Craft - White Noise and Black Metal (2018)

Void arrived at a six-year gulf from its predecessor Fuck the Universe, and inevitably became a bit of a disappointment, if not remotely bad. White Noise and Black Metal, however, came after a seven-year break in studio releases, the longest wait in their career (until now, as we are approaching 8 years and counting); and I feel like this time must have been well spent since the songwriting and energy is quite refreshed. It plays within the same ballpark as their other material, but it doesn't feel quite so drudging or dreary as Void did, there's a more adventurous sense to the guitar riffing, and a lot more tasteful detail through repeated listening. Craft is an interesting band, because they are simple and easy to grasp, but their albums are always growers (one shrinker), and when White Noise and Black Metal came out, I picked up the CD, enjoyed it well enough, but didn't think much about it until the ensuing years of spins.

Today, I think it's pretty awesome. The sound is a little less bulky than its predecessor, I'd hate to say 'graceful' or 'vibrant' with a band as apocalyptic and evil as these Swedes, but a lot of the guitar tone is lighter and gives a higher-pitched feel, and that's where a lot of those details are. They are still largely a band that moves at that slower pace, and you get some killer churn riffs like in "Again" or the awesome "Darkness Falls". However, that space is filled in better here, especially by Daniel Moilanen's drumming, which is by far the most interesting that has appeared on a Craft record. While I wouldn't go so far as to call this material 'progressive', he certainly adds an element of that flexibility that he's brought to the recent streak of Katatonia releases, and it's another way in which White Noise stands out against the back catalogue. But the Joakim and John also keep the guitars interesting, with a bag of new BM tricks that poke through most of the tunes, and the added spaciousness to the mix and composition also allows the bass to have a stronger supporting role, a shadow thundering beneath the more ethereal guitars.

Nox does what he always does, one of the most formidably vile of the Swedish BM front-men, but again the scope of this album allows for his rasps to cascade about the atmosphere and create a lasting, resonant impact. The lyrics have been pretty top notch since the third album, but here they take on a more introspective feel, dark and ponderous but not as cliched or Satanic and anti-human as they were in the formative years. White Noise and Black Metal is a heater, and though it took some years to properly dig in, I'd now award it the silver metal, standing on the abyssal podium to the right of Fuck the Universe, with Terror Propaganda in the bronze. Great Swedish black metal that scratches the itch of their earlier work while giving you a lot more to think about.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

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Craft - Void (2011)

Void is an album that had sort of the opposite affect on me as its predecessor Fuck the Universe. Here is one that I quite liked upon its release, but have gradually grown a little bored of throughout the years. It sort of mirrors that Darkthrone era from 1996-2006 in its bleakness, only I happen to find all of those records more memorable. Actually, I don't want to complete drag this one through the dirt, because there's a lot going on here that I do like aesthetically, more going on in fact than what's on those Norwegian records, and in the right setting I'll still spin it, but often I'll pick and choose particular tracks rather than crave the experience as a whole. I can promise that it is as grim and apocalyptic as anything else they've ever put out, so...no worries there.

This is dense, slow, and atmospheric, with a selection of those simple Hellhammer/Celtic Frost derived grooves being sliced through by the tremolo picking parts. I'm glad for that exchange, actually, because it makes tunes like "Come Resonance of Doom" or "The Ground Surrenders" somewhat listenable. It isn't until "Succumb to Sin" where those leaden, thick rhythm guitar riffs really pull their own weight with an actually amazing riff, and that's my favorite track on the album with ease. A lot of the other patterns here just feel a little stale and leaning upon the atmospherics to get by. Another highlight are the eerie melodies in "Bring on the Clouds", but the latter half of Void is dominated by these longer songs in which I don't feel entirely fulfilled, they impress me in parts but can become a burden in their entirety. There is one track there, "I Want to Commit Murder" which has some faster riffing to break it up, but that one doesn't have a lot of payoff even when it slows back down with its thuggish bridge riff.

The vocals and consistency of mood here do a lot to keep it coherent; the former as resonant and evil as ever, though they do feel somewhat monotonous along the gray din of the songwriting. Yeah, this is an album you 'hear' by looking at the cover, and vice versa. It's certainly playing within the confines of Craft's tookbox, and suckers for its influences, or the slower, rawer side of black metal or black & roll will find that it stays pretty truthful to the aesthetics, but it hasn't aged for me as well as the albums on either side of it, and these days it's the last in their discography that I'm likely to revisit, though I'd throw "Succumb to Sin" on a condensed compilation of tunes if I were introducing someone to their music. It's competent, it's Craft, it's certainly not bad or even mediocre, the lyrics maintain the upgrade they got with Fuck the Universe; but it's down the trenches for now.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10] (Old, deformed and barren)

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Morgue Supplier - Mastering the Disease (2026)

Driven by inhuman, mechanical blasting rhythms that collapse and contrast against its more meandering, atmospheric grooves, Mastering the Disease seems a fit evolution for the previous Morgue Supplier record, Inevitability and its subsequent single tracks. But where its stylistic frame is comparable, there's something even harsher and more 'checked out' sounding about some of this newest material. A collision of death, grind, industrial vibes, even some noticeable progressive elements in the structuring, they really swing for the fences. I'd liken it to a sort of 'cybergrind', only you replace almost all of the futuristic (or at this point, retro futurist) synths and sound effects with loads of dissonant, death metal guitars more central to that genre, and a gruesome vocal exhibition which is actually quite detailed and technical as it's laid out.

A good example of the varied carnage this band can create of its listeners would be "Pupils of Insularity", starting off with a pensive flow, cleaner melodic guitars and thick bass, almost Godflesh-like vibes, which escalates into a head-spinning, dissonant bender that feels like you're testing a drum machine to hear how fast it will go before exploding; all the while the other instruments crash along with abandon and Paul Gillis wretches and sneers and vomits all over the riffing. This is not for the faint of heart, anyone wearing a pacemaker, or anyone retaining a warm view of humanity. Other dizzying tracks include the psychotic "Annihilated Thinker" with its broken beats that descend into strange sampling and drugged, dissonant riffs that ooze around the meat of the distorted bass-lines. "Next World Consumes" is a harrowing endscape soundscape, oppression thicker than concrete, but by the time you hear that you're probably already either dead or suffering a severe headache.

Thankfully, if you DO survive that, the closer is a brilliant dark ambient track, "Indifferent Majesty", which is one of my favorites on the album, even though it's completely different to everything before it. Spacious but intense, it shows the flip side of what these creators are thinking but from an entirely different, non-percussionist perspective. The cover art here also reminds me a lot of the post-modern cyberpunk/body horror film Tetsuo: the Iron Man by Shinya Tsukamoto, and it unquestionably might serve as a sort of aural counterpart to that visual experience. This is the future, here, ugly as fuck, and not what we were hoping. While not as brilliantly riffy as the band's eponymous 2016 album, my favorite, and a little less sublime than Inevitability, Mastering the Disease is still very intense, with just enough devil in the details, especially the myriad abusive vocals and provocative bi-polar shifts between blasting and grooves that litter its debris-ridden labyrinth of noise.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

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Craft - Fuck the Universe (2005)

If you asked me to choose a favorite Swedish black metal for all time, I can't promise that this record would win the honors, but I'd absolutely be taking it down off the shelf to compare and contrast it against the other picks. Fuck the Universe elevated the band's nihilistic ravings to an entirely new level, as the Chaos symbol and title imply, we've gone beyond crushing mere humanity and/or Christianity to everything in all of existence, and I think that sentiment is reflected well by Craft's increased devotion to songwriting. I never really buzzed about this one enough back in the day or on my earlier lists; it was something I enjoyed upon first exposure, but has aged really well with time, and obviously grown on me more than anything else they've released. What's more, it does further distance itself from its more overt influences.

