Releasing their third album in three years, Finnish mysterious duo Aethyrick show no limits to their creativity and melancholic sound with “Pilgrimage”. Featuring 42 minutes of bleak and desolate Melodic Black Metal, the band’s sound continues to get refined and streamlined perfectly delivering highly emotional pieces with a compact core sound.

The aural journey begins with the incisive “The Turning Away” and its piercing subtle atmospherics, perfectly paired with intricate guitar work. Those minimalist keyboards work wonders when used to accent a well written track. As the band settles into this release, “In the Chapel of One Spirit”, “Threefold Resurrection”, and “Winds of the Wanderer” brilliantly shift the mood from blistering to more introspective and melodramatic as in the latter track.

Unleashing woe and devastation, today we have German Black Metal outfit Chaos Invocation and their crushing latest release “Devil, Stone & Man”. Featuring nearly 45 minutes of punishing music, this release showcases a band at the top of their game, far superior than most outfits in the genre.

Opening with the blistering “Strike of the Dominator's Fist”, the band sets a pummeling rollercoaster in motion thanks to the piercing riffing barrage alongside hellish snarls and crafty tempo changes. The band’s relentless onslaught turns more sinister as pieces like “A Stranger's Pale Hand” and “Diabolical Hammer” inflict some deeper wounds thanks to their slower and more incisive pace.

There is certain magic when a band’s last release was nearly a decade ago, and yet they return with the same vicious and piercing sound, just as no time has passed. This is the best way to explain how Hell Militia’s latest opus “Hollow Void” sound. Filled with hate and punishment, this release unravels nearly 45 minutes of decadent Black Metal that has not changed with time.

Always keeping us posted of new and up-and-coming bands from the flourishing Finnish Metal scene, today we have Kaamos Warriors and their fourth full-length release “Spirit from the Void”. As a band from Mikko Ojala of Dark the Suns fame, this outfit creates a very interesting sounding mixture of Symphonic/Gothic Metal elements with a Dark/Black Metal core.

The atmospheric side of the band is laid out quite thick since the opener “In Blood And Spirit”. However, this atmosphere is not your standard one as it has some slight Industrial and even Gothic Metal undertones, creating a very unique vibe when complemented with the growls and Doomy tempo. Things continue to get more dynamic and engaging as tracks like “Vapus”, “The Flames of the Dragon” and “Varjojen Vaeltaja” are introduced.

Hailing from Finland, today we have Black Metal newcomers Aesthus and their debut full-length release “Hänen temppelinsä varjoissa”. Delivering over 38 minutes of furious and frosty music, this band further extends the dominance of Finland as one of the countries that produces uncompromising and crushing BM releases.

Opening with the incisive album title track, we are treated to a hefty dose of blistering drumming alongside piercing and melodic riffing. The band’s two guitars onslaught is brilliantly balanced around hellish shrieks and a throbbing bass guitar line, with tracks like “Vihani alttarilla”, “Kuolonpolku”, and “Jälkeläinen” being perfect examples of this.

Unleashing an early candidate for best Black Metal album of 2022, today we have Greece’s Αχεροντας and their highly impressive release “The Seven Tongues of Δαημων”. Featuring over 42 minutes of high-octane music, this release visits all depths of hell with its dramatic arrangements and unparalleled musicality.

The release starts with the furious “Lucifer - Breath of Fire” and its crafty layered guitars, perfectly paired with explosive vocal onslaughts and intense drumming. Immediately overwhelming the listener with a wall of sound, the melodic tempo changes are what keeps the listener on its toe as the release is quite varied and engaging, as pieces like “Leviathan - The Fervent Scales in Reverence”, “Belial - The Enn of Beliya’al”, and “Satan - Exaltation of Unbeing” showcase.

Crafting nearly 40 minutes of truly unique and intense Black Metal, today we have Saklas and their latest EP “The One Who Swallowed God”. Split into four tracks, this release is far from linear, introducing some quite unique and unconventional elements to a very punishing and ravaging musical core.

The release delivers its first swift blow with the pummeling “Mastering The Chaos Meditation”, a track that has some undertones of bands like Behemoth and Hate, but with an interesting tempo change near the end. The weirdness begins with the instrumental “Empty Realm”, which sets the mood for the avantgarde-ness of the album title track. This track features a jazzy unconventional pace and destructive vocal onslaughts, it also has a funky treat after a brief pause.