The earth rarely has felt darker in the past 15 years or so than it does now. I could say darkest ever, but I don’t have the benefit of being alive during most of history’s events, so I could be off base. Add to that we’re in the time of seasonal depression, lack of daylight, and bitter cold that it’s hard to find any relief from anything at all.

It’s hard avoid thinking about all of that when taking on Onirophagus’ “Revelations from the Void,” their fifth and first in six years. A lot has changed in the world the last time we heard from the band—vocalist Paingrinder, guitarists Moregod, Obzen, guitarist/bassist Sir Vellum, drummer Uretra—a pandemic, worldwide unrest, continual environmental stress. What hasn’t changed is the role death/doom plays as a place to conjure darkness and unload our own personal devastation, whether or not it has been channeled from the outside world. This five-track, 48-minute crusher takes on the weight of madness and depression and twists that trauma into their metallic output.

“Hollow Valley” opens and runs 10:43, doom spreading as far as you can sense, guitars lapping as howls stretch, sorrowful melodies bubbling up the surface. The pace mashes as growls engorge, pounding as leads move slowly into rising steam, moodier elements bringing on the darkness. The playing then combusts and grows violent and faster, engulfing everything that moves, blistering before burning into the horizon. “Landsickness” hangs on monstrous chops, chugging guitars, and a trudging force that turns into gothic blackness. Keys unload as the pressure increases, growls boil and maul, and the guitars warp your vision. “The Tome” is oppressively heavy as the growls mar, melodies gliding through dark waters. Words are howled with an authoritative force, feeling detached and cosmically cold, strange vibes building and echoing off into space and what follows.

That would be “Black Brew” that spindles and stretches, doom bells knelling, the guitars adding strength and grit. The slow-driving menace builds momentum, spilling into a spacey vortex, guitars glimmering as the cold speaking leads a trail of soot behind. Gothy ice sends chills down your spine, the drums crash, and growls echo, disappearing into the ground. Closer “Stargazing Into the Void” runs 15:55, and it glides in amid sorrowful strings, lurching speaking, and the guitars stoking the furnace. Growls echo as the strings ache, setting the stage for a fresh eruption that decimates, and then guitars fire up, doomy storms leaving dark waters dripping from bare tree limbs. Growls poke fresh wounds as the sinew flexes, singing bellows in the distance, and then a last gasp of speed and carnage unite, ending in a forceful blast that shakes the earth to its core.

“Revelations From the Void” reaches us at an opportune time, the ledge of winter as coldness and darkness are at their apex. Onirophagus ply their brand of death/doom in a manner that honors those who created these moss-covered walls decades ago but add their own blood to ensure that this isn’t a longing for the past. It’s informed by it, but it’s very much from these times, when we keep finding new reasons to dread and fresh wounds to salve. 

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Onirophagus

To buy the album, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/product/pre-order-onirophagus-revelations-from-the-void-cd/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/

