Sovereign – Altered Realities

Artist: Sovereign Country: Norway Label: Dark Descent Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2024 Apart from a few old-school bands like Cadaver, Mortem and later on, for instance, Zyklon and Blood Red Throne, Norway is not exactly…

Death Possession – Demiurge Of Foul Form [Demo]

Artist: Death Possession Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo CD Year: 2024 Fresh to the putrid sounding Death Metal front: Death Possession, from Denver, Colorado. With this debut demo they do present the world that there certainly still is some…

Velvet Sorrow – Demo I

Artist: Velvet Sorrow Country: USA Label: Luciferous Cruor Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2024 In recent years the little niche of raw yet atmospheric Black Metal has spawned a lot of bands, but amongst them are a lot bands that using…

Bergrizen – Die Falle

Artist: Bergrizen Country: Ukraine Label: Purity Through Fire Formats: LP / CD Year: 2024 Ukrainian Bergrizen has released no less than two albums in 2023. ‘Orathania’ from September last year almost entirely comprised of Ambient/Dark Folk-music with which it is…

Orgy Of Carrion – Rusted Gateways [EP]

Artist: Orgy Of Carrion Country: USA Label: Perverse Homage Formats: Digital EP Year: 2024 Commonly regarded as being one of the flag bearers of the resurgence of the Raw Black Metal scene from the second half of the 10’s, Orgy…

Kasturn – The Torchbearer Fades

Artist: Kasturn Country: United Kingdom Label: Unmatched Dominance Formats: Digital Year: 2024 Early last year, spring 2023, Kasturn’s ‘Rehearsal Promo 23’ popped up at my radars and knew to impress me, even with only 15 minutes of rawly recorded music.…

Diabolic Night – Beneath the Crimson Prophecy

Artist: Diabolic NightCountry: GermanyLabel: High Roller Records / Mortal Rite RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 The impact of the wave of Teutonic Metal bands from the 80’s can still vividly be felt in today’s metal scene. Not…

Lore – Altars Of The Precipice Possession [EP]

Artist: Lore Country: United Kingdom Label: Self-Released / Inferna Profundus Records Formats: Cassette Tape / 12″ EP Year: 2023 Of course, a cover with a winter scene of trees on a mountain is not very unique; ever since Ulver’s debut…

Reflet Crépusculaire – Vanished Scripts

Artist: Reflet Crépusculaire Country: France Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2024 Out of the deepest and darkest corners of the French underground Black Metal scene comes Reflet Crépusculaire, one of the acts that has been intriguing me ever since I first…

Carnal Savagery – Into The Abysmal Void

Artist: Carnal Savagery Country: Sweden Label: Moribund Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2024 After having released two full-length albums in 2022, the duo that together make for the Swedish Death Metal band Carnal Savagery, more or less took a bit of a…

Funeral Winds – 333

Artist: Funeral Winds Country: The Netherlands Label: Osmose Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2024 Although Funeral Winds never officially stopped it went on some sort of hibernation after the ‘Nexion Xul – The Cursed Bloodline’-album from 2007. Hellchrist Xul…

Nocturnal Terror – Blasphemous Crushing Of Angels [EP]

Artist: Nocturnal Terror Country: Brazil Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2024 After a couple demos Brazilian Black Metal band Nocturnal Terror self-released their debut album in October of 2023 and for those who heard these first recordings know that…

Sanctum Sathanas – Into The Eternal Satanic Damnation

Artist: Sanctum Sathanas Country: Chile Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: LP Year: 2023 In recent years, an increasing proportion of today’s Black Metal scene has come from South American countries, with Chile being the main purveyor. From that country comes…

Scab Hag – Wading Through Mephitic Filth [EP]

Artist: Scab Hag Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 Although Scab Hag’s self-released debut EP from 2021 was reissued on cassette tape by two different labels in the months following up to its original CD release (Cemetery…

Genocidal Rites – Eternal Samhain [EP]

Artist: Genocidal Rites Country: USA Label: 18 Is 9 Records And Tapes Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Last year I reviewed ‘Exsanguination Of The Gods’, a tape-only release by Genocidal Rites. It was a short but sweet EP, presented by…

Malicious – Merciless Storm [EP]

Artist: Malicious Country: Finland Label: Invictus Productions Formats: 12″ EP Year: 2023 Invictus Productions always had a nose for some top notch bands operating on that wavery tipping point between Black Metal and Death Metal. In the past they have…

Kirous – VII [Demo]

Artist: Kirous Country: Finland Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital demo Year: 2023 Literally on the very edge of 2023, on December 30th, hard working Finnish one-man force Kirous releases yet another short but sweet digital demo. Like the title already suggests,…

Wolftower – Throne Of Nightfall’s Wrath

Artist: Wolftower Country: Finland Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape Year: 2023 In the very waning weeks of 2023 Finland’s Wolftower treats us with yet another new release, the twelfth in total but after a lot of…

Moonlight Sword – Imperial Dragoon Kommando [Demo]

Artist: Moonlight Sword Country: USA Label: Oakheart Production Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 In 2022 the one-woman band Moonlight Sword released two fine digital demos, that both also appeared on cassette tape by the Belgian Rabauw label. Carmilla II Dracul,…

Arzhaabat – In Veligrad Shadows

Artist: Arzhaabat Country: Czechia Label: Cosmic Cause Productions Formats: Cassette tape Year: 2023 After a demo and a single, both released on cassette tape in early 2023, the prolific MBN (or Vaérmiyr), who is also known for Blau Blut, Svor, CEP and the…

