2025

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    Ofnus - Valediction (2025)

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    Hailing from Cardiff, Wales, today we have Ofnus and their majestic blend of Melodic and Atmospheric Black Metal. With “Valediction”, their sophomore full-length release, the band takes their sound to a whole new level, blending elements from bands like Saor, Winterfylleth, to more craft influences of Enslaved, Agalloch, to create a very dreamy and yet pummeling style that is hard to come by these days. Treating the listener to almost one hour of music, this release packs a mean punch.

    Opening with the ravaging “The Shattering”, we get a taste of the band’s perfect balance of punishing aggression with fierce riffs, vocals, and drumming, alongside elegant atmospheric and some crafty proggy tempo changes. Taking a more dramatic turn, “Reflections of Delusion” starts with an enigmatic opening that slowly escalates into aggressive onslaughts and elegant atmospheric passages. The band does a great job in creating tracks that quickly change directions while always maintaining a high degree of atmosphere, as the stunning “Throes of Agony” delivers.

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    Bleeding Through - Nine (2025)

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    Unleashing their first full-length release since the band’s return, today we have Bleeding Through and their crushing album “Nine”. Featuring their signature Metalcore sound that was always above the norm, this release delivers over 40 minutes of punishing and yet catchy music, filled with atmospheric keyboards and crafty breakdowns. Keeping a relevant and fresh sound, this band is ready to show the scene who is king.

    Opening with the pummeling “Gallows”, we get a very Symphonic Black/Death Metal vibe that slowly transitions into their Metalcore roots. The band’s sound has always been very ‘in your face’ and this is not the exception as tracks like “Our Brand Is Chaos”, “Dead, But so Alive”, steamroll through the listener with their dynamic tempo changes, multi-pronged vocal onslaughts and massive atmospherics. The band’s sound back in the day was ahead of its time, and heavily copied, but still manages to be relevant and masterful.

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    Demonical - Välkommen undergång (2025)

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    Death Metal royalty Demonical are back with a 2-track single release with a couple of live songs from their Latin American tour of 2023. Full of their signature crushing music, these two tracks showcase the band’s raw power in the live setting, which was perfectly captured in their 2024 ”Victorious Death - Live in Latin America” release. However, in this single you will be able to get a special track that fans of the genre will love.

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    Pyre - Where Obscurity Awaits (2025)

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    Providing a journey back in time to the days of 90’s Death Metal, today we have Russia’s Pyre and their crushing “Where Obscurity Awaits”. Blending elements from bands like Grave, (old) Hypocrisy, Suffocation, Incantation, etc., this release unleashes over 35 minutes of superbly crafted DM filled with chugging riffs, intense guitar leads and crafty vocals. If you are a fan of the original roots of this genre, this release brings back those memories.

    Making a statement with the pummeling album title track, we got a chill down our spines as memories of Centinex and Grave’s earlier stuff quickly came to mind. The band’s sound is timeless and yet clean, with a certain modern edge. As the band levels through tracks like “From the Stygian Depths”, “Domains of the Nameless Rites”, and “Murderous Transcendence”, the band showcases both songwriting skills and technical chops as the guitar work is catchy and engaging while masterfully incorporating crafty drumming and tempo changes.

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    Saor - Amidst the Ruins (2025)

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    Unleashing their best album to date, today we have Saor and their sixt full-length release “Amidst the Ruins”. Featuring nearly one hour of lush and high-octane Atmospheric Folk/Black Metal, this release delivers five majestic tracks filled with dynamic tempo changes and dreamy melodic arrangements. With each track over 8 minutes long, and most over 11 minutes in duration, this release shows a band perfectly growing into their element while incorporating more elegant elements into the mix.

    Opening with the lavish title track, Andy Marshall fiercely delivers blistering riffing and drumming that temporarily subsides for more folky and atmospheric passages. The track expertly grows into melancholic passages filled with dreamy traditional wind and string instruments. Real instruments give this release a very organic vibe as tracks like the opener and “Echos of the Ancient Land” incorporate dramatic string instruments into very harsh guitar driven melodies, and highly melancholic slower passages.

