The darkness can be an incredibly terrifying force, and it’s something that has haunted people for generations as the worries of demonic creatures lurking mounts. But it can be a beautiful, calming presence, a place where one can rest, contemplate the future, or just enjoy lightless wonder.

 Daniele Vergine, the sole force behind black metal spirit Occulta Veritas, pays homage to the absence of light on “Irreducible Fear of the Sublime,” a 6-track, 32-minute excursion into the deep. This is a brutal, yet mind-altering adventure that can overtake you and push you to contemplate a force perhaps not further considered before. The playing is exhilarating and forceful, pushing you to the limit of your personal comfort and perhaps digging into some long-held fears that haven’t reared their head in some time.

“The Mirror Stage” opens warmly, luring you into a false sense of security before guts are ripped from body cavities, shrieks raining down amid rubbery, weird, prog-fueled madness. “The Sacred Horizons of Totality” is fluid, screams rampaging, the leads sprawling and increasing the already thick humidity. Animalistic playing and coarse growls head into blinding fury, and that’s overtaken by a horrifying, yet trippy onslaught that eats into your psyche before fading. “Metonimia” unfurls blistering guitars, smearing howls, and an attack that never feels like it relents. Progressive waters bubble over as the playing haunts, peppering with scathing blows before bleeding away.

“S(A)” is a strange change of pace, a cosmically freezing piece that hovers overhead like an alien craft, wordless calls feeling like they’re transmitting a message from beyond. The playing is spellbinding and detached from this plane, draining into the stars. “Bound to Incompleteness” basks in echoing shrieks, and a driving, trudging pace, the playing utterly ambushing. A wild spirit runs through this track, feeling bizarre and disorienting, disappearing and mixing into the night sky. The closing title track opens with sharp screams, tangling leads, and a bloody, yet haunting adventure into the unknown. The playing bleeds and causes the room to spin, the pace chugs, the guitars pick up the intensity, and wordless calls falls like ice daggers to the earth.

Basking in the darkness and its rich beauty is a theme that’s all over “Irreducible Fear of the Sublime,” and while it’s properly crushing, Occulta Veritas weave in the proper adulation and awe for a force that cannot be toppled. The playing here is heavy and the proper amount of beastly, an album that is perfectly portioned and designed to enhance the sense of mystery. It’s a record that will keep you up at night so you can show admiration for a serene blackness that can trigger panic as easily as calm.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/

Or here (Europe): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/

The current societal and political climate in our world, not to mention the actual climate, are harrowing. We’re teetering on the edge of full-blown fascism, and here in the United States, we’re coming off one of the most sobering, terrifying weeks in a long time as we watch law and order in this land fall to the clutches of religious and right-wing fanaticism.

Germany’s Uprising has been on the musical frontline since the project started a decade ago, and its mastermind W also has been an integral part of Waldgeflüster, another band that’s battled social and political forces for years. Uprising’s new full-length “III” continues that effort, and over six blazing tracks and 40 inspired minutes, we are thrown full bore into melodic, but forceful black metal that refuses to give an inch and unabashedly throws the bullshit back into the face of a budding power structure that wants to strangle freedom. Joining W is drummer Austin Lunn (the power behind the mighty Panopticon), and the force is sweltering and catchy, a defiant fist into an enemy that thinks we’re a pushover.

“Eternal Mantra” launches with fire and emotion, ripping hard as the playing takes a hold of you and scorches with its passion. Lyrically, there are callouts to the endless class war artificially tilted toward the rich as the playing pounds, spacious singing coming in and adding a new texture. The guitars blaze as a glorious gust slams shut the gates. “Uprise III” continues a path that started on the band’s self-titled debut, and here the guitars are spindly, the pace trudging, the howls scarring. Melodies flood as clean singing bellows, nasty howls following up with nasty precision, the drums punishing. Poison darts are thrown at selfishness and embraces the strive for social justice, the playing shaking before fading into a current. “Raise a Glass” simmers in organs before the tempo erupts, growls crushing, fiery and colorful playing flooding over. Shrieks and singing rush over the chorus, black metal-style violence swirls, and a jarring force flattens every bone in your body.