Yes, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Darkthrone still account for the DNA of the sound here, but it's been innovated upon, with a more layered and nuanced approach. Mood and melancholy are measured off against the grimness of the vocals and genre conventions, and the songs always give themselves enough time to express their ideas while absorbing the listener fully; we hear this in the 7+ minute "Thorns in the Planet's Side" with its spacious, doomy atmosphere, or the churning finale "Principium Anguis' with all its thundering fills and soul-crushing riffs. But another element that I really enjoyed here is that they started to incorporate a little bit of a black/thrash vibe ("Fuck the Universe") which reminded me of the direction Aura Noir had started to head in, or "Xenophobia" which has these similarly thrashy pulses and grooves which capitalize on the surging evil verse riffs. They explore far more material here than on the prior records, the 51+ minutes offering you a lot of range while also honoring all of what they brought to the table from 2000-2002.

Vocals still sound as nasty as ever, but they've got a lot more to compete with musically, which is where Craft have truly developed here. I think the drums and bass lines stand out more here too, there's just a more organic vibe to the entire recording that reminds me a lot of some of the black & roll stuff put out by a Satyricon or Sarke. It's robust and clean, but all of that sinister attitude from the band's riffing and singing is fully intact. Fairly refreshing when you consider that a lot of the 'necro' black metal bands shy away from such production improvements in order to retain the icy rawness. There's nothing wrong with that, mind you, but I don't feel as if it would achieve what Fuck the Universe does with this sort of atmosphere. A phenomenal album, the first off my shelf when I am in the mood for this band, with a good amount of content and plenty enough ideas to fill that time. Craft at their finest, with at least 4-5 songs ("Fuck the Universe", "Terni Exustae - Queen Reaper", "Xenophobia", etc.) that would make my highlight reel of their whole career. Also: better lyrics than the first two albums by far.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10]

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Craft - Terror Propaganda (2002)

Terror Propaganda is another of the early Craft records which has so many similarities to the earlier post-Soulside Journey Darkthrone material, back when those Norsemen were first exploring black metal, that it's not hard to understand why some were calling it a knockoff. But when you dig beneath just the surface impressions I think there's plenty going on here to enjoy...are they paying tribute to their more established peers? Absolutely. The black/white cover with the pose (but hey no fire breathing!). The entirely colorless, nihilistic lyrics and pure malevolence created through the riff progressions and vocals. The first song here is even titled "Ablaze". But it's a damn GOOD tribute, is the thing, and never tries to hide it, and in exploring this sound, once again develops a few ideas of its own that make it eminently re-listenable.

They did drop a bit of that Hellhammer influence here, especially in the guitar tone. Some of the slower, oozier riffs have disappeared, although not entirely, and you'll recognize it in songs like "Reaktor 4". In fact, much of the material here is still mid-pace cruise mode, but that's also where they come up with a lot of their darker guitar patterns ("The Silence Thereafter"). The tremolo picking guitars have evolved from the debut, and more confidently take the lead on some of the tunes, but they've also got some layers of atmospherics or melodies that will appear at the edge of perception to elevate the material. Some would say that the Hellhammer bits have transformed into the 'black & roll' school of riffing, and that's true, but once again one of my favorite parts of the recording, for example in "Hidden Under the Skin" these bad ass guitars balance out nicely against the more wistful melancholy of the licks in the mid-paced blasting sequence. And "False Orders Begone" is an amazing use of that Hellhammer vibe into something that feels fresh with Mikael's nasty vocals slathered all over it.

They still use some of the crazy screams here, and they feel more bloody and fresh-killed than on the debut, adding more depth to the heights. I would say that the overall structure of the album is slower, but they never become boring, always exploring some ideas to flesh out the compositions which are usually only 3-5 minutes to begin with. The drums are tinny and efficient as was popular for this necro niche of black metal, but I didn't notice a lot of bass presence throughout, it's certainly taking more of a back seat than Total Soul Rape, but not absent. We've still not hit the peak of the Craft yet, and this one isn't quite so diabolically fun as the debut, but I'd say musically it's one I place just a stride beyond that. It's a little colder, more atmospheric, and numbing, but still has tasteful evil melodic licks and dark, powerful grooves.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (We are messengers)

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Craft - Total Soul Rape (2000)

Craft was such a cool band to see at the turn of the century because they were already playing this retro brand of necro black metal only a decade or less since the originals. The Darkthrone parallels were obvious here, from the black & white photography on the cover to the sound that was heavily reminiscent of Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost. That said, they've got plenty of personality unto themselves, with a few creative riffing ideas that they were adding to that legacy, some truly nasty vo-kills and an unapologetically dark and depressive attitude that is on full display throughout the lyrics. The debut Total Soul Rape was my first exposure, and while I enjoyed it to an extent, the years have definitely given me a greater appreciation for its brash charisma.

You've got that fuzzy rhythm guitar tone circa Hellhammer, the difference is that Craft will burst out into these tremolo picked evil riffs or blasted messes that were taken from the earlier second wave stuff. The stuff is pretty saturated, the drums rocking out with a nice crash and clutter to them as the bass lines just churn back and forth below. The vocals have this hideous presence front and center, as I think was the intention, but everything else is also pretty clear and loses no potency against Mikael's formidable rasp. Most of the tracks have this really memorable feature to them, also, like the frilly, whipping leads in "Death to Planet Earth", the climactic dissonant grooving riffs of "(Desolation) Death", or the doomy Hellhammer riffs in "Past, Present, Dead". The band might seem purposefully raw and unrefined on the surface, but they were good songwriters even from this earlier stage, even the debatable choices on this record like the weird wailed vocals that occasional appear seem deliberate and effective atmospherics.

Lyrically it's bleak; not in a 'bad' way (is there a good way?), but just about every song here is apocalyptic in scope, supremely nihilistic and misanthropic, whether it's teabagging Satan or not. So in other words, it's your average 90s black metal approach which earns the tile of 'grimness', and let's face it, when we gaze upon its Darkthrone-like title with the splash of red/orange in the logo/title, that is exactly what we would expect. Total Soul Rape is not my favorite release from them, but it's also got a lot more longevity to it than your typical newspaper-tone necro-black metal recording, of which there have been countless released since this one (and a lot before it too). This really holds up, and I had fun listening to it here in 2025 as much or more than ever in the past. It's like A Blaze in the Northern Sky if you turned off the air conditioner and cranked up the evil instead.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (purest noxious water)

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Sarke - Endo Feight (2024)

Sarke has always had those weird, interesting album titles, but Endo Feight ("End of Eight") is either the best-planned, or most purely prophetic of them, since this would prove the last of their studio efforts and it might have been set up that way before it was even recorded. Fear not, though, this album is an absolute banger, a celebration of all that had come before it, with a few hooks of its own but largely serving to solidify their consistent track record. The lineup is still the four 'classic' guys that had been with the band the most: Nocturno Culto on the vocals, Sarke on the bass, also returning to his traditional drum role from his other bands; Steinar on the guitars and Anders on the keys.

