NOVAE MILITIAE - APOCRYPHON OF THE UNBORN LIGHT Without any doubt the clandestine minds behind Novae Militiae are procducing some of the most sinister hymns from deep into the Qabalic underworld between underworld, a realm where no lights escape and air slowly begins to collapse from unknown origins. Dark, suffocatiing, and as hellish as can be fathomed, these invocations from otherworldy realms once again freeze the listener's blood in the most inexplicable ways. Now with ju

HEKATAION - SACRIFICE AT THE CROSSROADS When we look inwards, through the lenses of anger, with the coals of rage burning within our vision, the soul may extinguish the decadent essence that clings to such emotion, where all that remains is a pure and virulent energy, not a human emotion brought upon by the fickle woes of life. Conversely, it is through this inverse, where our universe lies not outwards but within ourselves, that we terraform it, to reach its nucleus, the cen

GENOCIDE HAMMER - BIOTERRORISTIC PANSPERMIA We often view equilibrium of the soul as a zenith to aspire to, where our morals and immorality are balanced upon the scales, where the consciousness and heart beat in tandem. But I do believe that we are not as honest as we choose to believe, not as pious as we hope, and certainly not as gleaming in splendour as our tongues paint our image to be. Rather, there are moments, though hidden beyond the map of our soul, that we wish to e

ASENHEIM - ELBENBLUT I know not what it is about immersing yourself within the words of literature. Perhaps it's a contradiction, for I know that it is the world into which the soul that seeks reprieve journeys, but what remains a mystery is, when the soul enters the gates and beyond the pages, what is the quest? Do we envision ourselves as the very heroes or see ourselves within the villains? Do we place a fragment of our selfsame into the pages, so much so that we transform

VINĀYAKAS - CLEANSED BY THE ANCIENT FIRE Souls may offer unto their deity the harvest of the land, anoint their statues in milk and honey, as tapers are lit so that the fragrance may commune with a higher being. All done to connect with a force that be perceived to be greater than oneself, but what if the same consciousness were to forge its own effigy in the image of the self, to use vehemence as the clay that be shaped, and in its crude form, we kneel to our own vices, lett

BRASS D'HONNEUR - HATE SPEECH The scum that crawls upon the earth, masquerading in their robes and parading their crosses and stars behind facetious smiles, look upon everyone else as but passages of meat. We may expand the mind to rebuke their narrow way of thinking and ascend beyond their doctrines. But then there are others, artists in their own right, whose philosophy is naught of the mind but of the body. For them, salvation lies within the hands that clutch oil and fire

Nobody asked for this. No really, I'm pretty sure that nobody was clamoring for Salò of all films to get released in such a grandiose, limited, box with more extras than you could ever hope for in the highest possible picture quality that modern technology allows. Yet here we are. And no, I'm not going to even remotely touch of on the film itself and all of its derangend infamy nor that of its troubled soul of a director, for there are more essays and theses written on this m

DRUDKH - ВІдлига (THAW) Is it not fascinating how one whose tongue may be as heavy as lead can express that which dwells within through parchment, paper, and pen? We often take for granted the ability of words to carry our own thoughts within them and, whatever it is that originates in the abode of the mind, render it into physical form. Our tongues may become mute, but the art of communicating in an honest manner, be it through a few words or an epic tale, can reach our emo

CHANTS - ECHOES I often believe that through the labyrinth that is life, a soul may wish to be free from this endless maze, to find solitude not within these ever-changing walls, the very same walls erected within the core of oneself. For when one peers within, we realize it is not a linear path we walk, but rather, we become the ouroboros, a fate destined to keep repeating itself in a cyclic manner. Yet through resistance, the tail never breaks. Languor grips and tears at th

NAZGHOR - A WORLD ABLAZE Therein lies the desire of a soul,to take the hands and press them close to the breast, where nails sink deep, opening the chest to let that which plagues the spirit detonate. For within the core of man, a myriad of sermons, hissing into the ear with tongues adorned in the vitriol of hate, can engulf the soul in its own lake of fire, where the only reprieve of salvation comes from self-immolation. But if one were to harness the incendiary essence that