“A Message to the Hypocrites” drills, the screams digging into the earth, the riffs speeding and slipping into tornadic fury. Vicious playing and forceful hammering make for an unbeatable team, growls ripping as defiant calls leave bruising and burns all over the enemy. “While the World Is Burning” fades in, churning as the pressure builds, shrieks charring as the tempo becomes an even bigger menace. News clips about the threat of climate change and quotes from serial felon Donald Trump denying the issue not only can make your blood boil but also make you want to take up arms. Someone better. “Deny the past, deny the reasons,” W wails furiously, trying to hammer home a desperate measure as rageful melodies burn into the ground. Closer “Brace Yourself” is molten, engulfing you in a devastating force that slips into vicious melodies and harsh howls. Guitars swelter as the pace blisters, W singing, “You will know sorrow before this is over,” a sobering thought going into an ideological battleground. The final moments stab toward the oncoming wave of tyranny, the wash of acoustics cleansing wounds and pushing the fight.

We live in a dangerously changing world, and while I see the rot settling into America, I know that it’s not going to stay restrained to this land. Uprising have been at this struggle for years, even before this venture came together, and “III” is a battle cry, the metallic equivalent of storming the gates of the enemy with only victory in mind. Tyranny looms largely over us, but the war is far from over, so the fight must continue.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.aoprecords.de/gb/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.aoprecords.de/

It’s easy to feel like you’re alone, especially when hard times strike. Or when you experience failure or loss. All we truly know is our own perspective, and it’s very understandable to get lost in the negativity and the feeling that everything is piling on our chest. Maybe it is, but to be able to share that burden with someone else can make the lift a little easier.

That’s the primary theme of “The Promise of Rain,” the second record from experimental black metal force Scarcity, and it’s a collection that fucks with one’s brain based on the sonic assault that attacks you from moment one. But ultimately, the messages here are encouraging, even uplifting if you grasp the point that suffering and struggling does not have to be an individual sport. The newly expanded version of the group brings together artists who worked with such diverse forces as Pyrhhon, Depravity, Sigur Ros, Krallice, and Glenn Branca Ensemble, and this band—vocalist Doug Moore, guitarists Brendon Randall-Myers and Dylan Dilella, bassist Tristan Kasten-Krause, drummer Lev Weinstein—pours everything into these six tracks and 40 minutes of mind-tangling madness. It’s a much difference concept than what we heard on debut “Aveilut” and shows a different side of this beast that has an enthralling future ahead of them.

“In the Basin of Alkaline Grief” almost immediately induces panic, manic guitars playing in a non-stop loop that makes your mind topple, Moore’s shrieks matching the insanity flowing through the space. It feels like an emergency siren gone wrong, the fury increasing, wails boiling, and a thick haze enveloping. “Scorched Vision” runs 11:25  and launches with encircling guitars, chaotic energy meeting with a psychotic front, dizzying heaviness making the room spin out of control. Gutting, corrosive howls mix in with the chugging, trudging playing, the bass clobbering as the intensity ramps up all over again. The playing tingles and strikes amid group calls, an electric riff buries itself behind the wall of sound, and the uneasiness bleeds into instrumental cut “Subduction.” There, the bass plods, and the increasing heat makes everything steadily more uncomfortable. A smokescreen thickens as the guitars take on tornadic chaos, ending in a gasp of exhaust.

“Undertow” continues the guitars from the opener that feel like they’re trying to peel open your skull, shrieks raining down, other calls feeling detached from reality. The guitars agitate before a brief calm settles in, and the bass slithers from there, coarse growls picking open scabs. “Venom & Cadmium” arrives with an enthusiastic riff, shrieks raining fire, and the playing digging in further, group calls rousing you and forcing your attention. The pace keeps drilling deeper, nasty calls lacerating, the tempo slicing in place, aching as you pour sweat from the humidity. A strange glaze accumulates and hangs over everything, an unsettlingly dream passage fading softly. The closing title track erupts with gurgling growls and a mangling energy, the agony multiplying dangerously. The band stokes progressive fires, the path toying with you, frenzied guitars splattering alongside sickening wails that emit power. The bass ripples as apocalyptic energy increases, settling into a fog and expiring.