Everything is on the table here, the structured and simplified black/thrash which is more drawn from that old Swiss school than so many of the other bands in the style which mimic your Venoms, Slayers or early German thrash records. The proggy influences here aren't always worn on the sleeves so much as they are packed into the meatier riffing progressions, but you also get a lot of those amazing synths and pianos, showing the same restraint Anders always does. These create the dramatic atmospheres the guitars themselves wouldn't be capable of in their current configurations, without ever stepping on anyone. There are some choppy tunes here with a lot of chugging, like "Death Construction", or darker, bluesy grooves as in the closer "Macabre Embrace", and they even toss us an almost pure trad black metal track with "In Total Allegiance" which only adds to the sort of ouroboros vibe of keeping their endgame consistent with their opening salvo, or in this case, their roots.

Nocturno sounds amazing, and I will truly miss his voice in this project, even though I can still experience his work in Darkthrone. But that's the weird thing about Endo Feight. I usually feel some loss when a band I love dissolves. In this case, I feel like Sarke, NC and company really explored this dimension they wanted to splice up between black, thrash, doom, 70s rock, prog, and so forth. Nothing more is owed. Or needed. The closing tolls of "Macabre Embrace" say it all. They gave us EIGHT albums that I've ranked from merely 'very good' to superb, and other than a small handful of tracks which one might relegate to the 'just okay' category, I could listen to any of these in its entirety without needing to skip anything. That's pretty high praise, and the fact that these albums are stamped with a timelessness through their blend of styles and top notch production ensures they are nothing I will ever leave behind. I salute you, gentlemen, one of the best and most consistent bands most people hand and will have never heard of. Success in all your other projects, and thank you for this amazing slew of music that I can never repay in more than praise.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10] (Resting in the damp ground)

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/

Sarke - Allsighr (2021)

Allsighr is the first Sarke album where I detect a hint of color to the cover choice. Maybe it's just my imagination that there's a bit of blue painted in there with the blacks and grays and whites, maybe even a little brown, but it makes a little bit of aesthetic since as the band seems to have become so confident and proficient in its sound that it's almost like they are emerging from some larval stage. I don't think one is as expansive to their sound as Gastwerso, but its clearly one of their best-rounded, memorable efforts that takes all which has come before as a toolset to write some entirely kickass material which, for me, almost rivals Viige Urgh.

Yes, the whole enchilada of the Norwegians' sonic package is brought to bear upon their fanbase, and anyone else who has the pleasure of encountering their incredibly underrated catalog of music. The first clip of "Bleak Reflections" will have you thinking they've embraced their more traditional black metal roots, but that is merely a ruse, as they will soon dial it back into the mix of minimalistic thrash aesthetics, black & roll stylings, a little progressive rock in the use of several of the synths and song structures, and that doom vibe which has never taken over their style completely but deserves mention in the conversation. The tunes here are very well composed, balanced, always possessive of the band's unique mystique ("Funeral Fire", "Through the Thorns"), and never shying away from trying a riffing pattern they haven't hit upon before. Cato Bekkevold (ex-Enslaved) does the drums here and they sound as crisp and professional as any of his forebears.

Allsighr is pretty amazing. The production is clean and effective, every note hitting exactly where it needs to on your aural palate, and every instrument and vocal mixed with lethal clarity. The album thrives in both its harsher, grooving moments and the calms, of which there are a number in the intros/segues as well as the ambient/piano piece "Sleep in Fear". It's extremely accessible, which is another reason I'm shocked that this band never got much huger than they did. Perhaps it's just not 'extreme' enough if we're talking about the black metal genre as a whole. It's not going to spin heads off necks, it isn't blasting at a million miles an hour, the vocals are cutting but never overbearing, the symphonic ingredients are a minor embellishment and not a Wagnerian tour de force. But this is SONGCRAFT, by experts, who catch vibes from the aether and ride them to dark, pleasurable heights.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (Obsessed with what's below)

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/

Sarke - Gastwerso (2019)

Gastwerso capitalizes on the success of Viige Urh with a few minor tweaks, but I was really satisfied that they continued with this brighter, more kinetic-sounding production style, just as clean as most of the prior albums, but here the guitar riffs sound a little more sharp and cutting. Part of this is the emphasis on some heavier material, for instance the tremolo black metal riff explosion in the middle of awesome opener "Ghost War". There's also a little more mystique to this album, perhaps a more Eastern influence to the melodies in the synthesizers that make it all a bit more exotic and evil. I don't know that this one can match its predecessor blow for blow, but it's another excellent addition to Sarke's catalog.

Again, they've got an awesome combination of opening tracks to grab you, but where the album starts to get real interesting is "Mausoleum". They've used synths plenty through the discography, and always tastefully so, adding more than subtracting, but "Mausoleum" is the first case for me where they feel as if they're really attempting an arrangement. This one feels truly symphonic, the synths scintillating, the guitars and drums working in tandem to support it, and the little wailing melodies create such a stark contrast against NC's voice and the lyrics, which have this sad simplicity and finality to them befitting the title. What a cool track, and something new in the Sarke canon. This isn't entirely representative of the album, but they've got some other experiments here like the sultry acoustics and ambiance of "The Endless Wait" and the Goth-y/sympho step of "In the Flames", which admittedly is a little goofy with the placement of the verse lyrics and such, but in a good way.

Don't worry though, if you want more of the simpler black/thrash with the keys, there are plenty of those tunes here, like "Echoes from the Ancient Crucifix" or "Rebellious Bastard", two more easy highlights for me, and the latter even devolves into an almost Western vibe. I guess Gastwerso would overall win the award for the most 'prog' album in their catalogue to its day, the one most interested in expanded the band's portfolio to avoid the redundancy that might be created by the typical black & white cover images and overall minimalism. But that's not a bad thing, because it's largely fucking awesome; not every left turn here works equally, but overall the satisfaction level is quite high and it's another I often head back to.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10] (Blocking all the sight)

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/

Sarke - Viige Urh (2017)

If I had any reservations or mixed memories of the third or fourth albums, there could be no such confusion with Viige Urh, a record I fell in love with immediately, frontloading some of the catchiest material of the band's entire career. Straight from the opening title track, it brought me right back to what I enjoyed about the debut Vorunah, only performed here with a little more zest and energy. Simple, memorable black/thrash, obviously derived from that Hellhammer school of through, or Darkthrone, NC's main band, but given added breadth and atmosphere due to the tasteful use of synthesizers to make a more dramatic chorus and also help contrast against NC's gritty vocal style, a beauty to the beast.

"Viige Urh" and "Dagger Entombed" are probably the best opening one-two punch combo for me in their whole catalogue, the former for its vital thrashing pulse, and the latter for that amazing flow of grooves and dour-sounding synth tones that almost catapult you back to some Medieval era. But this record has so much more in store for you, like the charging "Age of Sail" with that sweet opening lead guitar, "Upir" with its lopsided, lumbering groove, or the slow-rolling atmospheric doom of "Punishment to Confessions". While there is variety here, I feel that Viige Urh is one of their most unified records in execution; the songs just sort of flow together the best, not that they don't on the older efforts but here they feel more purposely planned for maximum resonance with the listener. Yes, they're pulling in some light prog rock influences among the styles they already dabbled in, but everything else is straight from the Sarke playbook that you'd recognize from the first four.

Viige Urh absolutely stomps, with a more vibrant production than its predecessor and a selection of songs that never let up in quality through the entire playtime. Where, say I could point out a few on Aruagint that wouldn't make a career playlist, I'd probably have to include this entire album. This is the first I grab when introducing someone new to the band, and it has a high rate of success, taking what's so vital about the first two and improving upon that hybrid style. Nocturno's voice is the icing on the cake, but the music itself here is strong enough that I can occasionally put that to the sideline. Amazing stuff that holds up as strongly today as the first time I listened.

