Finally putting all their legal messes behind,Bartłomiej Krysiuk’s Batushka is now Патриархь or Patriarch, and they are back with an impressive release titled “Пророк Илия”. Keeping some of their ‘old’ stylistic themes and sound, but also adding some extra layers and new dimensions, this release unleashes over 40 minutes of highly ritualistic and hypnotic music, that while not close to “Литоургиiа”, it does show the band in a new light and with a unique identity.

The release kicks off with an atmospheric piece that slowly transitions into the chilling “Вершалин II”. This track perfectly exploits the band’s eerie choir arrangements alongside a good dose of Black Metal harshness and some new string instruments. The full effect is quite cinematic, unveiling new layers to the band’s sound while keeping their own uniqueness. This bleeds into “Вершалин III”, another engaging ritualistic track that masterfully incorporates some haunting female vocals.

Keeping up with the tradition of epic live releases recorded at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, today we have Helloween and their intense show of September 16, 2023. Featuring over 2 hours of music, the live album part of this release, is a must have for any fan of the band as the pumpkins show up in full-force with Andi Deris and Michael Kiske on vocals, alongside Kai Hansen and company, belting out the band’s classics.

Perfectly capturing the band’s high-octane live shows, this release wastes no time to warm-up and kicks off with the 12-minute epic “Skyfall”. The (mostly) reunited band has been making waves in the last few years, both with their eponymous 2021 release and a series of tours. This magical energy is very well captured as the rip through pieces like “Eagle Fly Free”, “Future World”, and “Save Us”, some of our favorite tracks.

Swiss Atmospheric Black Metal outfit Aara continues their desolate path, after completing their “Triade” trilogy, they now take on “Eiger”. In this release the band’s masterminds got inspiration in the book “The White Spider”, which tells early stories of attempts to climb this famed mountain. The music, as expected, is both chilling and highly emotional, crafting eight dramatic tracks filled with raw intensity and harrowing melody. As one of the best Atmospheric BM releases, this is one hell of a frosty journey to close out the year.

Opening with blowing wind atmospherics, the release quickly sets a very frosty and desolate vibe as it slowly builds up with crafty percussions and intense riffs. The band’s signature style of perfectly pacing their songs, be it unleashing furious onslaughts or bleak slow passages, makes songs like “Die das wilde Wetter fängt”, “Senkrechte Welten”, and “Felsensang” very cinematic. The way the album develops, with ebbs and flows, allows the listener to really feel the story.

Unleashing a fierce brand of Black Metal that combines the ferocity of Behemoth and the grittiness of Mgła, the enigmatic KIR sets a very high bar with their debut release “L’appel du vide”. With such a vicious sound that is both polished and commanding, this outfit is definitely one of the most unexpected surprises of 2024. Just scratching the surface of this release with a couple of spins, detailed attention and repeated listenings are needed to fully digest the album.

After a mood setting instrumental intro, the band comes at the listener in full force with the piercing “Monument”. Mixing hellish deep screams with a barrage of BM riffs, the album quickly sets a relentless tone. The drumming in this release is quite polished, keeping a blistering pace as tracks like “Znów” and “Eter” blast away. The Mgła style riffing creates very dynamic and melodic passages, while still not sounding like a copy-cat and greatly enhancing the band’s explosiveness.

As a continuation of Vostok, Hamish MacKintosh returns with “Embers”, the debut release of Kildonan. With a very emotionally charged Black/Doom Metal style, this release features six tracks and nearly 40 minutes reminiscent of a mixture of Bethlehem on their “Dictius Te Necare” era, and Death/Doom Metal musings. Creating a very deep and powerful atmosphere, this is one of those sleeper releases that we found ourselves enjoying a lot more than we expected.

Opening with the dreamy atmospherics of the title track, we are treated to dramatic clean vocals, harrowing harsh screams and a very Doomy vibe with Black Metal infused riffs. Kind of similar to Déhà and his exploits on his solo project as well as some Acathexis thrown into the mixture. We particularly love the piercing atmosphere created by the heavy Doom riffs of songs like “Ioliar-Bhuidhe” and “A Desperate Leap for Salvation” and their contrast with heavier and more brutal tempos.