It’s easy to feel alone in our grief and struggles, but most of us are a part of an interwoven support system that gives us strength when we’re at our lowest. “The Promise of Rain,” while threatening sounding at first, also is a reminder to not get too ensconced in our pain and agony as we have other people around us who can help with the burden. No one’s life ever will be easy, but with reminders like these (as terrifying as they may sound), hopefully more people will remember to reach out and ask for a hand in facing turmoil.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/flenser-releases

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

Every day we’re faced with decisions, and some of them have greater weight than others. Take, for example, having to make a call about something that will benefit you but will do harm to another person. Do you do it anyway? A lot of people would do that, and we see that every day with every government around the world. Is choosing evil worth it in the end?

Canadian doom power Occult Witches tangle with making evil decisions, Satan, and all things dark and mysterious on their fourth record “Sorrow’s Pyre.” Over nine tracks, the band—vocalist Vanessa San Martin, guitarist Alec Marceau, bassist Danick Cournoyer, drummer Eliot Sirois—weaves together tales about different characters and the challenges that they face. Tying it all together is the idea of whether there is merit in making a decision based in evil, and how that is balanced with instead choosing a more honorable path.

“Intro” opens with birds calling and footstep crunching, leading into “Malice” that dawns gently as guitars trickle. Then the power strikes, San Martin’s singing unfurling and catching fire, the playing buzzing with command. The guitar work blows up with attitude, delving into classic metal terrain, driving everything to a massive finish. “Tumbling Through the Dark” unleashes psychedelic lightning, the guitars taking on a bluesy edge, the vocals pushing as everything turns darker. The pace picks up, and the guitars emit smoke, a twin-style attack bringing on a Maiden-like shine. “Faustian Bargain” is warm and hypnotic, the singing scathing, powerful blasts adding tumult to the otherwise sultry aura. The shadows thicken as the soloing goes off, conjuring spirits and emotion, gently melting into mystery.

“Flesh and Bones” rampages and throws stiff punches, great guitar work torching, the playing calming down as a spoken passage haunts. The pressure rises as the attack gets more aggressive, the guitars taking on a ferocious tone, calls echoing out into the night sky. “Interlude in E-Flat Minor” has plinking guitars and rustic acoustics, the tempo picking up and getting jazzier, basking in cold waters. “The Fool” sparks as the singing swells, bluesy heat wilting flesh, the melodies booming and making blood race. Guitars vibrate as everything builds to a stampede, sending energy through your veins and trudging to a finish. “Sorrow” traces its steps, jabbing your ribs, the guitars scaling to new heights. “Sacrifice is what they want from us,” San Martin sings with booming power, the playing agitating and turning into a molten force, crushing to the final moment. Closer “Bluesman (Sunrise Cocaine)” is a barnburner, especially for Marceau whose guitar playing here melts faces. San Martin’s singing matches the intensity as the track takes off, hurtling through intense heat, feeling playful and spirited as everything comes to a massive end.

The strange thing about people making evil decisions is so many commit those acts due to their so-called faith. The characters on these blazing songs on “Sorrow’s Pyre” faced similar circumstances, and not all came out of it in a better condition than they were in when things started. Occult Witches bring a classic doom sheen to these timeless ideas as we’ve been struggling with doing the right thing from the start, and we likely will face that battle until humanity’s last days.

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

To buy the album or for more on the label, go here: https://blackthroneproductions.com/en-us

There are plenty of bands that, as soon as you hear them, you know which other artists influenced their music. You could fill a three-day festival with bands that were inspired by Morbid Angel. Or Iron Maiden. Or Death. All of that is well and good, but when it comes down to it, you want to be able to pick out the players’ DNA and not their heroes’.

Spanish metal trio Totengott made their start as a Celtic Frost cover band, taking their name from a song by Triptykon, Tom Warrior’s latest creation. Even after they transitioned to creating their own songs, you still could hear a ton of their influence on debut offering “Doppelganger,” a pretty fitting title. It was a mighty record regardless, and as time has gone on, they’ve thrown more of themselves into the recipe. Their third record “Beyond the Veil” digs even deeper into the three people who comprise this band—vocalist/guitarist José Enrique Saavedra, bassist/backing vocalist Nacho Bernaldo, drummer/backing vocalist Jose Mora—morphing even further into their own monster, spreading that budding magic over these seven tracks and 44 minutes that show this band coming to life and establishing their own personality and wicked agenda.

