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

Protector - Summon the Hordes (2019)

Summon the Hordes arrives right on queue, at another 3-year interval which seems to be the efficient standard Protector is maintaining for this newer phase of their career. Which I like: they're taking their time between each release, they're not burning themselves out or spamming my CD rack. On the other hand, I wish I could report some evolution in style or quality, but this record is much like those before it. the cover is a bit more cliche and cheesy with the crossed guitars and skull, and the production here seems a little more primitive, almost like they were trying to emulate Golem's mix a little more directly rather than having a more modern, ironclad take on that formative sound. I felt like Missy's vocals here were also a little less vibrant or inspired, he's spitting out some monotonous snarls and growls on numerous tunes and it's just not helping to elevate a bevy of pretty average riffs that you'll always feel you've heard before, whether in this and's own backlog or the style in general.

So this all adds up to what is my least favorite Protector full-length of the revival period, but it's telling that even the worst album from this band is still actually pretty solid. There continues to be a bit of Destruction in a lot of the riffing, in fact if you took out the difference between Missy and Schmier, there's a feel like this album is Sentence of Death Evolved, it just has those dexterous riffing patterns and a much more demo/basement level authenticity to the mix. The guitars are raw, the vocals have no bells and whistles either. Having said that, there's a decent variety to the songs, from the measured cruising thrash of "The Celtic Hammer" to the frenzied hustle of "Steel Caravan" or the title track. Once more, the death metal influence is explored strictly through Martin's vocals, the music itself never really delves into that territory, remaining upbeat and peppy and bristling with 80s mosh pit energy. Not for the first time, there's also one of those shorter, goofier tracks to close out the album, "Glove of Love", which was also the very 80s thing to do, kind of like a thrash tribute to punk or grindcore, the 'super quick' song that you'd laugh about with your mates.

Had this record come out even in 1985-1986, I still doubt it'd have the legs to stand on other than it's legacy and chronological placement, and might end up in a similar category to Necronomicon from Germany. As it was, it felt more like a proper 'throwback' in production and not just songwriting, to the band's yesteryears. They likely wanted to go more 'retro' which is honestly all the rage with a lot of the newer black/thrash/speed bands who are themselves influenced by the German scene along with a Slayer or Possessed. I think Summon the Hordes has that sort of appeal, only a bit more of the torn denim and hi-top sneakers feel than the spikes and leather. It's solid stuff, with a few tunes like the opener "Stillwell Avenue" or "Realm of Crime" that I occasionally spin, but for me it's the Protector full-length I'm least likely to revisit.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10] (See the posters, see the pentagram)

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

Protector - Cursed and Coronated (2016)

Cursed and Coronated is a difficult record to write about because it is so ridiculously close to its predecessor in production, songwriting and style that it's practically a clone of that. The lineup is the same, the level of aggression and dynamic range the same, they've even gotten another Krisian Wåhlin cover artwork (which is admittedly cool to see). So this is going to come down to the individual songs, blow by blow, and I think that if there's any one difference, it's that there is a little more confidence here. The 'comeback' album is out of the way, the band has proven itself, and can now settle down and just to try to pen some material which will make more of an impact, and I think to that extent, Protector's sixth LP does exactly that, slightly edging past its predecessor in quality.

It's reliable, meaty thrash, with riffing familiarities to their more famous countrymen. Still a whole lot of Sodom parallels, but I thought there were tunes here that reminded me a little more of Destruction, like "Six Hours on the Cross" or "Crosses in Carelia", which have those exciting Mike Sifringer-like riffing patterns saturated throughout. Actually you can play a fun game here where you're closing your eyes and imagining Angelripper singing on one of Destruction's Thrash Anthem rerecording compilations and you'd be straight in that ballpark with this album. That's not to speak down to this band, because they are energetic and authentic as hell, having been around during that formative 80s period when the genre was taking off, but just so you can get a clear idea of who is going to enjoy the hell out of this. There are some nice, eerie guitar melodies throughout the tunes, like the intro to the title track, which feel like the band is writing in its own little horror them jingles, and they balance well against the harder rhythms. Their also old hands at balancing the tempos and riff choices to make a fully fleshed out experience.

