Peaceville

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    Scorpion Milk - Slime of the Times (2025)

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    The highly versatile Mat McNerney (Hexvessel, ex-DHG, ex-Code) comes back with a uniquely engaging (and catchy) apocalyptic Post-Punk adventure with “Slime of the Times”, from his new outfit Scorpion Milk. Teaming with Tor Sjödén (Viagra Boys) on drums, Nate Newton (Converge, Cave In) on bass guitar, and a few guests, this outfit has a certain Grave Pleasures/Beastmilk vibe with some additional Sisters of Mercy and Killing Joke elements, creating nine superbly crafted tracks.

    Setting a very dystopian mood, “All the Fear” opens the release with a catchy Post-Punk attitude and McNerney’s clean and crafty vocals, with “The Will to Live” perfectly continuing the momentum as it delivers engaging guitar melodies and a catchy chorus section. The first stand-out track in this release has to be the masterful “She Wolf of London”, with Will Gould of Creeper handling the lead vocals, perfectly blending with a pulsating bass guitar line and its fuzzy guitars.

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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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    Doedsmaghird - Omniverse Consciousness (2024)

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    Not satisfied after releasing the best album of 2023 (“Black Medium Current”) with DHG last year, Vicotnik returns with Camille Giradeau under the moniker Doedsmaghird, to push things even further and weirder. With a more raw and less bounded perspective “Omniverse Consciousness” unleashes nine tracks and over 50 minutes of Avant-garde Black Metal madness that is chilling, trippy, and extremely awesome.

    Setting a very tormentous mood, “Heart of Hell” delivers harsh riffing, funky atmospherics, and the unique vocal antics of Vicotnik. Of course there are some inevitable DHG elements in this release, however they are merely components to a more complex and chaotic palette of sounds that tracks like “Sparker Inn Apne Dorer” and “Then, to Darkness return” showcase. With some songs being as fierce as they can, to others exploring weirder and more psychedelic territories, like “Endless Distance”, this release features a bit of everything for everybody.

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    Avmakt - Satanic Inversion of.... (2024)

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    Spewing a grim style of Norwegian Black Metal today we have Avmakt and their debut release “Satanic Inversion of....”. With a sound reminiscent of Dark Throne, Sarke, and Tulus, this outfit keeps the old-school flame alive with six crushing tracks. As a no-frills approach to the genre, this release is primal and raw, unleashing 45 minutes of gut-wrenching music.

    As the release opens with “Ordinance”, we get that raw and unfiltered vibe from the music as the riffing and drumming create that old-school vibe while the harsh snarls add that extra punch to the music. The band’s style is familiar and yet engaging enough to deliver tracks like “Poison Reveal” and “Sharpening Blades of Cynicism”, with their catchiness and subtle Black’n’Roll/Punkish elements.

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    Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All (2024)

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    Returning with another masterclass in crafting sinister and crafty Metal music, today we have the legendary Darkthrone and their latest sickening opus “It Beckons Us All”. Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have made pushing the boundaries of Metal a regular exercise and with this release they unleash seven tracks and nearly 44 minutes of piercing and challenging music. If you've been a fan of the band’s last few releases, this one will come as a natural progression of their sound.

    Opening with “Howling Primitive Colonies”, we get an instant taste of the band’s sinister riffs and unsettling atmospherics. The music is raw and direct, but it still delivers those spooky vibes the band is known for. It is quite impressive that the band can still pull new rabbits out of their hat and make the Black Metal roots present on tracks like “Eon 3”, “Black Dawn Affiliation”, and “And in That Moment I Knew the Answer”, bringing back some of those Isengard days thanks to the eerie vocals and riffs.

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    Akercoke - Decades of Devil Worship (2023)

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    Unleashing their characteristic levels of insane brutality, today we have UK’s Akercoke with their live offering “Decades of Devil Worship”. Like a bag of cement to the face, this release perfectly captures the band’s vicious and relentless musical onslaughts, delivering 64 minutes of some of their more hellish songs. If you never experienced the band live, this album gets you right in front of the action, making you want to start breaking things and moshing incessantly.

