Album Reviews

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    Skaldr - Saṃsṛ (2025)

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    The USA Black Metal scene has seen a resurgence as of late, with bands that have both technical and songwriting skills to create their own signature style with some hints of what has worked from their European counterparts. Skaldr is ready for primetime with their guitar driven, BM with similarities to Dissection, Uada, and the likes. With “Saṃsṛ”, the band delivers over 40 minutes of high-octane music filled with memorable moments, balancing aggression and melody, definitely a great place to be for a sophomore release.

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    Selvans - Saturnalia (2025)

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    Unleashing a very unique and theatrical release, today we have Selvans and their third full-length release “Saturnalia”. This one-man battalion has been delivering very different and unique releases in the past, and with this one he breaks further musical barriers by creating a highly engaging and theatrical Black/Heavy Metal with progressive elements. Think of a mixture of bands like Pensées Nocturnes with Notre Dame and some Snowy Shaw/King Diamond eccentricities. Definitely a unique blend.

    Setting a very grand symphonic stage with the opener, “Il Mio Maleficio V'incalzerà!” quickly changes gears delivering a mix of crafty Black Metal-ish elements with some playful theatrics and a solid mixture of classical Heavy Metal elements. This is certainly quite different from the band’s previous releases, but that core darkness and horror/folklore elements are nicely blended with the more dramatic style. “Madre dei Tormenti” and “Pantàfica” keep the dramatic antics to the max, while unleashing some crafty lead guitars and even some progressive melodic interludes.

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    Void of Hope - Proof of Existence (2025)

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    Featuring members from Moonlight Sorcery and Ondfødt, today we have newcomers Void of Hope and their harrowing debut release “Proof of Existence”. Recorded during the several harsh and cold days of winter, this release transmits misery and rawness in a visceral way, similar to outfits like Lifelover, Austere, and Thy Light. With over 42 minutes of music, this release is the perfect soundtrack to a bleak existence.

    Opening with dramatic atmospherics, “Gift of Life” sets a very chilling and desolate soundscape thanks to its buzzing guitars and masterful tempo changes. There are still plenty of traditional Black Metal elements as the opener and “Proof of Existence” showcase punishing harsh vocals and crafty riffing. The slower tempo of “The Hollow Hymn” perfectly introduces melancholic passages of bleakness as it transitions from blistering onslaughts to more dramatic arrangements.

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    Barshasketh - Antinomian Asceticism (2025)

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    Delivering a swift and brutal start of 2025, today we have Barshasketh and their incisive Black Metal, unleashing all hell with the brutal “Antinomian Asceticism”, the band’s fifth full-length release. With a very punishing and yet highly refined sound, this outfit masterfully creates a ravaging experience through 43 minutes of music. Highly recommended for fans of outfits like The Ruins of Beverast or Blut aus Nord, this release is full of both musicianship and raw savagery.

    Opening with the immersive “Radiant Aperture”, the outfit sets a very hectic and punishing mood with walls of distorted guitars and a solid mixture of harsh and clean vocals, creating a very eerie mood. As “Nitimur in Vetitum”, “Lebenswelt Below”, and “Charnel Quietism” roll around, the band showcases a great balance between atmosphere and speed, with some interesting mood building passages nicely blended with savage guitar riffing and even some doomy tempos. This makes the band’s sound more incisive and pummeling, and separates them from your average outfit.

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    The Halo Effect - March of the Unheard (2025)

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    Unleashing an earlier contender for album of the year, The Halo Effect returns with the excellent “March of the Unheard”. Continuing their In Flames-meets-Dark Tranquillity explorations of the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound, the band delivers twelve tracks and over 42-minutes of superbly catchy and engaging music with a certain softer tone to keep things more mellow and accessible.

    Opening with the bombastic “Conspire to Deceive”, we get the signature riffing of Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad alongside Mikael Stanne’s snarls in a very catchy and engaging package. As the album progresses with “Detonate”, “Our Channel to the Darkness”, and “Cruel Perception”, the band showcases their signature sound while inserting some versatility with different tempos, dramatic guitar leads and an overall mastery of melody and pace.

