Steel Druhm

The horrors persist, but so does Steel.
Temple of Void – The Crawl Review

Temple of Void – The Crawl Review

By Steel Druhm on March 4, 2026 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 44 comments

“Detroit’s death-doom institution Temple of Void had an interesting journey over their 12-year career. Their 2014 debut split the baby between 90s Peaceville doom and nasty death metal like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower, and the end product was heavy as fook. 2017’s Lords of Death shifted toward death metal without losing any of the crushing, venomous intensity. It wasn’t until 2020s The World That Was that Temple of Void really started experimenting with the scope of their sound as influences like post-metal crept in. When 2022s Summoning the Slayer arrived, it seemed like the band was losing the plot, as their sound became overly pared down and simplistic, causing tedium to set in. That brings us to their fifth album, The Crawl.” Null and void?

Templar – Conquering Swords Review

Templar – Conquering Swords Review

By Steel Druhm on February 26, 2026 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 47 comments

“There’s a burgeoning old school 80s trve metal movement growing these days, with more and more young bands longing to sound really olde. Steel is there for that, as it speaks directly to his ancient bones. A good number of these retro sword-swinging acts seem to be coming out of Sweden of late. We covered Century’s Sign of the Storm last year, and here comes Templar with their Conquering Swords debut, which was produced by Century’s Staffan Tengnér. As a fan of conquest and swords (and that awesome van-worthy cover art), I’m the target audience for this early 80s throwback insanity.” Room & sword.

Domhain – In Perfect Stillness Review

Domhain – In Perfect Stillness Review

By Steel Druhm on February 19, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, 56 comments

“For the second review in a row, I heard about a band via skimming YouTube, heard something I liked, and tracked down their promo. I’m used to working this from the other direction, but when the almighty algorithm gives, one must take and be thankful. Domhain is an atmospheric post-black metal band from Northern Ireland, and In Perfect Stillness is their debut full-length. With an emotionally charged sound and style, Domhain touches on the past works of Darkest Era, Primordial, and Agalloch while utilizing cellos and haunting female vocals to punctuate the melancholic, often grim moods they wallow in.” Dashed upon the Reefs of Grief.

Leatherhead – Violent Horror Stories Review

Leatherhead – Violent Horror Stories Review

By Steel Druhm on February 12, 2026 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 51 comments

“Steel is a sucker for a band trying their absolute best to bring back the bountiful glory of the 80s metal sound. Enter Greek retro fiends Leatherhead and their second full-length crusade, Violent Horror Stories. I happened to stumble upon their lead single “V.H.S” while scrolling on YouTube and mistook them for yet another thrash revival group, but I was mistaken. Though this is often speedy, high-energy stuff, it plays out more like a loving nod to the salad days of US power metal than any kind of beer and BO thrash-fest.” No sleep til leather.

Fossilization – Advent of Wounds Review

Fossilization – Advent of Wounds Review

By Steel Druhm on February 11, 2026 in Reviews, Death Metal, 0 comments

“Back in 2023, Brazilian death crew Fossilization dropped their Leprous Daylight debut on the unsuspecting world below, impressing Cherd
in the process with its Incantation-esque blend of ghastly cavern crawling and 5-ton doomy digressions. He even went so far as to suggest it was superior to Incantation’s then-new platter Unholy Deification while generally singing the praises of preserved beast bone recovery. Fast-forward a few years, and the band’s sophomore release, Advent of Wounds, falls to me as Cherd has gone missing in a very nonsuspicious way that does NOT require police involvement or any half-assed internet sleuthing of any kind” Digging for cave bones.

Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Review

Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Review

By Steel Druhm on February 6, 2026 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 67 comments

“After staggering off four crazy days at sea for the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, my ears and brain are fried unto merciless death. Luckily, I anticipated this contingency and left myself a fairly easy bounce-back to reality with the sophomore album from England’s classic metal rockers, Tailgunner.” Shooting for and at the sky.

The Eternal – Celestial Review

The Eternal – Celestial Review

By Steel Druhm on January 16, 2026 in Reviews, 37 comments

“Australian Gothic doom act The Eternal came into my life with their 2018 opus Waiting for the Endless Dawn and caused me much consternation. I loved their depressive Paradise Lost / Sentenced / Katatonia style, but struggled with the sheer length of the compositions, which ranged from 10 minutes upward to 20. I underscored the album despite some amazing material due to its sheer size, and I regret that still. 2024s Skinwalker saw them tone down the running times somewhat, and it was another glum victory with huge moments of sadboi glory. Now The Eternal drop a mini-album/EP named Celestial, and lo and behold, it’s economical in size and scope.” Tears in the eternal void.

Kreator – Krushers of the World Review

Kreator – Krushers of the World Review

By Steel Druhm on January 14, 2026 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 120 comments

“We’re in the honeymoon phase of our shiny new year, and over the next few weeks, some big names will be dropping albums to set the tone for this trip around the Sun. First up is Kreator, Germany’s long-running and legendary thrash institution, with their 16th album, Krushers of the World. So which version of Kreator are we getting here? The straight-up, no-bullshit thrashers, or the ones that stir traditional metal sounds into the expected speed for a more polished brew?” Painting with a broad krush.