Verdict: Win [9.25/10]

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/

Sarke - Bogefod (2016)

When I was deciding to complete my reviews for the Sarke discography, a band I've long loved but never openly appreciated enough, I had a false memory that Bogefod was the worst of their albums, and thus it's the one I have the least experience listening to. I think I had it confused with one of the Khold albums or something, or maybe Araguint (which is also good), because it turns out total bullshit, the product of a mind cobwebbed with too much information. Bogefod is great, a record that sticks with its predecessors in style, but benefits from some fresh energy with the addition of the Kråbøl brothers Terje and Stian on the drums and guitar respectively. You might know them from other bands like Tulus, Khold, Gjendod and their namesake Kråbøl, all of whom you probably also enjoy (or would enjoy) if you like Sarke.

Bogefod isn't a far cry from the albums before it, no, but it's a little bit more vicious due to a mix that's a little more saturated, and this applies both to the more incendiary black/thrash material like "Taken" or the mood-setting, slower songs where the synthesizer plays a more dramatic, rainy role as in "Barrow of Torolv". There are great, soothing acoustic segues, a stab at some almost opera-like ethereal fare ("Dawnin") with folk singer Beate Amundsen, and a whole lotta great riffs slathered in Nocturno Culto's not so soothing bark, which to me is like having toast in the morning after listening to 35 years of his music. It balances the Hellhammer/Celtic Frost influences that have always informed this band's style with a few moments of more dissonant black metal, doom, thrash, folk, ambiance and while it's once again not quite the measure of the first two albums, it's very damn close.

In fact, this came out the same year as Arctic Thunder, my least favorite Darkthrone record (although not bad, per se), and I like this one much more. It's a bit more consistently catchy than Aruagint, has the slightly more acidic production and, when it wants to, sounds a little more 'dangerous'. It's things like this that are the reason I'm happy to go back through and cover discographies from bands I think deserve talking about, because occasionally you'll 'rediscover' something that you were either sleeping on, wrong about or just couldn't quite remember, and you'll be the richer for it. Bogefod is, like every Sarke album, worth a listen if not outright ownership, one of the black & roll royalty bands that should appeal if you like any other band I mentioned here in this review, mid-era Satyricon, or Slegest.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (He will not let death contain his madness)

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/

Sarke - Aruagint (2013)

The first two Sarke records gave me something that I never knew I needed but subconsciously probably always wanted: hearing Nocturno Culto's ghastly and gritty timbre in a context beyond Darkthrone. Now, Darkthrone is one of my favorite bands ever to exist in this plane of existence (there are others, and they hold up pretty well there too), and you could honestly be forgiven for hearing Aruagint or any of this project's other offerings and mistaking them for new works by that other band, who shifts styles around sometimes for consistent reinvention. I think Sarke has a much more accessible sound in general, a hybrid of black and doom and some simpler thrash metal with a super clean and almost minimalist production.

No, the atmosphere here doesn't come through the album's mix, as it does often with NC's mainstay. It's purely through the riffs, though they do add some synth or horn sounds. Sarke enables you to focus directly on the simpler, catchy guitar patterns and that voice, which is amazing at this slower pace. NC excels with some sustain to his growls, you can really feel them out and occasionally they get a little more gruesome, but if you're a fan of his from Darkthrone, then you're going to love records like this one just to have more. The lyrics are also really cool, with a simple but poignant poetry to them much like that other band, and written largely by Thomas 'Sarke' Berglie, the drummer for Khold and Tulus who is the heart and namesake of this project. His bass is quite memorable here, not for the lines so much but for the spongey tone you can hear buzzing alongside the bottom end, like a catfish feeding from the floor of your aquarium.

This is also one of two Sarke albums that Asgeir Mickelson performs on, and he makes it all sound so easy, with a steady, grooving rock style that's a bit simpler than what you've heard him pummel out on Borknagar or Spiral Architect. Everything here is cleanly written and executed, though there are couple super simple black & roll tracks like "Strange Pungent Odyssey" or "Jaunt of the Obsessed" which aren't among the catchiest they've put out. So this album doesn't quite achieve what Vorunah or Oldarhian did for me, but there are some heaters here like "Walls of Ru", "Salvation" (that bass!), the eerie yet warm "Skeleton Sand" and memorably, grooving "Icon Usurper" to compensate and keep this pretty essential if you enjoyed the first two, or Berglie's other bands that I mentioned above. Good riffs, mostly good songs, Nocturno Culto. You had me right there.

Verdict: Win [8/10] (Dragging shattered remains)

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/

Windir - Likferd (2003)

The fourth and final Windir record is the darkest. Not simply because I associate it with the untimely passing of its main protagonist Valfar in the year following its released (in a fucking blizzard of all things), but because it's got this more suffocating extremity about it. As I mentioned with 1184, rather than going more accessible with the winning formula of melodic clarity and folkish multi-instrumentation, Valfar and his shipmates moved off into a more aggressive direction, seeking to embrace the black metal fundamentals rather than shun them. Likferd goes even harder than the last album, and with the increasingly savage vocals and sheer velocity of the riffs and drumming.

That's not to say you don't get some variation, some brilliant moments of pause like the dark synthscape that punctuates "Resurrection of the Wild" or the bass-driven grooves of "Blodssvik" which sounds more like a Gothic rock song until those familiar melodies surge forward. But overall, Likferd is content to hammer away at your corporal body and then let the melodies and awesome male choir vocals carry you off into Valhalla. Despite the kinetic, melodic glaze found in tracks like "Martyrium" or "On the Mountain of Goats", they thrive off the strength of the riffing and sheer force. And there is riffing aplenty, with Valfar trying a whole array of new patterns that pull from thrash or melodic death metal but then plant them directly into the Viking furor. There are windows of proggy sounds and structures also placed throughout the 48 minute visceral structure of this experience, and one wonders if they had continued they might have pursued paths more akin to how Enslaved was already evolving at that very moment.

The mix still isn't my favorite, it's very steady but also kind of got a murk to it despite all the melodic strivings. That said, I think the drums sound a lot better than the last record, or at least the kicks and snares aren't distracting me throughout the experience as much, so I can better appreciate everything else that's happening. A worthwhile swansong for Windir. It's absolute rubbish that we lost such an obviously talented and visionary musician as Terje Bakken at such a young age, as many others have said before me. I can't imagine he would have disappointed us if we'd gotten 20+ more years of music from his atavist mind. I don't approach this one as often as Arntor or 1184, but it's rich enough with ideas both familiar and new that it's just a hair's breadth behind them in quality.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

Windir - 1184 (2001)

1184 seems like it's the first Windir album which is considered more of a 'band' effort. Valfar is still the chieftain of this clan, performing some of all the instruments (even some drum beats), but the rest of the roster has been fleshed out. Strangely, it doesn't seem like a step beyond the previous record Arntor, but a more mechanical experience churning out a similar product from the same ingredients. A large part of this is the programming, the kick drums here feel way too forceful and robotic and it's a tangible distraction from everything else, if not a deal breaker. I do like that Windir doubled down a bit on the black metal component, this is clearly trying to be more intense than the albums before it while still maintaining the amazing melodic scope Valfar created there.

