‘’Couple years ago, Steve (our drummer) got in contact with me and asked if I wanted to do vocals in a black metal band, then slowly he started to weave together the lineup that we've got today. We're all from different musical backgrounds, scenes and have varying levels of experience playing live, so we each bring something special to Windswept. Rachel (Vocals) is the force of nature out front for New Zealand's Windswept. Their live shows are a visceral display of madness t

A.K (Vocals)‘’ I had always wanted to do a death metal band, so I pitched the idea to a few friends and we eventually got to writing and rehearsing material. ‘’ I remember first hearing Slayer's Reign in Blood album when I was getting into metal and it immediately sparked a desire to find the next level (and beyond) from that. Basically, led me on a journey of trying to find the most extreme examples of music and of course I landed on black/death metal relatively quickly. New

Graveir -The Festering Triad 9/10 The third full-length album by Australian black metal band Graveir is The Festering Triad. It is not just an album but a damning account on the accepted. The Brisbane five piece have tormented the masses since 2014 and have released a vicious piece of modern confrontive black metal. Graveir create music that is though provoking, dynamic and ever surprising, their violences is bought about by awareness and the unwillingness to

Dimmu Borgir – Grand Serpent Rising. 8.5/10 Their first album in eight long years Norway’s grand masters of Symphonic Black metal have returned with their eleventh studio album Grand Serpent Rising, an album that marks not only their long awaited retuned but welcomes new guitarist Kjell Åge "Damage" Karlsen into the ceremonies. Taking a step back from the complete OTT blast that was Eonian, Dimmu Borgir returns to the fierce, devoted intensity of their earlier albums

Emerging from the Australian underground in in 2023 is Warpseer. A project that began celebrating true Black metal that has evolved into something more grandiose, yet no less bestial. It is raw powerful music that celebrates its own narrative of horror and conflict. Witchhammer (lead guitar and founder) I created Warpseer not long after I finished high school, and in the beginning, it was me handling all the instruments and a school mate of mine on vocals. The demos we made

“Maria of Copper Mountains is a musical project that was born in Chelyabinsk. I created it out of a desire to write dark, immersive music and apply my folk vocal skills and knowledge of folklore mythology. I came up with this idea with my musical partner Nikita (we had previously written other music) and we decided that black metal was a good medium for expressing the right mood and atmosphere. So, it was never an end in itself, but rather a good tool. Founded by Maria Azanov

Heike Langhans is the multitalented creator and driving force that is LOR3L3I. LOR3L3I is a long running solo project that differs greatly from her other vocal performances that include Ison, Remina, Light Field Reverie and of course her time in Draconian. Her rich warm, unmistakeable vocals are set against an electronic back drop that is gentle yet powerful. The debut album Peace by Proxy is a beautiful, wonderfully addictive tapestry of an album that juxtaposes the darkness

‘’Graveir was formed with the desire to make black metal on our own terms, to create bleak music that holds a mirror up to the world and asks us to reckon with the monsters we see reflected back, knowing that they are us. Gloom (Vocals) is part of the superb Brisbane collective that is Graveir, from 2014 they have terrorized the underground with their brand of ultra-aggressive yet melodic black metal, that is reflected in their live intensity and a violent, intelligent contem

Doodswens- Doodswens 9.5/10 After their incredible debut Lichtvrees in 2021, and the live release Het nieuwe licht in 2024 the Netherlands trio of Doodswens (death wish) return with their sophomore full length self-titled album. Album number two is intense, raw and simply awe inspiring. It is stripped all the way back to the intensity, emotion and the purity that that is extreme black metal. It is an uncomplicated sonic minimalistic ritual that revels in the shadows of d

‘’Invocation of Lilith’’ epitomises Plaguebreeder in 2026. The first single in six years now sees band as a three-piece herald in a new era that has expanded and diversified into a malevolent creation that is pure unrelenting symphonic black metal. Furious aggression tempered by large epic soundscapes that immediately capture the new purpose and vision. The debut album will be Black Death Symphony. And it reflects the new era of Plaguebreeder. Seiran: ‘’When we parted ways wi

