Kūka’ilimoku – Creation Chant

Artist: Kūkāʻilimoku Country: USA Label: Goatowarex Formats: LP / Cassette Tape Year: 2025 With two releases in 2023 and one in both 2024 and 2025, it is clear that Kūka’ilimoku is slowing down a bit after a rather prolific start…

Clandestine Blaze – Consecration Of The Blood

Artist: Clandestine Blaze Country: Finland Label: Northern Heritage Formats: LP / CD Year: 2025 Despite the band’s rather modest start with a couple of bit too standard releases, Clandestine Blaze’s rise to underground fame started with 2002’s ‘Fist Of The…

Penthos – Erevos

Artist: Penthos Country: Greece Label: Darkness Shall Rise Productions Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2025 Formed in 2017, it took the Greek band Penthos five years since its inception to craft their debut album, released independently on…

Likno – Summit and Trench

Artist: Likno Country: Greece Label: WolfKult Religion Formats: CD Year: 2025 On the same day that fireworks lit the sky to call for the end of 2025, Likno had a little thing to celebrate as well. Conceived in that same…

Malicious Torment – Realms Of The Occult [EP]

Artist: Malicious Torment Country: USA / Greece Label: Ancient Spirit Terror / Spreading The Pest Productions Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2025 Malicious Torment is a relatively new band that sprung out of the minds of KK and…

Seraphic Castration – Demon(stration) [Demo]

Artist: Seraphic Castration Country: Canada Label: Spiritual Warfare / War Vellum Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2026 From the ashes of Gotthammer and the extremely fertile Canadian underground, not only did the recently resurfaced Melth rise again, but now Seraphic Castration…

Saor – Amidst The Ruins

Artist: Saor Country: United Kingdom Label: Season Of Mist Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2025 Although ‘Origins’ ended up rather high on my Album Of The Year-list, I had difficulties properly wrapping my head around this follow-up…

Occultor – The Eucharist

Artist: Occultor Country: Romania Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2025 With a cover art like this, strongly resembling Chris Moyen’s, with two goats watching the moon fall apart with a dissected person on their table, it is clear that we…

Volahn – Popol Vuh

Artist: Volahn Country: Mexico Label: Crepúsculo Negro Formats: Cassette Tape Year: 2025 Although there’s been a few short players and split releases in between, ‘Popul Vuh’ is Volahn’s first full-length since 2014’s ‘Aq’Ab’Al’. But that was also the year that…

Behemoth – The Shit Ov God

Artist: Behemoth Country: Poland Label: Mystic Production / Nuclear Blast Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2025 This review is a bit late. Somewhat deliberately. Releases by the bigger bands in the Extreme Metal genres are usually…

Haavrun – Ensigns Of Evil [Demo]

Artist: Haavrun Country: Bulgaria Label: Hellvetic Carnage Productions Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2025 With Todorac you are always in for a surprise. One day he starts a project, the other day he disbands it again, or changes its name. Same…

Melth – Fatal Suffusion Of Tissues [Demo]

Artist: Melth Country: Canada Label: Berserk Ritual Productions Formats: Digital Year: 2025 Emerging from the equally inventive and unpredictable group of musicians who previously brought us acts such as Gotthammer, Complot!, Moulin Banal, Adversaire, Shezmu, Pénombre and Kiloton. The exact…

Krvna Majka – Krvna Majka [EP]

Artist: Krvna Majka Country: USA Label: Prism of Deceit Recordings Formats: Digital Year: 2025 While the roots of the members are unknown, the Slavic band name Krvna Majka, or Blood Mother, may imply a European band is behind this eponymous…

Baneful Tongue – Baneful Tongue

Artist: Baneful Tongue Country: Norway Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2025 Baneful Tongue is the brainchild of S.B.E., the one and only member of the band. When exactly the band was formed is not entirely clear, but S.B.E. has quite…

