Ringarë – Of Momentous Endless Night

Artist: Ringarë Country: USA Label: Avantgarde Music Formats: LP /  CD Year: 2023 The story of Ringarë began all the way back in 2004 when this US-based Black Metal band recorded two demos in the following years but eventually more or…

Korgunthurus- Jumalhaaska

Artist: KorgonthurusCountry: FinlandLabel: Woodcut RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 Despite a history marred by periods of inactivity and break ups, Korgonthurus managed to create one of the most enthralling records in Finnish Black Metal with 2009’s ‘Marras’.…

Hellmoon – Blood Laced With Emptiness [EP]

Artist: Hellmoon Country: Canada Label: Forbidden Keep Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2024 The Canadian Black Metal musician known as Plääg (although his mother knows him as Cavan Rian Hoover) is quite a busy man, not only is he active…

Urväsen – Fåror [EP]

Artist: UrväsenCountry: SwedenLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2023 While Urväsen appears to hail from Sweden, the music on the debut EP ‘Fåror’ sounds far from the typical Swedish Black Metal style. Instead, the music on the five tracks has more in…

Iätön – Loitsutulet [Demo]

Artist: IätönCountry: FinlandLabel: Altare ProductionsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 Iätön is the brainchild of musicians Woewrb and Penetreichtus I. Formed in 2022, the band hailing from Oulu, Finland, recently released their very first demo courtesy of the mighty Altare Productions. Those…

Veitsi – Rautaa & Verta [EP]

Artist: VeitsiCountry: FinlandLabel: Escafismo RecordsFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 After having released three EPs in 2022, the first year of band’s existence, 2023 almost passed by without any new Veitsi releases. But salvation came on the 29th of December as the newest…

Syn – Villfarelse

Artist: SynCountry: NorwayLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: CDYear: 2023 The latest offering presented by Terratur Possessions is Syn. While the collective behind it does not see a need to reveal the individuals behind it, the attentive listener might be able to pick…

Satans Mördör – Into The Cold Eternity… [Demo]

Artist: Satans Mördör Country: Unknown Label: Mamzer Records Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2024 ‘Into The Cold Eternity…’ was initially a digital self-released demo that appeared in December 2023, but since its impeccable quality it really needed a physical release as well. The…

Cursed Penetrator – Satanic Slaughter [Demo]

Artist: Cursed Penetrator Country: Finland Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Behind this new Finnish act are two anonymous individuals going under the names of “Desecrator Of Holy Cunt” and “Priest Of Angel Sodomy”, but at least one of them is…

Misanthropic War – Utter Human Annihilation

Artist: Misanthropic War Country: Germany Label: Godz Ov War Productions Formats: CD Year: 2023 Rarely do you come across a cover that so tellingly mirrors the musical content of an album as this one on German Misanthropic War’s ‘Utter Human Annihilation’. A…

Wulvyr – Moon.Malice.Heresy

Artist: Wulvyr Country: United Kingdom Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 Personally I love it when a band name, the title or artwork of an album clearly gives away what you are in for. Such is the case with Wulvyr’s…

Astral Crypt Of Moloch – Impurity [Demo]

Artist: Astral Crypt Of Moloch Country: USA Label: Death Hymns Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 In 2019 the elusive and mysterious one-man act Astral Crypt Of Moloch released one demo tape which served the listener some of the better Raw and Lo-Fi…

Heimdalls Wacht – Mystagogie – Lieder Voll Ewigkeit

Artist: Heimdalls Wacht Country: Germany Label: Trollzorn Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Although we were treated with an excellent split LP with Ancestors Blood earlier this year, ‘Mystagogie – Lieder Voll Ewigkeit’ marks the return of Heimdalls Wacht…

Victimarum – Tyhjyyden Roviolla [Single]

Artist: VictimarumCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital singleYear: 2023 2023 was a good year for the Finns in Victimarum. Not only did they release their first demo, but just as the year was about to expire, the band came back with yet…

Lysergic – Dimethyltryptikon

Artist: Lysergic Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 After and EP and a split EP, both released digitally, this Canadian noise-mongers felt ready for a full-length album. Yet, they never asked us, innocent bystanders, if we were ready…

Deathcode Society – Unlightenment

Artist: Deathcode Society Country: France Label: Osmose Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 While the French Black Metal scene will be mostly remembered for its crude and harsh sound that was brought to our ears by the likes of…

Daedric Chamber – Black Marsh Eternal

Artist: Daedric Chamber Country: USA Label: Blind Mage Records / WereGnome Records Formats: Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 Although Daedric Chambre has been formed in January 2022, this one-man project has already spawned no less than five EP’s, two…

Kurjuus – Erakon Tie [EP]

Artist: Kurjuus Country: Finland Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 Not too long ago I spent a few words on the ‘Korven Muuttumaton, Erehtym​ä​t​ö​n Laki’ demo from this Finnish one-man act, which in fact marked already the third release…

Lagnia – Sigil [Demo]

Artist: Lagnia Country: Germany Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 With little to no information about this new German Black Metal band, I took a deep dive into their first recording. Just like the band name the title of…

Veret – Demons Rise, Demons Ride! [Demo]

Artist: VeretCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 Freshly conceived in 2023 and consisting of colorful pseudonyms like Vitriolic Voidseeker, Sepulcher Violator, Morbid Skullfukker and Perverse Korpse comes Veret. On their very first demo the Finnish four-piece takes the fierceness of…

Slidhr – White Heart!