Rhythm section is tight as freshly-hammered nails, the guitarist is obviously reared on this genre because he's just battering out an endless stream of patterns you'll appreciate, at any speed, with even a few of the good old American mid-paced mosh rhythms circa Exodus or S.O.D. poking through in a piece like "Terra Mater". The 'death metal' aspects of the record are strictly relegated to Martin Missy's vocals, which are that early sort of abusive thrash/death hybrid, snappy enough for the former but guttural and brutal enough for the latter, with some backing vocals created in a more snarled timber which also emphasize that. Cursed and Coronated is another fun record, I spun it a bunch when it was released. Though it doesn't quite stand out in its field overall, and I wouldn't reach for it over Golem, The Heritage, A Shedding of Skin, it's potent and professional and the sort of disc I'll listen straight through without skipping anything.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (Facing the masters)

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

Protector - Reanimated Homunculus (2013)

Like many other thrash bands of the 80s and early 90s, Protector would enter its torpor around the time the genre died down on the world map, its superstars surviving through their established reach, and/or accessible sound shifts, the rest retreating into death metal, black metal, grunge, groove metal or electronics. This was not a total hibernation period for the Germans, a bunch of obscure compilations were released, a couple tracks demoed by Marco Pape and a shifting roster, but effectively the band dissolved for 20 years, until original vocalist Martin Missy would 'reanimate' it with a trio of Swedes by his side who had played/were playing in some lesser known bands like Grief of Emerald, Axis Powers and Suicidal Winds. For those who had missed Missy's presence on the 90s material, this was surely exciting, and though the band seemed hijacked by the unshakable metallic presence of Sweden, this would initiate the most stable portion of the band's career!

Reanimated Homunculus blazes forward with a complete return to that Sodom-like sound the band had manifest on records like Golem or Urm the Mad, but it definitely doesn't ignore some of the evolutions during the Olly Wiebel era. There is no pettiness, Missy and his new crew are attempting to catapult the entire Protector legacy forward and beyond (I know he's even brought Wiebel on stage to sing a few of the tunes from records like A Shedding of Skin). But what you are immediately confronted with is a continuation of that aggressive late 80s Teutonic thrash meat-grinder, Martin's vocals straddling the lines between thrash and death metal, much like Tom Angelripper did, but with some backups that are pure gutturals barking off in counterpoint to the verses in a place like "Deranged Nymphomania". The riffs are chunky, propulsive, and true to form, not the catchiest things you'll ever hear, but exciting and dynamic enough for fans of the genre that you'll be banging your head while throwing your milk cartons against the nearest wall. These guitars spit caustic intensity throughout "Holiday in Hell", "Birth of a Nation" and "Road Rage" at a level the band had rarely arrived at in the past, often like a mix of old Sodom and Holy Moses; and the rhythm section matches them with ease.

It's a good thrash album for purists, with the only drawback that it sometimes feels a little generic in structure and riffing. I've mentioned before that the band never quite rises to the level compositionally as Kreator or Destruction during their finer hours, the material just isn't possess of that timelessness, but they feel like a damn solid 'second-stringer' that will be replacing any of the starters out on the field should they fuck up or become injured. Beyond that, Reanimated Homunculus plants its heels out on the defensive line, ready for any tackles, and proves beyond any doubt that Protector is back, ready to fucking thrash with abandon, and continue their mission regardless of who is in the active roster. Hell, the title track is even a lyrical continuation of the "Golem" concept.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

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

Archvile King - Aux heures désespérées (2026)

Archvile King's debut saw the immediate rise of a new force in French black metal, perhaps lacking in the dissonant nuance of that scenes most popular artists like Blut Aus Nord of The Great Old Ones, but just a riff driven, scathing record with a bit of a black/thrash influence. When you gaze upon its successor, Aux heures désespérées, you immediately get the impression that they've gone rank and file with the other French bands performing in the Medieval theme, and where that was also true of the debut to an extent, it's even more here. In fact, this album does drop a little of that thrashier nastiness for something more atmospheric and antiquated sounding, but make no mistake, the sole guy responsible here, 'Baurus', is still writing excellent black metal, and the fact that he is performing ALL the instruments makes it even more impressive.

