Black Metal

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    Afsky - Fællesskab (2025)

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    Having taken the Black Metal scene by storm in the last few years, Denmark’s Afsky returns with another piercing release filled with violence and oozing melancholy titled “Fællesskab”. As a one-man battalion, Ole Pedersen Luk, has managed to unleash some of the rawest and most demoralizing BM of the last couple of years and the tradition continues with this masterful release and its over 45-minutes of punishing music.

    Opening with a playful children’s song sample, “Velkommen til livet” quickly transitions into a full-on cavernous exercise of intricate riffing and unsung melancholy. The blistering guitars and melancholic tempo immediately lets the listener know they will be in for a treat. Ole’s ability to create crushing melodies is front and center as “Den der ingenting ved tvivler aldrig” and “Arveskam” continue leveling everything in their path. The band’s signature guitar driven nature is even more precise and deadly as on their previous releases.

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    Carach Angren - The Cult of Kariba (2025)

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    Delivering a very cinematic and elegant Symphonic Black Metal release, today we have Dutch duo Carach Angren and their EP “The Cult of Kariba”. Keeping up with their very elaborate and lush style, for over 20 minutes and five tracks, the band fully immerses the listener in their own horror-themed world thanks to powerful arrangements and crafty progressions. It has been five years since “Franckensteina Strataemontanus”, and the band showcases they were just getting started with their intricate and highly elaborate music.

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    Fauna - Ochre & Ash (2025)

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    Creating one of the most harrowing and primal releases ever, today we have Fauna and their long awaited “Ochre & Ash”. Thirteen years have passed since the release of “Avifauna”, and fans have been craving for a new album from this Pacific Northwest duo. More than worth the wait, this release unleashes nearly 70 minutes of crushing music that creates discomfort and hands out punishment from the opening atmospherics all the way to the closing riffs.

    Opening with the ritualistic “A Conjuring”, the band sets a very feral and Heilung/Wardruna-esque atmosphere that masterfully transitions into the crafty drumming and dissonant riffing of “Nature and Madness”. Shifting gears, the duo unleashes hell with great intensity and violence. The drumming and screamed vocals remind us a bit of Mike Rekevics in Vanum/Fell Voices. As the dense atmosphere dissipates a bit, the track moves into a cavernous direction with enthralling atmospherics and a wall of distortion.

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    Mesarthim - Isolate X (2025)

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    We have always been fans of pretty much any band that Avantgarde Music discovers, as they always find completely unique and totally awesome outfits and releases. However, around 10 years ago, the label released in CD Mesarthim’s debut “Isolate”, a very forward thinking and completely captivating release that mixed Atmospheric Black Metal with electronic/trance elements.

    Fast forward to today, the label is unleashing the ten year anniversary of this masterpiece with a special extra disc, featuring reinterpretations of the songs via other Avantgarde outfits. The release opens with Remina’s reworking of “Osteopenia”, a masterful piece that not only takes you to outer space, as it also features the enchanting vocals of Heike Langhans, giving this song a whole new level of dreamy and ethereal vibes.

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    Heretoir - Solastalgia (2025)

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    Having previously made fans wait for around 6 years between full-length releases, David Conrad and company returned in just two years with Heretoir’s fourth full-length release “Solastalgia”. Featuring 11 tracks and over 60-minutes of music, the band unleashes an interesting mixture of their old Post-Black Metal/Blackgaze style, with a cleaner and dreamier Shoegazey and Post-Rock edge. Creating a very moody and atmospheric release, this album takes the band to new territories while consolidating their standing in the scene.

    Starting with the multi-layered “The Ashen Falls”, we get some of the band’s traditional melancholy very quickly as lush guitars and dreamy vocal arrangements. While there are definitely Heretoir staple elements, this track also has many SOM and Mountaineer Shoegaze/Dream pop vibes, making an evolution for the band. This evolution permeates excellent songs like the demoralizing “Season of Grief”, and the very emotional and melodic “You are the Night”.

