Fronted by Daniel Neagoe (Clouds, Shape of Despair), today we have Funeral Doom outfit Eye of Solitude and their latest opus “Slaves to Solitude”. Just fresh from their North American West Coast mini-tour, this band unleashes one of the most misery inducing Funeral Doom releases of the last few years. Up with Mournful Congregation, Clouds, and Shape of Despair, this band creates uniquely melancholic crushing songs that will extinguish your will to live.

The album kicks off with the dreamy “The Blind Earth”, a song that takes a while to build up, but once it reaches the 7 minute mark it becomes increasingly punishing. Daniel’s inhuman growls perfectly complement the bleak and desolate atmosphere created. With Mark Antoniades and Steffan Gough handling the guitar dutties, tracks like “Still Descending” perfectly deliver that brilliant Doomy sound of weeping guitars and well-timed heavy riffs.

Hailing from France, today we have dark post-punk/rock outfit Varsovie and their latest full-length release “Coups et Blessures”. Filled with moody songs and superbly catchy and somber arrangements, this release is definitely one of the ‘non-metal’ highlights we have heard in 2018. Recommended for fans of bands like Spiritual Front and similar outfits, Varsovie does a great job delivering a hard rocking release that is captivating and engaging.

Opening with the bluntness of “Coups et Blessures”, the band sets a very lively tone with catchy percussions and interesting guitar leads. The mood is quite somber and yet very raw, allowing emotions to easily flow through brilliant tracks like “Revers de l’aube” and our favorite “Va dire à Sparte”. While not even close to Metal music, these last two tracks feature some very powerful and engaging riffs that make them quite memorable and perfectly fitting for the band’s overall attitude.

Featuring remastered versions of their demo tape, “Veritas filia temporis” and two other splits, “Secular Compendium” showcases Selbst’s early days and how they have evolved to become one of the most savage Black Metal artists to ever come out of South America. Clocking in at 53 minutes, this limited release will rock your socks off and provide more insight into the band’s musical journey, not to be missed by any BM fans.

Opening with the dense riffing of “Veritas Filia Temporis I”, this album kicks off a demoralizing Black Metal journey with razor sharp guitars and an oppressive atmosphere. While staying true to their punishing nature, the band also showcases excellent melodic passages that remind us of bands like Dissection and many 90’s European BM outfits. “Veritas Filia Temporis II” continues the onslaught with hellish vocals and a somber and yet piercing atmosphere.

Unleashing the most impressive release (so far) of 2018, today we have the legendary Amorphis and their latest full-length album “Queen of Time”. Featuring the quintessential Amorphis energy and creativity, the band takes things even one step further with more grandiose arrangements and catchier melodies. Nearly clocking in at one hour, the band defies age and continues to release high quality and high replay value releases.

Opening with the first single, “The Bee”, the music instantly features the band’s signature style with over the top arrangements and the impressive growls of Tomi Joutsen. Setting a very lively mood on the opening song, allows for a swift transition into the upbeat and engaging “Message in the Amber”. Featuring Jørgen Munkeby on sax and dramatic choir arrangements in “Daughter of Hate”, this track shifts the mood into more somber and yet dynamic territories, making it one of our favorite songs from the band.

Creating a very unique and engaging musical experience, today we have newcomers Follow the Cipher and their self-titled debut release. Thanks to their impressive and enveloping sound, the band kicks off their career in the spotlight signed to Nuclear Blast records and with incredible charisma and skill. If you are looking for a cinematic musical experience that blends elements from bands like Kamelot, Sabaton and Amaranthe, this is definitely a band you want to check out.

Opening with the intense “Enter the Cipher”, we are treated to a Nightwish-esque pace filled with catchy riffs and over the top keyboards. The atmosphere is quite well crafted and led by the beautiful Linda Toni Grahn, the band makes a quick first impression filled with catchy music and lush vocal leads (both male and female). Using some electronic elements in their music, the band crafts superbly engaging track like “Valkyria” a song that ups the ante and keeps things intense as “My Soldier” and “Winterfall” roll in.

Delicately balancing between Progressive and Extreme Metal, today we have the legendary Ihsahn and his seventh full-length release “Àmr”. For over 43 minutes, the master deliver some very unique and forward thinking music that stills retains the hunger and incisiveness of Ihsahn’s earlier work with Emperor while exploring newer and more complex musical directions.

Unleashing an incisive array of keyboards and harsh screams, the album perfectly kicks off with the hectic “Lend Me the Eyes of the Millennia”. This track follows more of Ihsahn’s early work structures, but with a modern and cutthroat edge that no other band has in Extreme Metal. The album’s first single, “Arcana Imperii” with a perfect blend of funky tempo changes and playful drumming that leads to dramatic vocal arrangements and crafty instrumentation. We highly enjoyed the moody clean vocals that give the song a more accessible (to non-extreme metal fans) side while enjoying Ihsahn’s brilliant song writing skills.

We are not big on reviewing split releases, but when we saw Black Mare and Offret put into one release, we got quite curious. Unleashing two very hypnotic and highly atmospheric tracks, this 7 inch vinyl and digital release transports the listeners into very carefully crafted worlds. For fans of experimental and highly atmospheric music, this is one release you don’t want to miss.

Opening with Black Mare’s “Woman the Throne”, Sera Timms crafts a very somber and Doomy atmosphere with minimalistic riffs and enthralling vocal arrangements. This track nicely flows, slowly intoxicating the listener with the incisive guitar work and ritualistic drumming. Creating a very dark and dense atmosphere, the six minute duration of this track will feel like a lot longer – in a good way.