And to that extent, 1184 delivers in spades. The instruments are much more level here in the mix, and it does feel more processed, so the melodies don't poke through like the glistening spikes of ice they once did. However, they are LEGION, and not a track throughout this experience lacks a rich bevy of riffs that will have you coming back to them. Nothing is skippable, but they're all delivered in this harder hitting, steadier experience which doesn't go for the dynamics as they did on Arntor. I will say, though, the heavier riffs are fucking rad on this, like "Dance of Mortal Lust" with its thrashing complexity, or "Destroy" which ups the hammers straight to your mullet. "Heidra" with its unforgettable intro melody, evil and twisting and treated with some of the best bass-line support in their catalogue. "The Spiritlord" has a bit of that simpler, mid-paced black metal groove that they don't often mete out, and I love the proggy bits that close "Black New Age", so there is a good variation between individual tracks, but most are singularly committed to their individual intensity.

In fact, the last six songs on this album totally crush the first two, they are all brilliant, and because the music is superior you can forgive the mechanistic drumming a little more. The vocals sound really great here, in this case I will say that 1184 is superior to either of the earlier albums. His rasp is more full-bodied and nasty. The keys and accordion are interwoven more directly into the music so it has more of an overall 'orchestrated' feel, you constantly pay attention to hear all the details as they bounce off one another. I don't like the production as much as Arntor, but apart from the drumming it definitely seers itself directly into your skull. I think on the strength of those last six tracks, this is probably the equal of Arntor, but if the drums had been less distracting and the production had felt more natural, it would rank among my favorite Norwegian black metal albums. It's up there, but not on the top shelf.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

Windir - Arntor (1999)

As soon as you hear the interchange between the accordion and the synths of "Byrjing" that herald Arntor, you know there's been a little sea change in the years since the Windir debut. As I mentioned on that review, it takes a bit of finesse to pull this stuff off without coming across as goofy self-parody, something that plagues a lot of folk metal oriented acts (even Finntroll, a band I happen to love). Valfar used his music to honor his ancestry, the heritage of his region, and took a lot of responsibility in doing so. The synths were actually pretty good on the debut, so I'm not surprised how well they're used throughout Arntor, but it's the rest of this production that has stepped everything up over its predecessor. I would be remiss to point out that this also largely a solo venture: he has numerous contributors for vocals, lead guitars, and the same drummer and clean vocalist (Steingrim and Steinarson) from the debut, but Valfar is in command.

Arntor is immediately a more developed, textured affair than the debut, with numerous improvements. The guitar melodies are still extremely excellent, some of the best ever from the Norwegian scene, and they have such a grasp of antiquity that the sound of them feels like you're in some epic poem or watching some documentary about Viking or Scandinavian culture. The bass lines are highly improved, with a good supporting groove that adds yet more character to the compositions. The vocals are still the same rasp, but they've been blended into the riffs so much better here that they sound excellent and never obnoxious. There are still clean vocals implemented, with some festive whoops and shouts, but it always feels timely and thematic to the whole. The male choir vocals on "Kong Hydnes haug" and elsewhere are superior to those of the debut, delivered with a more brazen confidence, and I also think the mix of the drums for Arntor is better, you can feel the kicks so much more, they're using some more warlike march rhythms and such and get a festive rock groove to them when the music moves at a more moderate pace.

There are a few of the dour clean vocal lines in tunes like "Kampen" which remind me more of an Otyg or early Vintersorg delivery, taken seriously but still a little dweeby along with that simple verse rhythm, so that's not my favorite stuff, but with the exception of that one track this is a godlike effort. Songs like "Saknet",  "Arntor, ein windir" and the epic Viking trance-inducing "Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet" are among my favorite in their entire catalogue. I was never 'late' to the Windir party, they are a band I heard as soon as many other folks did, and initially liked, but in the last decade a lot of their albums have been growing on me with each new wintry season. Maybe that's tacky, and I'm an old fool, but this is when I really like to experience Valfar's music, and we've had a good coating of snow here in the New England area lately and it's just bringing out all the feels. Killer disc.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

Windir - Sóknardalr (1997)

Windir is most often celebrated for their later albums, but I have to say. after exploring back through their discography this winter, that they had a fairly developed, advanced sound going back to their Sóknardalr debut in 1997. There are still a few parts of the performance and production that seem amateurish, to be sure, but the sense of melody was already advanced, folk-like rhythms aplenty, and the use of cleaner vocals to offset the genre rasping were also a good choice, although I think they lack a little of the confidence they would develop. Atmospherically, though, if you just want to immerse yourself in some formative Viking black metal through your speakers of headphones, this debut is a trip if you manage your expectations. Not as blistering or savage as the early Enslaved stuff, but also not as goofy as something like Otyg.

You're essentially getting that full Windir package, just not as refined as 1184. They have the ability to use those predictable but pretty sorts of guitar melodies without sounding foolish, unlike a lot of the emergent 'folk metal' bands which sound more like they're ready to take stage at a Renaissance Faire and make jokes of what was crafted from some more serious cultural influences. A lot of this stuff here was also drafted up from the band's demos, which I remember making a stir in the underground during that mid-90s era. And let's not forget, the Norwegians were pretty young when they started off, I know at least Valfar was in his teens when this came out, and to that end, it's impressive, especially as he's performing everything but the drums and some clean vocals! The first song "Sognariket sine krigarer" is a little rough, but it does at least capture the spread of aesthetics that the band would be using throughout its existence. After that, though, some of the songs are a lot better, more matured and developed, like "Det som ver Haukareid" with its slower flow and great interplay of riffs and organs, backing vocals and rasps that feel a little more adherent to the music where they started off the album sticking out a little like a sore thumb.

And these are the same snarly, raspy vocals that appear on all the other albums, but there they get a better mix that embeds them into the instruments where a few points here they just go overboard. Not a deal breaker, of course, when you've got catchy tunes like "Mørket sin fyrste" with its anthemic charge, or "I ei krystallnatt", or "Røvhaugane" which are other favorites on this disc. The melodic sensibility here is just about as good as it was with Finland's Amorphis on their brilliant mid-90s run, even though it's arriving through a different sub-genre. Windir was far more focused on this aspect than others in their scene, who would flirt with the melodies and harmonies but engage in a lot more dissonant chords or post-Hellhammer grooves. For Valfar, this was the modus operandi, not just the end goal. There are catchier earworm guitar licks in some of the verses than some of his peers could muster at the climaxes of all their efforts. So all in all, this was a pretty good debut. The mix is a bit more raw than the later albums which are a lot more layered, but it still sounds crisp and clear to me. This was also the most interesting record to revisit since it hasn't stayed in my rotation through the decades.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

Spring Has Broken 2026

Off for April, be back in May with some Norwegian black metal coverage.

-autothrall

Testament - Para Bellum (2025)

People surrounding me (both in meatspace and cyberspace) absolutely lost their shit over this album, and I can't count how many times I was asked if I had 'heard the new Testament' record. And I HAD heard a track or two, and was a little confused over the hype, not that I disliked the material, but from the way people were speaking about it I thought this was the second coming of The Legacy or The New Order. Granted, I am an odd duck with regards to this band's catalogue. The Ritual is my favorite, with its washed out, heavy metal leanings, not at all typical of their output, and appreciated by few; but I do also really love that first run of three albums, as well as others (Formation of Damnation) which hearken back to that very sound. So I allowed myself to get excited...

