Synthwave

Night of the Vampire – The Enchanting Winds of the Dreamweaving Masquerade Review

By Samguineous Maximus on February 22, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Dungeon Synth, post-punk, Synthwave, 24 comments

“I love black metal, but it certainly has a reputation for taking itself too seriously. Now and then, though, a few bands remember that this is the genre that gave us pseudonyms, corpse paint, and grown adults pretending to be forest demons. Acts like Old Nick and Ordo Vampyr Orientus have been a welcome slap in the face, embracing black metal’s inherent goofiness and piling on the camp without collapsing into total self-parody. Which brings us to Night of the Vampire, the latest addition to this batch of kitschy kvlters.” Bite or suck?

Stuck in the Filter: November/December 2025’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity on February 11, 2026 in Reviews, Stuck in the Filter, Death Metal, Deathcore, Djent, Experimental Metal, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, Synthwave, Technical Death Metal, 65 comments

2025 is fading in the rearview, but the Filters still need scrubbing. See what was left over after all the holiday debauchery.

Ulver – Neverland Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard on January 4, 2026 in Reviews, Electronic, Synthwave, 50 comments

“Happy New Year, ya filthy animals! How about we usher in this stupid year with something that came out on literally the last day of 2025. That’s right, a nice, breezy slice of industrial synthwave and ambient melancholy that sounds like something you’d hear from the radio on a cruisin’ Miami drive, but on like a miserably gloomy day. Which, if you’re familiar with Ulver, the purveyor of today’s jams, is equal parts straight outta left field and yet also predictable.” Postcards from the fringe.

-ii- – Apostles of the Flesh Review

By Spicie Forrest on October 1, 2025 in Reviews, Electronica, Noise, Shoegaze, Synthwave, 49 comments

“-ii- is not a metal band. They play what they seem to call “ghost wave,” which sits somewhere between post-rock, goth, darkwave, trip-hop, and industrial, at times recalling HEALTH or Nine Inch Nails. If this sounds fairly electronics-heavy, it is.” Ghosts in the system.

Crippling Alcoholism – Camgirl Review

By Tyme on September 27, 2025 in Reviews, Synthwave, 35 comments

“‘Murderpop,’ though freshly minted, is an apt genre tag for the kind of music Crippling Alcoholism have been playing since 2022. Their sophomore effort, With Love From a Padded Room, got stuck in Dolphin Whisperer’s February Filter in 2024, where our resident porpoise spouted positively about its attributes, and drew me into Crippling’s lugubrious world. Upon learning another album was coming just a year and some change later, however, I feared diminished returns. Still, I seized the opportunity to cover third effort Camgirl, which tells the tragically sordid tale of online performer ‘Bella Pink,’ unfolding not only through her eyes, but of ‘those who consume her: lovers, relatives, business partners, stalkers.'” Driven to drink.

Nuclear Dudes – Truth Paste Review

By Thus Spoke on September 5, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Electronic Metal, Experimental Metal, Grind, Powerviolence, Synthwave, 30 comments

“Nuclear Dudes is one step closer to living up to their moniker as they are now officially more than one person. Joined by Brandon Nakamura (Doomsday 1999, ex-Teen Cthulu) on vocals, Sandrider’s Jon Weisnewski bounces back from the synthwave moment of Compression Crimes 1 to resume the usual trajectory of insanity. 2023’s Boss Blades—my personal introduction to this madness—was a disarmingly likeable collection of silly and serious sounds heavy and light. It was also surprisingly good.” Waste no Nuclear, dudes.

Cruce Signatus – II Review

By Eldritch Elitist on April 12, 2025 in Reviews, Instrumental Metal, Synthwave, 23 comments

“One of the scant morsels of criticism I offered to Pillaging Villagers’ self-titled 2022 opus was not explicitly aimed at the record itself, but rather at my perceived longevity of the project. David Frazer’s first solo outing, while a blast to spin to this day, feels like something best suited as a one-off excursion. For this reason, I approached his follow-up project, the instrumental metal/synthwave/electronic mashup that is Cruce Signatus, with a grain of skepticism. From day one, Frazer planned Cruce Signatus as a four-act experience, and for as much as I enjoyed its first volume, it again engendered a nagging sense of doubt as to its shelf life. By its end, the self-titled debut painstakingly explores seemingly every corner of its hyper-specific vision of cinematic metallo-electro-neo-baroque-wave. For this project to truly grow, Frazer would need to up the stakes through an expanded scope, elevated drama, and a broadened emotional palette.” Vision into reality.

Dissocia – To Lift the Veil Review

By Carcharodon on March 21, 2025 in Reviews, Deathcore, Electronica Metal, Progressive Metal, Synthwave, 65 comments

“Dissocia is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Daniel R Flys (of Persefone and Eternal Storm) and drummer Gabriel Valcázar (Wormed and Cancer). On their debut, To Lift the Veil, the duo set themselves a challenge: blend extreme metal with synthwave and dreamwave elements to create a catchy, yet unpredictable, blend of genres that come together into a progressive package. Were this two complete unknowns presenting that vision, one would rightly expect a horrifically unlistenable car crash. However, given Flys and Valcázar’s pedigree with their other outfits, I had somewhat higher hopes (albeit with expectations carefully managed) for Dissocia.” Waves and waterlogging.

Unreqvited – A Pathway to the Moon Review

By Carcharodon on February 6, 2025 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Post-Metal, Shoegaze, Synthwave, 49 comments

“Unreqvited and I have history. The excellent Mosaic I: L’Amour et L’Ardeur (2018) was just the third review I wrote here and also my first 4.0. Since then, I’ve reviewed the slightly creaky Mosaic II: La déteste et la détresse (3.0) and the very good Beautiful Ghosts (3.5). Now back with seventh album, A Pathway to the Moon, Unreqvited are the band I’ve reviewed more than any other, and the bright, expansive synth work, paired with post-black explosions and howled, wordless vocals feel almost like a comforting hug at this point.” Like a comfortable shoe(gaze).

Master Boot Record – Hardwarez Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard on October 12, 2024 in Reviews, Electronic Metal, Industrial Metal, Synthwave, 53 comments

“Anno Domini 2024. In the early months, the code-whisperer Victor Love donned his Omnissiah robes and preached the score-counter-ruining sermon Nel Nome Del Codice within the Keygen Church. Now, the world’s premier practitioner of digital blasphemy has returned in his true, glorious form: Master Boot Record. There is no digi-christ here, only The Code. MBR is poised to release update 11.0 to your pathetic operating systems. Update name: Hardwarez.” Dos Boot!