Album Reviews

Swedish symphonic/operatic metal ensemble Therion crafts one of its best albums to date, inspired by their defining work of combining the elements of heavy/power metal with sublime orchestral elements. With many achievements in the band’s discography in the past comes the final installment of the trilogy 'Leviathan III' which in my opinion surpasses the preceding volumes, is composed by none other than mastermind Christofer Johnsson. The newest endeavor is the first to be released under the banner of Napalm Records and is set for a release date on December 15th, 2023.
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England’s three-piece death metal band Cryptworm is back with their second full full-length album 'Oozing Radioactive Vomition' out on December 15th, 2023, via Me Saco Un Ojo Records, Pulverised Records and Extremely Rotten Productions. All the rotten elements of Demilich and those burping-soaked vocals degenerate into something foul and filthy on the band’s newest album, although I do think that Cryptworm has enhanced the putrid chunky death metal riffs with plenty of variation to pound the listener into a sickening nausea.
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Norwegian black metal outfit Troll continues to carry the inspiration of its homeland’s symphonic black metal. It was formed in Oslo by the legendary iconic multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Stian Arnesen A.K.A. Nagash (ex-Dimmu Borgir, The Kovenant, ex-Carpe Tenebrum). Nagash's talent was cited in the 1995 demo 'Trollstorm over Nidingjuv' as blisteringly cold raw and atmospheric, but Troll made its name with the first full-length album 'Drep de Kristne' in 1996. Since the mid-era of the band eschewed the traditional second-wave black metal and took an experimental form in sound, it was not until the year 2010 that the band launched its fourth album 'Neo-Satanic Supremacy' which was a welcoming return to symphonic black metal.
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Cincinnati-Ohio-based melodic black metal outfit Valdrin returned with their fourth album titled “Throne of The Lunar Soul” out via Blood Harvest on November 24th, 2023. The initiation of the quartet in 2014 is a testament to high quality caliber, and the fourth album is the consequence of excellent songwriting and talent in the underground metal scene of the USA. “Throne of The Lunar Soul” is the band’s best outing yet, the composition is layered in symphonic canvas combined to make the album melodic and captivating.
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Montréal-based death metal band Phobocosm is back with their new album “Foreordained” and the final part of the trilogy which began in 2014. As gloomier as the covert art of the album, Phobocosm insists on a doomier sound and this is one of the remarks that defines the third installment. The Québec quartet showed great potential on the debut "Deprived" and the sophomore "Bringer of Drought". Even though the atmosphere here plays an intriguing part for the six new songs, Phobocosm has that cavernous quality of sludge death doom.
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Besides providing a exquisitely apt description of the music on offer, SLOW is as well an acronym for Silence Lives Out/Over Whirlpool. This was incidentally also the moniker of their debut album.

Way back in 2009 SLOW was just a one-man show, founded by our Belgian compatriot of Olmo Lipani aka Déhà.  At this time, this was a purely instrumental affair that offered 2 massive tracks of ambient heaviness. The first one even clocking in over 45 minutes. This was followed up two years later by ‘II-Deeper in the space, Higher in the Ocean’, ‘III- Gaia’ in 2013 and 2015’s ‘IV- Myhologiae’ along the way letting some sparse, growled vocals seep their way in.
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Everwave released their second full length album 'Another Lifetime' on December 1st. Over the course of the last three years, Everwave already released four of the nine songs of their new album. While they took their sweet time to get the album ready, they used that time to experiment and refine their sound further.
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Belgian death metal five-piece Carnation shows a real knack for hitting a high target with their newest album “Cursed Mortality” released via Season of Mist on November 3rd, 2023. One decade after their formation, Carnation continues to develop in the old-school style of Swedish death metal a la Entombed. The third album is uncompromising intensity, where each of the eight tracks combines hefty HM-2 guitar riffs and vicious growls. Carnation has stepped up their game on the songwriting and there is no question about the quality and the performance.
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In the past, I have done other single reviews and an EP review from Chris Maragoth. This time, he is releasing his first full-length album on November 24, 2023. Some of the songs have already been released before, and have been remastered for this album. Some songs are brand new. Let's check them out!
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The Finnish symphonic black metal collective Vargrav has borne its mark in crafting a timeless record for fans of symphonic black metal. The third album “The Nighthold” out via Werewolf Records on December 15th, 2023, reflects the songwriting magnificence of V-Khaoz Stormrage (keyboards) in creating some of the prominent pieces in the genre. The fabulous lineup is amassed by the artistic genius of V-Khaoz and it includes Graf Werwolf Von Armageddon (vocals), Trollhorn of the Black Harvest (guitars, bass), and Baron M. Tarwonen (drums).
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