And I probably shouldn't have. This is a Testament album, through and through, with a few stylistic embellishments that are added to try and round it out, namely the more black metal and death metal elements. It's not their first rodeo with the latter, records like Low and Demonic walked that line, and often quite well, but the black metal here in "For the Love of Pain", obviously included as some sort of paean to Eric Peterson's run in Dragonlord, feels fresh. It's well performed, with incredibly drumming from Chris Dovas as well as Chuck Billy adapting his unmistakable voice with ease. But I don't think it actually adds anything I was really expecting to hear, even with Steve DiGiorgio laying in some awesome swerving bass lines to give it a more unique feel. Para Bellum is far, far better when it's sticking to the thrash that put them on the map, that's where I can really appreciate Chuck's more melodic chorus parts, and there are a bunch of tracks I enjoyed like "Witch Hunt", "Shadow People", and the awesome titular closer which is probably my favorite of the bunch with the technical riffing from Eric and Alex.

The ballad, "Meant to Be", clearly a callback to some of my fave material from The Ritual, doesn't quite land with me, but overall I think Para Bellum is a better listen than Titans of Creation. That album was rock solid, doing what Testament do, but it didn't impact me beyond the surface level. I think all the musicians in Testament are flexing a lot more throughout this record, and that's where the most curious details lie, because it rewards you for a number of listens with something you might not have noticed. I also think there's an EP worth of top shelf songwriting present, but even then none of the chorus parts or riffs necessarily stand out against their classics. Production and performances are exceptional, and so this is worth picking up for that alone, but it never amounted to AOTY material for me, despites its numerous strengths and the utter perseverance of this band to sound as energetic as it still does. That aspect of Para Bellum is humbling, for sure, and maybe the rest of this will grow on me more.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://www.testamentlegions.com/site/

Vígljós - Tome II: Ignis Sacer (2025)

Black metal has long since escaped from or expanded upon the thematic confines of Satanism and nihilism to embrace so lyrical ideas you might not expect, stemming from the mass migration towards nature themes which was present almost from its beginnings. Whether it's fictional, historical, personal or naturalist, there's an enormous range of topics out there from Tolkien to mining, sewage systems to the biographies of European dignitaries. So it's fascinating if not surprising that we've got a band revolved around classic apiculture (beekeeping), complete with some of the most unique stage costumes we've seen in awhile; not just more black masks over leather jackets, or religious vestments, this is more on the level of distinction achieved by a Grima or Portal.

Musically, they are a little more orthodox, raw and seething black metal slathered in higher pitched screaming that mirrors the more suicidal DSBM of years past, circa Silencer or Burzum but I'd have to argue that these are even more unhinged and wilder whenever they're not focused into a more traditional snarl. The riffing is rustic and airy. Sometimes a little more dissonant and frenzied like the buzzing of a plethora of their favorite flying insects, but usually it has a more spacious, countryside/mountainside appeal which the vocals then spew all over. The drumming is tinny and laid back for the most part, but that actually suits the compositions quite well, because the guitars do most of the hive-lifting. Often they will bust out into their own version of some old black metal groove ("Delusions of Grandeur") and I really like these riffs, they put their own atmospheric spin on things and I think it's that theme of these Medieval beekeepers and what world they should be surrounded in during their travails that informs the choices.

So we've got appeal here to anyone enjoying the modern masked Euro black metal bands from Gaerea to Mgla to Batuskha, depressive atmospheric BM like Austere from Australia, which used to give me a similar feel on their older material. The use of Mellotron here creates a little bit of dungeon synth theme on intros or threaded against the harsher black metal progressions, so I could also recommend this to anyone who likes it when bands blend all that together (Elffor), or the pastoral stuff (Grift, Saiva), the Medieval black metal that is so prominent out of France (Aorhlac, etc). It's a good listen, harsh enough for purists but also spacious and captivating and atmospheric, they don't just survive on their gimmick alone but back it up with music that feels appropriately thematic and cognizant of its genre, melodically detailed and rewarding across numerous listens. The vocals might be a hurdle for some, but again it's a choice that contributes to the transportation they offer to a world where men cultivate honey in thick robes and Medieval masks of wicker and straw.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://vigljos.bandcamp.com/

Les Bâtards du Roi - Les chemins de l'exil (2025)

This is another of the newer masked European black metal bands, only they use what look like some sort of templar-meets-executioner attire with dirty sacks covering their faces. From the looks of the sophomore album's cover, I expected this to be really raw, Medieval and rustic in execution, but in reality it's much more accessible, with a cleaner mix of the instruments and an extremely good sense of melody. I listened back to their s/t debut album from the previous year, and these building blocks were already present, but Les chemins de l'exil strikes a much better balance between the drums, vocals and guitars, where it had seemed a little off prior. Should this description seem too tidy for a band with the moniker of Les Bâtards du Roi, fear not, because they keep things savage enough with the vocals and some of the more stormy riffs as you'll find in "Chevalier au corbeau", etc.

That said, they really thrive on the classic sense of melody that is not uncommon in this scene. Bands like Griffon, Aorhlac and Véhémence thrive with this aesthetic, but while Les chemins d'exil isn't quite as ear-bleedingly graceful and catchy as that last comparison, it's got an almost anthemic quality that will attach itself to you. There is also plenty of variety, with some excellent acoustics here, usually used for intros but so good that I almost didn't want them to end in some places. In addition to the traditional black metal snarl, there are some cleaner vocals, often used over the aforementioned acoustics, but also as these melodic choirs that will erupt against a surging rhythm. The drums have a great, full feel to them which lends passion and propulsion to the faster parts, but also a lot of meat to the slower, airier sections where you'll be able to pick up on a lot more of the fills. I also enjoyed the rhythm guitar tone, it's got a springy and natural feel to the distortion which puts some punch into every melody, but also works well with such a clean studio mix.

I've said countless times that the French scene is severely underrated, with dozens of bands performing at a high level of proficiency and composition. Yes, some of the more famous, dissonant outliers like Blut Aus Nord have been enormous, deservedly so, but I find a lot of these second or third tier acts' efforts to explore history and nature through the black metal medium to be highly appealing. If you like any of the acts I named earlier, or Belenos, or the last couple Seth records, get your credit card ready because I think you're also going to be impressed with what's on this disc.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564480907615

Kreator - Krushers of the World (2026)

I've been with Kreator for nearly 40 years at this point; no, not as a member, but as a fan of this institution that has swept the thrash metal genre for pretty much all its existence. The band has rarely stumbled, much less fallen, and even then they were at least trying to experiment within the dimensions of their own sound and not prime themselves as radio sellouts. But since their 1999 nadir Endorama, which really isn't that bad, there's been nothing but upside, consistent and professional quality which you can count on every time a new record is sitting on the shelves. There was a point where they modernized their production to keep with the times, and some melodic death metal influences crept into the sound tastefully (and continue to do so), but you also had some albums where they were returning to the structure of their later 80s stuff.

If you're still guarding the gates of old and never made it passed Pleasure to Kill or Terrible Certainly, two of their best albums to be fair, then Krushers of the World is probably not going to be for you. It's a modern marvel of production, busy yet accessible, but a pretty far cry from the savage Teutonic thrash of Endless Pain or Pleasure to Kill. That's okay, we still have those albums and can listen to them as long as we breath (hopefully beyond). This is more of an omnibus of the ideas they've implemented in the 21st century, from Violent Revolution to Hate über alles, and yeah, while few of the songs are going to be as stick as they once were back in the 80s when this was all so much more novel...this is still a pretty damn good album. In particular they manage to get these anthemic tunes like "Tränenpalast", "Krushers of the World" or "Satanic Anarchy" where you've got the strong melodies in the chorus that can contrast against Mille's barking. And yes, the guy still sounds much the same, but he's got that timeless, raving thrash vocal that works as well alongside the modern studio glitz as it did back in the flesh-peeling debut. Recognizable in an instant, charismatic and plays well with melody and harshness in equal measures.

