Album Reviews

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Epoch of Unlight - At War With the Multiverse (2022)

    cover

    Seemingly frozen in time, today we have, after 17 years, Epoch of Unlight's latest opus “At War With the Multiverse”. We were huge fans of the band back in the early 2000’s and their fresh thrashy Melodic Death Metal music, which was echoed by bands like Estuary of Calamity and Sacramentum to some extent. In this new release, the band unleashes around 42 minutes of catchy and well-crafted music that has a certain nostalgic retro sound, but will please anybody that is a fan of Death/Black Metal with melodic tendencies.

    The opening riffs of “The Anthropocene”, bring us back to the early days of North American Death Metal, namely Suffocation, Incantation, and similar outfits. However, the special Epoch of Unlight sauce lies in the melodic passages in songs like “The Numbing Stillness”, “Wrath of the Cryomancer”, and “An Amaranthine Line”, which perfectly switch between neck-snapping chugging sections, to clean and blistering guitar leads and solos.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Mortuus - Diablerie (2022)

    cover

    Hailing from Sweden, today we have the mysterious duo Mortuss and their sickening Black Metal. Filled with eerie atmospherics, tense melodic passages, and a hefty dose of murkiness, “Diablerie” unleashes 44 minutes of crafty music in four ravaging tracks. Not all BM is the same, and this outfit takes creating dark and dissonant atmospheres to a whole new level with dense and macabre compositions.

    Opening with some recorded spoken sections behind a wall of crushing guitar riffs, “Threefold Harrowing of Hell”, immediately sets a very suffocating atmosphere. The subtle use of keyboards alongside J. Kvarnbrink’ deep snarls create a very eerie vibe. With the album title track, the band continues their onslaughts with piercing drumming and firm and aggressive vocals.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Wolfheart - King of the North (2022)

    cover

    The highly productive Tuomas Saukkonen is back with one more new release in 2022, now with his main band Wolfheart and “King of the North”. Featuring around 50 minutes of engaging and highly addictive music, this release continues his Melodic Metal explorations with plenty of melancholy and a few surprises here and there. Always keeping things interesting and very high quality, this release will surely please all of his fans.

    Setting a very regal mood with “Skyforger”, the keyboards give way to signature melodic riffs and very well crafted headbanging-inducing tempo changes. Shaking things up a bit, “Ancestor” is a faster track with guest vocals from Jesse Leach of KSE fame, giving the song a different edge (no, not metalcore), thanks to the clean vocal arrangements and melodic passages. While “Knell” has more of a Gothic vibe due to its imposing atmospheric keyboards and slower paced sections.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Stratovarius - Survive (2022)

    cover

    Consistently releasing well-crafted and engaging albums, Stratovarius is finally back, after 7 years, with the brilliant “Survive”. Featuring a more bombastic and more dynamic Power Metal style, this release delivers nearly one hour of high-octane signature Stratovarius music with tons of epic vocal arrangements and killer guitar leads paired with intense melodic passages. Well worth the wait, this release will certainly be enjoyed by fans of the band and will gain them some new ones as well.

    Opening with the album title track, we are quickly treated to blazing guitars and lush atmospheric arrangements. The band sounds quite fresh and dynamic, around their traditional Power Metal core led by Timo Kotipelto’s gifted vocals. As “Demand”, “Broken”, and “Firefly” roll around, we continue to hear the band’s enveloping sound perfectly balancing virtuosity, in both keyboards and guitars, with catchiness, as these songs are quite epic and engaging.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Wampyric Rites - The Wolves Howl to the Moon (2022)

    cover

    Presenting a very uniquely Atmospheric Raw Black Metal, Ecuador’s Wampyric Rites returns with their ravaging sophomore full-length release “The Wolves Howl to the Moon”. With over 35 minutes of piercing and creepy music, this South American duo creates a very unique and disturbing atmosphere that is quite direct, and yet manages to surprise you with extra elements.

    Setting a dark and somber mood with the opening synths, “The Ancient Tyrant Returns from the Deep Grave” quickly escalates into an all-out crushing mixture of punishing riffs and hellish screams. Not only is the band’s style fast and vicious, there is an underlying melody that can be heard in most songs, particularly the crafty “Rites Under the Fullmoon” and its headbanging inducing melodic passages.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Behemoth - Opvs Contra Natvram (2022)

    cover

    After being catapulted to ‘wide-spread’ success in the Metal scene with “The Satanist” in 2014, Poland’s Behemoth has leveled audiences around the world with their vicious Blackened Death Metal and their commanding stage presence. Fast-forward eight years, the band unleashes “Opvs Contra Natvram” which has an even more refined sound than their previous effort “I Loved You at Your Darkest”. Staying in their comfort zone, this release continues Behemoth’s aural aggression with ten solid tracks.