“Inner Flame” starts basking in eerie sounds before the pace begins punishing, barked vocals activating your nerve endings. The pace flattens and bruises, crunchy, yet fiery playing increasing the temperatures, the guitars going off as morbid chaos is achieved. “Sons of the Serpent” has calls hovering overhead, dizzying singing, and the playing feeling through a thick cloud cover. The singing numbs as the playing glimmers, a mysterious aura thickening, trudging through a path of alien synth layers. “Marrow of the Soul” stomps through muddy terrain, punishing and galloping, the guitars scorching as the wails hammer. The playing mauls as the thrashiness increases, burrowing into filth as an acidic finish scorches flesh. “The Architect” is strange and ghostly, doomy playing thickening blood as off-kilter singing washes over. Ominous and scathing, a pall hangs over everything, hypnotic vocals spinning the atmosphere, bells chiming and signifying the end.

“Beyond the Veil Part I: Mirrors of Doom” is a mostly instrumental piece with strings glazing, and guest Marija Krstevska’s haunting singing getting into your blood. A haze hangs over and illuminates your pathway, leading into “Beyond the Veil Part II: Necromancer” that hammers away, acting like a bulldozer over loose terrain. The howls carve as the playing smothers, making it feel like you’re trying to breathe in a furnace, the vocals adding more forceful blows. Madness scars as the pace slowly winds down, setting in a pit full of soot. Closer “The Golden Crest (the Ritual, the Curse, the Path, the Light)” runs 13:33, and chilling group chants greet you, the playing chugging as they build a mood, a strange cult-like feel hanging overhead. Burly leads scald as growls echo, the body easing into a strange sound bath, steely and doomy, dragging you into nightmare terrain. Doom bells chime as the skies darken, strange horns call into the distance, and misery spreads, finally relenting as the end draws near, pulling you into the mystery of night.

While Totengott may have their original roots in homage to the great Celtic Frost, this band has expanded past their initial influences into a full-bodied machine that’s making some of the more interesting waves in heavy music. “Beyond the Veil” proves the ambition and building blocks laid by their first two records were building to this, a place where they add even more of their own flesh and blood into their recipe as they hurtle toward the void. There’s no escaping the menace and drama plastered all over this record, and it’s nice to see them develop into a more formidable beast flooding with potential.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://hammerheartstore.com/collections/vendors?q=Totengott

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

Heavy metal long has provided rich content on the destruction of our world, wars, evil, and anything that tears us apart by the seams. As we move closer to that becoming an actual reality, and as we stare a volatile future in the eyes, it seems like those bands might have been onto something. We’re nearly in hell.

Swedish death crushers Vanhelgd worked at a pretty steady clip from 2008 to 2018, releasing five records that established their fire and fury. But it’s been six years since we heard from the band—guitarists/vocalists Mattias Frisk and Jimmy Johansson, bassist Jonas Albrektsson, drummer Mathias Westman—and there’s a good reason for that. We had a global pandemic that shut down the world, crippling a lot of bands’ progress in the process, and things steadily have fallen apart globally ever since. Now arrives their sixth record “Atropos Doctrina,” sung in their native tongue, and it’s a barnstormer that takes you apart limb from limb, forcing you to stare into the miasma of hell that is our world.

“Saliga äro de dödfödda” churns as the hellish howls bellow, manic fluidity overwhelming, the playing feeling melodic and punchy. The fury continues as the drums are mashed, desperate wails calling out as the door is slammed shut. “Kom dödens tysta ängel” brings spiraling guitars and a surging attack, savage growls making their impact as blunt fury has its way. Grisly leads tingle as the playing is flush with color, whipping into a frenzy that robs you of breath. “Ofredsår” enters with drums pacing the machine as nasty wails leave welts, melodic fire unleashing havoc as the temperatures increase. Leads round back as the vocals get more incendiary, scathing through catchy madness and blending into spacious skies. “I ovigd jord” has spindling, humid guitars swarming, desperate cries reverberating, and a section of slowly paced punishment opening wounds. The infernal power makes the surface quake, the pressure building as growls engorge, and gothy keys drip away.

