“Atmospheric post-black metal is quite the concept. Both titular subgenres span wide varieties of inspirations, levels of aggression, and affinities for emotion. Done well, they are gateways to catharsis and emotional storytelling. So I was intrigued when Rituel : Initiation caught my eye. This is the debut full-length release from Swiss post-black metal band De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube, recommended, or so I’m told, for fans of Alcest and Heilung.” Swiss misery.
“Motivation can be a tricky thing. Take me, for instance—it’s my first review of 2026, and I’m already starting it later in the month than I meant to. For me, motivation has been a bit lacking. Now look at the subject of my first review, Der Brauch (“The Need”) from German progressive metal act The Hirsch Effekt. This is their seventh full-length release in sixteen years of existence, a commendable testament to motivation, at the very least. And while putting pen to paper (figuratively) can be a hard thing to do, I love writing about a motivated group.” Pause and effekt.
“After waiting seventeen years to release their debut full-length, Norwegian progressive metal act Course of Fate is now three albums in since 2020. I missed their sophomore release in 2023—I’m actually just learning it exists as I type this—so I was especially excited to see this group back in action. Mindweaver was a delight of an album, the kind of release that hums with potential and makes you eager to see what a band is going to do next.” Progressive futures.
“I have such a soft spot in my heart for Frozen Land. After writing my first-ever review for Angry Metal Guy, I remember feeling shaky. It went through quite a few revisions. My second, Frozen Land’s eponymous debut, was, comparatively, simple. Their 1999 Euro power metal meets 2001 Euro power metal vision made for a catchy, delightfully fun album, and my enjoyment for it showed in my writing—still my favorite intro to any review I’ve written. So it is to my great astonishment that these Finns are now on album number three with Icemelter.” Metal melts the ice.
“Choosing new music to review is an interesting process. Once you pick a thing, you’re pretty much locked into it. So I try to forecast: what will I be okay with listening to over and over again for the next week or two? Having just reviewed Lykke, I was very much in the mood for something more upbeat, and I didn’t have to read far past the band name Christiano Filippini’s Flames of Heaven to know Symphony of the Universe fit the bill. Indeed, when I requested the files for review, Dolphin Whisperer, overheard the request. “Is that Italian power metal?” he asked. “It sounds like Italian power metal.” “I didn’t check,” I answered. “But yes.” We were right.” Most don’t expect the Italian inquisition.
“I love Sunken’s music. It’s been over five years since I first heard their sophomore full-length, Livslede, an album I fell in love with almost instantly for its depressive, atmospheric black metal, an album of incredible emotion buoyed by exceptional songwriting. Since then, it’s been a regular revisit any time I’m having an even vaguely unhappy day, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the day I could review these Danes again. At last that day is here. Sunken are back with their third full-length release, Lykke.” Sunk costs.
“It’s been a fair minute since Glasya last graced these parts. The Portuguese symphonic power metal band first appeared in these halls in 2019 with their debut, Heaven’s Demise. I was personally not impressed, I’m sad to say—it offered little in the way of originality, and my feeling was that Glasya sounded like a hodgepodge of their contemporaries. Still, the band is one of genuinely talented musicians, and I believed at the time the project had promise. Six years later, they’re onto their third full-length, Fear, and I couldn’t help taking a look, curious simply to know if Glasya has come into its own in 2025.” Glasya half full?
“Some bands are simply brimming with ideas. It feels like it was just last year I last reviewed the UK’s Dawnwalker—because it was just last year, and Mark Norgate apparently has a lot on his mind. It’s been fewer than five years since I first reviewed Dawnwalker, and this is my fourth time penning their reviews. The albums, however, could not be more different. From Ages to The Unknowing, Dawnwalker have tread genres, influences, styles, and ideas. Musicians have come and gone and come back again. But Norgate’s vision is the constant, alongside a healthy respect for progressive metal—and boundary-pushing.” New dawn, same walk?
“Coastlands hail from Orlando in the United States and are clear purveyors of post. At least, that was my first thought when I skimmed the promo copy we received for their self-titled sophomore release. After all, it’s self-titled, it’s got that nifty cover art, the song titles are all single words, and the Bandcamp embed uses lowercase. That’s post, friends. Generally, I’ve been hit-or-miss on post-metal—I value its atmospheres and unique emotional spectrum, but dislike the straightforwardness a lot of post-metal artists employ. So Coastlands seemed like a promising album, one that suggested feeling, growth, and artistry from passionate musicians.” Post to coast.
“Raphael Weinroth-Browne of Kamancello and Musk Ox, among other groups, is, in my mind, the most interesting cellist in metal. This is in large part due to the fact that he actually plays a lot of non-metal. Musk Ox is a fantastic chamber folk project with nary a distortion to be heard. His debut solo release, Worlds Within, covers a lot of ground, but is largely a work of classical music. And yet, you can just hear in the way he plays that Weinroth-Browne is a metal musician. The influence and emotion is just there, whatever he’s doing and however he’s doing it. The follow-up to Worlds Within, Lifeblood, offers a similar premise: one man with a cello and a pocket full of dreams.” Blood, cellos, pocket sand.