40. FÖRN, “Repercussions of the Self” (Persistent Vision)

39. UNEARTHLY RITES, “Ecdysis” (Prosthetic)

38. LUST HAG, self-titled (Fiadh Productions)

37. GHUTS, “Regeneration” (Seeing Red)

36. GENITAL SHAME, “Chronic Illness Wish” (The Garotte)

35. OXYGEN DESTROYER, “Guardian of the Universe” (Redefining Darkness)

34. VUUR & ZIDJE, “Boezem” (Prophecy Productions)

33. JUDAS PRIEST, “Invincible Shield” (Epic)

32. SUMAC, “The Healer” (Thrill Jockey)

31. BORKNAGAR, “Fall” (Century Media)

30. CHAT PILE, “Cool World” (The Flenser)

29. VÖLVA, “Desires Profane” (Fiadh Productions)

28. BEDSORE, “Dreaming the Strife for Love” (20 Buck Spin)

27. HEAVY TEMPLE, “Garden of Heathens” (Magnetic Eye)

26. SPECTRAL WOUND, “Songs of Blood and Mire” (Profound Lore)

25. SPECTRAL VOICE, “Sparagmos” (Dark Descent)

24. UNHOLY ALTAR, “Veil of Death! Shroud of Nite” (Liminal Dread Productions)

23. SOLBRUD, “IIII” (Vendetta)

22. DÖDSRIT, “Nocturnal Will” (Wolf of Hades/Shape of Storms)

21. BLACK CURSE, “Burning With Celestial Poison” (Sepulchral Voice)

20. DREAMLESS VEIL, “Every Limb of the Flood” (Relapse)

19. ULCERATE, “Cutting the Throat of God” (Debemur Morti)

18. UMBRA VITAE, “Light of Death” (Deathwish Inc.)

17. GLYPH, “Odes of Wailing, Hymns of Mourning” (Shape of Storms/Fiadh Productions/WereGnome)

16. MOTHER OF GRAVES, “The Periapt of Absence” (Profound Lore)

15. JULIE CHRISTMAS, “Ridiculous and Full of Blood” (Red Crk)

14. AMAROK, “Resilience” (Vendetta)

13. ORANSSI PAZUZU, “Muuntautuja” (Nuclear Blast)

12. COUCH SLUT, “You Could Do It Tonight” (Brutal Panda)

11. VICIOUS BLADE, “Relentless Force” (Redefining Darkness)

10. THOU, “Umbilical” (Sacred Bones)

9. VEMOD, “The Deepening” (Prophecy Productions)

8. KRALLICE, “Inorganic Rites” (self-released)

7. OPETH, “The Last Will and Testament” (Reigning Phoenix Music)

6. CRYPT SERMON, “The Stygian Rose” (Dark Descent)

5. VILE RITES, “Senescence” (Carbonized)

4. HULDER, ‘Verses in Oath’ (20 Buck Spin)

3. COWARDICE, ‘Atavist’ (Riff Merchant/Burning World)

2. BLOOD INCANTATION, ‘Absolute Elsewhere’ (Century Media)

1. TRELLDOM, ‘…By the Shadows…’ (Prophecy Productions)

“Picking a top record of the year was more difficult than usual in 2024. Anything in the top 5 (well, 6, actually) easily could have qualified here, and there was much internal debate. What it came down to was which album got the most plays, the most attention, and the most intrigue, and at the end, the choice was unexpected but pretty obvious.

Trelldom is a well-known, well-regarded name in the annals of black metal, having formed in 1992 and released a trilogy of fiery records from 1995 through 2007. Led by the legendary vocalist Kristian Eivind Espedal—Gaahl, if you’re unaware—who has fronted other renowned acts including Gorgoroth, Gaahls Wyrd, and Wardruna, the band returns 17 years after their last record with “…By the Shadows…” a creation that certainly paints outside the rigid sub-genre lines. This band isn’t content to keep making the same thing, and we’ll all luckier for it. This is an inventive foray, one that infected me deeply.

“The Voice of What Whispers” opens with the bass squeezing, tension building and churning, woodwinds adding a chilling breeze. Espedal’s vocals turn to a creak singing, adding a sinister element, the haunting swirling before guitars rip and spellbind. The playing jars as the sax sizzles, zipping into the darkness. “Exit Existence” has guitars jolting and the vocals daring, a propulsive melody ripping veins as the singing aches and bellows. “Between the World” is the highlight for me, and it has guitars bending as the sounds smear and disorient, growled whispers leaving scars. The temperatures drop, making your body shiver relentlessly, the chorus gliding as the title is called back with detached horror, howls repeating as they head into mist and echo. “I Drink out of My Head” is active and fluid, sax cutting through muscle, the singing gliding along with the waves. The power chugs as sounds gust, the sax turning tornadic, and deep, tunneling singing making its impact. Closer “By the Shadows” has charred guitars and a spastic pace, the singing turning dark and moody, then playing bursting open like lava through the earth’s crust.

Trelldom’s first record in 17 years not only is an unexpected and devious treat, but it’s also a much different world from them than what they established on their initial run. Everything on “…By the Shadows…” bleeds darkness and mystery, and the expanded sounds, the inclusion of saxophone, actually makes the music more unsettling, like a dark figure in the night whose intentions are unknown. It’s our favorite record of the year. (Sept. 13)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Trelldom1992

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/trelldom-shadows

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/

Yes, there’s a lot of hype and anticipation any time cosmic death metal band Blood Incantation does anything, and for good reason. The arrival of their third full-length album “Absolute Elsewhere” brought with it nervous anticipation of what exactly this thing would be. Last time we had heard from the band was “Timewave Zero,” their ambient EP that wasn’t really a surprise but definitely led some to wonder where death metal stood in their universe. Turns out it’s still right in the fucking center, though there are plenty of passages that prove “Zero” wasn’t a lark, as they combine two worlds and create the most magnificent thing in their catalog.

“The Stargate” is the opening track, running 20:20 and spread over three tablets. The first opens in a whir, a propulsive rush that tears apart and mangles its way to the stars. The playing is vicious and channeled, simmering into a synth haze that feels like it transports you five decades into the past, a heavy Floyd-esque excursion that is a tenet that returns often. “All life is temporary unless its consciousness,” vocalist/guitarist Paul Riedl howls, the leads smearing slow-falling ash that washes into the second tablet that simmers in the great beyond. The rest of the suite continues the morbid journey. “The Message” runs 23:23, also divided into a triad of tablets, entering with catchy guitar work that feels strangely inviting. The fluidity multiplies as the playing grows more forceful, howls battering as a beastly explosion pulls at eyes. The tempo hulks, the leads diving and shimmering, raging into the second portion where sci-fi keys envelop like a sea of galactic matter. Clean singing again adds a different texture, and a welcome one, Weidel calling, “Can’t you hear them? The voices calling your name?” as it feels like the alien grandson of “Dark Side of the Moon.” The keys continue to ice the trails, the vocals continuing a smooth pathway, hypnotic visions taking over your dreams as you head into final third of this piece that rampages and destroys at dawn.

“Absolute Elsewhere” arrived amid a galaxy of expectations as Blood Incantation have become the flag bearers of the cosmic death metal movement, and they could not have been more up to the task of building onto their modern legend. It’s the best heavy metal record, from a pure artistic standpoint, that I’ve heard all year and one of the most impactful and soon-to-be-influential creations in the past decade. (Oct. 4)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/BloodIncantationOfficial

To buy the album, go here: https://centurymedia.store/collections/blood-incantation

For more on the label, go here: https://www.centurymedia.com/