Unleashing the perfect mixture of harsh rawness with lush atmospherics, today we have one-man Atmospheric Black Metal outfit Aran, with their latest opus “Maahan laskettu”. Delivering five tracks and nearly 50 minutes of music, this band reminds us of a mixture of early Empyrium meets Horna. The mixture of styles creates a very powerful amalgamation of beauty and darkness.

Things start on a high note with the piercing “Hiljaisuus” and its journey between harsh Black Metal onslaught between atmospheric keyboards and some nice slower Doom influences. The track nicely weaves back and forth between different moods, creating a very powerful experience that perfectly bleeds into the melancholic opening of “Poltettu maa”. Full of cathartic moments, this track gives us some nice Luster/Midnight Odyssey vibes.

Featuring a lively Folk/Atmospheric Black Metal, today we have UK’s Fellwarden and their third full-length release “Legend: Forged in Defiance”. As a one-man project from Fen’s The Watcher, this outlet channels a more epic and fantasy influenced side to his musical talents, unleashing six tracks and nearly one hour of music. With a sound similar to outfits like Enid, Saor and Sojourner, and even some Agalloch, this album is full of great ideas and excellent craftsmanship.

Opening with the regal “Exultance”, the listener is quickly treated to a very lively and engaging vibe that keeps getting better and better as more layered elements come into play. The Watcher is a mastermind when it comes to crafting intricate melodies and lush atmospherics in Fen, so it is only natural that tracks like “Despair” and “Renewed Hope” have his stamp all over the place as they slowly build up to cathartic moments alongside energetic guitar work.

Unleashing a very melancholic and bleak sounding Gothic Doom Metal release, today we have a one-man outfit from Iran named Shivered. In “Existential Mourning”, Mohammad Maki delivers ten tracks and nearly one hour of music, in the vein of bands like Katatonia, Fall of the Leafe, Shallow the Sun, and similars. If you are a fan of the genre, this is a very good addition to your collection as each track oozes melancholy and sadness, in a brilliant way.

Opening with “Paranoiac”, we get a very bleak mood right out the door with weeping guitars, subtle keyboards and very mournful clean vocals. The clean and harsh vocals are very well interwoven, making songs like “Ashes of Innocence”, “The Lighthouse”, and “Existential Mourning” remind you of older My Dying Bride, but with a heaty dose of Katatonia. We love the balance between the aggressive part with lush and solemn instrumental passages.

Delivering a completely nightmarish experience, today we have Poland’s Königreichssaal and their sophomore release “Psalmen'o'delirium”. Creating a sickening atmosphere, this release unravels seven tracks and over 40 minutes of truly hellish music. Like a more atmospheric and decadent version of Mgła, the band’s music is incisive and punishing, just like unleashing hell on earth.

Creating a very eerie atmosphere, the opening “Iskarja” is both chilling and suffocating. The band’s riffing is commanding, perfectly paired with piercing riffing and completely hellish vocals. The is something just magical and demoralizing on the simple and yet incisive riffs of tracks like “Rubikon”, where the madness behind the vocals just further elevates the music to a completely new level of misery.

Unleashing a pretty nifty and weird Black Metal adjacent release, today we have Nel Buio and their eponymous EP. Led by Claudio De Rosa with members of Blasphemer and Electrocution, this outfit pushes the boundaries of the genre with their futuristic five tracks and 22-minutes long release. If you like electronic/darkwave elements in your music, you are in luck as this release perfectly blends them with a very aggressive BM core.

Delivering nine excruciatingly brutal tracks, today we have Germany’s Aussichtslos and their latest onslaught “Schicksalstotschlag”. Featuring nearly 50 minutes of fierce and punishing Black Metal, this outfit flattens their opposition with intensity and raw power. Not for the faint of heart and weak of mind, this is one of the most pummeling releases of 2024.

Immediately setting a very commanding and ravaging pace, “Am hohen Ross” delivers waves of intense riffs and pounding drumming, setting a high bar for this release. Both “Verwoben” and “Im Schützengraben” further elevate the all-out-war vibe with sinister guitar melodies and piercing snarls, perfectly paired with additional vocal arrangements to create very eerie and devilish atmospheres.

Being old enough, we miss those days of our youth when we purchased a random cassette tape with a cool looking cover and were pleasantly surprised that the band’s music was actually good and intense. Luckily for us, Black Sorcery revived those moments with their crushing release “Plummeting into the Hour of the Wolf”, which coincidentally is also released on tape by Eternal Death. Featuring three tracks of pure fucking destruction, the band’s Black Metal sound is magical.

As a new solo effort from Nightwolf of Runespell fame, Ancient Guard is a pretty interesting band that has an old-school Bathory days Black Metal sound with heavy atmospherics that remind us a bit of the early days of Emperor, Limbonic Art and Bal-Sagoth. Featuring four tracks and over thirty minutes of music, this release has a gloomy and mysterious vibe that feels fresh and highly appealing.

As one of the most awaited releases of 2024, “Les chants de l'aurore” sees Alcest reaching new heights with their seventh full-length release. With a five year gap since their last release, Neige and Winterhalter are back with seven highly dreamy and engaging songs, clocking in at nearly 45 minutes of music. The band’s sound continues to be refined, keeping their core ‘ethereal’ dreaminess, but it also explores new textures and elements, creating an even more immersive and surreal experience.

Opening with “Komorebi” sets a very magical and ethereal stage with lush guitars alongside crafty atmospherics and masterful drumming. Neige’s clean vocals quickly set the mood and this track has very nice tempo changes with some excellent melodic passages and crescendos, creating a very traditional Alcest-like vibe. This brilliantly continues on pieces like “L'envol” and “Améthyste”, where the Blackgaze atmosphere nicely blends with more Post-Rock-style moments.

Proposing a very lively and engaging Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal, today we have North American outfit Mythraeum and their sophomore release “Oblivion Aeternam”. With a sound similar to Vesperian Sorrow, Limbonic Art, and to a point mid-career Dimmu Borgir, this release unleashes nearly one hour of superbly crafted high-octane music that any fan of the genre will certainly love.

Opening strong with “Crown of Sepsis” after a flashy intro, the band quickly delivers waves of powerful guitar driven melodies perfectly accompanied by hearty snarls and a good dose of atmospherics. The band’s sound is very well crafted and polished, allowing tracks like “Harbinger’s Chant” and “Halls of Forgotten Will” to focus on mixing melodic passages with more faster-paced headbanging moments. Masterful tracks like “Terrestrial Despair”, showcase the band’s core influences, while still crafting their own style with tons of tempo changes and dramatic arrangements.