Fertilizer – The World Continues To Turn [Demo]

Artist: Fertilizer Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Last year around the same time I reviewed the first demo, simply called ‘Demo’, of Canadian one-man act Fertilizer and was quite enamored by the mix of styles that…

Thlipsis (Θλίψις) – Dawn Of Defiance

Artist: Thlipsis (Θλίψις) Country: Greece Label: Floga Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Greek Black Metal, where to start? While the scene may not be too big in terms of the number of bands, their impact on the global…

Goatkraft – Prophet Of Eternal Damnation

Artist: Goatkraft Country: Norway Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Norway, the land of the beautiful landscapes and equally stunning metal. Norway will forever be remembered as the country that has brought us the well-thought out…

Svartkonst – May the Night Fall 

Artist: SvartkonstCountry: SwedenLabel: Trust No One RecordingsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Somehow I’ve never come across the work of Rickard Törnqvist’s solo brainchild Svartkonst before, despite the band being active for a little over a decade. But when I came…

Mithrandir – Valapatto [EP]

Artist: MithrandirCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 Mithrandir’s debut ‘Towards the Spires of Dol Guldur’ was quite a striking debut. Expertly combining their Finnish Black Metal roots of the likes of Satanic Warmaster and Sargeist with touches of Burzum, Darkthrone…

Cult Ov Black Blood – Apocalyptic Banner Ov Abaddon

Artist: Cult Ov Black Blood Country: Poland Label: Rex Diaboli Formats: Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 Although this band was already founded back in 2015 and released three demos (all compiled on the Total War-released ‘Abhorrence Ov God’ CD)…

Dripping Decay – Festering Grotesqueries

Artist: Dripping Decay Country: USA Label: Satanik Royalty Records / Old Shadows Records Formats: LP / Cassette / CD Year: 2023 Those who are lurking deep enough in the Death Metal scene might already picked up the name of this…

Sulphur Aeon – Seven Crowns and Seven Seals

Artist: Sulphur AeonCountry: GermanyLabel: Ván RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 The story you are about to read did not come easily. And that starts with memories of Sulphur Aeon. Their debut ‘Swallowed by the Ocean’s Tide’ wasn’t necessarily the first…

Kaikkivaltias – Astu [EP]

Artist: KaikkivaltiasCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 For those intrigued by the prospect of a mix of Classic/ Progressive Rock, Heavy Metal and Black Metal coming together in a medieval theme, take heed. Kaikkivaltias is the brainchild of the Finn…

Chaînes – Les Litanies des Chaînes 

Artist: ChaînesCountry: BelgiumLabel: Amor Fati ProductionsFormats: LPYear: 2023 Just listing the names of the bands that Belgian musician Déhà is involved in would be enough to make for a hefty read, so for the purpose of brevity it suffices to…

Verhinderer – Die Funkenburg

Artist: Verhinderer Country: Germany Label: Kvlt Und Kaos Productions Formats: Cassette tape Year: 2023 Hot on the heels of the Black Metal band’s debut album, ‘Der Kettenritter’ from August of this year, the one-man project hat is Verhinderer returns with…

Cemetery Urn – Suffer The Fallen

Artist: Cemetery Urn Country: Australia Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 It has always been somewhat of a mystery to me why a band like Cemetery Urn has never received any more attention…

Akitsa – Devenir Le Diable

Artist: Akitsa Country: Canada Label: Hospital Productions Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 In their almost quarter of a century of existence, the band was formed in 1999, Akitsa have amassed a pretty hefty discography, but given…

Voidescent – Dust and Embers

Artist: VoidescentCountry: SpainLabel: Avantgarde MusicFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 While Voidescent (what’s in a name) isn’t exactly a new band, it might be more likely that the previous incarnation of the band is better known. As Andhord, the Spanish quartet…

Permanent Solution – Permanent Solution

Artist: Permanent SolutionCountry: FinlandLabel: Misantropia RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2023 There’s a few things that drew me to the album of Permanent Solution. For one, their label Misantropia Records generally releases good, often Kalmankantaja related, Finnish Black Metal. The tracklist of ‘Permanent…

Verhinderer – Der Kettenritter

Artist: Verhinderer Country: Germany Label: Kvlt Und Kaos Productions Formats: Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 After three smaller releases, two demo’s and an EP, this German one-man act returns with its first full-length album. Considering these are all done…

Devil Moon – Fucked by the Devil 

Artist: Devil MoonCountry: FinlandLabel: Signal RexFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 A sleazy rocking mix of Heavy Metal and Black Metal is what Devil Moon served us on their eponymous first EP. Now they come back with the…

Gotthammer – Godslaying Sonic Barbarism [Demo]

Artist: Gotthammer Country: Canada Label: Forbidden Sonority Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 As of late it seems that there is an increasing amount of bands that do seem to worship the sound of the old Black/Death/Grind-sound that was originally brought…

Luciferian Annihilation Cult – Hail To The Whore [Demo]

