I.R. ''We’ve always liked the idea that our music should be experienced rather than simply heard. Writing music also involves a whole spectrum of emotions, and when we’re able to convey those emotions through the music, we feel even more connected to what is happening around us, as well as to the audience. I.R is the Bassist/vocalist E-L-R. Music that epitomises a feeling and the weight of its consequence. Hauntingly ethereal yet also crushingly urban, huge riffs and epic ta

Gåte are the creators of wonderfully enchanting music that captures the listener with a sound that is melancholic yet uplifting and wholly satisfying. A combination of the electronic and traditional, the new album is the stunning “Sigil” created of the earth and further proof of their status as one of Norway’s premier bands. Their music is complex yet immediately rewarding, transformational and evocative. It is both emotional and visceral, progressive and accessible . They ha

Мещера – Ritual- Sisters 9/10 Dark atmospheric pagan Black metal artists Meschera (Мещера) have unleashed their latest offering Ritual. A track that begins with its native group chant and summoning of winters embrace. In this instance the band has fully embraced the roots of the inno-Ugric tribe whilst being able to continue the delicate balance between the traditional and the modern. It is a heavy vocal offering and as always, the evocative and commanding voice of Alex

Saor – Caledonia 8.5/10 SAOR (Gaelic and Scottish for free) is the creation of Andy Marshall that since 2013 has ushered in the style of Caledonian (Scotland) Black Metal that merges the traditions of folk and Gaelic with the modern fury of extreme metal.’’ Caledonia’’ is not a new album per se but a reconstruction of five classic tracks from the Roots, Aura, and Guardians eras recorded the way they were always originally intended with the proper resour

Otras - Na Kridlach Morivida 8.5/10 Košice Slovakia madmen Otras return with their only second full-length album after 2024s Čas karhať. The new album ‘Na Kridlach Morivida’ ("On the Wings of the Plague") is the highly aggressive combination of raw speed metal, furious black metal, combined with punk delivered at insane speeds At a mere 32 minutes Na Kridlach Morivida is an album delivered with incredible and the upmost intensity, from the subtle intro to the vibrant speed

Theosophy – Line Before The Event Horizon 8/10 Hailing from the Altai Krai region of Barnaul is Siberia’s Theosophy. They have terrorised the underground since 2004 with their all-out assault of Black Metal. Their seventh album Line Before the Event Horizon continues the mayhem. From the opener, ‘’Path to the Void,” and its full-on attack it is proof that Theosophy excels in crafting well-executed black metal that is raw, icy cold, tempered by manic time changes and frantic

‘’The unity of our mortal summoning cannot be specifically determined. We know that before the transformation during that great blizzard of Råvaskieth's then unknown seventh eclipse, we were mortal souls, musicians, outcasts and astral spacetime thinkers. Those general genetics are still engraved in our mortal shells, and corporeal field, but each of us, retain nothing of who or what each of us where or from whence we came. The only thing each of us remembers from our patheti

Flame – Ignis Draconis Daemonicus 7.5/10 Finland’s Flame are the flag bearers of blasphemous speed infused blackened thrash. Their third release Ignis Draconis Daemonicus marks their return after fifteen years and carries all their hallmarks that are part traditional/ part modern yet all pure metal Flame indulges in old school speed terror; its rapid two four timing and harsh vocals set against a clean sound that is reminiscent of the eighties masters. ‘’Sethanic Sorcery’’

Jim ‘’HKSPK started in 2023. In the beginning, we simply wanted to make music together. There was no huge master plan behind it and certainly no idea that only a few years later we would already be talking about our second album. ‘’The name itself comes from what I would call an absurd and slightly questionable nominal compound. When we needed a band name, we basically threw together several words that came to mind and ended up with something that was probably much funnier to

Reb Bartlett (Guitar) “I had this idea and a vision for band, that happened to be two-piece of guitar and drums, with having a sound, that's all our own and making heavy riffs, that happen to be in Drop B tuning and also, I wanted something, that had the elements of bands that I listen to…. So yes, for my own enjoyment and releasing the music that we make, if people like it, that's cool or if people don't like it, that doesn't make a difference to us as we're still going to p