    After the eerie “Conjuration” intro, the band fully discharges their punishing aggression with “Hell”, “Nadja”, and “Marguerite & Gretchen”. While the band’s sound is piercing, their technicality and execution is brilliant, making sounds sound very crisp and direct, as “Zuleika” and “Il giardino di Monte Oliveto Maggiore” demonstrate.

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    Dødheimsgard - Black Medium Current (2023)

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    Delivering a complete ‘holy shit’ moment, today we have the legendary Dødheimsgard returning with their first full-length release in eight years with “Black Medium Current”. While the band has continued to play live and deliver some truly enthralling performances, this release shows that the years of waiting were not in vain as it is their best release to date. Featuring nine tracks and nearly 70 minutes of masterful Avantgarde Black Metal music, this release will blow you away from the first couple of minutes.

    The madness commences with the mellow opening to “Et smelter”, a slow momentum building couple of minutes until the relentless waves of BM riffs make their way. With Vicotnik and Tommy Guns handling the guitars, this opener oozes melancholy and intensity, perfectly paired with unique vocal arrangements and a very oppressive atmosphere. This unique and chaotic vibe is nicely continued with the ravaging and temperamental “Tankespinnerens Smerte”, a track that nicely leverages dreamy vocals and brilliant melodic interludes.

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    Mork - Dypet (2023)

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    As the brainchild of Thomas Eriksen, Mork is one of those well polished bands that perfectly blends melody and catchiness with traditional Norwegian Black Metal. With “Dypet”, the band’s sixth full-length release we get 47 minutes spread out in eight tracks filled with sinister melodies and a very dark and eerie vibe, exactly what the doctor ordered for a cold and rainy day.

    The release sets a dark and melancholic tune with the opener “Indre demoner” and it nicely transitions into typical Mork melodic madness with “Forført av kulden” and “Svik”. Keeping the band as a one-man outfit, the music is well honed into their signature style and every detail is quite polished to create a signature experience that the earlier releases have delivered, but with a slight forward push into darker territories.

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    Sigh - Shiki (2022)

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    As one of those bands that is always innovating and creating something weirdly unique, Sigh returns with more of their Avant-garde/Black Metal with “Shiki”. Featuring over 45 minutes of hypnotic, chaotic, and completely weird music, this album is enjoyable for more than a few spins as the listener will constantly discover new details with each listen. Highly recommended for fans of the band, or music connoisseurs that like odd, chaotic, and yet highly engaging Metal music.

    The album kicks off with a short atmospheric intro and the pummeling Doomy riffs of “Kuroi Kage”, a track that is heavy and punishing as it transitions to even weirder territories. The band’s vocals are quite fitting for such a diverse and engaging musical foundation, particularly for the heavier and more experimental tracks like the previously mentioned one and the playful “Shoujahitsumetsu”. One thing to note is the band’s old-school Heavy Metal musical core that clearly shines on tracks like “Shikabane”, and its funky atmospherics and percussions.

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    Katatonia - City Burials (2020)

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    After taking a brief hiatus a few years ago, Katatonia has returned with their signature melancholic Progressive/Alternative Rock and Metal mix with “City Burials”. As one of their most accessible and darker releases in recent years, this album delivers eleven tracks and nearly 50 minutes of highly emotional music with the band’s signature sound. If you are into the mellower side of things, this release is the perfect backdrop for a quiet evening of quarantine.

    The release opens with the moody vibes of “Heart Set to Divide” and “Behind the Blood”, both tracks nicely frame Jonas Renkse emotive vocals with nice atmospherics and heavy guitars. More experimental elements are used on songs like “Lacque” and “Vanishers”, which show an interesting electronic undertone, similar to what Anathema tried on their last release. Other tracks just deliver the oozing melancholy achieved by lush vocal melodies and weeping guitars like “Rein”.

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