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    Патриархь - Пророк Илия (2025)

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    Finally putting all their legal messes behind,Bartłomiej Krysiuk’s Batushka is now Патриархь or Patriarch, and they are back with an impressive release titled “Пророк Илия”. Keeping some of their ‘old’ stylistic themes and sound, but also adding some extra layers and new dimensions, this release unleashes over 40 minutes of highly ritualistic and hypnotic music, that while not close to “Литоургиiа”, it does show the band in a new light and with a unique identity.

    The release kicks off with an atmospheric piece that slowly transitions into the chilling “Вершалин II”. This track perfectly exploits the band’s eerie choir arrangements alongside a good dose of Black Metal harshness and some new string instruments. The full effect is quite cinematic, unveiling new layers to the band’s sound while keeping their own uniqueness. This bleeds into “Вершалин III”, another engaging ritualistic track that masterfully incorporates some haunting female vocals.

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    Helloween - Live at Budokan (2024)

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    Keeping up with the tradition of epic live releases recorded at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, today we have Helloween and their intense show of September 16, 2023. Featuring over 2 hours of music, the live album part of this release, is a must have for any fan of the band as the pumpkins show up in full-force with Andi Deris and Michael Kiske on vocals, alongside Kai Hansen and company, belting out the band’s classics.

    Perfectly capturing the band’s high-octane live shows, this release wastes no time to warm-up and kicks off with the 12-minute epic “Skyfall”. The (mostly) reunited band has been making waves in the last few years, both with their eponymous 2021 release and a series of tours. This magical energy is very well captured as the rip through pieces like “Eagle Fly Free”, “Future World”, and “Save Us”, some of our favorite tracks.

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    Aara - Eiger (2024)

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    Swiss Atmospheric Black Metal outfit Aara continues their desolate path, after completing their “Triade” trilogy, they now take on “Eiger”. In this release the band’s masterminds got inspiration in the book “The White Spider”, which tells early stories of attempts to climb this famed mountain. The music, as expected, is both chilling and highly emotional, crafting eight dramatic tracks filled with raw intensity and harrowing melody. As one of the best Atmospheric BM releases, this is one hell of a frosty journey to close out the year.

    Opening with blowing wind atmospherics, the release quickly sets a very frosty and desolate vibe as it slowly builds up with crafty percussions and intense riffs. The band’s signature style of perfectly pacing their songs, be it unleashing furious onslaughts or bleak slow passages, makes songs like “Die das wilde Wetter fängt”, “Senkrechte Welten”, and “Felsensang” very cinematic. The way the album develops, with ebbs and flows, allows the listener to really feel the story.

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    KIR - L’appel du vide (2024)

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    Unleashing a fierce brand of Black Metal that combines the ferocity of Behemoth and the grittiness of Mgła, the enigmatic KIR sets a very high bar with their debut release “L’appel du vide”. With such a vicious sound that is both polished and commanding, this outfit is definitely one of the most unexpected surprises of 2024. Just scratching the surface of this release with a couple of spins, detailed attention and repeated listenings are needed to fully digest the album.

    After a mood setting instrumental intro, the band comes at the listener in full force with the piercing “Monument”. Mixing hellish deep screams with a barrage of BM riffs, the album quickly sets a relentless tone. The drumming in this release is quite polished, keeping a blistering pace as tracks like “Znów” and “Eter” blast away. The Mgła style riffing creates very dynamic and melodic passages, while still not sounding like a copy-cat and greatly enhancing the band’s explosiveness.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Kildonan - Embers (2024)

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    As a continuation of Vostok, Hamish MacKintosh returns with “Embers”, the debut release of Kildonan. With a very emotionally charged Black/Doom Metal style, this release features six tracks and nearly 40 minutes reminiscent of a mixture of Bethlehem on their “Dictius Te Necare” era, and Death/Doom Metal musings. Creating a very deep and powerful atmosphere, this is one of those sleeper releases that we found ourselves enjoying a lot more than we expected.

    Opening with the dreamy atmospherics of the title track, we are treated to dramatic clean vocals, harrowing harsh screams and a very Doomy vibe with Black Metal infused riffs. Kind of similar to Déhà and his exploits on his solo project as well as some Acathexis thrown into the mixture. We particularly love the piercing atmosphere created by the heavy Doom riffs of songs like “Ioliar-Bhuidhe” and “A Desperate Leap for Salvation” and their contrast with heavier and more brutal tempos.

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