The lush synth/orchestration that he weaves through the album is excellent, usually for intros so that the bodies of the songs have a more traditional BM structure, but they're all great at giving a little bit of a tasty dungeon synth element to the proceedings. As for the heavier stuff, it's majestic and surging, not as overly melodic as other bands in this niche, but enough that the riffs will seer themselves into your memory and leave you with that fulfillment that a very balanced black metal attack can give. Certainly, there are some riffing and blasting passages throughout that are purely savage and feel like they came out of the din of the early to mid-90s, but even these are contrasted off against more graceful, slower rhythms to great effect. Baurus' vocals are nothing unusual for the genre, some rasps with an added layer of guttural, but always a blend of glorious and creepy. The instruments are all mixed really well, with audible bass lines that enforce the majesty and morose intensity constructed by the melodies. The beats are mixed very well, they largely just do their job but the guitars and atmosphere are strong enough that no more is necessary.

Yes, a lot of this is old hat, you won't find a bag of new tricks in Archvile King's composition, although the precise way it all forms together doesn't always emulate any other bands in particular. This is totally for fans of the 90s black metal, were it was going from the necro creep of earliest second incarnations to the more expansive, semi-symphonic rush of records like In the Nightside Eclipse, Nemesis Divina and Stormblast. If you also like some of this bands' countrymen, Aorlhac or Seth or Darkenhöld then this is one of easiest recommendations I can make you, because Baurus has that same sense of proficiency in both performance across all his instruments, production, and knowledge of genre to create a 47 minute escape into the past, without any breaks of disappointment in the consistency. An awesome talent with a high level of potential, and already two very underrated records (and a good split) under his belt.

Verdict: Win [8.7/10]

https://archvileking.bandcamp.com/

World of Shit - Bleeding the Rats EP (2025)

World of Shit is a project which has existed in the shadows for over two decades, finally coming to full fruition with this new EP Bleeding the Rats that sees an escalation in volume and intensity. It's essentially death metal or death/grind adjacent, but not to be pigeonholed, the material has an industrial sheen to its backbone, and a lot of weird dissonance and rhythmic dynamism which wouldn't feel out of place in some extreme mathcore or industrial death metal outfit. The production is dense and suffocating, there's a lot going on between the beats and the riffs, and if that weren't enough, Morgue Supplier's Paul Gillis has been brought on board to saturate our ears with a gruesome exhibition of vocals that I'd place somewhere between Alain Jourgensen and Martin van Drunen, but also prone to grinding out into a higher, nastier pitch too. If you've heard Paul on his other projects, you'll know things are about to get very uncomfortable, and considering that he and one of this project's architects, Eric Bauer, have worked together in both Rabid Beast and Morgue Supplier before, you'll also know that you are about to be leveled by the aural artillery.

Strangely, as pummeling and rhythmic as this is, it's got a slight warmth to it created through the mix, or perhaps some of the more dissonant, noisy patches create this feeling in spite of themselves. It's so loud and larger than life, I was reminded of Strapping Young Lad if they were being flogged by Gorguts. A soundscape with something interesting happening in every corner, a really powerful guitar tone, brutal drum programming. Some of the riffs feel like you're implanting an intense post-hardcore dissonance straight into a vortex of chugging, churning grooves, and it's a really interesting hybrid. The 'leads' are more a thing of atmosphere, tremolo licks spitting melodies that are heavily dowsed in effects, but they are a perfect fit to the apocalyptic post-modernism of the rhythmic aesthetics. Sometimes it can grow a little TOO intense, but thankfully you're only being murdered for about 13 minutes with this. With a longer track list and some more variety to explore these dilapidated landscapes, with calmer calms, hints of melody more melodic, and more extreme extremes, connected through the tendons of such kinetic musicianship as this guy metes out, I think you could have a pretty frightening, unique voice for death metal here.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://worldofshit1.bandcamp.com/music

Skyforger - Teikas (2025)

The last Skyforger record I covered was Kurbads back in 2010, and while that was a pretty damn good one, there were points where I felt the band was in danger of lapsing into some of the sillier folk metal tropes that a couple other bands have ridden to fame upon. That said, they definitely reversed course with the excellent Senprūsija in 2015, an absolute riff-fest which deftly combined the Latvians' black metal roots with some more accessible thrash and heavy metal moments what proved the most I'd enjoyed them since their late 1998-2000 era. I am telling you that because Teikas is an even better record than that one, possesses all the chops needed for greater recognition, an awesome cover, flawless production and a level of consistency you don't hear quite so often these days.

