Artist: Remina
Country: Greece / Japan
Label: Menschenfeind Propaganda
Formats: Cassette EP
Year: 2026
Rather hot on the heels of the band’s debut EP, the duo returns with their second EP. With a duration of half an hour, ‘Νεκροταφείο Αγγέλων’ was a rather long EP, this new one is a significantly shorter affair. ‘Crypts Of Spectral Cries And Astral Dreams’ offers only two new songs with a total playing time well under the ten minute mark. But to resort to a cliché: it’s about quality, not quantity.
Remina is the result of two individuals from Greece and Japan who, at least as I understand it, desire to create music together. Their debut EP was an entertaining one, but in all honesty, wasn’t much different from Eternal Ice, the main musical vessel of multi-instrumentalist Ryotaro. I don’t know how much time was in between the composing of these first tracks and these two new ones, but, if anything, ‘Crypts Of Spectral Cries And Astral Dreams’ is natural continuation of what Remina has started earlier in 2025.
Which means that their brand of Black Metal is still very much riff-driven and drenched in the old late 90s and early 00s no-nonsense tradition. Cold and hateful Black Metal that honours the era of Black Metal in which Black Metal was all about the misanthropy, hatred and pessimism. A natural counter-movement to the increasingly popular melodic and bombastic Black Metal of the time, led by bands such as Emperor, Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. This is uglier, colder and, above all, much simpler.
The difference between Remina’s first outing and this follow-up is that the songs are a little more cohesive and they are a bit more to the point, making them come across a tad more convincing too. While ‘Νεκροταφείο Αγγέλων’ was a solid start, this second EP can be considered a step up. Or, at least it feels that way, perhaps also prompted by the shorter playing time, which makes the whole thing appear more concise.
But even though Remina is making a stronger showing with this EP, the “lack” of its own musical identity, if you want to call it that, still hangs over the band a bit. The lads from Eternal Ice don’t usually waste any time and treat us to new material on a regular basis, so I would be surprised if Remina’s next release is a long time coming. Then we will also know how Remina’s sound will develop further.
For enthusiasts: this cassette EP is limited to 20 hand-numbered copies, so if you’re interested, it’s not advisable to wait too long to get your hands on one.
