A Grave Ascent - Lumen Ad Mortem 9/10 Hailing from what is undeniably the extreme metal state of South Australia Is Lumen Ad Morten. Following up from their debut 2023 release ‘Upon the Edge of Darkness’ is ‘A Grave Ascent’, an album of atmospheric black metal that is so utterly uncompromising displaying their immense musical capabilities and depth. A Grave Ascent is an album of contrasts. Its overwhelming sense of melancholy is marked by extreme tremolo and temp

Finsterforst- Still 9/10 For those uninitiated, the sixth full length album by Germanys Finsterforst is a celebration of their black forest metal and the crossing of genre boundaries. Dynamic and steeped in tradition, the result is an album that celebrates life and exemplary musicianship. From some simply beautifully clean guitar sections to the simply huge riff that is ‘Obduktion’’, the pacing is tempered and sparse to allow everything to fully overwhelm the senses with a s

Valfurlogi – Gneisti af eldi Guðs 8.5/10 Gneisti af eldi Guðs (A spark of God's fire) is the second album from Iceland’s Valfurlogi. It is a masterclass in modern melodic black metal that is as experimental as it is uncompromising and extreme. Gneisti af eldi Guðs reeks of a maturity that comes for compositions created over a twenty-year period. For all the chaos of the title track there is a methodical almost mathematical urgency to the riff that threatens to spin out of c

Duir- Catarsi 7.5 /10 The Second album from the faceless collective that is Italy’s Duir, Catarsi is an ambitious WWI concept record exploring the psychological despair of a soldier, the result is desolate and haunting expressed through raw folk infused black metal. From the opener of Manifesto and its grim settings the hurdy gurdy and guitar stand at equal footing, and the result is a sound that is recognizable yet also unique, it is a vast cinematic infused style that capt

Fyrnask – Íosir 9/10 For their fifth album the collective of Fyrnask from Lübeck, Eitorf (Germany) have embraced the rage and the terror of inevitability that is the conceptual “’Iosir”. Described as a ‘’album that follows a single consciousness through the realm of the dead — across burning gates, wrathful and luminous forces, and a final dissolution.” It is an all-encompassing plunge into the depths of the utterly uncompromising black metal. Fyrnask has created an alum tha

Tsar Stangra – Hymns of the Broken Worlds 8.5/10 Bulgarian Black/Folk metal band/collective Цар Стангра (Tsar Stangra) are an enigma within the extreme metal underground. Their music is truly of a cultural view that combines the harshness of modern black metal with pure Belgium tradition. Химните на разрушените светове (Hymns of the Broken Worlds) is their second full length release that continues the odyssey. Hymns of the Broken Worlds is an album that is ting

Illwind – The Unfolding at the End of Light 8/10 Hailing from Peru is Illwind. Their debut album is The Unfolding at the End of Light, a doom-infused piece of art that takes its inspiration from any source. It is as dreamlike as it is bone crushingly heavy, a modern form of doom that is also richly indebted to the masters of it across its epic five tracks. The clean vocals make for a refreshing change compared to the more prevalent funeral Doom at present. It has a moder

Grimveil – Beneath the Veil of Silent Woods 8.5/10 Beneath the Veil of Silent Woods is the debut album by Swedish /German duo Revenant (Order of Nosferat) and Simon (Tårfödd), it an atmospheric black /folk metal release that is a truly epic adventure across its eight tracks and sixty-two-minute running time. This is a richly dark album that is as beautiful as it is bleak and confronting. The overlaying melody line of opener’ ’Where the Path Fades to Nothing’ is literally fa

Moonspell - Far from God 8/10 Lisbon, Portugal Icons Moonspell return with their twelfth full length offering Far from God. This is Dark metal at its most pure, a gothic slow burn of an album that cements their status after a five-year break from the sounds of Hermitage in 2021. Far from God is a lavish beautifully recorded album, that captures the essence of pure gothic rock and, tinged with a sense of 80’ sensibility , there are echoes of Sisters and Field of the Nephil

Haemoth – Black Dust 8.5/10 Shrouded in mystery, the duo of Haemoth and Syht, began in 1999. The French black metallers return from their slumber after almost fifteen years with their latest masterwork, the oppressive and nightmarish Black Dust. Not so much an album as a haunting, hellish journey through the underworld. “When The Dust Finally Settles” is the perfect example, its frenetic, breakneck black metal, that dips into pure second wave excell

Sojourner – Gateways 9/10 After what seems like an interminable wait, The international collective of Sojourner has returned after six years with their new album, the simply incredible Gateways. Featuring a revamped line-up that now includes the formidable vocals skills of Heike Langhans, she is the juxtaposition to the fury of Emilio Crespo, their skills combining to create a rich tapestry of vocal ability that weaves in and out of the music th

Windswept - Howling in Baptismal Filth 9/10 Not so much a band but a force of nature. Howling in Baptismal Filth is the debut album from Winswept, a group of musicians from different backgrounds in extreme music that have coalesced into a coherent music force of sheer black metal terror. Very rarely does an album catch the fury of a live show but Howling in Baptismal Filth does exactly that. It is physical, tough, and violent, soaked in sweat and fluids repre

My Lover the Morning Star 8.5/10 Cristina Rombi returns with a brand-new project My Lover the Morning Star that is different from her other works, yet it contains the same spirit of individuality and a deep emotional connection through music. At only two tracks it a beautiful introduction to the seductive dreamlike qualities of the music Steeped in Darkwave and dreampop with a hint of the post punk Diy aesthetic and rebellious spirit.’’ la fleur de sa peau’’ ensnar

EVEALE – Enter The Woodland Realm 8/10 The US, UK Collective known as Eveale offer their debut album of multilayered black metal to the powers of the nature, steeped in mythology and passion. Simply Put Enter the Woodland Realm is a celebration of black metal by two accomplished musicians (known simply as the The North East Wizard Tyrant and Monarch of the Hillside ) and reflects their deep profound love for the genre whether it be the acoustic atmosphere of “The B

Meschera - White Captivity 9/10 Russia’s ever prolific Meschera return with their latest single, White Captivity. A song that intertwines the past and the present, the bounty of love and the agony of revenge, a captivity that is forever white. Meschera’s music is instantly recognizable from the level of talent involved and their innate ability to create atmospheric soundscapes that conjure the traditional pagan vast lands and the ferocity of modern black metal From the fi

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

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

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

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