Album Reviews

One decade after launching their fourth studio album “Dark Space III I", the Swiss atmospheric/ambient black metal voyagers DarkSpace return for another cosmic odyssey, crafted by the trio Wroth (Paysage d'Hiver), Zhaaral (Sun of the Blind), and Yhs. DarkSpace inked an international deal with Season of Mist last year with the announcement that a new material was in the work. The fifth album "Dark Space -II" is a vivid sonic adventure combining chugging grooves, electronic drums, and spacey-driven riffs scattered like mercurial droplets.
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Following the unique extravagant third endeavor “... and As We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye” which was released in 2018, the German progressive death rockers Chapel of Disease seems to have mended their sound recently with their newest album “Echoes of Light” out via Ván Records since February 9th, 2024. Though I was immediately hooked to the renovated style and the characteristic change from old-school death metal to a progressive-flavored 70s rock music, I surmised that the band was up to something very creative after hearing their first single.
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Death metal kings of Norway Blood Red Throne offers a brutal delivery on the band’s 11th album “Nonagon” out now via Soulseller Records since January 26th, 2024. Blood Red Throne was formed in 1998 by guitarist Død AKA Daniel Olaisen and drummer Freddy Bolsø (ex-Enslaved). Over the past two decades the band achieved a certain popularity in Norway and Europe, their debut album “Monument of Death” was released in 2001.
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Inquisition’s take on pure black metal has become more relevant to bands like Immortal, their signature style and froggy vocals are very similar to those of Abbath. The Columbian duo has enthralled fans of black metal with their songwriting qualities. “Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence” is another chapter in the band’s musical canon out via Agonia Records since January 26th, 2024, the new endeavor proves that the Inquisition evolved to the highest caliber. The themes of witchcraft, magic, sorcery, and mysticism are the objective key to the nature of the lyrics, which isn’t something the band hasn’t delved into in the past.
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Amor Fati Productions presents the debut album “Towards the Nightside” of the international symphonic black metal formation Secrets. Features renowned members from Sweden and the U.S.A. like Swartadauþuz (Gardsghastr, Bekëth Nexëhmü) on rhythm & lead guitar, bass, and keyboards, Esoterica (Chaos Moon) on keyboards, Likpredikaren (Ars Hmu and Ringarë) on vocals, Juhos on drums and Sortilege on lead guitar and keyboards. This new project band sees these musicians joining forces in an unholy alliance that resulted in some of the most glorious 90s symphonic and atmospheric creations in recent history.
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Hulder is a solo act formed by the originally Belgian, but now US-based multi-instrumentalist whose influence stemmed mainly from the European traditional black metal. Although Hulder’s first full-length album “Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry” was well-received by many fans of the genre, the resulting hype ensured that Hulder would soon return with a brand-new album. The sophomore “Verses In Blood” is scheduled for a release date on February 9th, 2024 via 20 Buck Spin, the growing talent flecks in the chilling tremolo-picked riffs and exalting the true essence of the 90s black metal.
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French black/death four-piece Necrowretch are back with their 5th studio album “Swords of Dajjal” out via Season of Mist since February 2nd, 2024. Musically, Necrowretch captures the old-school vibe of black metal their sound can be chaotic fast, and blasphemous. “The Swords of Dajjal” is a savage and ominous soundtrack to the demons of hell. Now almost ten years after the release of the first studio album “Putrid Death Sorcery”, the band gradually evolved over the past sixteen years, but aesthetically Necrowretch developed more of an evil and darker sound within the bounds of black and death metal.
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Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Sovereign is a relatively newly formed band that plays death/thrash metal in the old school style of the 80s. Having formed in 2018 the band managed to release a single demo and one EP “Neurotic” in 2020, the line-up features present and former members from black metal and thrash bands like Den Saakaldte, Incinerator and Nocturnal breed. Sovereign’s first full-length studio album was released via Dark Descent Records on January 19th, 2024.
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Chilean death metal cult Unaussprechlichen Kulten has been around for over two decades. Since 2005 the band bestowed its devotion to the ancient cult, becoming one of the main acts in the underground scene in South America. The band’s evolution pursues the primordial sound of death metal with an inspiration crawling out from the Latin American method like Masacre, Mortem, and many more Unaussprechlichen Kulten’s 6th album “Häxan Sabaoth” is released via Iron Bonehead Productions on February 2nd, 2024.
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Portland, Oregon-based death metal four-piece Vitriol launched its second full-length album “Suffer & Become” on January 26th, 2024, via Century Media Records and while there is an interesting quality attributed to the insane drumming work, the band opted for a brutalized and blackened sound in general. Fronted by Kyle Rasmussen (vocals, guitars), Adam Roethlisberger (vocalist, bass), Daniel Martinez (guitars), and Matt Kilner (drums) Vitriol managed to keep its furious amalgamation of fast-paced guitar riffs and swift tempo changes in sync with monstrous growls. The bombastic guitar arrangements and the drums propel a hail of blast beats and the guitar solos, and the melodies share the spotlight the album is bloated and stuffed full of chunky riffs.
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