“Atropos Hymnarium” echoes with doom bells ringing, guitars snaking as the walls are smashed, guitars exploring as doomy ugliness rears its head and revels in soot. The playing then unloads, the playing cascading over harsh wails, the beastlike nature drawing blood. “Galgdanstid” bursts and immediately slashes flesh, crazed calls swelling, a melodic gust feeling almost tornadic. Strong guitar work takes off as new colors conjure spirits, the playing scorching until the final second. “Kerernas törst” delivers spiraling guitars, savage wails, and a forceful storm that forces you to take cover. The darkness continues to spread, viciousness welling up and threatening to take you down, blistering to a mangling finish. Closer “Gravjordsfrid” dawns with hissed howls, a grisly grind, and thorny, slower pounding. The growls dig deep as sorrowful melodies mix in with the carnage, the guitar work sends off echoes, and eerie keys lay the record to rest.

Vanhelgd see the same impending darkness many of us have spotted on the horizon, and they spill their dour tidings into “Atropos Doctrina.” I speak English, so I have no idea what the fuck they’re actually saying; but anger and destructive visions defy language and deliver universal messages on these songs. This is a morbid, yet oddly catchy record that soundtracks a downfall that looks to be driven by avarice and greed.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/

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

Darkness has been a major part of the black metal kingdom since the day it first bubbled out of the cracks in the earth, sickening a heavy music world that didn’t know how to contend with such a force. As time has gone on and the decades piled up, things changed, the edges were smoothed out, and the music became more digestible.

But there are those that remain committed to the raw, harsh power of black metal, and Philly’s Unholy Altar is one of them, and they’re ready to deliver their scathing first full-length “Veil of Death! Shroud of Nite.” Over nine tracks and a little under a half hour, the band—vocalist Desecrator, guitarists Miserer and Evoked Damnator, bassist Cadaver, drummer Lucifer’s Rage—stokes the sub-genre’s fires that have been burning for three decades and add their own brand of fuel. Examining the dualities of the natural world, they add some new textures and tones from what we heard on their 2022 demo. But the unforgiving darkness remains, and while they intend to smear some light into the music, this is pitch black, infernal, and so goddamn mighty.

“Intro” leads you into the carnage with plucked strings and a dark angelic haze, sounds swirling in the air toward “Abaddon,” which I wish was about the pro wrestler of the same name. Vile shrieks explode from the start, the playing destroying with fiery pressure, the viciousness and sense of evil flooding to the surface. Funereal melodies slip behind the dark curtain, torching to a hellish end. “Black Winds of Nocturnal Dismay” is moody at first, and then it bludgeons, the vocals lacerating, mangling with reckless abandon. Riffs cascade as lightning-fast punishment is served generously, howls crushing as the tornadic pace drills into the ground. “Infernal Flesh” explodes with blistering riffs, the assault trampling and destroying, the scars burned into your bones. The playing slips into intense humidity, a blinding explosion knifing dangerously for your neck.

“Treachery of the Common” simmers in sullen guitars and a more mid-tempo pace, letting you breathe even though you know another beating awaits. Howls erupt as the guitars manage to find even darken tones, feeling caustic and even dreamy in the most nightmarish of senses. “Sin Eater” totally destroys, the shrieks scalding as the guitars jam the gas pedal through the floor. Riffs encircle as the drums blister, a murky ambiance swallowing hope as Desecrator slashes with her devastating screams, every element racing to the finish. “Nefarious” is a crusher, the melodies flying at you like a microburst, the harshness becoming a bigger factor and chewing into muscle. The atmosphere begins to squeeze your brain, hypnotic guitars twisting, the heat dying down and slipping into a haze. “Pestilence” dawns in the midst of insanity, ripping guts, forcing poison into your veins as the shrieks mangle. The leads take off as the assault grinds you under their wheels, attacking and leading trails of blood and flesh behind. The closing “Outro” boils in strange keys and a horror-filled haze, leaving you in a sense of morbid disorientation.

Unholy Altar call “Veil of Death! Shroud of Nite” a “dance between darkness and light,” but you got to do a lot of searching to find pinpoints of illumination in these coal-mine-dark creations. That’s a good thing, as this raw, nasty black metal has the tenets of the sub-genre’s earliest, ugliest days and takes that beastly spirit into the future. This is a band that’s just getting its tentacles around its devastating powers, and as this ghoulish force continues to grow, future massacres promise to be bloodier and more relentless.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/p/Unholy-Altar-100091394706562/

To buy the album, go here: https://unholyaltar666.bandcamp.com/album/veil-of-death-shroud-of-nite

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

It’s really easy to lose enthusiasm for trying to save a semblance of the Earth on which we’re living and, for a lot of people, abusing. It’s also easy to be short sighted of it all, because we likely will not be here for the worst of it if we push the climate to the breaking point, and as we move forward, we don’t seem to be getting better of caring for this place.

