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