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Exitium Sui - ’It’s an expression of who I am''
Exitium Sui is the sole creation of E.S (vocals- Instrumentation) and the result is a profoundly personal experience that reflects the self and that of experience. It is a cathartic release that explores and then destroys the simple genre tags of funeral doom and black metal that combined with subtle orchestration creates a sonic release that is disturbing yet also alluring. It is a darkness that is explained musically and profoundly. The new album is Unravelling, and it is s
Sparky
Aug 15 min read


Allarys - ''romantic black metal is the coexistence of beauty and sorrow''
Kurayami (vocals & all instruments) ‘’Allarys officially took shape in 2025, but its roots go much further back. Some of the earliest ideas were written around 2019 during one of the most difficult periods of my life. At the time, I never intended to create a band or even release an album. They were simply fragments of emotions that I could not express in any other way. ‘’For years, those unfinished songs remained untouched. Returning to them was not about reliving the past,
Sparky
Aug 16 min read


Vicissitude - ''Represents death, darkness and decay.
’Vicissitude represents death, darkness and decay. We surface to the listener within the realms of Black and Death Metal. Vile, corrupt and horrific to the masses that they openly scorn. C.S and Vicissitude (NZ) are the epitome of brutal cavernous death metal, that is savage, barbaric and steadfast in their belief and ideal to create music that represents their mayhem. ‘’Vicissitude was forged within the abyssic waste of Wellington in 2016, amidst my previous endeavours wit
Sparky
Aug 13 min read


Lumen Ad Mortem- ''Absolute violence contrasted by ethereal sombre''
Aaron Tuck (Guitars, Keyboards, orchestration)’’ It all started back around 2018 with conversations between Gregor and me. Many hours of discussions happened before any music was written. We had both been inactive musically for at least 5 years and decided to make black metal with a set aesthetic and sound in mind. The initial concept was simple - black metal influenced by the second wave artists from Norway and Sweden especially, while also looking to the Australian scene an
Sparky
Aug 15 min read


Léan - ''there is a symbiosis between darkness and light''
‘’Léan is my debut as a composer. The idea of a separate project for my music came to me back in 2018, while I was bored during a hospital stay, though the very first song I wrote there won't be featured on the upcoming album. ‘’Originally, Léan was conceived around the theme of flora, but I decided to give the project more creative freedom, and that idea became secondary. Lorelei Ether is the composer, clean vocalist, keyboardist, and the leader of the duo known as Léan. A
Sparky
Aug 13 min read


Antinoë - ''My vulnerabilities and weaknesses are completely unveiled''
Photo Aitana Fernández. ‘’The Fold” is not just an album but an experience. The second album from Teresa Marraco’s solo Piano based project of Antinoe is a sumptuous and intimate exploration of romance and emotion. It is uncompromising in its honesty and raw purity, recognizing grief and hope, darkness and light whilst being wildly expressive. The Fold is a wonderful accomplishment. 'Hello, Sparky, and thank you! It’s good to speak again, I remember our first conversation fo
Sparky
Jul 176 min read


Unholy Altar - ''Darkness represents more than just negativity''
‘’The band started as two members wanting to create deep meaningful raw second wave black metal. As we progressed, we added our drummer & bassist from there we slowly began conjuring a unique sound that each member brings to the table. ‘’Our ritual is not only about summoning a feeling but also creating an experience for the listener when they see us live. We want to invoke an intense, dark, and abysmal atmosphere. Unholy Altar is a creation born of chaos and darkness, music
Sparky
Jul 173 min read


Mothertomb - ''The only thing powerful enough to overcome that suffering is love''
Dying to Live is the debut album from Michigan’s Mothertomb. It is a sound that is as fresh as it is classic. Epic soundscapes that carry the swagger of the doom metal greats yet blessed with a modern ethereal sensibility and a spirituality that is sensual and alluring. It is a powerful debut that has a progressive improvisation driven by a huge rhythm section and some fantastic riffing. It is band that that was born from tragedy and mother nature’s wrath. Alice Gawlinski (vo
Sparky
Jul 153 min read


Chainlacing - ''It’s a creative and urgent kind of tension that I enjoy''
Photo credit: Jillian Grace Benham (@celesticos on instagram) Rick Martel and Lauren Crosser are Chainlacing. A Duo that has created a sound that is a fuzz infused Synaesthesia of emotion, depth and an almost kinaesthetic wonder. After teasing several singles, the debut album Messuage is finally available, and it is a revelation of sound that has roots in urban shoegaze but is blessed with a dreamy ethereal wonder that surprises with every listen. It is an intelligent organ
Sparky
Jul 1010 min read


Sojourner - ''We just went with atmospheric metal'' Interview
Sojourner doesn’t just make records but experiences. Their music is a spellbinding journey that is challenging and rewarding in equal measure, haunting and beautiful combining both the traditional and the modern. From their formation in 2014 Mike Lamb (Guitars) and Emilio Crespo (vocals) have created atmospheric extreme music that is as haunting as it is memorable. Gateways is their superb new album that further explores the realms of heaviness and reflective emotion that to
Sparky
Jun 1613 min read


My Lover the Morning Star - ''Art is an aesthetic experience born of a human desire''
Cristina:’’ As with Of the Muses, and perhaps to an even deeper extent this time around, My Lover the Morning Star is once again a solo endeavour. I established it right after announcing the end of my previous project, already with the intention of doing something entirely removed and experimenting with different sounds. ‘’I would say, most of all, this project was born out of a desire to make things easier for myself, by creating more freely, expressing myself in a way that
Sparky
Jun 110 min read


TÅKEVANDRER - ''Darkness is definitely a creative source for me''
TÅKEVANDRER emerged from the Austrian Mountains in 2025 and in short order have forged their own individual path that is extreme black metal steadfast in the ideology of profanity and the lunar experience. The three piece create music that surprises and is part of the journey for something that is unique, and reflects the individual in its art. Taranis (Guitars) ‘’It was about expressing feelings and thoughts through a particular art form. Some of the music was already writt
Sparky
Jun 15 min read


Windswept - ''Everything we do is rooted in this esoteric darkness
‘’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
Sparky
May 205 min read


Molosser - ''It should be relentless and intimidating''
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
Sparky
May 182 min read


Warpseer -"The black flame is illumination"
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
Sparky
May 175 min read


Maria of Copper Mountains - ''It's important not to limit yourself in your creativity.
“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
Sparky
May 144 min read


LOR3L3I - Peace by Proxy "A proposed solution as a passive criticism"
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
Sparky
May 66 min read


Graveir -"We only understand the concept of hope by knowing its absence''
‘’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
Sparky
May 46 min read


Plaguebreeder -" A true celebration of symphonic black death metal"
‘’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
Sparky
Apr 67 min read


Sainte Obyana Du Froid - "Emotion is the ultimate goal of creation"
‘’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
Sparky
Mar 235 min read
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