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    Eskapism - Skresnava (2025)

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    Always uncovering unique talent, Naturmacht Productions is set to release Eskapism’s latest full-length release “Skresnava”. Featuring a very lively and engaging Atmospheric/Symphonic Black Metal sound, this release delivers four tracks and over 41 minutes of intense and very lush music. Recommended for fans of bands like Grima, Limbonic Art, Saor, and similar, this album is full of melody and magical soundscapes.

    Opening with the melancholic “The Forest of Silent Shadows”, the band slowly builds momentum with crafty atmospheric, weeping guitar melodies and a very hypnotic pace. The band’s ability to craft long, over 10 minutes, songs that are cohesive and very cinematic is one of their strengths as founders Dyvozor and Zymobor navigate very emotional and melodic territories. As “Orison” continues the onslaught, we get those nice emotive guitar tones masterfully surrounded by subtle and yet very powerful atmospherics.

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    Sargeist - Flame Within Flame (2025)

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    Unleashing a clinical onslaught of uncompromising Finnish Black Metal, today we have Sargeist with “Flame Within Flame”. As the band’s first full-length release in nearly eight years, and featuring Shatraug back on vocals, this album is fierce and punishing, just what we all expect from this congregation of masterful Black Metal musicians, which also feature Spellgoth handling bass guitar and backing vocals, and new drummer Nur-i-siyah.

    Regardless of the line-up changes, Shatraug and VSJ keep the band’s style intact with their furious riffing onslaughts. Pummeling away with their signature style, “An Eternal Dream Beyond the Accursed Protent”, “Flame within Flame” and “The Chant of Rotting Tongues" perfectly transition between fast paced sections to more hypnotic and melodic passages that keep things eerie and highly atmospheric. With a timeless Black Metal style, this release masterfully mixes the gritty and raw with a polished production and crisp instrumentation.

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    Novelists - Coda (2025)

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    Creating a very unique and engaging style of Metalcore, today we have France’s Novelists and their latest opus “Coda”. Mixing elements from Progressive Metal, Post-Rock, Djent, alongside some electronic/Industrial elements, the band manages to unleash a very engaging and diverse ten tracks and over 40 minutes of music. Fronted now by Camille Contreras, the band’s sound is quite lush and crafty, providing tons of unique soundscapes along the way. Be prepared from Metalcore unlike you have never heard before.

    Opening with the complete banger “Say My Name”, the band oozes melancholy alongside playful melodies. Camille’s vocals are dreamy and the perfect addition to the band’s dynamic sound, giving them a different edge. Continuing with the Djenty/Industrial antics of the album title track, the band quickly shows versatility and tons of new ideas, as well as some powerful growls. However, what hooked us is the soaring chorus sections and crafty instrumentation, creating a very hectic and yet magical pace.

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    Drouth - The Teeth of Time (2025)

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    Unleashing a cavernous and quite engaging Doomy Black Metal release, today we have Portland’s Drouth and their third full-length release “The Teeth of Time”. Featuring a fierce mixture of crafty melodic interludes and blistering aural onslaught, this album delivers five tracks and over 40 minutes of intense music. With a very piercing and yet balanced sound, the band’s songwriting is quite polished and intense.

    Opening with the piercing “Hurl Your Thunderbolt Even Unto Death”, we get a twin guitar onslaught that unleashes harsh screams and deep growls. The song is both crafty and heavy, setting a very hectic pace for the release. This sinister atmosphere continues in the commanding “False Grail” with Doom and Crust elements thrown into the mix as the song progresses. Far from linear, the band also oozes melancholy when needed with the album title track providing crafty duality, and sustained intensity through this piece.

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    Solfatare - Asservis par l'espoir (2025)

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    Unleashing a savage debut full length release, today we have Belgium’s Solfatare with “Asservis par l'espoir”. Featuring six tracks and over 40 minutes of crushing Black Metal, this release showcases that there are still bands pushing the limits of the genre and crafting releases that do not sound exactly like most. With a ferocious take on the genre and the musicianship to back this up, this release is as intense and fierce as they come.

    Starting with the blistering “Des monarques anhédoniques” we get that crispy Mgła-esque guitar driven style, but with some sinister twists, creating a very haunting experience. The harsh vocals masterfully add that extra level of desperation and aural abuse that songs like “D'hommes et d'isoptères” and “Du deuil affairé” need to be pushed over the edge. There is a certain intoxicating nature to the sneaky melodic undertones of the guitar work that makes them more effective.