Flail – Within the Firths of Futility

Artist: Flail Country: Finland Label: Gramschap Formats: LP / CD Year: 2024 Despite that the band has existed since 2018, the Finnish Flail was unknown to me up til very recently. With members that are part of Kiira, Celestial Grave…

Pentagoatcross – Open Your Mouth Bitch

Artist: Pentagoatcross Country: USA Label: Malevolent Sounds Formats: Digital Year: 2025 Life can be a difficult thing to deal with, but sometimes it is surprisingly simple. Like with this digitally released debut album, give me a band name like Pentagoatcross…

Hjemsøkt – Om Vinteren, På En Sort Trone

Artist: Hjemsøkt Country: Norway Label: Purity Through Fire Formats: LP / CD Year: 2024 Time is a fickle. A couple of years ago I intended to write up my thoughts on ‘Mystikk & Mørke’, an EP released by the Norwegians…

Katalepsie – Initial Spasm [Demo]

Artist: Katalepsie Country: France Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2025 In today’s conversations about Lo-Fi Black Metal we usually refer to bands like Sanguine Relic, Mons Veneris, Black Cilice, Orgy Of Carion and the likes. Some 20 years ago…

Sacris Ritus Vermes – With Burning Devotion [EP]

Artist: Sacris Ritus Vermes Country: Germany Label: Death Revelations Formats: Digital EP Year: 2025 Some images say more than a thousand words. The candles, the smoke and the skull to remind me of Mare’s ‘Spheres Like Death’. A band name…

Geatkihaukr – Varjaeger

Artist: Geatkihaukr Country: Finland Label: Out Of The Dungeon Formats: CD Year: 2025 Although the band already released two demo tapes and a 7” EP through Out Of The Dungeon in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively, I only ran into…

Greve – Bleknat Bortom Evig Tid

Artist: Greve Country: Sweden Label: Purity Through Fire Formats: CD Year: 2025 If I’m being honest, as time has gone by my opinion on the output of Swartadauþuz has changed. While I certainly appreciate the body of work that he…

Death Invoker – Reh. Damnations 2025

Artist: Death Invoker Country: Peru Label: Primitive Devil Worship Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2025 Death Invoker was founded two decades ago and although the band has never released a full-length, it is highly unlikely you’ve never heard of the band…

Triumphal Vengeance – Spears of Conquest

Artist: Triumphal Vengeance Country: Chile / Austria Label: Death Revelations Formats: Cassette tape Year: 2025 After a duo of EPs, sole member Nebel is now ready to unleash the full-length debut of Triumphal Vengeance upon us. Once again brought by…

Repúdio – Silhouette Of Reins [Demo]

Artist: Repúdio Country: Portugal Label: Rasga Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2025 Although the previously released demo tape and full-length album were both released through the revered Altare Productions label. This freshly released demo tape is was published under the supervision…

Nachash – Eschaton Magicks

Artist: Nachash Country: Norway Label: Signal Rex Formats: LP / CD Year: 2025 Somehow Nachash escaped me entirely. Despite it featuring a member of two of my favorite Terratur Possessions bands, Knokkelklang and Askeregn. And the connections of the three…

Sathanas / Nunslaughter – Torn Apart [Split 7″ EP]

Artist: Sathanas / Nunslaughter Country: USA Label: WolfKult Religion Formats: Split 7″ EP Year: 2025 Considering they both have existed since the 80’s, they have expansive discographies and the sheer number of splits released by both bands, it’s nothing short…

Moonlight’s Empathy – Stalwart Servants Of Satan [Demo]

Artist: Moonlight’s Empathy Country: USA Label: Dark Adversary Productions Formats: Demo CD Year: 2025 ‘Stalwart Servants Of Satan’ is the title of the debut demo of Moonlight’s Empathy, a new one-man project helmed by Eldrinacht, a musician that’s mostly known…

Eternal Ice – Demo 2025

Artist: Eternal Ice Country: Japan Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2025 With six splits and short players in 2025, it is safe to say that this Japanese duo is not lacking enthusiasm and inspiration. Founded in 2024 the band released one demo tape in…

