Thus Spoke

Words of (questionable) wisdom

The Mountain King – Pike Dreams Review

By Thus Spoke on March 9, 2026 in Reviews, Ambient, Electronic, Not Metal, 25 comments

“My general lack of awareness and the fact that The Mountain King themselves submitted the album via contact form and didn’t give much away in their promo pack left me unprepared for Pike Dreams. In the hazy air of the promo sump, I caught the word ‘doom’, but when I hit play on Pike Dreams that’s not quite what I got. As much as the name and cover art seem to scream Sabbathian (neo-)classical heavy metal, stoner, and of course doom, Pike Dreams is ambient, synth-led post-rock, and it’s instrumental.” The hills have sighs.

Sanctvs – De l’Abîme au Plérôme Review

By Thus Spoke on February 24, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 14 comments

“You might, as I did, roll your eyes humorously at the recurrence of the “‘v’ as ‘u'” trope in the name Sanctvs, which could suggest overeager posturing, especially once you learn that this is a solo project. But Xavier Berthiaume—the one behind Sanctvs—is no noob; he’s the drummer for both Atramentus and Oriflamme, as well as one half of occult/Kabbalistic black metal act Gevurah.” V. No U.

Worm – Necropalace Review

By Thus Spoke on February 16, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Doom, Death Metal, Dungeon Synth, 118 comments

“Worms are rich fodder for metal band names, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re gross, alienlike, and carry connotations of death and decay; and that’s before you start spelling it with a ‘v’ and thereby reference dragons, sea monsters, and the Devil himself. While sharing the collective imagination, this Worm definitely distinguishes themselves. After a shaky start, it was Foreverglade that first saw Worm realize their potential with a lean towards doom-death that retained just enough synth-forward black metal and balanced a murky soundscape with syrupy sweet guitar solos.” Worm turning?

Swords of Dis, Serpent Ascending, Ôros Kaù, Midnight Odyssey – From the Waters of Death – A retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh Review

By Thus Spoke on February 12, 2026 in Reviews, Ambient, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, Experimental Metal, 40 comments

“In case you’re unfamiliar, The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian poetic narrative, whose first complete form is dated to approximately 1800 BCE. It follows a story of King Gilgamesh and his dealings with gods and other mythic monsters, culminating in a journey for the secret of immortality. What better way could there be to consume this rich, literary epic than have it interpreted by the collection of artists behind From the Waters of Death? Obscure black/doom duo Swords of Dis; death metal veteran and experimenter Serpent Ascending; Neptunian Maximalism’s darker, heavier incarnation Ôros Kaù; and ambient-black dreamer Midnight Odyssey.” Gil Ga Mesh, the perverted son, the holy man!

Profane Elegy – Herezjarcha Review

By Thus Spoke on February 7, 2026 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Post-Metal, 24 comments

“Herezjarcha—Arch-Heretic—is the sophomore of Pennsylvania-based Profane Elegy, who are determined to escape genre boundaries. Following the trajectory set by 2023’s When All is Nothing, it sees the co-existence if not coalescence of black and death metal, but also an atmospheric, ambient kind of doom, and only doubles down on each aspect. It’s not the first time a metal artist has claimed to eschew categorization, and many, if not most, modern artists in extreme subgenres borrow from less-extreme ones, and incorporate generous reverb. Profane Elegy’s claims, therefore, don’t excite special interest whether you’ve heard the debut or not; listeners dis/like their sound on its own terms.” Knowing profanity when you hear it.

Dvm Spiro – MMXXVI – Grave Review

By Thus Spoke on January 9, 2026 in Reviews, Death Doom, Funeral Doom, 12 comments

“As is perhaps unsurprising for a doom act, Dvm Spiro appear to have a preoccupation with death. The subtitle of their debut, MMXIX – In Frigidum Lectum is Latin for In a Cold Bed—presumably an allusion to one’s grave—and now, sophomore MMXXVI – Grave states that concept explicitly. This legacy in misery actually extends further into the past, as three of Dvm Spiro’s four members also play in longstanding Italian doom outfit Nihili Locus.” Doomed to the grave.

Heavy Moves Heavy 2025 – AMG’s Ultimate Workout Playlist

By Thus Spoke on January 3, 2026 in Blog Posts, 82 comments

The gym-dwelling AMG staffers curated a new playlist for your efforts to get back into shape in 2026. We cannot be held liable for any resulting injuries of deaths.

Panopticon – Songs of Hiraeth [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Thus Spoke on December 22, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Folk, 19 comments

“I spent so long this summer submerged in Panopticon’s discography, once I came back up, I was overwhelmed by the amount of things I’d missed or needed to get a headstart on. Consequently, I didn’t spend a huge amount of time with Songs of Hiraeth when it first dropped; I listened, loved it, made a note to TYMHM it, and moved on. It was only as Autumn started to turn into Winter and the seasonal chill reminded me of not just my end-of-year writing obligations, but the snowy wildernesses of Northern America (and Northern Europe, where much of Songs of Hiraeth was conceived).” Calls of the wild.

Clouds – Desprins [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Thus Spoke on December 8, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Death Doom, Funeral Doom, 9 comments

“Those of you who have been paying close attention may remember that Clouds’ 2021 album Despǎrțire was the subject of my very first review here at AMG; a review that in my n00bish naïveté, I appended with a 4.5. I don’t regret it, but will admit the name Clouds had faded a little in my mind before a sudden and apparently unannounced drop of Desprins back in January caused all the sweet sadness to come flooding back.” Like waves of melancholy, Clouds drift in.

Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Innern [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Thus Spoke on December 1, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 51 comments

“My experience with Der Weg Einer Freiheit differs quite substantially from our resident Eldritch reviewer. Perhaps because my first taste was 2017’s Finisterre, I never saw it, nor later Noktvrn (2021) as disappointing steps down from previous Stellar heights. In my eyes, the path that Der Weg Einer Freiheit followed in the last decade is not only a natural extension of their introspective, emotionally-charged black metal, but it has also enabled them to expand and enhance this consistently potent core to new levels.” Freiheit 451.