Canadian black metal power Liminal Shroud is not exactly hitting you about the head and torso with that message, but it’s decipherable from their words in their bio and their excellent new record “Visions of Collapse.” They speak of destruction of the coast and the cycle of annihilation in which we may be trapped, leaving their music to try to grasp onto some kind of hope. The band—guitarist/vocalist Aidan Crossley, bassist/vocalist Rich Taylor, drummer Drew Davidson—pours themselves creatively and philosophically into these five tracks, pushing their black metal to atmospheric new heights while also trying to survive amid the misery of living in a world we’re destroying.

“Nocturnal Phosphorescence” greets you with tingling guitars and an atmospheric heat that gradually builds, strong wails cutting through and into melodic drilling. The playing claws and sludges, growls slithering, the fury blending into the air. The cloud bursts, guitars cascading like driving showers, vicious howls rippling as the playing carves flesh, digging back into a black pocket. “Nucleonic Blight” trickles initially, whispers sending chills, and then the playing breaks and begins to drub. Shrieks hammer as the fires are agitated, the muscular push scarring and rumbling, the force disappearing into a haze. The force envelopes as the shrieks decimate, guitars blaze, and the energy hits full tilt, a spirited gust picking up everything and blasting to a forceful finish.

“Resolve” is humid and wiry at the start, the energy combusting with the cry of, “Take my breath, take my soul!” Scathing playing meets up with cleaner singing, adding texture and a sense of cleansing, waiting for the inevitable explosion. When it comes, the tempo mashes, sparking a rousing pace that makes blood challenge veins, jolting until it finally relents. “Malaspina” is forceful, singing warbling, growls trading off and snarling, viciousness finding strange bedfellows with melody. Things gets strangely catchy as strong melodies sweep, eventually becoming victim to a severe battering. Closer “The Carving Scythe” enters with drums powering, gnarly guitars gaining steam, and a storm that just arrived chewing up scenery. The tempo goes from forceful to calm and back again, tingling at times, rampaging at others. Wild shrieks strike as the atmosphere swells, heading back into the chaos, slowly dragging to a fading finality.

The world is turning against us, and as sick as you are of reading me openly worrying about the climate is as tired as I am of writing about it and wringing my hands in disgust. Liminal Shroud are more poetic in their worry, and “Visions of Collapse” is a record that acknowledges our potential demise and paints even darker shadows to hopefully make some kind of impact. This also is a spacious, ambitious record that is perhaps this band’s best, a release that should open the eyes and ears of any conscious black metal listener who gives a fuck.    

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/bands/details/liminal-shroud.aspx

For more on the label, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/home.aspx

You can’t help but be perturbed by the Catholic church. I grew up in it, and after about a decade of therapy, I’m finally coming free of its mental clutches. It rules by fear, the institution long has protected predators, it thrives on money, and it reeks of corruption. No wonder the metal world legendarily has waged war against this force.

French doom bruisers Maudissez not only are drawing their blades against the Christian sub-genre, they’re taking the fight into the opponent’s home field. The band, whose members remain a mystery, recorded their self-titled debut live in a church in France, seeing the act as a desecration, a devastating shot in their war against a force that has hurt so many. Maudissez, whose name translates to curse, twist nerves and slash veins over these four mammoth tracks, and while they released the music on their own in December, Sentient Ruin is giving it a proper vinyl treatment. It’s a morbid, foreboding display, one that feels like it is trying to spread pestilence to the mouths of every member of its foe.

Opener “fracture par fracture” practically opens in media res battering, dark and crushing howling following, sooty sounds meeting up with spiritual and physical agony. The playing slowly drags itself across a floor covered with broken glass, horrifying decay setting in deep. Terror envelopes as the playing sounds like a dying siren, burying everything in misery. “blessure par blessure” is the longest track at 13:04, a halo of sound surrounding everything, drubbing as inhuman howls scathe. Doomy hulking unloads as the pressure builds, voices warbling under the din, the noise corroding. The playing sprawls as strange speaking haunts, and then static erupts, storming as the voice continues its mysterious message, a hulking haze hovering over and disappearing into a bloody vortex.

