Creating one of the most harrowing and primal releases ever, today we have Fauna and their long awaited “Ochre & Ash”. Thirteen years have passed since the release of “Avifauna”, and fans have been craving for a new album from this Pacific Northwest duo. More than worth the wait, this release unleashes nearly 70 minutes of crushing music that creates discomfort and hands out punishment from the opening atmospherics all the way to the closing riffs.

Opening with the ritualistic “A Conjuring”, the band sets a very feral and Heilung/Wardruna-esque atmosphere that masterfully transitions into the crafty drumming and dissonant riffing of “Nature and Madness”. Shifting gears, the duo unleashes hell with great intensity and violence. The drumming and screamed vocals remind us a bit of Mike Rekevics in Vanum/Fell Voices. As the dense atmosphere dissipates a bit, the track moves into a cavernous direction with enthralling atmospherics and a wall of distortion.

Coming in hot with tons of hype and mystery, UK’s President has made more than enough waves with their mystique. In their first EP release, “King of Terrors”, the band easily substantiates with hype with six piercing tracks that masterfully combine Metal elements with a plethora of more mainstream influences, and a hefty dose of catchiness. This mysterious outfit manages to craft tracks that are a great balance of heaviness and melody, creating some truly memorable soaring vocal arrangements and masterful instrumentation.

Opening with “In The Name Of The Father”, the EP sets a very high bar with its relentless aggression, Djent-y elements, and their transition to soaring clean vocals and subtle electronics. While definitely not your regular Metal track, it certainly has its merits. Things quickly escalate as “Fearless” continues with its distorted guitars and some of the catchiest percussion and chorus sections that we have heard in quite a while.

Just when you think that Amorphis can’t get any better, the band gives us “Borderland”. In this release, the band unleashes almost 50-minutes of high-octane Melodic Metal, with their signature style and a few surprises. Constantly refining and improving their sound, the band manages to sound as epic and melodic as always, with a hearty mixture of catchiness and heaviness, creating another astounding release filled with bangers.

Opening with “The Circle”, we immediately get that magical Amorphis atmosphere thanks to crafty synths and guitar work. Via Santeri Kallio, the band’s signature vibes are set in motion, as clear and well crafted instrumentation come together to create tracks like “Bones”, “Dancing Shadow”, and “Fog to Fog”, where Tomi Joutsen’s dual vocal attack is just the cherry on top of the cake.

The master of weirdness and experimental madness, Gautier Serre, returns with Igorrr’s fifth full-length album titled “Amen”. Featuring over 40 minutes of extremely engaging and totally deranged music, this release continues the band’s tradition of not being bound by any genre, while adding additional heaviness and with a certain live-setting edge that makes the music more digestible and headbangable as well.

Opening with the dramatic arrangements of “Daemoi”, the stage is set for one hell of a ride, featuring lush vocal arrangements and crafty instrumentation. Of course the electronics create some chaotic dissonance that is the brilliance of Igorrr. The use of unconventional elements and interesting percussions and arrangements, creates unique tracks like “Headbutt”, “Limbo”, and the crazy “Blastbeat Falafel”, which are all brilliant in its own insane way.

We have always been fans of pretty much any band that Avantgarde Music discovers, as they always find completely unique and totally awesome outfits and releases. However, around 10 years ago, the label released in CD Mesarthim’s debut “Isolate”, a very forward thinking and completely captivating release that mixed Atmospheric Black Metal with electronic/trance elements.

Fast forward to today, the label is unleashing the ten year anniversary of this masterpiece with a special extra disc, featuring reinterpretations of the songs via other Avantgarde outfits. The release opens with Remina’s reworking of “Osteopenia”, a masterful piece that not only takes you to outer space, as it also features the enchanting vocals of Heike Langhans, giving this song a whole new level of dreamy and ethereal vibes.

The masters of Finnish Melodic Death Metal melancholy return with a short but sweet EP, as a continuation to their 2024 “Draconian Darkness” full-length. In this EP, Wolfheart showcases two new tracks, a live song, an acoustic track, and a very powerful orchestral track. Further consolidating the band’s status, this EP showcases the versatility of their sound, both live and in different lights.

Opening with the powerful “Carnivore”, the band picks up where they left off last year, and deliver a crafty melodic onslaught filled with intricate riffs and engaging drumming. The song while oozing melancholy, it also delivers a good heft thanks to its growls and distorted guitars. One interesting thing is that this and “Forefathers” focus a bit more on atmospheric arrangements with a dramatic orchestral edge, that expands the band’s style and gives it more grandeur.

The highly versatile Mat McNerney (Hexvessel, ex-DHG, ex-Code) comes back with a uniquely engaging (and catchy) apocalyptic Post-Punk adventure with “Slime of the Times”, from his new outfit Scorpion Milk. Teaming with Tor Sjödén (Viagra Boys) on drums, Nate Newton (Converge, Cave In) on bass guitar, and a few guests, this outfit has a certain Grave Pleasures/Beastmilk vibe with some additional Sisters of Mercy and Killing Joke elements, creating nine superbly crafted tracks.

Setting a very dystopian mood, “All the Fear” opens the release with a catchy Post-Punk attitude and McNerney’s clean and crafty vocals, with “The Will to Live” perfectly continuing the momentum as it delivers engaging guitar melodies and a catchy chorus section. The first stand-out track in this release has to be the masterful “She Wolf of London”, with Will Gould of Creeper handling the lead vocals, perfectly blending with a pulsating bass guitar line and its fuzzy guitars.

Having previously made fans wait for around 6 years between full-length releases, David Conrad and company returned in just two years with Heretoir’s fourth full-length release “Solastalgia”. Featuring 11 tracks and over 60-minutes of music, the band unleashes an interesting mixture of their old Post-Black Metal/Blackgaze style, with a cleaner and dreamier Shoegazey and Post-Rock edge. Creating a very moody and atmospheric release, this album takes the band to new territories while consolidating their standing in the scene.

Starting with the multi-layered “The Ashen Falls”, we get some of the band’s traditional melancholy very quickly as lush guitars and dreamy vocal arrangements. While there are definitely Heretoir staple elements, this track also has many SOM and Mountaineer Shoegaze/Dream pop vibes, making an evolution for the band. This evolution permeates excellent songs like the demoralizing “Season of Grief”, and the very emotional and melodic “You are the Night”.