Iceberg

VOID – Forbidden Morals Review

By Iceberg on September 4, 2025 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 29 comments

“Pinpointing a band’s style of metal is becoming an increasingly difficult task these days. Amidst the sub-sub genres and metal-adjacent infusions, its refreshing to find a band sporting the trad metal tag. Louisiana’s VOID has been kicking swamp-ass and taking names since 2021, self-releasing their thrashy debut Horrors of Reality in 2023. Forbidden Morals leans further into VOID’s horror atmosphere, with the long shadow of a certain European count presiding over the record. Recently picked up by Shadow Kingdom, and buoyed by aggressive touring of their region of the Deep South, VOID seem primed to pour their potent brew of technical thrash and trad metal into my sublimating earholes.” VOID if removed.

Masseti – Odds and Ends Review

By Iceberg on June 17, 2025 in Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 22 comments

“When prog and symphonic metal meet in just the right way, they click together like puzzle pieces. Prog’s technicality and excess are balanced by the melody and atmosphere of symphonic metal. Symphonic metal’s penchant for straightforward structure and synth-reliance is buoyed by the dynamism and rhythm-bending of guitar wizardry. Tiago Masseti, the man behind his eponymous band, Masseti, is seeking to walk the line between these two styles on his debut album, Odds and Ends.” Blends and loose ends.

Judicator – Concord Review

By Iceberg on March 29, 2025 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 50 comments

“Seven albums into their career, Utah’s Judicator are back with another platter of American power metal designed to raise both your horns and your calorie load. Originally the epitome of Blind Guardian worship, Judicator began moving away from their Hansi-centric style with the departure of founding guitarist Alicia Cordisco in 2022. This coincided with the release of The Majesty of Decay, an album that saw Judicator adding prog to their power core, a move that satisfied the Eye of Holden but didn’t sit so well with resident power metal maven Eldritch. Their latest LP, Concord, has Judicator tackling the American West, a mythos that’s rightfully earned its reputation as good, bad, and ugly.” Cheesio Leone.

Euphrosyne – Morus Review

By Iceberg on March 27, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, Melodic Metal, Post-Metal, 11 comments

“Death is an omnipresent theme in metal, and art in general, but the subject matter is especially poignant when approached by survivors of its trauma. Post-black quartet Euphrosyne tackle the loss of a loved one, in this case songwriter Alex Despotidis’ mother, on their debut LP, Morus. Post-black seems an appropriate style for the Greeks, with a focus on atmosphere, melody, and stillness to balance black metal fury. While the lyrics are credited to frontwoman Efi Eva, all the music was composed by Despotidis, an unenviable but hopefully cathartic duty for someone who just lost a parent.” Healing through music.

Kazea – I. Ancestral Review

By Iceberg on March 24, 2025 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge, 57 comments

“Kazea hail from Sweden, home of the Björiff and the chainsaw song of the HM2. But on their debut album, I. Ancestral, the Gothenburg trio promise to blend “the power of post-rock, the haunting melodies of neo-folk, and the crushing weight of sludge.” If the mere mention of sludge hasn’t sent you screaming from the room, good, because you’re in for a treat today. I dealt with posty sludge from labelmates Besra in my n00b days, but throwing neo-folk into the mix puts an unusual spin on the situation.” Sludge as a lifestyle choice.

Cryptosis – Celestial Death Review

By Iceberg on March 6, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Space Metal, Thrash Metal, 68 comments

“When it comes to evolving past its lean, mean beginnings, thrash has had a rough go of it. Modern iterations shoot for a return-to-roots approach, which feels doomed to fall short in the shadow of the genre’s titans or augment the style with increasingly odd bedfellows (I’m looking at you Demoniac). Dutch trio Cryptosis fell firmly in the latter camp with their 2021 debut, Bionic Swarm, and they’ve continued to march away from their Teutonic roots with follow-up Celestial Death.” Thrash in a modern place.

Paralydium – Universe Calls Review

By Iceberg on August 22, 2024 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Symphonic Metal, 56 comments

“Prog was my metal gateway drug, and I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for its bonkers, over-the-top ways. It’s pretty hard to find this genre unclaimed since Dolph got that laser-targeting system for his half-birthday, so I waited until he jumped a few time zones and then snagged the first thing I could find. Perplexing cover art aside, Sweden’s Paralydium have been peddling their brand of finger-flying theatrics since 2015, but with only an EP and 2020 debut Worlds Beyond under their belt, they’re still young in their recorded career. It’s prog week for Iceberg, and I want gratuitous solos, 64th-note unisons, and multi-movement songs injected straight into my cerebellum. Can Universe Calls deliver the goods?” Galaxy brains and Yngwie strains.

Vile Rites – Senescence Review

By Iceberg on August 19, 2024 in Reviews, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, 36 comments

“I don’t often reach for OSDM revival promos, a genre I feel has been discovered, explored, conquered, and overrun. Fate had other things in mind for me, it seems when I found Vile Rites’ proper debut Senescence. Drawn to its label of “progressive death metal,” imagine my surprise when I found a sea of neo-OSDM lurking beneath. The Santa Rosa trio dipped their toes in the scene with 2022’s EP The Ageless and spent their time touring that record to perfect their coming-out opus, Senescence. As a member of the AMG Inc. Hydro Homies™, I’m duty-bound to snag any aquatic cover.” Fishing for bodies.

Fourth Dominion – Diana’s Day Review

By Iceberg on August 14, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, NWOBHM, post-punk, 17 comments

“August promo-picking gets weird around the Sump, weird enough even for this reviewer’s detritus-sifting sensibilities. But the sophomore album from Rochester, NY’s Fourth Dominion stood out to me for two reasons. First: a quietly stunning, lovely piece of album art. Secondly: the multiple genre drops of gothic metal, post-punk, and a peculiar term new to me: “deathwave.” Lead vocalist and primary songwriter Meadow Wyand seems to have coined the term to describe the burgeoning gothic/alt-metal scene, a style encapsulated by the much-loved moniker Chameleons, Unto Others.” Untooth or retooth?

Disloyal – Divine Miasmata Review

By Iceberg on August 3, 2024 in Reviews, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, 11 comments

“Polish death metal quintet Disloyal have been active since the late ‘90s yet have managed to escape the searing Angry Metal Eye up until now. This may have something to do with their genre of choice; black and post-metal are the Polish flavors of choice ‘round these parts. Or it could have to do with the looming shadows of their illustrious countrymen: Vader, Decapitated, Hate, and the increasingly out-of-place elephant in the room, Behemoth. Whatever the reason, I aim to rectify our oversight and give Disloyal their well-deserved moment in the charnel house spotlight.” Those once Disloyal.