Twelve

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Autumn Tears – Crown of the Clairvoyant Review

By Twelve on September 22, 2025 in Reviews, 55 comments

“One of the interesting things about writing for a heavy metal blog is the quantity—and quality—of non-metal recommendations that show up. I’ve already gone out of my way to review many a (dark/neo) folk album that’s wandered through; the conscious decision to send these our way suggests there is something here for the metal fan. But an almost fully neo-classical album is, I think, a new one, and its mere presence was enough to intrigue me. Autumn Tears is an international act headed by lyricist, pianist, and composer Ted Tringo that has historically ventured through gothix, classical, and darkwave waters.” Tears and fancy things.

Sowulo – Niht Review

By Twelve on September 13, 2025 in Reviews, Neofolk, 10 comments

“It’s been a minute since I’ve got a chance to review some folk music around here. It’s not super common that we get these promos, but when a sample of dark folk, spiritually, resembles our heavy metal world, we occasionally find some sent our way. Today’s sample is Niht, the sixth full-length release from Dutch Sowulo (“sun” in proto-Germanic), which takes a philosophical approach to the histories of northern Europe. It’s got everything you could ask for in dark folk on paper: lyrics written in a language no one (to the best of my knowledge) speaks anymore, a small army of instruments that I can’t picture by name alone, and an inscrutable cover with a vague runic shape on it.” Things that go folk in the niht.

Falling Leaves – The Silence That Binds Us Review

By Twelve on September 5, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 37 comments

“Doom metal and I have not been getting along much lately. I’ve noticed this in recent years—the slow, the sad, the funereal, it just doesn’t have the impact it used to. Even the stuff I used to love has fallen by the wayside a bit. But something about Dubai’s (originally Amman) Falling Leaves has compelled me to dust off my hat and give it another shot. Maybe it’s the gorgeous cover art. Maybe it’s the fact that The Silence That Binds Us is only Falling Leaves’s sophomore full-length, despite having been around since 2009, with their debut released in 2012. Thirteen years is a long time between albums, but few genres benefit from long, careful consideration like doom metal. Suffice to say, I came into this assignment with high expectations.” Summer’s doom.

Burden of Ymir – The Long Winter Review

By Twelve on August 31, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Viking Metal, 22 comments

“Joe Caswell of Sudbury, Canada first caught the attention of this blog in 2023, as the sole member of Drowstorm and Burden of Ymir. Both projects released albums in 2023, impressing all who wrote about them. In my case, Heorot was a fantastic introduction to the latter band, a blackened-yet-folky display of Viking metal that appealed to both my appreciation for mythologically-themed metal and my long-held belief that the accordion is the most metal of all the instruments. Now, just over two years later, Burden of Ymir return with its sixth full-length release (in as many years!): The Long Winter, with an album cover that promises just as much blackened goodness as we’ve come to hope for.” Summer’s end.

Mehrwertsteuer – Krone der Schöpfung Review

By Twelve on August 20, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 47 comments

“Black metal is, traditionally, an angry style of music. That’s not controversial, right? The early pioneers of the genre wrote about such things that made them angry or that were expressions of anger. With that in mind, it’s kind of weird that I’ve yet to hear about a black metal band that writes about taxes. Of all the controversial, rage-inducing elements of modern life to write about, surely taxes are something we can all agree on at least disliking. And yet, when I came across Krone der Schöpfung (“Crown of Creation”), the debut full-length release of German Mehrwertsteuer (“Value-Added Tax”), it was the first time I’d heard this idea in practice.” Tax attacks.

Arkhaaik – Uihtis Review

By Twelve on August 5, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge, 31 comments

“Arkhaaik is a fascinating band. Usually, when a metal project endeavors to write a historically-accurate deep dive into ages gone by, they make some kind of power metal, and the ages are Middle. Maybe the ages are pre-1,000s, and they make black metal. But rarely—if ever—is the age Bronze, but I guess when the topic is the Bronze age, the band is blackened, death-y, sludge-y annihilation, and their name is Arkhaaik.” Bronze into sludge.

Völur & Cares – Breathless Spirit Review

By Twelve on August 1, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Drone, Folk Metal, 17 comments

“”Avant-garde doom metal from Canada. Do I really need to say more to pique your interest?” So said I a little under five years ago, closing out my Things You Might Have Missed feature for Völur’s Death Cult. The Toronto-based project launched itself to the top of my end-of-year list in 2020, owing to their expert fusion of an impressive blend of sounds and genres primarily rooted in doom metal. Wielding the violin like a sledgehammer, Death Cult featured intelligent, clever compositions that really impressed me in 2020. Now, at last, they’re back for their fourth full-length, Breathless Spirit, with one key change: a collaboration with Cares—UK/Canadian producer James Beardmore.” Caring a lot.

Eminentia Tenebris – Whispers of the Undying Review

By Twelve on July 2, 2025 in Reviews, Melodic Black Metal, 25 comments

“I love black metal. But there are some black metal tropes that just don’t do it for me. I also love power metal. But there are some power metal tropes that just don’t do it for me. And it’s because of this that melodic black metal is, in my mind, a fantastic genre of music. It takes everything that’s great about black metal, most of the things that are great about power metal, and runs with them. So it’s with mild surprise that I found Eminentia Tenebris, a melodic/atmospheric black metal duo from France, are already on their fourth full-length for the style (since only 2020, no less), and I’ve been missing out!” FOMO and blast beats.

Returning – Numinous Review

By Twelve on June 18, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 18 comments

“Cascadian black metal is not a term you hear too often (unless you’re some kind of Cascadian black metal fan who regularly searches the term), but that’s what I was offered when I started looking into Numinous. After I was done being enamored by the lovely cover art over there, I had to remind myself what it meant—and when I did, I was more than happy to dive in blind. The sophomore full-length from Returning, Numinous aims at a wild sound, boasting “emotional melodies, introspective ritual elements, and deeply thoughtful lyrics.” That checks all of the boxes for me—how does this particular branch of atmospheric black metal hold up to its inspiration and its contemporaries?” On Atmo Pond.

Obsidian Tongue – Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn Review

By Twelve on June 4, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 28 comments

“I felt a brief surge of excitement when I saw we had received the new Obsidian Tongue album to review in late April. Maybe I subconsciously remember Carcharodon’s positive review of the aptly-titled Volume III, or maybe I was just in a black metal mood at the time, but I made note of the discovery either way. I was sure the aforementioned shark-man would be writing these words instead of me, but life is funny sometimes, and here I am. Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn is the fourth full-length release from the US-based black metal outfit.” The Tongue finds you.