“meurtrissure par meurtrissure” cracks open with a hint of melody struggling to live in hell, howls scorching from every angle, pounding as the playing is steely and pressurized. Doomy blackness folds and spill into a puddle of oil, scorching and furious as the attack grows bloody and smeary, ferocious wails laying waste as your senses fry, everything succumbing to piercing sound. Closer “brûlure par brûlure” brings unfurling guitars and blinding rage, vile howls ushering in a beastly dawn, the darkness suffocating. Throaty wails grasp throats as sounds hiss in the fog, echoing from the heat that’s growing too thick to handle. Synth cascades as the sorrow thickens, clashing slowly, letting the machine gradually run out of fuel and leave an blood slick behind.

The distaste for the Catholic regime is palpable, and relatable as far as we’re concerned, and Maudissez turn their vitriol into a slowly meted-out bloodbath on their gargantuan self-titled debut offering. This is an unforgiving, hopelessly bleak display of doom that’s here to maim and refuse to give mercy. And after all the pain and evil the church has left in its 2,000-year campaign of control, it’s a comeuppance that is rightly earned.

For more on the band, go here: https://maudissez.bandcamp.com/album/maudissez

To buy the album, go here: https://sentientruin.com/releases/maudissez-maudissez

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

As I put on my old man back-in-the-day hat, I can’t help recall my formative years listening to metal, when it felt like every band was trying to one up each other with precision and skill but also with memorable and devastating records. We’re not devoid of that necessarily, but it feels like those bands are a little fewer and further between now.

Finnish force Bloodcross is looking to change that on their stunning debut full-length “Gravebound,” an album that’s certainly steeped in the harshest realms of melodic death metal but also puts forth virtuosity and musicianship that is a step above most. The band—vocalist/guitarist A. Pahlama, guitarist M. Saarela, bassist T. Lindqvist, drummer J. Saarela—brings experience from black metal crushers Angelcorpse, in which half its members played, and on these seven songs and 39 minutes, they combine stunning chops with fluid carnage that easily can pull you under for good.

“Warbeast” rips open with energetic leads and soaring energy, melodic howls helping sell the cresting chaos. A huge burst leads to guitars racing and a fluid attack, ending with a power-infused gust. “Nemesis Reborn” has surging guitars and a burst of adrenaline, the twin leads making the hairs stand on your neck. Shrieks maul as the playing blows open, Maiden-style guitars giving off classic metal glory, the storming force coming to a tangling end. “Beyond Flesh” starts with cleaner guitars before shrieks rampage and tear off your head, the playing swirling and making your head spin. Punches land hard as everything turns decidedly moodier before things fire up again, letting everything bubble over as the playing disappears as a triumphant blaze in the sky.

“Pale Avenger” strikes with speed and muscular guitars, the shrieks crushing amid catchy and fiery melodies, the energy feeling like it’s reaching a crescendo. But there are bigger heights as everything bursts anew, storming through ugliness and challenging brains. The title track starts thrashy as hell and then sinks into colder waters, the leads glimmering, and a huge chorus rewarding your faith. The playing is effusive as the enthusiasm lathers, charging and blistering, coming to a blasting finish. “Devil Speed” launches with force, fast and fiery playing instantly taking you under, bristling with power. High-pitched howls meet with streaking leads, displaying astonishing skill, massive histrionics burying you in rubble. Closer “Howling Spirits” starts in murk, feeling like latter-era Maiden, setting up an atmosphere before breaking the chains. Furious melodies and smoking guitars ignite, the leads glimmering as a blinding pace goes off, torching with savage howls. The riffs remain steady as the playing pulls you under, fading into darkness.

Bloodcross’ penchant for mixing blistering, yet melodic death with shred-worthy musicianship keeps “Gravebound” exciting through its entire run, because you never can predict what’s coming. But it’s not tech wankery by any means, as you can feel the drive and emotion packed into each one of the songs. This is a strong debut from a promising band that feels like it’s just scratching the surface of what they can do.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/product/pre-order-bloodcross-gravebound-cd/

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