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    Rauhnåcht - Zwischenwelten (2025)

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    One-man show Stefan Traunmüller, brings us today a very piercing and engaging Pagan Black Metal release with his band Rauhnåcht and their fifth full-length release “Zwischenwelten”. Featuring a sound that combines bits and pieces of outfits like Summoning, Enid, and some Falkenbach/Vred sprinkles. With six tracks spanning over 40 minutes, this release creates very regal and engaging melodic soundscapes that are perfect for a frosty winter evening of mild headbanging.

    Quickly escalating things with the fierce “Der Spalt zwischen den Welten”, we get fast paced melodic riffing accompanied by tight drumming and an overall regal sense. The raw Black Metal undertones are very well crafted into the more melodic passages and perfectly contrast the dreamy clean vocals onslaughts. While the elements remain the same throughout this release, this outfit does a great job in re-arranging them to create entertaining tracks like “Letzter Pfad”, and the ritualistic “Das Mark des Lebens”.

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    Ba'al - The Fine Line Between Heaven And Here (2025)

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    Unleashing a highly melancholic and very cathartic release, today we have UK’s Ba’al with “The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here”. Featuring over 60 minutes of a brilliant amalgamation of Sludge/Post-Metal/Doom Metal, and some sprinkles of Black Metal, this release is fierce and punishing. Creating masterful emotionally charged soundscapes, this album will sneak up on you and you will find yourself playing it over and over again.

    Opening with the moody “Mother’s Concrete Womb”, the band sets a bleak and yet pummeling mood, thanks to crushing Sludgey riffs that blend into lush Post-Metal territories. There are plenty of tempo changes into fierce and brutal Black Metal-ish territories, perfectly adorned by the harsh,and familiar, screams of Joe Stamps, of current Hecate Enthroned fame. The band seamlessly transitions between dreamy atmospheric passages, like the opening of “Waxwork Gorgon” as it transitions into heavy walls of distortion and moody Sludgy/Post-Metal atmospherics.

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    Eskapism - Skresnava (2025)

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    Always uncovering unique talent, Naturmacht Productions is set to release Eskapism’s latest full-length release “Skresnava”. Featuring a very lively and engaging Atmospheric/Symphonic Black Metal sound, this release delivers four tracks and over 41 minutes of intense and very lush music. Recommended for fans of bands like Grima, Limbonic Art, Saor, and similar, this album is full of melody and magical soundscapes.

    Opening with the melancholic “The Forest of Silent Shadows”, the band slowly builds momentum with crafty atmospheric, weeping guitar melodies and a very hypnotic pace. The band’s ability to craft long, over 10 minutes, songs that are cohesive and very cinematic is one of their strengths as founders Dyvozor and Zymobor navigate very emotional and melodic territories. As “Orison” continues the onslaught, we get those nice emotive guitar tones masterfully surrounded by subtle and yet very powerful atmospherics.

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    Abigail Williams - A Void Within Existence (2025)

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    Marking their return after six years, “A Void Within Existence” showcases the ever morphing Abigail Williams with a more crushing and dissonant sound. Featuring seven tracks and nearly 50 minutes of music, this release has the band unleashing a mixture of crushing guitar-driven tracks with a hefty dose of atmospheric elements alongside their usual experimentation to create a powerful and devastating mixture.

    Opening with the heaviness of “Life Disconnected”, we get a barrage of raw and visceral riffs alongside technical craftiness with sick guitar leads. Moving into more melodic territories, “Void Within” unravels via the masterful drumming of Mike Heller, while “Nonexistence” delivers Post-Black Metal melancholics. Ken Sorceron’s vocals are vicious and perfectly align with the more violent onslaughts delivered on songs like “Still Nights” and the hypnotic “Talk to Your Sleep”, filled with crafty tempo changes and a vicious wall of distortion.

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    Sigh - I Saw the World's End - Hangman's Hymn MMXXV (2025)

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    As a re-recording and re-imagining of their 2007 masterpiece “Hangman's Hymn”, Sigh return with their usual madness, while giving this release a refresh with a (slightly) better production and infusion of their newer influences, elements, and band members. While we are great fans of the original version and its impact, at the given time, this refresh brings the album to a more modern context (in terms of the band) and will certainly appeal to any nostalgic fans.

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