“It doesn’t seem to take long for the “wee hours” of the night to kick in these winter days. With them comes a very specific, almost hypnotic sadness that anyone who sleep has forsaken knows well. That tag-team of coldness and isolation brought on by the night just can’t be beat sometimes. Swedish goth/doom duo Nattradio know this sensation intimately, as their new album The Longest Night was written and shaped exclusively in the latest hours of the night. Injecting their Katatonia-inspired Gothic doom with elements of ambient music and noir jazz, Nattradio crafted their sophomore record to reflect the somberness of wakeful late nights, framing its ideal listening time in those hours.” Music for a midnight dreary.
Andy-War-Hall
Death Obvious – Death Obvious Review
“Back in August, I went goo-goo over an avant-black duo under Transcending Obscurity called Hexrot and, as a lowly N00b, awarded their debut Formless Ruin of Oblivion a “Great” designation. Flash forward, and sloshing through the promo sump comes an avant-black duo under Transcending Obscurity called Death Obvious, offering their self-titled debut. Composed of vocalist Lea Lavey and everything-else-er Sima Sioux, this Finnish duo reveal high aspirations with claims of “crafting music as it suits their demented vision in a recklessly intuitive manner” while pitching Death Obvious for fans of visionary acts like Blut aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Veilburner and—looky!—Hexrot.” Sump struggles.
Steel Arctus – Dreamruler Review
“Brothers, you need power metal in your life. No, you do. You need authentic positivity shot straight into your cynic-rotten hearts, now. Most fortunate for you, Greek power metallers Steel Arctus have graced this year of 2025 with their third album Dreamruler, marking the third entry into the chronicles of their titular hero Steel Arctus. 2020’s Fire and Blood detailed the origins of Steel Arctus and his girlfriend the Arcadian Lady, 2022’s Master of War saw him delve into the fires of Hades and now Dreamruler sees him challenge the titular Dreamruler in his evil world of dreams to rescue his bodacious muse.” Steel, love, and wizards.
Chairmaker – Leviathan Carcass Review
“Shit’s gone to the dogs, man. I don’t need to justify this claim. I know it, you know it, and multi-instrumentalist/university lecturer/UK extreme metal devotee Neil Erskine sure knows it, confirmed thoroughly by his new grind outfit Chairmaker and their debut record Leviathan Carcass.” Sitting in a grindy chair.
Ildaruni – Divinum Sanguinem Review
“The mystic, the subliminal, the macabre: the fixings of good black metal and the bread and butter of Armenian pagans Ildaruni. Four years ago, they entered the blackened sphere with their debut Beyond Unseen Gateways, a folk-infused take on black metal that, while promising in several regards, felt bloated and unfocused. Its pagan, medieval-y acoustic passages felt tacked on, lethargic and a bit hokey, and I think Ildaruni agree with my assessment, as this year’s Divinum Sanguinem ditches the lutes and stuff for “a more tenebrous and ferocious black metal path.” Mysteries of ill-niquity.
Withering Soul – Passage of the Arcane Review
“Much has changed in the decade since Withering Soul last graced this website. I was in high school when Madam X placed a scarlet 2.5 on Adverse Portrait, a scoring I would agree with wholeheartedly. It was an enjoyable but unfocused work, and its Moonspell-akin gothic tendencies didn’t mesh well with the band’s Dissection worship.” The withering will continue until morals improve.
Nils Patrik Johansson – War and Peace Review
“Nils Patrik Johansson has sung in metal bands for almost as long as I’ve done anything on this Earth. Lending his gritty, commanding voice to acts like Astral Doors, Wuthering Heights, and Civil War since 2002, NPJ is someone with history behind him, as well as a man with history on the mind. War and Peace, the third album of his eponymous act Nils Patrik Johansson, offers forty minutes of epically inclined heavy/power metal, themed primarily on history. Topics range from the two World Wars and Gustav Vasa’s Rebellion to matters like environmentalism and his love for Hungarian rock music.” Sabaton killer or war filler?
Nine Treasures – Seeking the Absolute Review
“Nine Treasures has been around since 2010, and yet has always seemed like the new kid on the block. Hailing from Inner Mongolia, China, founder Ashkan Avagchuud pursued the integration of traditional Mongolian instrumentation with heavy metal since day one. Nine Treasures saw success with their first three independent releases, but also saw The Hu steal a bit of their black thunder by becoming a global hit with their take on Mongolian folk metal.” Culture war.
Crucible – Hail to the Force Review
“Whether you’re a fledgling artist or an industry veteran, the process of making music is hard, strewn with obstacles internal and external. For the speed/US-inspired power metallers Crucible, that obstacle was Mother Nature, who gifted them a massive snowstorm that drastically impeded their studio time to record their debut album Hail to the Force. The Danes, thus, banged out the entire ten-track, thirty-seven-minute record in a week. For a young band recording a debut together, that’s nuts. But we’re not here for the story—we’re here for the album, a throwback affair of promo-purported “ferocious aggression with strong melodies and epic heavy metal atmospheres.”” Force is always the answer.
Hexrot – Formless Ruin of Oblivion Review
“Promising in its promo a ‘stylistic mélange of death, black, and thrash metal with inventive electronic experimentation,’ Hexrot has woven an abstractly grim tale of a world rejecting Heaven and Hell by plunging reality into empty Oblivion. Classical in theming, modern in sound, it sounds like quite the undertaking.” A little late, but better than never.
