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    Jinjer - Duél (2025)

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    Continuing their meteoric rise, today we have Ukraine’s Jinjer and their latest opus “Duél”. Adding some extra polish and flair to their Djenty Progressive Groove/’Modern’ Metal, the band unleashes eleven crafty tracks that perfectly balance their technical proficiency, aggression, and mellowness. Fronted by the talented Tatiana Shmayluk, this outfit continues to improve their sound by creating intricate songs filled with brilliant moshing passages and sultriness.

    Wasting no time, “Tantrum” fully explodes in the listener’s ears with a pummeling start, mixing harsh vocals and a playful bass guitar line. The band’s melodic nature follows suit with nice tempo changes and a barrage of alternating passages, showing the band’s proggy side and versatile nature. Cruising along with Djenty tracks “Hedonist”, “Rouge”, and “Tumbleweed”, we get the band's signature style of intricate transitions and alternating clean and harsh vocals, creating a very deadly and efficient combination.

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    Zéro Absolu - La Saignée (2025)

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    What is colder than a glacier you might ask? Well it certainly has to be Zéro Absolu. Moving away from the drama of their original band name being stolen, Valnoir, François Duguest, Hugo Moerman return alongside Indria Saray (Alcest live) and R.R. (Regarde les Hommes Tomber) with a crushing release “La Saignée”. Featuring a lush and yet demoralizing sound, this outfit continues the antics of their previous band’s first two releases and delivers over 30 minutes of captivating Black Metal.

    Only featuring two tracks, the release opens with the title track, unleashing 20 minutes of an emotional rollercoaster. Featuring some elements of early Alcest, the atmosphere is quite dense and yet lush and expansive. Alongside crafty riffs and fierce raw onslaughts of harsh Black Metal scream, this song perfectly balances melody and aggression while creating a captivating backdrop to some spoken word sections, dramatic tempo changes and even some shoegazey passages alongside dreamy clean vocals. All of this with a very cathartic and expansive style.

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    Jonathan Hultén - Eyes of the Living Night (2025)

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    Creating a very unique and ethereal release, today we have Jonathan Hultén (ex-Tribulation) and his sophomore release “Eyes of the Living Night”. Perfectly blending dreamy pop and grunge elements with dark rock and ambient passages, this release creates a very engaging and playful atmosphere that while has not much to do with his early Metal days, it does deliver some excellent guitar work and crafty arrangements.

    Setting a very dystopian vibe with the opener “The Saga And The Storm” and its lush atmospherics, we get a certain Hexvessel-meets-Chelsea Wolfe vibe. This opener leads to more ethereal pieces like “Afterlife” with its pastoral/synth pop elements and the dark folkness of “Falling Mirages” and its lush acoustic guitars. The baritone vocals are always front and center and in pieces like “Riverflame” they deliver raw and unfiltered emotion, perfectly paired with subtle catchiness.

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    Izrod - Ulica, trnje i kamenje (2025)

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    Delivering a swift kick to the nuts, today we have Izrod and their crushing EP “Ulica, trnje i kamenje”. Featuring 18 minutes of punishing Black Metal, this Bosnian outfit is ready for war with an incisive and pummeling release. Crafting a dense atmosphere, this EP showcases a very vicious band with a knack for Nihilism and a sound to back it up. If you like bands like Königreichssaal and The Ruins of Beverast and their dense and harrowing take on the genre, this release will be for you.

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    Harakiri for the Sky - Scorched Earth (2025)

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    This Austrian outfit has been constantly growing into their melancholic sound with each release, and so has the fan base and reach. With “Scorched Earth”, Harakiri for the Sky reaches a new plateau as their sound is polished, their delivery is impeccable and they still manage to throw in a few curve balls to longtime fans. If you are looking for polished Post Black Metal, this is certainly one of the best releases of 2025.

    Opening with “Heal Me”, we get a very playful melodic mixture of synths, crunchy riffs, and a solid duet between Tim Yatras and J.J. The band’s melancholic capabilities quickly take center stage with the lush “Keep Me Longing” and its nearly 11-minute duration. We particularly enjoyed the powerful riffing that creates very crafty melodies alongside that sense of restlessness that the band always creates with their music. Another perfect example of this is the epic “Without You I’m Just A Sad Song”, another long piece that is full of tempo changes and very cathartic moments, particularly the clean passages.

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