RAPID - ENTER THE REALM OF FIRE Spanning a decade already in the metal hotbed that is Finland, Rapid take that filthy 80s sound of both NWOBHM and favelas and uniquely spin in their own punkish distored way without sounding at all like another throwaway Venōmhead clone. The cesspool sure is deep so Rapid makes damn sure to avoid it lest being called ordinary and just plain redundant. We get a fairly standard horror-filmesque introduction with a segue right into the raw, ripp

NARGAROTH - APOCALYPTIC STEEL Well he's back, and after an almost decade-long silence (and long after sunsetting his "Kanwulf" moniker) Ash's brand over misanthropic, furious black metal roars with a vengeance once again. If one were to have any sort of reservations after a long hiatus it would indeed be understandable... No shills or stumbling detected whatsoever as "Apocalyptic Steel" plunges itself deep within the hear of the listener and never lets up. After an intro of a

CHAMBER OF UNLIGHT - AVERNUS Emering a decade ago from Finland with an ensemble of the nation's finest black metallers coming together, the symphonic, grandiose style of Chamber of Unlight gives plenty of nods to ethereal black metal from over a generation ago that once made the world tremble. Truly the meeting of these mad minds has created something exquisite and deadly, taking black metal right back to its rightful throne of the deadliest form of sheer audial terror. Nothi

NEDGRAVD - ASCENSION From seemingly out of nowhere they came, a more rare case of death metal out of the land of Norway whose black metal scene is now legendary while having more mainstream recognition than ever before. Still having spawned a wealth of highly-revered death metal that have spawned from their land, Nedgravd is yet another prime example of this and with their "Ascension" debut the underground has been all but literally lit on fire with heaps of praise and acclai

BEWITCHED - DIABOLICAL DEATH MASS Compromised of members of many acts from the early rise of the Swedish black metal scene (you know, back when it was pretty much like a myth) and finally breaking a twenty-year silence, Bewitched once again brings thier Sinister, Satan-obsessed blackened thrash with heavy NWOBHM undertones in our faces, sacrificing us on the altar of modern mediocrity and banal boredom to once again reclaim their throne among many pretenders apeing this class

IRON MAIDEN - BURNING AMBITION DOCUMENTARY As they celebrate 50 years of being an institution and being inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame at long last, Iron Maiden have become icons not just of heavy metal music but also with a mass-merchandising empire that makes Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson and perhaps even Kiss seem dwarfed by comparison. If you don't happen to know any band member's names or can even identify any songs then you surely recognize Eddie the H

By now seen as death metal gentry, Mexican maniacs Mortary give us slices of their mastery so far and far between over the decades yet are still met with much anticipation and applause when they finLly get around to it. With 1990's highly-revered "Blackened Images" seeming to come out a lifetime ago yet put them on the map as a rising underground force this latest EP "Great Black Earth" will have to hold us over for now and hopefully not all the way until the end times. Slowl

POSSESSION - THE MOTHER OF DARKNESS By now Possession have gained a foothold in the underground with their classic-style dark blackdeath that can shine with elements from Cogumelo to Gothenburg and all things in-between thrown together in a devilishly good mix. Now with their second full-length after almost a decade without a proper one they have returned with all of Hell's vengeance fiercely alongside them. A foreboding intro of church organ, bells, and distant tortured voic

FANTOME OUBLIE - SECRETS TÉNÉBREUX RÉVÉLÉS PAR LES OSSEMENTS With a handful of demos and a split with the amazing Werewolf Bloodorder in the past few years we finally get a full-length from the enigmatic Fantôme Ouiblé, led by Famtôme himself (who also participates in Brazilian projects Malefício and Nosferatu) along with other diabolical cohorts that definitely has mastered the classic black metal look and feel so far gone these days but far from dead with savage spirits suc

UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT - MESMERIZED BY THE UNKNOWN It's not often that we invest much attention in reviewing mere but sometimes one grasps us in such a way that a full review is simply the best decision to make. Unapproachable Light's "Mesmerized By The Unknown" brings with it the wealth of talent that is Wargoat Obscurum of the legendary Cult of Daath and appears to be his main focus musically for right now. With that said, his creative energies once again build something mena