Thy Sanatorium- Thy Sanatorium 9/10 The faceless multinational collective that is Thy Sanatorium have unleashed their debut self-titled sonic offering, that is raw brutal, yet also cinematic and symphonic, horrific and beautiful. Thy Sanatorium has created an album that is more a journey than a collection of tracks. The Multiple vocal attack creates a pure sense of drama and chaos amongst the eight tracks within, the musicianship is without question, able to deftly maneuv

‘’Sainte Obyana was created somewhat by chance. I had a guitar part that I felt was too different from the project I was working on at the time (LE PROCHAIN HIVER). It was faster, less classical, with quite a lot of synths. I decided to set that riff aside, then I composed the rest of the track, then another one. Within a few weeks, the album was written, it all came very easily and quickly. Hylgaryss is the creative force that is Sainte Obyana Du Froid along with vocalist Ob

Ernte - Der schwarzen Flamme Vermächtnis 9/10 Ernte are bearers of the back Flame. Their music is pure black metal, misanthropic and full of atmospheric depth. The uncompromising duo of Askahex (Vocals, Bass, Violin) and V Noir (Guitars, Bass, Drums) have carved a reputation for unrepentant extremity that is genuine and Authentic. “Der schwarzen Flamme Vermächtnis’’ from the Swiss collective is their fourth release. From the opening onslaught that is Warrior of the Black

Nazghor - A World Ablaze 9/10 Drawing its inspiration from the great Uppsala fire of 1702, is A World Ablaze from Swedish stalwarts Nazghor. Their eighth album is a display of utter conviction and discipline that is pure black metal artistry at its most sophisticated and ferocious. From the grandeur of “A Once Starless Oath” and its descent into savagery and excellent pure metal double kick work. Its main riffs are transformative over its lengthy seven minutes that capture

EIHWAR - Hugrheim 8/10 Infused with a more contemporary sound than their peers Eiwhwar create addictive soundscapes through modern rhythmic percussion that is has a definite current of electronic industrial run through it. The result is at times introspective and beautiful and at others a percussionist’s dream, full of power and more importantly the trance like effect that is all important to the ritual. The result is electro Nordic folk, a war tra

‘ ’A wild ride. Expect to be challenged lyrically and musically because we don’t shy away from crossing and blending genres.’ Is how the nameless multinational collective that is Thy Sanitorium describes their forthcoming Self- titled Debut Album . A grand opus that transcends the ordinary and genre boundaries. ‘’Thy Sanatorium blends a lot of musical and cinematic influences. The idea was to combine themes of horror with music in a way that was relatable and applicable to t

Vide - Aux enfants des ruines. 9/10 Frances Vide is represented by a sole individual Hylgaryss. An artist unbound by the constraints of genre or expectation. Prolific and creative, the debut full-length album from his project Vide is Aux enfants des ruines. A piece of art that touches on the inevitable and melancholic, a masterwork in seven passages. Beginning with the hauntingly beautiful choral/operatic Aux enfants des ruines promises to be an albu

Like a burning flame to the materialism and vacuousness of modern society is Ernte . Black metal, pure in its authenticity and uncompromising stance both musically and ideologically . The Swiss duo of Askahex and Haxar represent the visceral and violent nature of music over their impressive catalogue. The excellent new album is Der Schwarzen Flamme vermächtnis warlike in its presentation and representing the very core of the ideals Of Ernte and its legacy to tradition Aska

Unverkalt – Héréditaire 9/10 Hailing from Athens, Greece and Berlin Unverkalt have been creating original experimental music since their creation in 2017. From their L'origine du monde, through to their follow up A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers , the promise of excellence has grown closer with each release. Their potential has been realized on Héréditaire, their darkest, heaviest album. It is also incredibly passionate and personal, a descent

Mayhem – Liturgy of Death 8/10 A band that needs no introduction. Norway’s Mayehm (The True Mayhem) have been a cornerstone of Black metal for over four decades where their reputation exceeds expectation and the wait between albums is at times interminable. Whereas the name often overshadows the music Liturgy of Death is their seventh studio album and is pure unadulterated black metal and effortlessly extreme. Liturgy of Death is an excellently recorded album