    Opening with the atmospheric and ritualistic “Post-God Nirvana”, the band sets a mysterious aura around this album that explodes wide opening with the pummeling “Malaria Vvlgata”. Perfectly intertwining furious riffing and crafty tempo changes, this track shows the band’s ability to crush skulls while keeping a tense atmosphere. Featuring some awesome vocal arrangements, “The Deathless Sun” is one of those tracks that crawls under your skin delivering eerie moody passages and blistering guitar leads.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Ad Finem Omnia - No Pace - No Dawn (2022)

    cover

    Unleashing one of the most punishing Black Metal releases of 2022, today we have Chile’s Ad Finem Omnia and their debut full-length release “No Peace - No Dawn”. Featuring founding members from Sol Sistere Pablo Vera and Ricardo Araya, this release focuses on direct, raw, and pummeling Black Metal, reminding us of outfits like Horna, Délétère, and similar outfits. Highly recommended release for genre purists that are looking for waves of crushing riffs and relentless intensity.

    Opening with “Vultures”, the band wastes no time in punishing the listener with piercing guitars, savage screams, and crafty drumming. The band’s intensity is on par with any European counterpart, but the subtle melodic elements that tracks like “The Abyss”, “Solve: Route To Extinction”, and “Coagula: Promethean Fire” feature, perfectly create intense moments of furious headbanging alongside a very immersive and well-rounded sound.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    An Abstract Illusion - Woe (2022)

    cover

    It has been a while since we got an album that we have to drop everything we are doing in order to pay full attention. Luckily for us, An Abstract Illusion’s sophomore release “Woe” is one of those rare gems. Unleashing nearly one hour of highly melancholic Atmospheric/Melodic Death/Progressive Metal, this band will turn heads with their excellent songwriting skills and brilliant delivery. Just think of Cynic meets Bel’akor meets Countless Skies, as this release is both explosive and bombastic.

    Opening with the crafty “The Behemoth That Lies Asleep”, the band sets a magical and dreamy mood with dramatic guitar leads and ethereal atmospherics. Reminding us a bit of Andora’s Persefone, “Slaves” perfectly balances agression with lush instrumental passages and crafty arrangements. Clocking in at 11 minutes, “Tear Down This Holy Mountain” is one blistering piece that expertly builds momentum with dramatic tempo changes, including some magical jazzy passages.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Herbstlethargie - Melancholie im Blattfall (2022)

    cover

    Hailing from Germany, Herbstlethargie is an Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal one-man outfit, is set to deliver one crushing debut release with “Melancholie im Blattfall”. Taking elements from bands like Heretoir, Winterfylleth, Saor, and many others, this release unleashes around one hour of highly emotional and expertly crafted music. Carving its own niche, Herbstlethargie is one of the most promising projects to watch in 2022.

    Setting a very dreamy and yet desolate vibe with the opener “September”, the band unleashes its ode to autumn with waves of crafty guitar riffs paired with intense drumming and engaging tempo changes. We particularly enjoy the band’s versatility to go from all-out aggression as in the opening of “Umschwung” to the hypnotic and subtle melodies of “In unendlichen Himmeln”.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest (2022)

    cover

    Starting out as a ‘for fun’ band, Bloodbath has actually released some killer releases in the last decade and continues to bring back that nostalgic old-school Swedish/Florida Death Metal vibe. With “Survival of the Sickest” the band blows almost any other band out of the water with nearly 45 minutes of piercing and chugging DM. Unleashing the sickest and most neck-snapping release in the genre, this is an album you can't miss out on.

    Quickly setting the mood with “Zombie Inferno” and “Putrefying Corpse”, the band quickly establishes superiority with incisive chuggy guitar riffs paired with crafty leads and pummeling drumming. Anders Nyström and Tomas Åkvik are on point delivering that old-school razor sharp distortion while keeping a modern and clean edge on things. We love how the band goes from a track like “Dead Parade” to “Malignant Maggot Therapy”, mixing both elements of the Swedish and the Florida DM scene, creating a very engaging and heabanging infusing style.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries