Doom Metal

Death Obvious – Death Obvious Review

By Andy-War-Hall on December 2, 2025 in Reviews, Avant-Garde, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 19 comments

“Back in August, I went goo-goo over an avant-black duo under Transcending Obscurity called Hexrot and, as a lowly N00b, awarded their debut Formless Ruin of Oblivion a “Great” designation. Flash forward, and sloshing through the promo sump comes an avant-black duo under Transcending Obscurity called Death Obvious, offering their self-titled debut. Composed of vocalist Lea Lavey and everything-else-er Sima Sioux, this Finnish duo reveal high aspirations with claims of “crafting music as it suits their demented vision in a recklessly intuitive manner” while pitching Death Obvious for fans of visionary acts like Blut aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Veilburner and—looky!—Hexrot.” Sump struggles.

Doubtsower – The Past Melts Away with a Sneer Review

By ClarkKent on November 29, 2025 in Reviews, Avant-Garde, Doom Metal, Experimental Metal, Funeral Doom, Industrial Metal, Sludge Metal, 12 comments

“It’s amazing how quickly November, and my month of doom, has flown by. It seems the constant exposure to slow-paced music has made the days move faster, not slower. For my final November doom promo, what could be more appropriate than one described as “one long song funeral doom?” While the Welsh doom band containing this descriptor, Doubtsower, is new to me, the man behind the project, Matt Strangis, has three previous releases dating back to 2021.” Doubt is a doom killer.

Pale Horse Ritual – Diabolic Formation Review

By Creeping Ivy on November 25, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Metal, 11 comments

“2025 must have been a challenging year to occupy the Sabbath-worship lane. Ozzy’s passing on July 22nd—seventeen days after the Back to the Beginning concert—hit metaldom hard, but it surely hit harder for bands that treat Master of Reality as a sacred text. Videos from the concert, especially of a throned Ozzy performing one last time with the original Sabbath lineup, provide solace, as do covers from legends like Metallica and Slayer. Tragically, 2025 has revitalized Sabbath; Sabbath-inspired bands walk a tightrope of honoring the original and wilting under its renascence. Merging into the Sabbath lane late in the year is Pale Horse Ritual, a Canadian quartet.” Take a walk on the Ozz side.

Bianca – Bianca [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Kenstrosity on November 25, 2025 in Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 49 comments

“Italian semi-super group Bianca, comprised of members from Patristic and Hideous Divinity, stole my attention when their debut self-titled LP dropped at the tail end of October. Stricken by its beauty and flattened by its sheer heft, Bianca impressed me so much that for a good two weeks, it was all I wanted to talk about.” October crushes.

Sun of the Dying – A Throne of Ashes Review

By Thus Spoke on November 20, 2025 in Reviews, Death Doom, Doom Metal, 39 comments

“Autumn is well and truly here, so it’s about time I reviewed some doom. Though my ears have been diverted towards certain list-worthy death/black drops these past few weeks, the pull of the gloom grows stronger in proportion with the shortening of the days. But rather than the icy climes of Scandinavia, or wintry North America, or even rainy old England, my long-awaited dose of darkness came from Spain. In less than three-quarters of an hour, Madrid’s Sun of the Dying proved that you don’t need miserable, cold weather to make music about misery.” Shine into the void.

Old Night – Mediterranean Melancholy Review

By ClarkKent on November 20, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 14 comments

“Loneliness is a theme ripe for the sadboi genre, and given the epidemic of loneliness in our modern era, it’s a relatable one. Yet Croatian doom outfit, Old Night, tackles a more obscure topic on Mediterranean Melancholy—lighthouse keepers. This record marks the quintet’s fourth since forming ten years ago, and it’s the first with Ivan Hanžek stepping up as lead vocalist, following the departure of his brother, Matej, who left for personal reasons. Sadboi doom is typically ape fodder, as evidenced by the glowing review for Dawn of Solace earlier this year, yet somehow this ended up in my lap.” Night and the melancholies.

Stuck in the Filter: September 2025’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity on November 18, 2025 in Reviews, Stuck in the Filter, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Death Doom, Death Metal, Deathcore, Doom Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Sludge, Sludge Metal, Thrash Metal, 70 comments

Ah, the pungent stench of autumnal Filters. Forget pumpkin spice and get you some Filter droppings from September!

Monograf – Occultation Review

By Creeping Ivy on November 13, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Drone, Folk, Progressive Metal, 8 comments

“In the world of academia, the ‘monograph’ reigns supreme. A book-length study of a single subject, a monograph should synthesize essay-length analyses into one argument that contributes something new to the scholar’s field. To analogize the world of music to academia: the monograph stands in for the album, demonstrating an artist’s ability to cohere individual songs into one holistic listen. Monograf, a Norwegian post-rock collective, published its first monograph in 2019. Nadir made a novel contribution to post-rock by adding Norwegian folk music to soundscapes reminiscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor.” Book smart vs. garage smart.

1914 – Viribus Unitis Review

By Grin Reaper on November 10, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Doom, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 101 comments

“1914 has never shied away from the ugliness of war and death. Since Where Fear and Weapons Meet was released in 2021, the Ukrainian outfit has witnessed the horrors of that ugliness on their own soil. On Viribus Unitis, the quintet from Lviv maintains the poise and brutality of earlier material while imbuing their latest opus with deft poignancy.” War is always Hell.

Shivered – Chains Review

By Lavender Larcenist on November 9, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 14 comments

“Not much is more metal than having to put your life on the line to play the music you love. For Iranians, that is an everyday reality, forced to play underground or flee their home country for fear of persecution. Metal is considered blasphemous (hell yeah) in Iran, and the most famous example of a band suffering under these draconian laws is Confess. I imagine Mohammad Maki, the one-man band that is Shivered, has to struggle with these same challenges. A concept album focused on the end of humanity through collective mass suicide probably isn’t making anyone happy who takes umbrage with metal’s dark themes and brutal nature. But that is exactly what Maki has served up with a heaping helping of gothic doom, a little bit of death, and a whole lot of atmosphere.” Forbidden dooms.