Death Yell – Asmodeus’ Disciples [Demo / 7″ EP]

Artist: Death Yell Country: Chile Label: Seven Metal Inches Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2025 Those who thought they were in for a treat, having been presented with a new full-length album (freshly released by Hells Headbangers Records) as well…

Strychnos – Sig Nærmer Døden [7″ EP]

Artist: Strychnos Country: Denmark Label: Dark Descent Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2025 Strychnos has always been a band that intrigued me. Admittedly, I wasn’t an instant fan. But over the years I have for sure started to really appreciate…

Strychnos – Uendelig Begravelsesmarch [7″ EP]

Artist: Strychnos Country: Denmark Label: Dark Descent Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2025 This 7” EP is the twin of ‘Sig Nærmer Døden’, the other EP that was simultaneously released by Dark Descent Records. Both EP’s are a natural continuation…

Ebony Pendant – Threnodies From The Coldlands

Artist: Ebony Pendant Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2025 One of the American Black Metal bands that has caused the most stir in recent years is undoubtedly the one-man project Ebony Pendant. If we disregard the minor controversy surrounding his involvement with Degraved…

Gorewinter – Vernichtung (1995-1999) [Compilation]

Artist: Gorewinter Country: Finland Label: Werewolf Records Formats: CD Year: 2025 Gorewinter is one of those bands that have been mentioned only once in a while in discussions about the early sparks that ignited the Finnish Black Metal revolution. As long…

Godkiller – The End Of The World [7″ EP]

Artist: Godkiller Country: Monaco Label: Debemur Morti Productions Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2025 Probably prompted because the band’s 1998-released debut album was amongst the first Black Metal albums I’ve heard, Godkiller always remained a special band to me. Surrounded by…

Zkywbrezdreb – Uatrevyktuor [Demo]

Artist: Zkywbrezdreb Country: USA Label: Elf Eggs Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2025 Let’s start off with saying that nothing the musician behind Zkywbrezdreb ever did was even slightly middle of the road, but this particular project is definitely a great example of something that is…

Drowning The Light – Current 1366

Artist: Drowning The Light Country: Australia Label: Dark Adversary Productions Formats: CD Year: 2025 In Azgorh’s own words, ‘Current 1366’ is one of the rawest Drowning The Light full-length albums in recent years, but at the same time a spiritual extension of the ‘Conquer…

White Rune – Eventide On Aurora

Artist: White Rune Country: Finland Label: Hammer Of Hate Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2025 With another gorgeous cover, it is hard to miss there’s a new White Rune album out. And in the current musical constellation that seems…

Ofermod – Drakosophia

Artist: Ofermod Country: Sweden Label: Shadow Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2025 Never a dull moment with Ofermod, that’s for sure. ‘Drakosophia’ was released about two months ago, but it didn’t take many moons for the band to implode…

Kamra – Unending Confluence

Artist: Kamra Country: Slovenia Label: Avantgarde Music Formats: LP / CD Year: 2025 Kamra’s previous effort, ‘Cerebral Alchemy’ from 2022, was quite a stunning debut album. While all of the involved musicians have other or previous experience, none of these…

Mystic Circle – Hexenbrand 1486

Artist: Mystic Circle Country: Germany Label: Reigning Phoenix Music Formats: LP / CD Year: 2025 ‘Hexenbrand 1486’ is already the fourth Mystic Circle album since their unexpected return in 2021 and the tenth album overall. The previous three albums and…

Torment Imagery – Torment Imagery [Demo]

Artist: Torment Imagery Country: Indonesia Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2025 Torment Imagery’s Bandcamp page shows me a photo of one person and states that the band is Indonesian. Beyond that, there is nothing else to be found about…

Chaos Insignia – Precode Rituals (Demo Rehearsal 2025)

Artist: Chaos Insignia Country: Romania Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2025 Earlier this year I stumbled upon Chaos Insignia’s debut EP (or demo, if you prefer). I was enamoured with this band’s take on the Bestial Black/Death genre, even…