Artist: Luciferian Annihilation Cult Country: Germany Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Black and white cover? Check. Red logo? Check. Satanic imagery? Check. Barbarian sounding band name and release title? Check! Even without listening to a single chord of…

Krieg – Ruiner

Artist: Krieg Country: USA Label: Profound Lore Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Krieg’s heady musical career is one characterised by an impressive multitude when it comes to both its equally staggering list of (mostly) ex-band members and the…

On Thorns I Lay – On Thorns I Lay

Artist: On Thorns I Lay Country: Greece Label: Season Of Mist Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 The career of On Thorns I Lay is typified by the wanderings that led the band past a total of five albums and…

Strigoic Curse – A Feeble Vitriolic Presence

Artist: Strigoic Curse Country: Romania Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 The phenomenon of “Strigoi” is not quit new to appear in the metal scene, it has been used by quite a few bands, but it is still something that…

Black Viper – Volcanic Lightning

Artist: Black ViperCountry: NorwayLabel: Edged Circle ProductionsFormats: 12″ EPYear: 2023 Remember the day when you looked at the band photos on the inner sleeve of an LP, checking the shirts worn by your favourite artists to discover new bands? There’s…

Taake – Et hav av avstand

Artist: TaakeCountry: NorwayLabel: Dark Essence RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 Even though the phrase is far too often used to announce the release of a new album, a new Taake album is certainly one of those albums…

Deathwinds – Ripping Annihilation [EP]

Artist: Deathwinds Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 No less than nine years after the band’s last release, Deathwinds returns with a new EP, ‘Ripping Annihilation’. And yes, they have chosen this title very appropriately, this Canadian…

Miserable Creature – 3 [Demo]

Artist: Miserable Creature Country: Australia Label: Transylvanian Recordings Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 Miserable Creature, a duo from Melbourne, Australia is presenting their third mutual effort under the rather uninspired title ‘3’. Just like with the previous two demos, released…

Luring – Triumphant Fall Of The Malignant Christ

Artist: Luring Country: USA Label: Iron Bonehead Productions / Nithstang Productions Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 ‘Triumphant Fall Of The Malignant Christ’ is Luring’s second full-length effort, but other than the band’s debut, which was only…

Obsidian Grave – Blood Of The Night

Artist: Obsidian Grave Country: USA Label: Dark Adversary Productions Formats: CD Year: 2023 Over the roughly half decade of their existence, American Obsidian Grave have released their music through labels such as Atrocity Altar, Hatework, Perverse Homage and Death Hymns,…

Feeble Deity – Compendium Opus [Compilation]

Artist: Feeble Deity Country: USA Label: Dark Adversary Productions / Forbidden Sonority Formats: CD / Cassette tape Year: 2023 That the Dark Adversary Productions label not only releases the own material of label-owner Azgorh (Drowning The Light, among others) is…

Drowning The Light – Archaic Nocturnal Witchery [EP]

Artist: Drowning The Light Country: Australia Label: Dark Adversary Productions Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 Hot on the heels on the in August released two EP’s, Australia’s most prolific Black Metal band, Drowning The Light, returns with a yet another…

Incantation – Unholy Deification

Artist: IncantationCountry: USALabel: Relapse RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 When a new Incantation album drops you just know you’re in for a treat. The musical formula of the band hasn’t drastically changed over the past decades, and why…

Valravn – The Awakening

Artist: ValravnCountry: FinlandLabel: Primitive ReactionFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 According to Danish folkore the valravn, or raven of the slain, is a supernatural raven that consumed either the hearts of kings or children, to do great evil or to seek…

Hagatiz – Cursed to the Night

Artist: HagatizCountry: GermanyLabel: Amor Fati ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Hagatiz is a new name to the Black Metal block and ‘Cursed to the Night’ is their very first record. But this fresh entry to the scene can appear deceptive,…

Disguised Malignance – Entering The Gateways

Artist: Disguised Malignance Country: Finland Label: Prosthetic Records / Rotted Life Records Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 Not too long ago I reviewed these Finn’s second demo, released earlier this year. ‘Unearthly Death’ was a demo…

Vesthangarth – Ominous Path Of Spectral Knowledge

Artist: Vesthangarth Country: Chile Label: Consumed By The Flames Productions Formats: Digital Year: 2023 In the summer of 2022 I reviewed Vesthangarth’s demo, which was a surprisingly great affair of Scandinavian sounding Black Metal and I concluded that this band…

Runespell – Shores Of Náströnd

Artist: Runespell Country: Australia Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Formed in 2017, Australian outfit Runespell has impressed not only with its hefty work rate, which in those seven years has yielded no fewer than five…

Atonement – Sadistic Invaders

Artist: AtonementCountry: SwedenLabel: Dying Victims ProductionsFormat: LP / CDYear: 2023 With an album cover like that of ‘Sadistic Invaders’ you sort of know what you’re going to get. Well at least, a band like Deathhammer pops into my mind, and…