Hail Conjurer – Satanic Phenomenology

Artist: Hail Conjurer Country: Finland Label: Bestial Burst Formats: Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2024 One of the most intriguing Finnish Black Metal bands definitely is Hail Conjurer, the band’s otherworldly take on Black Metal has already resulted in a…

Wolftower – The Unholy Embrace Of Vampire [EP]

Artist: Wolftower Country: Finland Label: Narbentage Produktionen Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Ever since the early 20’s Finnish one-man band Wolftower have been firing away one release after the other, yet none of them ever featured on these pages. Strange…

Ribspreader – Reap Humanity

Artist: Ribspreader Country: Sweden Label: Xtreem Music Formats: CD Year: 2024 Although having come across the name before, I first really heard about Ribspreader with their 2007 ‘The Monolith’ 7” EP by Blood Harvest, a label that I religiously followed…

Haan Valar – Devotion To Xemzara [Demo]

Artist: Haan Valar Country: USA Label: Mamzer Records Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2024 Apart from the big commercial success of Rotting Christ, that mythical sound of Greek Black Metal has always been loved, it was mostly appreciated by a small…

Nekromanteion – The Sinister Flame [Demo / Re-Release]

Artist: Nekromanteion Country: Bolivia Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2024 Nekromanteion from Bolivia came to my path with their split 7” EP with Nebiros (2014) and the following ‘Cosmic Horrors’ 7” EP from 2015, both released by…

Master – Saints Dispelled

Artist: Master Country: USA Label: Hammerheart Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2024 It has been more than 20 two decades since I have reviewed my first Master release, at the time I started with ‘Unreleased 1985…

Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon

Artist: Upon Stone Country: USA Label: Century Media Formats: LP / CD Year: 2024 The early 90’s were the domain of Swedish Death Metal in its most primal form, following the path first paved by Nihilist and giving way to…

Funeral Vomit – Monumental Putrescence

Artist: Funeral Vomit Country: Colombia Label: Xtreem Music Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 Founded not too long ago, in 2020, this Colombian Death Metal band unleashed some first recordings in the form of two split EP’s,…

Mortuary Ghoul – Friends Of The Dead

Artist: Mortuary Ghoul Country: USA Label: Dismal Fate Records Formats: Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 After some first small releases, an EP and a split EP, Matt N. (also active in a whole slew of other bands), the godfather…

Moon Oracle – Totemic Lord [Single]

Artist: Moon Oracle Country: Finland Label: Bestial Burst Formats: CD Single Year: 2023 After the band’s second full-length, ‘Ophidian Glare’, released earlier in 2023, Moon Oracle already returns with a 2-track single, also released by the great Bestial Burst label.…

Abysmal Grief – Narcissistic Necrophiles

Artist: Abysmal Grief Country: Italy Label: Avantgarde Music Formats: LP Year: 2023 In March 2023 Abysmal Grief and Avantgarde Music releases a vinyl-only compilation LP to celebrate the start of their collaboration, it was also meant as a run up…

Flesher – Tales Of Grotesque Demise

Artist: Flesher Country: USA Label: Redefining Darkness Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Admitted, on more than one occasion I have labelled Redefining Darkness Records as a thoroughly mediocre label spawning huge amounts of interchangeable Death Metal records of…

Ancient North – The Dark Ages

Artist: Ancient North Country: USA Label: Wulfhere Productions Formats: CD Year: 2024 If one-man Black Metal band Ancient North has proven one thing over the course of two years (and three full-length albums, an EP and a split release) is…

Cruciamentum – Obsidian Refractions

Artist: Cruciamentum Country: United Kingdom / USA Label: Profound Lore Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 Six long years since the band’s last sign of life and even eight years after the release of the debut…

Black Funeral – Wallachian Voivode [EP]

Artist: Black Funeral Country: USA Label: Dark Adversary Productions Formats: CD EP Year: 2024 Over the course of its expansive career, spanning over three decades, Black Funeral have proven itself as one of the most elusive Black Metal bands ever…

Nartvind – Breath Of Night

Artist: Nartvind Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Nartvind is not quite the band that is firing away releases at Drowning The Light-speed, but when they do have something new for you, you can…

Gouffre – Demo III

Artist: Gouffre Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 After two great demo tapes released in 2019 and 2021 and the 2022-released split 7” EP with their compatriots of Phlegethon’s Majesty the band returned to the…

Varathron – The Crimson Temple

Artist: Varathron Country: Greece Label: Agonia Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 For the lovers of the Hellenic sound, Varathron will always remain something that sparks a feeling of magical enthusiasm. Not only were they amongst the very…

Venusberg Cardinal – Atlas Of Dungeons

Artist: Venusberg Cardinal Country: Canada Label: Nuclear War Now! Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Admittedly, I am arriving a bit late to the party with my review for the one and only release of the gritty sounding Canadian…

Bloedmaan – Castle Inside The Eclipse

Artist: Bloedmaan Country: Belgium Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 From the increasingly interesting Belgian Black Metal scene comes this latest addition, Bloedmaan (Blood Moon when translated from Dutch). Named after the scarlet red colour of…

Demoncy – Diabolica Blasphemiae [EP]

Artist: Demoncy Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: 12″ / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2023 Hot on the heals off the band’s sixth full length album, Demoncy also releases this new 12” EP (also released on cassette…

Demoncy – Black Star Gnosis

Artist: Demoncy Country: USA Label: Dark Descent Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 If anything, Demoncy is a band that seems to work in short and unexpected outbursts of creativity. In their early days since their…