The guitar playing is top shelf, with atmospheric chords running against semi-complex, dextrous riffing patterns, keeping the ears' attention throughout, and great leads whipping out on top of the refined German engineering. Mille and Sami are quite a duo by now, and they never let you down here. Ventor's drumming is spotless and Leclercq, the newest member (but quite a veteran himself from DragonForce, Loudblast and a metric ton of other bands) solidifies himself as the anchor to the sound. You even get a guest vocal growl from Britta of Cripper and Hiraes, which was a little unexpected. Not a weak song here, and even though it's not reshaping my life as the band did with Pleasure to Kill, Terrible Certainty, Coma of Souls, nor does it even have some of the throwback infectiousness of Hordes of Chaos and Enemy of God, I still love this arena-oriented modern Kreator sound, it's almost infused with a bit of Angela-era Arch Enemy. Young me, 40 years ago, would be totally blown away to think this band would even still exist! But to be doing it in style, that's just a testament to a band that loves what it is.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.kreator-terrorzone.de/

Pyre - Where Obscurity Sways (2025)

When I look back at the metal albums that end up my favorites for a particular year, there's a pretty even division between those that are innovative and unique while staying catchy, and others that just do a great job doubling down on a pre-established sound and writing damn good songs. In the case of Where Obscurity Sways, the third full length from Russia's Pyre, it was the latter. The album's title is eerily prescient since I'm the only person I've even seen mentioning this one...perhaps it should be dubbed Where Obscurity Stays. But in 2025, this was the metal disc I returned to the most, like a death metal 'comfort food', because I enjoyed all of the songs a lot. It's also a great evolutionary stride for their own style, keeping consistent with its forebears while offering something new, something better for the band.

Pyre's still performing a sound rooted in the later 80s or early 90s, a perfect blend of Florida death metal like Obituary or Death, Dutch oldies from Pestilence and Asphyx, with a little bit of the Swedish style of an Entombed or Dismember, only with the guitar tone dialed back a little. You know it's still there, because there's a great chunkiness to the slower grooves, and a smooth roil when they pick up the pace. But it's nowhere near the gruesome or fleshy style they had on Human Hecatomb or the EP. The riff-lines and leads here are easily the best they've done to this point, whether it's the awesome verse grooves of "From the Stygian Depths" which recall Slowly We Rot, or "Murderous Transcendence" which is an amazing tune that hits pretty much all the bases, from sinister harmonies to flawless double kicks. The riffs in cuts like "Domains of the Nameless Rites" or "Pestilential Fumes" are just perfect throwback patterns, evil and memorable and set up against strong songwriting which emphasizes some variety at every turn.

There's a new drummer here, Oleg, and he's phenomenal, not that his predecessor was weak by any means, but I feel like the entire rhythm section, not just the percussion but also the bass mix, is way better balanced and creates a framework that could thrive independently, even without the awesome array of riffs that last the album's 35 minute duration. Where Obscurity Sways follows Chained to Ossuaries in having the smoother production than the older albums, but I can't imagine it any other way, the material is just suited to being mildly more accessible, and it's not like there is any commercialization or obnoxious level of polish...the music is still dark, mysterious, and classic in a way I just love my death metal records. I'm reminded a little of Necrovation's eponymous 2012 sophomore, not only because the aesthetics are similar, but also because it's just an awesome experience when I'm in the mood for the genre and want something well-written and balanced without being too ridiculous. I love this record. It's nothing new at all, but I would like for more people to get to experience it. My #1 for this last year.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10]

https://pyredeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

Pyre - Chained to Ossuaries (2020)

Chained to Ossuaries came after a six year period from Human Hecatomb, so it makes sense that there's been a little evolution in the Pyre sound. They weren't completely absent, having participated on a few split EPs with Chile's Corpsehammer and Sweden's Interment, and the changes here are no less old school than the raw tones they were emitting in their earlier works. In fact, the guitar tone is pretty much intact, but the mix of the record is a little darker and cleaner, so it's got a more controlled and clinical vibe to it. Nevertheless, they sound no less evil, because the riffs here are just cruise control, grim tremolo picking sequences that perfectly blossom into the dark chord patterns, with solid leads and melodies placed exactly where they need to be, and a lot more confidence that doesn't need to chainsaw your face like the last album.

That's not to say your face is safe, mind you, because this shit still delivers, just on a slightly deeper, more cerebral level. Where Human Hecatomb might resemble a zombie outbreak at your local potter's field, Chained to Ossuaries is more like a cabal of necromancers meeting there in the evenings. It's invariably old sounding death metal, without much nuance beyond the early 90s, so to that extent nobody familiar with the previous album is going to be disappointed. There's a bit more of early Death in a lot of the chord choices in places like "Ornaments of Bones" or "Wreath of Crucifix", but that fleshier and meatier guitar tone twists it into something different, but you could certainly envision breakdowns from Leprosy arriving at almost any juncture on a lot of these songs. The vocals are also a little different than before, he's got less of a skin shredding tone to him and a bit more blunt brutality, compacting those emphatic John Tardy-like growls to something meshed a little better into the dark tone of the instruments. Basically he's a little less out of control, and the riffing itself compensates with a lot bolder chords and melodies.

Another great album, just inching past Human Hecatomb, although if I wanted the grislier listen then I would happily trade them off. This is more of an escape, neither as ripping or brazen but a lot more mature, a direction that the band will continue forth in the future. Definitely good enough that the band should have appeared on a lot more radars, but this sort of meat & potatoes, well crafted death metal often struggles to get noticed since it's not as technical or progressive as others in the field. Never really a clone of anything, but wearing most of its influences on its sleeve, Chained to Ossuaries is just another fine example of its genre sitting among the dust, waiting to be discovered.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://pyredeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

Pyre - Human Hecatomb (2014)

Human Hecatomb feels like the obligatory full-length version of its predecessor, the Ravenous Decease EP, with the same sort of raw production and a lot of DNA from the same influences. Obviously it's got a lot more too it, and the mix of the instruments seems as if its gotten a little more under control, but if you're a fan of the more disheveled bands that have come out of that Swedish style throughout the last few decades, whether Repugnant or Bastard Priest or Katakomba or LIK, this one's going to sit well with you because it's very well done and sticks the landing on most of the tracks. That flesh-ripping guitar tone and the brash mix of the instruments don't hinder it whatsoever, but give it an eternal freshness, like grave-dirt that's being constantly flipped over with a shovel to expose new generations of worms.

Again, the music isn't just d-beat rock based, they love the huge, doomier, evil chord patterns you often encounter in death metal, and then to trade those off with some vile propulsion. There's a better sense of melody you'll hear on this album, with some cool leads or harmonies vaulting across the dense hostility of the rhythm guitars. Vocally it still sounds like someone spliced John Tardy's sustained gutturals together with the carrion tones of Martin van Drunen, but there's a ton of genuine pain and carnage in there so that it never sounds like some dull doppelganger. The guitars are pretty much Ravenous Decease with a bigger toolbox to work from, and they pull off a lot of great chugging patterns here which wouldn't sound out of place on Clandestine. That simple, immediate catchiness that has you headbanging and doesn't ever seem to let up, they just don't make poor choices when writing material. All the songs here are good, with a few personal favorites being the chuggy "Flesh to Poles", the perky "We Came to Spill Thy Blood" which is one of a couple with a more death & roll vibe, and "Possessed" with those evil, slower rhythms and narrative/samples and all.