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    Karg - Marodeur (2025)

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    V. Wahntraum (aka J.J) has been on a roll as of recently, not only with his exploits in Harakiri for the Sky, but also with this upcoming crushing Karg release titled “Marodeur”. With eight tracks and over 54 minutes of piercing music, this Post-Black Metal release is full of visceral rawness. Masterfully crafting highly melancholic music, this release is both punishing and demoralizing, creating a very bleak and yet lush atmosphere.

    Opening with the enigmatic “ Schnee ist das Blut der Geister”, which also features guest vocals from Perchta and solemn piano elements from Michael Eder, the band sets a very emotional mood. There are certain similarities to Harakiri for the Sky, due to the vocals and some of the guitar melodies, however, this band takes it further into darker and bleaker territories with more solemn and direct songs like “Findling”, “Yūgen”, and our favorite “Annapurna” and its very dramatic atmospherics and cathartic moments.

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    Liv Kristine - Amor Vincit Omnia (2025)

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    Returning with her enchanting vocals, today we have Liv Kristine’s latest solo effort “Amor Vincit Omnia”. Featuring eleven tracks and nearly 45 minutes of music, this release was composed with Sascha Dannenberger, creating very enchanting compositions that are slightly different from her previous release, but yet deliver her signature sound. Filled with melancholy and very captivating, this release masterfully showcases the magic of Liv Kristine.

    Opening with the album title track, we start strong with playful guitars, solemn vocal interludes, and a bit of a mixture of very old-school Theater of Tragedy (thanks to the harsh vocals) and the more modern influences of Liv Kristine’s latest solo efforts. This melodramatic tone continues through the dramatic “Ode to Life Pristine”, the melancholic and very dreamy “12th February”, and the catchiness of “Angel in Disguise”. Sascha perfectly leverages Liv’s vocal harmonies to create very engaging and powerful tracks that are very direct and effective.

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    Ahamkara - The Harrow of the Lost (2025)

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    Hailing from the UK, today we have Atmospheric Black Metal outfit Ahamkara, with their sophomore release “The Harrow of the Lost”. With a more than 10 year gap between releases, this outfit nicely delivers four tracks and over 42 minutes of music that blends elements from outfits like Saor, Fen, Fellwarden, and Panopticon. Creating a very organic and effective sound, this band masterfully crafts immersive atmospheres that will capture the listener’s attention.

    Creating a very mellow and intoxicatingly bleak atmosphere, “The Circle of Remembrance” opens this release with a slow burning approach that quickly is flanked by piercing riffs and harrowing harsh vocals. Austin Lunn of Panopticon fame handles the drums in this release, keeping things tight and very versatile as each track changes moods. The band’s atmospherics are subtle and never overbearing, thanks to Alexandra Blenkarn-Durning keyboards and effects, like on “Our Scars Shall Abide In The Thaw”, a very elegant track that blends in fierceness with Alcest-like dreaminess.

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    Fractal Universe - The Great Filters (2025)

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    Masterfully crafting intoxicating Progressive/Technical Death Metal songs, today we have Fractal Universe and their excellent “The Great Filters”. As the band’s fourth full-length release, this album unleashes nine tracks and over 46 minutes of perfectly balanced musicianship with melody and a good dose of heaviness. For fans of bands like Leprous and Opeth, to heavier outfits like Obscura and Allegaeon, this release has a bit for everybody with refined taste.

    Opening with the proggy goodness of “The Void Above”, we get masterfully layered guitars and crafty tempo changes alongside a hearty growl and a very clean and direct atmosphere. This track has some serious Leprous vibes that gently make their way into most of the release, as heard on tracks like “The Great Filter”, “Causality’s Grip”, and “The Seed of Singularity”, nicely enhancing the band’s range and keeping things very lively and engaging.

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    Iggor Cavalera / Shane Embury - Neon Gods / Own your Darkness (2025)

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    Cranking out two tracks of chilling Drone/Ambient/Industrial music, today we have Iggor Cavalera and Shane Embury. Featuring dystopian music full of unnerving atmospherics and haunting passages, each track creates its unique atmosphere and slowly envelops the listener into alternative worlds that both Iggor and Shane do not get to showcase on their main bands.

    Opening with “Neon Gods”, this nearly 20-minute piece slowly creeps into the listener’s psyche with a disturbing Drone nature. Reminiscent of some of Masona’s and Merzbow’s work, this track delivers a slow burn that will be seared into the listener. Just think of the movie “Event Horizon” and you’ll slightly know what to expect.

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