To a newcomer, I'd describe this as a Slavic alternative to Amon Amarth, with the same pagan and historical focus on lyrical matter, and about the same career length, only vested more in a black metal foundation rather than the death metal, and in the case of Teikas, better than nearly anything those Swedes have released in nearly two decades. However, the embedded sense of melodicism and extremity, the high productions standards, tight as fuck musicianship will no doubt appeal to fans of that more 'big budget' style of melodic death or black metal. Peter's vocals are incredible on this one, raving and barking in his native tongue with just the right level of effects to sound distinct from pretty much any other black metal band I can think of (maybe a Latvian Martin Walkyier?). Each lyrical line has so much impact that they actually compete in catchiness with the unending onslaught of memorable, melodic riffs that are hammered out across tunes like "Spēlmanis", "Zilaiskalns", and "Mājas kungs". There is a ton of versatility, from slower, churning rhythms, to the dissonance you expect of black metal, to the aforementioned storm of melodic tremolo picking.

Teivas sounds huge, but with every instrument audible, an appreciable level of crunch on the slower rhythm guitars, nice acoustics and ambiance on some segments which never wear out their welcome. It doesn't fully abandon the folkish, simpler stuff they were exploring a few albums before, but it's just so much more serious and refined and hard-hitting. Even the little folk instrumental with the harp and pipes is just catchy as all get out. It's honestly hard to imagine anyone into modern, dynamic black, death or thrash metal that doesn't mind the lyrics in another language not latching onto this material immediately, because it's immediate, bombastic and fulfilling, whether they're thrashing along with some clubbed pace or exploring a darker corner of their songwriting. Perhaps it's not as novel to hear this in 2025 as it was to hear Kauja pie saules in 1998, but this might actually be their most 'fun' album to date, accessible without sacrificing aggression, memorable through and through.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

https://skyforger.lv/lv/

Blizaro - Light and Desolation (2025)

I had encountered some shitposting somewhere about the cover artwork for Blizaro's third proper full-length, Light and Desolation, but I think it must have been the product of someone who didn't quite grasp what was going on here. This is essentially the 'basement doom' album envisioned and performed by your local Dungeon Master, that kind of awkward guy who scribbled all sorts of arcane imagery, logos and monsters in his school notebooks while the rest of you were trying to pay attention to whatever lesson was being taught that day. Which, let's face it, he didn't need to hear, since he was probably already on cruise control to a higher grade, having long since grasped the material. I personally think it looks awesome...amateurish, creepy, enigmatic and quick to unlock the gates of nostalgia that will soon flood over you when listening to it.

The music is almost as eldritch as the artwork, with a very primitive, stripped down sound, clean on the chugging rhythm guitars, never dowsed in any excess layer of studio polish. It does have a 'demo' vibe, which wouldn't be the first time for John Gallo's project, as some of the stuff off the excellent Strange Doorways compilation possessed a similar sincerity. Of all the Blizaro records, I think this one returns most to the fundamentals of the doom metal genre, embellishes them with a range of proggy synths, equally as lo-fi sounding as the rest of the instruments. Minus a few tweaks here or there, this sounds like something you could have dug up in a record bin 30 years ago, when the doom metal genre as a whole was really only starting to snowball itself into a legitimate sub-classification. However, the use of the synths and epic, barbaric vibes created through the vocals and harder rhythm guitar riffs delve into a world much more fantastic than a Pentagram or Trouble; lyrically more in line with Cirith Ungol, sword and sorcery/cosmic horror influences, but the synths and structures here feel much more fresh and...bizarre.