All told, Human Hecatomb is a step up and forward, perhaps not the first example of this niche you're going to grab for, but an extremely reliable one if you're into the Swedish tones. I'd say musically this one has a little less of the US influence in the actual songwriting, but it's the vocals that bridge that Atlantic gap. It's a Russian Clandestine 20+ years later with a bit more unhinged mix and a vocalist yanked right from The Rack and Cause of Death. Fun songs, timeless production thanks to its lack of polish, and a focus on actually putting enough ideas into its material that it's never some dull, redundant slog. And to think, this is probably my least favorite of their full-lengths!

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://pyredeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

Pyre - Ravenous Decease EP (2012)

Pyre is a little-known Russian death metal band that almost nobody ever seems to talk about, despite having a killer upswing trajectory to their catalogue which has won me over several times. Their origins were as yet another of the bands honoring the Swedish legacy, with that speaker ripping guitar tone and a couple of tunes here that remind one a lot of Entombed, Grave, maybe a little of Holland's Asphyx. However, the material here on the Ravenous Decease EP definitely falls on the rougher side of that equation, raw and unhinged like a Repugnant or Maim. They also don't delve too far into the d-beat influences, you can hear it on a riff or two but it's more like they're transferring early US death metal into that Swedish guitar tone.

The vocals are abusive, sounding like their at a crossroads between John Tardy of Obituary, Martin van Drunen of Asphyx/Pestilence and L-G Petrov of Entombed. The guitars are really abrasive, sounding like a noisy live performance of this tone, and occasionally going a little too far so it seems as if you're eardrums are going to collapse. I mean, you could replace steel wool with these things to clean off your pots & pans, but they have a nice punch during the choppier, rocking riffs ("Insanity") or the tremolo picked, writhing evil at a faster pace. The rhythm section sounds like thunder being filtered through an old radio microphone, and the songs feature enough variety even across the 20 minutes of this EP that you won't become bored. There's nothing unique, truly, Ravenous Decease is just a gestalt of elements you like from other death metal acts, and this sort of throwback style was already plentiful, but some things just don't grow old on me, and I like several of these songs like "Insanity" and "Dark Sorcery". It doesn't hold up to their full-length albums, but it's a firm foundation upon which they would build.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

https://pyredeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

Galibot - Euch’Mau Noir bis (2026)

Surprisingly, Galibot is not my first encounter with mining-themed black metal, as the Germans in Dauþuz have been exploring the niche for years, albeit from a more Medieval and folkloric perspective. This younger French act has a slightly more modern vibe about them, with a lyrical focus bent more on 20th century industrial era mining, which was prominent in Northern France until well into the 60s. I admit that's a fascinating subject to deal with, and as much as I love the wintry, naturalistic, Viking and Satanic schools of black metal, the older me is definitely paying attention to wherever else this beloved music might journey conceptually. The question is, how does Euch'Mau Noir bis translate this theme into its music, and does it succeed?

This is a remaster/remix of an album a couple years old with another track tacked on so it's still pretty early on in the band's development, which formed around three years prior. It's about as straightforward as melodic black metal can get, and apart from a few sound effects, the machine-like efficiency of the drums and overall performances, and the desperation that this niche create through its surging rhythms, rasped vocals and melodies wrought with sadness...I didn't connect the music much in my imagination with the subject. It's there in the din of the cover photography and lyrics...perhaps in the narrative interlude track, but the sense of melody and urgency created through the battering percussion and ceaseless atmosphere of the riffing has an extremely orthodox black metal feel. There are some female vocals, some slight flourishes of other eccentricities or atmospherics, I think the band I was most reminded of here was Switzerland's Borgne, who have a comparable, mechanical feel to the black metal process, although theirs is more tinted by the industrial music fundamentals.

The drums here definitely feel like a relentless machinery, whether it's the intense fills or the precision blasts and kicks, but often they feel a little too flawlessly monotonous and over the top, where some more dynamic balance would have served the album as a whole. The rhythm guitars are vicious and powerful, but I always got the impression they were only about two-thirds of the way into memorable hooks when they rinse and/or repeat. Vocals are well mixed and full-bodied for the genre, trad rasping but with a slightly suicidal edge to them, but they often follow the course of the riffing without leaving much of an impression. Galibot has a powerful, competent sound to it, but it needs a few more peaks and valleys to chisel out the experience into something more soul-crushingly effective, and perhaps some more ambience, samples and other instrumentation to deliver the rich theming.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

https://galibot.bandcamp.com/album/euchmau-noir-bis-les-nords

Have a Heart 2026

 

Hugs, kisses, and razorblades, folks! Be back in March.

-autothrall

Protector - Excessive Outburst of Depravity (2022)

By title, Excessive Outburst of Depravity might give you an impression that this is somehow going to be a leveling up of filth and aggression in Protector's reunion phase, but in fact it's a very good, controlled record that offers a little bit of a course correction from the ailing (but still decent) Summon the Hordes. The style hasn't moved an inch, but I thought the production here felt smoother and better captured all the vocals and instruments more than its predecessor, at the cost of not feeling quite so retrospective. Granted, the material here is still blazing thrash of an 80s Sodom variety, like a mix of Agent Orange and Better Off Dead, two of my faves from that band, but the balance and QOL improvements place it more within the 21st century spectrum. You won't miss out the nostalgic vibes this time around, but it takes the thrust and professionalism of Cursed and Coronated to another level, and it's my favorite of this 'MK II' era.

Bunch of tunes here feel like the boys are ammoed up, slinging on their ballistic helmets and headed for the battlefield, like "Open Skies and Endless Seas" with its well-paced intro, "Thirty Years of Perdition" with the same sort of setup but amazing verse riffs, or "Perpetual Blood Oath" which feels like a Bolt Thrower intro colliding into a vintage Destruction section. The rhythm section is incredibly tight, the leads are uniformly good without overindulging, and Martin Missy's vocals feel more brutal and full and charismatic than they were on the 2019 effort. You're still not getting anything highly unique here, this is all directly from the lexicon of German thrash with some seasonings of US flavor, but it's executed with skill, variation, and most importantly, songs that are memorable enough that you'll probably want to play them a few times in succession, which is really the hallmark of quality for most records. I'm not talking super sticky, infectious riffs, but more like a 'comfort food' for those who have been listening to this style for the last 3+ decades.

Even though this album came in the same three-year patterns and those leading up to it, it feels like all the interim time since Summon the Hordes had been better spent composing stronger material, and it never really lapses once throughout its 47+ minutes of existence. There's no goofy tail-end track for filler, "Morse Mania" here is a rager and commands the same respect as opener "Last Stand Hill". The production is from Robert Pehrsson (of Death Breath no less), the mix from Patrick Engel of a dozen German bands, and you can tell they both put a lot of love into making this sound like the de facto Protector album of the new century. This one ranks up there with A Shedding of Skin, The Heritage for me, and it's actually my favorite with Martin Missy's vocals, a blasphemous opinion perhaps, but here we are. Timeless and totally reliable Teutonic thrash from one of the first bands anyone should check out after they've opened the 'starter pack' and a few other brilliant outliers from the 80s era.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (All swords on the sacred stone)

https://www.facebook.com/Protector.666not777