“Catechesis” is an interesting and occasionally powerful expression of blackened death metal, but it is uneven, overlong in parts, and its ambition sometimes obscures rather than illumines. Fans of complex death metal may find value in its highs, but its lows remind that potential doesn’t always equal execution.
Paradise Lost, stalwarts of gothic doom, return with “Ascension”, an album that leans into atmosphere and shadow more than revelation. It may not redefine their legacy, but it reaffirms their place as enduring architects of sorrowful heaviness.
“The Fractal Ouroboros” is a furious and meditative ritual, where political defiance and blackened savagery intertwine with moments of sorrowful ambience. Exhausting in its density yet commanding in vision, it lingers like smoke after fire – uncompromising, cyclical, and unforgettable.
Carach Angren reveal their latest single, “The Resurrection of Kariba,” from the upcoming EP The Cult of Kariba, out on October 17th via Season of Mist.
Formless Ruin of Oblivion is an ambitious sprawl of black, death, and noise that too often collapses under its own density. There are flashes of brilliance amid the chaos, but they are buried in drift and repetition, leaving the record more exhausting than transcendent.
“Nocturne” drifts between shadow and revelation, its folk roots stretched into darker corridors without always finding a lasting spark. Haunting in mood but hesitant in execution, it lingers like mist, evocative yet never fully consuming.
“Ødnis” is a potent, cohesive example of refined melodic black metal from the new northern school: cold, concise, compelling. With just a touch more variance and daring in arrangement, it could have soared; yet even in its careful design, it leaves its mark.
A formidable statement from veterans, “Teeth to Sky” channels mankinds tendency to ruin into texture and grit. While never reinventing heaviness, Guiltless deliver it with clarity, purpose, and a quiet, undeclared mercy.
The Noble Art of Desolation is a debut that trades fire for atmosphere, weaving blackened riffs and layered melancholy into a fog-drenched whole. At times uneven and weighed down by pacing lulls, it nonetheless carries sincerity.
Love, Peace, And Understanding? Mörk Gryning’s new record is a testament to persistence, legacy, and controlled intensity.