John's vocals are humble, workmanlike, and constantly multi-tracked to create the impression that you are constantly listening to some cult ritual or haunted choir. He might not have the classic range or presence of an Osbourne, Marcolin or Wagner, but his technique grows even more hypnotic the further you journey through the record. In fact, I felt that the entire experience escalated through the entire play length, from the folksy acoustic intro "The Last Winter" all the way to the climactic "Warriors of the New Lands", the best-produced track on the album and one of the best I've ever heard from Blizaro, with charging riffs and loads of atmosphere over the groove of the drums and bass fills, all of which are also performed here by Gallo. There are no stinkers en route, mind you, as tunes like "Lightning Strikes Back" and the titular "Glare of Light and Desolation" totally kill it with a balance of mean, minimal doom riffs with extravagant melodies, harmonies, and a nice acoustic segue here or there.

This is a vibe album, and once it hooks you, there's no letting go as your imagination spirals into a limbo of twisted landscapes, imposing dark castles, demons and wizards and the steel in hand one needs to end such curses and threats. I wasn't immersed as immediately (nor as much) as on City of the Living Nightmare or Cornucopia della morte, or the compilation I mentioned above, but when this one levels up on some tunes, they're the measure of nearly anything John has written before. Just know what you are getting into, a realm of yellowed paperbacks, teenage dreams, horrors eldritch and medieval, darkness and heroism, performed with a panoramic understanding of the genre and its influences, stripped down to its very basics and then re-dressed in starry new robes.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://blizaro.bandcamp.com/album/light-and-desolation

Protector - The Heritage (1993)

If A Shedding of Skin was my favorite of the earlier Protector catalog, The Heritage was directly on its heels, and in fact some days I might actually reverse the decision. This is clearly the best produced of that run, and the most intense and exciting in terms of how so many of its tight, fast, thrashing tunes are executed. By 1993, it might have felt dated against the emergence of more brutal and technical strains of death metal, with grunge and black and nu metal and all that starting to explode, but you can't accuse the Germans of not trying to keep pace, because The Heritage feels like faster Sepultura, Sadist and mid 80s Dark Angel in a three-way slugfest, and even 33 years later you can press Play and it's violent, infectious, and still has the more matured songwriting which embodied its predecessor.

There's some new blood here to help Olly Wiebel will all that heavy lifting, including drummer Marco Pape who would try and keep the band alive through all its later hiatus. He and bassist Matze help add a level of professionalism here, and I don't mean that in a bad way. But what's even more impressive is how Wiebel has managed to balance off the spiked, thrashing attacks with some more moody, atmospheric and melancholic progressions. The slower bridges and leads in songs like "Lost Properties" feel so much more composed, and through the album there's a level of restraint which helps make its explosive cuts like "Scars Bleed Life Long" all the more memorable by contrast. Marco's drums were clearly the caliber that could land him any gig in a death metal act of the day, propulsive kick drums and flawless snares which add loads of pep and energy to Olly's riffs. Bass also sounds pretty fleshed out here compared to A Shedding of Skin, and the production just blows straight out my speakers, especially some of the howled vocal effects on "Protective Unconsciousness" or the escalating acoustic intro to "Palpitation".

The frenzied little instrumentals "Paralizer" and "Outro" might have been better served by expanding them into proper songs, they seem a bit incomplete, but otherwise all the tunes are ragers, and The Heritage is an album I'd easily recommend to fans of early 90s thrash and death metal and all the combinations thereof. Sadist, Defiance, Malevolent Creation, Deicide, or even the stuff some of the band's German peers were up to that that very time, any fans of that would do well to have this record sitting in their collections. As I said, it's right on par with its predecessor with me, but a lot of that is just nostalgia, the personal memories I attach with A Shedding of Skin. In so many ways, The Heritage is better sounding, more refined, and its dynamic range more impactful. The lyrics have gotten a little more socially and environmentally conscious, which isn't what I always demand in thrash since they get a little too obvious and tacky, but it fits the sound here at least. This 1991-1993 era is my favorite of the band, as much as I enjoyed the first two releases, they certainly felt like they upped the ante right before their (debatable) 20-year slumber, and left (but didn't) us on a high note at that time.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (You dare not to speak)

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