December 2025

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Burial Gift - MMXXV (2025)

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Unleashing an explosive and totally awesome EP, today we have North American outfit Burial Gift with their three song debut. With a sound that evokes the likes of Deafheaven, Heretoir, Alcest, etc. and but with a hefty dose of heaviness and rawness, this release makes a statement to keep an eye out for these guys.

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Ulver - Neverland (2025)

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Always an event when the wolves of Ulver return with their signature antics and superbly produced sound. Waiting until the last day of 2025 to unleash “Neverland”, the band continues to expand and explore with their sound, removing all vocals and focusing on creating trippy ambient soundscapes that capture subtleties of other genres like Post-Punk and Synth-pop. For 11-tracks and over forty minutes, the band weaves back and forth between dreamy and ethereal soundspaces, to darker and hypnotic pieces, always being uniquely Ulver and completely enthralling.

Setting a somber opening mood, “Fear in a Handful of Dust” creates a very ethereal vibe, similar to outfits like Hælos. The exploration of synths/pianos of the sultry “Elephant Trunk” and “Weeping Stone”, takes us back to the band’s “The Assassination of Julius Caesar” sans the vocals, while “People of the Hills” has that funkiness to it of walking into a time machine. Crafty tempo changes and Ambient elements make "They're Coming the Birds” and “Horses of the Plough” be dark and yet quite refreshing, alongside more catchy pieces like “Hark Hark The Dogs Bark”.

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Lychgate - Precipice (2025)

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For their first release in over five years, UK’s Lychgate returns with their cavernous and maddening Avant-garde Black/Doom metal, unleashing “Precipice”. Featuring nine tracks and over 45-minutes of truly chaotic and haunting music, the band’s sound is enveloping and this release does feel like falling into a hellish precipice as it descends into total aural annihilation. For the fans of the weird and the bizarre, this release has plenty of magical things to digest.

The madness immediately starts with the haunting intro, as it sets a chaotic backdrop for “Mausoleum of Steel” to unleash some crafty doomy riffs alongside harrowing vocals, creating a dense and immersive atmosphere. As “Renunciation” and “The Meeting of Orion and Scorpio” roll around, the band delivers some interesting and sultry jazzy passages alongside hearty guitar driven sections that further expand the band’s creativity and reach.

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Martröð - Draumsýnir eldsins (2025)

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As one of the most brutal and punishing releases of 2025, “Draumsýnir eldsins” comes directly at your throat and never lets go. Featuring four tracks and over 36-minutes of demoralizing Black Metal, this Icelanding/American duo unleash one hell of a blistering sound that is both violent and chaotic. For fans of outfits like Misþyrming, this album took us by surprise as it is quite masterfully crafted and equally vicious, making us listen to it non-stop for several days

Opening with the blistering dissonance of “Sköpunin”, A.P. and H.V. Lyngdal set a high bar with a seemingly chaotic riffing onslaught that is masterfully flanked by an assortment of different vocal styles, creating a very immersive and demoralizing atmosphere. Particularly with the well planned atmospheric interludes that further elevate the tension and allow the songs to build up momentum, like on the brilliant “Líkaminn”.

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Umbrío - Quintaesencia nocturna (2025)

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Hailing from Chile, today we have a very unique and interesting Atmospheric Black Metal release titled “Quintaesencia nocturna”. Featuring a poignant Black Metal sound with heavy Doom influences, this outfit delivers eight tracks and nearly 40-minutes of hypnotic and ritualistic music with a certain retro edge, and some truly haunting passages. This band has a similar, albeit less theatrical sound that one of our favorite Mexican bands of the 90’s: Argentum, and their captivating Black/Doom Metal.

After a magical and lush atmospheric opening, “El vacío de una flama bajo el firmamento” kicks off with blistering drumming and punishing riffs. The deep monotone vocals are quite engaging, keeping things very eerie, particularly thanks to the Spanish lyrics that add that extra layer of mystery (to non-Spanish speakers). The harsh vocals are very fitting of the genre, and a solid contribution, but the atmospheric components of the music is what draws the listener’s attention as “Vientos del clamor del pasado” and “Polvo - piedras - silencio” showcase.

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