, two a piece and nearly 20 minutes of music, this release is quite engaging and punishing.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Liv Kristine - Deus ex Machina (2024)

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    There is nothing like a re-release of an album that came out 26 years ago to make you feel old. We still remember picking up Liv Kristine’s solo debut back in 1998 and being weirded out at first about it. In “Deus ex Machina”, Liv explored a more electronic/alternative side to her, and we, at the time, just wanted another Theater of Tragedy-like release. Fast forward to 2024 and we have loved this release to the point our original digipak is quite worn down.

    Usually not reviewed here, re-releases are mostly targeted at nostalgic fans as they usually include plenty of extra special tracks (one full disc worth in this case). However, we see this re-release as an opportunity for Liv to get newer fans with her charismatic voice and excellent songwriting skills. While the masterful “3 A.M.” is the best release of this album, we get five more versions of it featuring alternative mixes.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Shadohm - Through Darkness Towards Enlightenment (2024)

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    Hailing from Poland, today we have a very ambitious new outfit Shadohm and their crafty/proggy Modern Metal release “Through Darkness Towards Enlightenment”. Formed by Paweł Jaroszewicz of Vader, Antigama, Batushka fame, this outfit delivers five crushing tracks, totaling 30 minutes of music, highly recommended for fans of bands like Hacride, Gojira, Architects, and Meshuggah.

    Opening with the pummeling “Through Darkness”, we get a hefty mixture of crafty drumming, engaging tempo changes, and powerful guitars. The vocals are quite fitting to the music as they switch from harsh passages to more melodic clean arrangements. For fans of Meshuggah and similar outfits, tracks like “Blurred” and “Fair Weather Friend” have a solid dose of Djenty tempo changes and layered guitars.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    i Häxa - Part 1 (2024)

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    Unleashing a short but very interesting release, today we have i Häxa and the chaotic and yet lush “Part 1”. Featuring four songs and over 16 minutes of music, the listener is taken on an aural journey that weaves between ambient, darkwave, avant-garde, and highly atmospheric passages. If you like weird and yet cohesive and engaging releases, with no Metal elements whatsoever, give this one a spin.

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