Album Reviews

Hailing from Sweden, The Halo Effect is inspired by the modern melodeath metal that presents something familiar to fans of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and At The Gates. “March of the Unheard” is the second album by the super group with Mikael Stanne on vocals, Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad on guitars, Peter Iwers on bass, and Daniel Svensson on drums.
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Aeon of Awareness is back with a new album. Previous EP's I've heard have always been deep, both literally as emotionally. But they always have a touch of mystery and hope but also darkness. The music is always very interesting to listen to and speaks to your feelings. I'm curious to find out how this one is going to sound. Let's find out together.
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Veterans of Greek black metal outfit Yoth Iria carved their names on the pantheon with bassist Jim Mutilator (ex-Rotting Christ, and ex-Varathron) at the helm of the band, and guitarists Nikolas Perlepe and Naberius, drummer Vasilis Stavrianidis and vocalist HE. They continue their Hellenic version of black metal in the third studio album “Blazing Inferno” which delivers a palate of epic riffs and bombastic keyboards Yoth Iria doesn’t only capture the glorious sound of Greek black metal with the composition, but they have also achieved unprecedented mastery.
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One of the greatest surprises of 2024 for me comes from Italy’s progressive death metal quartet Bedsore, whose sophomore full-length “Dreaming the Strife for Love” seems like one of those 70s progressive rock bands. Although the debut album “Hypnagogic Hallucinations” showed definite signs of potential from these Italians; they have finally honed an effective craft derived from the classic progressive rock appeal.
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Hailing from France, Omegaeternum is a black metal band, their music imparts a mystical sense of atmosphere. The debut full-length album “1248” was released via Van Records on November 25th, 2024. Omegaeternum conjures something much more menacing to create a gloomy sensation, with keyboards and your standard black metal screeches sounding dark and the tremolo pickings cascading from the furious drums; the epic hooks enhance the raw atmosphere.
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Stockholm-based black metal outfit Mörk Gryning continues holding its legacy in the same ilk of Necrophobic, and Lord Belial. The founding members Goth Gorgon (bass, backing vocals) and, Draakh Kimera (lead vocals, and guitars), C-G (drums) make their seventh offering in the melodious style, and with the addition of the recording lineup Aeon (keyboards, backing vocals) and S-L (lead guitars, backing vocals) deliver wonderful melodies.
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The history of As I Lay Dying is not a walk in the park. Formed in 2000 and all went well. In 2014 Tim Lambesis (vocals) was arrested because he hired a hitman to murder his wife. What he didn't knew was that this hitman was an undercover agent. He was sentenced to six years in prison but was released earlier because of good behavior. In 2018 after a lot of excuses the band reunited. After the release of 'Shaped By Fire' in 2019 the band crumbled, leaving only Tim and Phil Sgrosso left. The members were replaced by Nick Pierce, Ryan Neff and Ken Susi, who all left the band recently together with Phil just before this new album 'Through Storms Ahead' was released, let's dig in.
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Djevel earned authenticity in the Norwegian black metal scene since its inception, the showmanship of the guitarist and vocalist Trånn Ciekals along with drummer Faust and vocalist and bassist Kvitrim resulted in some of the best black metal albums in my opinion. The end of the trilogy with the symmetry of the word “Natt” albums once again brings the trio to validate their artistry of Nordic aesthetics. “Natt Til Ende” is the follow-up to the 2022 album “Naa skrider natten sort” and is immediately distinctive when you think of other Norwegian black metal acts such as Taake, old Satyricon, and Kvist; however, the trio in Djevel took this influence and created a grim sound.
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Two years ago, U.S. death metal band Molder showed great promise when they released their sophomore “Engrossed in Decay”. Now the quartet has set its record in stone, returning for a third studio album “Catastrophic Reconfiguration” out via Prosthetic Records on November 8th, 2024. Aaren Pantke's retro-styled growling is very much in the vein of bands like Obituary and Asphyx; the slow cave-man riffs like Autopsy and the killer grooves of guitarist Carlos Santini make a fantastic combination of slow mid-tempo riffs and the brutal drum fills of Kyle Pooley are layered with solid bass riffs of Dom Vaia.
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After debuting their self-titled EP in 2022, Finnish death metal five-piece Ashen Tomb masterly accomplished a crushing record, the full-length “Ecstatic Death Reign” offers galloping and dynamics full of abrasive drumming and deep guttural growls. This incredible exploration of the new album will not disappoint fans of Disma and Incantation, the eight songs maintain a powerful intensity that makes it a top-tier release.
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