Artist: SlidhrCountry: Ireland / IcelandLabel: Debemur Morti ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Once formed as the solo project of the Irish musician Joseph Deegan, Slidhr nowadays is a three-man band located in Iceland that consists of members from Ireland, Iceland…

Frostnatt – I Det Høye Nord [EP]

Artist: Frostnatt Country: Russia Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 The sum of the title of this EP, ‘I Det Høye Nord’, which from Norwegian translates to ‘In The High North’, and the appetizing cover artwork gives pretty much…

Vargrav – The Nighthold

Artist: VargravCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: CD, DigitalYear: 2023 There’s a strong argument to be made that Vargrav was one of the initiators of the blossoming Symphonic Black Metal revival that has been going on the past few years. Certainly, the…

Kalmankantaja – Kohti Valon Kuolemaa

Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Wolfspell RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2023 As this turn around the sun is about to reach its end and a new round of the endless cycle soon begins, Kalmankanataja closes off 2023 with its third full-length of the year,…

Infernal Execrator – Diabolatry

Artist: Infernal Execrator Country: Singapore Label: Pulverised Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Infernal Execrator, ever since their inception in 2005 they have been pounding our collective eardrums on a more than regular basis and with their uncompromising style…

Wolves Of Desor – Lost Kingdom Of The Giants [Demo]

Artist: Wolves Of Desor Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Although ‘Lost Kingdom Of The Giants’ is the first brain child of Wraithlord, the youthful mind behind Wolves Of Desor, under this moniker, he has been spawning…

Hasswald – Und So Begann… [EP]

Artist: Hasswald Country: Estonia Label: Warhorn Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 From the deepest and darkest pits of Estonia comes this new and anonymous Black Metal act Hasswald. With next to nothing of information to work with, this illustrious band…

Azathoth’s Dream – Nocturnal Vampyric Bewitchment

Artist: Azathoth’s Dream Country: USA Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP Year: 2023 Earlier this year I was pretty impressed by the American Black Metal band Luring, brought to us by Iron Bonehead Productions. The mystic and haunting Black Metal…

Annihilation Cult – Demonstration MMXXIII [Demo]

Artist: Annihilation Cult Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Although ‘Demonstration MMXXIII’ is the first offering of this new American outfit, it does not consist out of newbees. On the contrary, the trio are also active in…

Kêres – The King Sleeps without Tears [EP]

Artist: KêresCountry: FinlandLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: 12” EP / CD EPYear: 2023 It pretty much says it all about Atvar, that while recording the latest full-length ‘Vexilloid’ he just recorded another Kêres EP in the same session. Thus, instead of making…

Kêres – Vexilloid

Artist: KêresCountry: FinlandLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Kêres has never been a band that delved into frivolic and experimental outskirts of Black Metal. Whenever you buy a record bearing the band name, you know that primitive and raw…

Uhritulet – Uhritulet

Artist: UhrituletCountry: FinlandLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: CDYear: 2023 Even though Uhritulet hails from Finland, the band consisting of sole member VP doesn’t exactly sound like your run of the mill Finnish act. Perhaps the bareboned midtempo basis of groove along…

Malokarpatan – Vertumnus Caesar

Artist: MalokarpatanCountry: SlovakiaLabel: Invictus ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 It’s kind of odd to realize that ‘Stridžie dni’ was released as recently as 2015. It certainly feels to me as if Malokarpatan has been around for decades, in terms of…

Ulvhedner – Fjosmetall

Artist: Ulvhedner Country: Norway Label: Hellstain Productions Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 No, I was not exactly impressed by the sophomore album of this Norwegian Pagan-ish Black Metal act. That record, ‘Legd’ from 2020, sounded much…

In Twilight’s Embrace- Eden of Iniquity [EP]

Artist: In Twilight’s EmbraceCountry: PolandLabel: Cold Weapons MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2023 Without any doubt, ‘Lifeblood’ by In Twilight’s Embrace still stands as one of my favorite records of 2022. And while many records lose their radiance over time, I personally…

Grïixis – Srenvëlet Falëndalët [Demo]

Artist: Grïixis Country: France Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Without the need of having to give any specific examples, some countries are special when it comes to their local (extreme) metal scenes. The beauty of Black Metal is…

Gam – Alt Hans Væsen

Artist: Gam Country: Denmark Label: Den Ottende Kunst Formats: Cassette Tape Year: 2023 Those who have been digging deep enough into the gems and secrets of today’s Black Metal scene might have been stumbling upon last year’s great ‘Hvisken Fra…

Thurthul – Hate, Vengeance, Black Metal

Artist: ThurthulCountry: PolandLabel: Stronghold Clothes and Music / Werewolf Promotion / Wulfhere ProductionsFormats: Cassette EP / CD EP
Year: 2023 Hate, Vengeance, Black Metal: the Polish one-man band Thurthul leaves little to the imagination when it comes to the genre of…

Asagraum – Veil of Death, Ruptured

Artist: AsagraumCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Edged Circle ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 That the Dutch Black Metal scene has been thriving has been noticeable within the borders of the country for many years. But also internationally, bands are…

Kratti – Demo 2023

Artist: KrattiCountry: FinlandLabel: Escafismo Records / TÄH! RecordsFormats: Demo tape / Demo CDYear: 2023 Anleifr strikes again. Having previously impressed with Xavarthan, Stutyr and Herugrim, the multi-instrumentalist returns with Kratti in which he’s joined by Elliot and Sami. Black Metal is…

Siimes – Näkyjä Pimeydessä [EP]

Artist: SiimesCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 Siimes from Joensuu, Finland, is not your typical Finnish Black Metal band. At least not in terms of musical formula. Rather than basing their style on influential compatriots such as Beherit, Satanic Warmaster,…

Herzog – Furnace

Artist: HerzogCountry: BelgiumLabel: Amor Fati ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Once again the Belgian Black Metal scene and the German label Amor Fati Productions cooperate to bring us a new slice of darkness. And not for the first time, musical…