Behemoth – I, Scvlptor 8/10 Poland’s Behemoth are titans within the black metal genre. With such popularity comes criticism. Accusations that their last album saw the band merely coasting plagued its release. Less than a year later is the new album I, Scvlptor Described by Nergal (Guitars Vocals) “an autonomous work that bridges our past with what is new and fresh” I, Scvlptor is not just a “compilation” but a glimpse into their future.’’ I, Scvlptor’’ is a track that is a

Linnea Hjertén doesn’t just create music. Every note is hand crafted to create an intimate experience that is at times vulnerable and at others full of personal strength. The many layered vocals all a distinct voice that tie the experience of those who came before with her own, the traditional given a unique expression that is harmonious and deeply moving, it is a minimalism full of diverse instrumentation. The latest release ‘’Steg för steg” and is a continual evolution of

Firtan are a relentless creative force that in the space of just five albums have ascertained themselves a special place within extreme music. It is a combination of Black and Death metal along with an ear for the classical and experimental that is visceral, exciting and commanding in its presence. Laden with atmosphere and authority, the new album is the stunning Helios that charts the brutal path to enlightenment: not as escape, but as conquest. An evolution of the essence

One cannot understate the impact and influence of Armoured Angel on the extreme metal scene not only in Australia but globally. Famous for being a three piece from their beginnings in 1982, founder Lucy (bass) has led and pioneered a sound and style that evolved from speed metal through thrash into a death metal force build around huge rhythms and crushing riffs that were a statement of commitment and delivered without compromise. Despite a slew of Demos and Eps (1992’s Stig

Farago – vocals, guitars is part of Germanys Servant, that since 2021 have terrorized the underground their own brand of melodious yet furious black metal. It is a sound that honours the past yet is full of progression that pushes the extreme genre forward into heavier more memorable depths. Every album is a celebration and Servant’s fourth album is the gloriously uncompromising ‘’Lux Ex Inferis’’ The definitive statement of Servant? Farago ‘Hello, and thanks a lot to begin

Faustian – Parable Of The Sewer 9/10 There are those who claim to be blasphemous and there are those who embody it. Australia’s Faustian is one such act, a supergroup if you will (featuring members of Werewolves) that represent the utter nihilism within. Their second release is the utterly defiant Parable Of The Sewer A sacrilegious interpretation of the parable of the Sower (the trade of the soul for knowledge or power) the exchange in this instance is the convergence of t

Valkyrie’s Fire - Out of Darkness 9/10 Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee one of the unlikeliest locations for Symphonic Power Metal is Valkyrie’s Fire. with several singles and an Ep under their belt their debut album is the truly Epic Out of Darkness. Strap self in, Out of Darkness is colossal, truly colossal, thirteen tracks at over seventy-two minutes, it is grandiose, cinematic, and majestic with its wonder and alluring charm. It is also incredibly metal with some of the

Skjult – A Perfect Devouring Light 8/10 From 2015 Cuban Conspirator (vocals/ all instruments) has led Skjult with such an uncompromising vision that its intensity is felt throughout his interpretation of modern black metal. Its fast frenetic yet multilayered and the fifth full length release ‘A Perfect Devouring Light’ is a deconstruction of ideals where light is not the revelation but a violent penetrative force. Musically excellent, this is a feverish rejection of the acc

Myrkviðr – Harmur 8.5/10 Myrkviðr (Black Forest) are an Icelandic Conglomerate that explore the darkest corners of faith, violence, and the human condition. Their debut release is the raw and chaotic Harmur (Sorrow) four tracks performed in the native Icelandic that encapsulates the bans steadfast vision, that is intense and uncompromising. Harmur is blessed with an atmosphere that is so deeply imbedded it is a natural part of their style. When it does explode it is a lit

Firtan Helios 9.7/10 The fifth album from Germanys Firtan is a masterwork of atmospheric black/ death metal that incorporates the classical to create a truly uncompromising, steadfast piece of art. Much Like its namesake Helios it is a conquest over darkness, the shining sun over brutal enslavement to create the strongest personification of self. After the melancholic intro of "Himsa" and its beautiful strings every Firtan album is blessed with an incredible opening riff a