Gothic Metal

Lord of the Lost – Opvs Noir Vol 2 Review

By ClarkKent on February 3, 2026 in Reviews, Gothic Metal, Industrial Metal, Pop Metal, Symphonic Metal, 23 comments

“Little did I realize when Napalm announced that Lord of the Lost was recording a 33-song trilogy that each album would release so close to one another. A mere four months following the release of Opvs Noir Vol 1, we get Opvs Noir Vol 2, and it’s just in time for stocking stuffer season. Vol 1 was my introduction to this one-time Eurovision finalist, and I came away impressed. So I was pretty excited to see this in the doldrums of our December promo bin. With the quick release of Vol 2, I can only assume Lord of the Lost wrote all 33 songs of the trilogy together, Lord of the Rings-style.” Lots of lost.

Opia – I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By ClarkKent on January 5, 2026 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 18 comments

“This stunning debut comes to us via members from across the globe—from England to Spain to Czechia to Brazil. Despite somewhat limited experience between them, the sextet plays like they’ve been jamming together for decades. They bring an eclectic range of styles from their previous and current bands, from black metal to scatological heavy metal to melodic doom to gothic metal, in order to craft a gentle yet brutal piece of gothic doom metal. I would like to give a warm welcome to Opia and their powerful debut album, I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep.” Sleep in the void.

Nattradio – The Longest Night Review

By Andy-War-Hall on December 9, 2025 in Reviews, Ambient, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 10 comments

“It doesn’t seem to take long for the “wee hours” of the night to kick in these winter days. With them comes a very specific, almost hypnotic sadness that anyone who sleep has forsaken knows well. That tag-team of coldness and isolation brought on by the night just can’t be beat sometimes. Swedish goth/doom duo Nattradio know this sensation intimately, as their new album The Longest Night was written and shaped exclusively in the latest hours of the night. Injecting their Katatonia-inspired Gothic doom with elements of ambient music and noir jazz, Nattradio crafted their sophomore record to reflect the somberness of wakeful late nights, framing its ideal listening time in those hours.” Music for a midnight dreary.

Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy Review

By Tyme on November 13, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, 50 comments

“L.A.-based M., the mastermind behind Lamp of Murmuur, has been busy this year. In addition to releasing two other solo projects—Silent Thunder’s EP, Soulspear, and Magus Lord’s full-length, In the Company of Champions—he’s readying to unleash his fourth Lamp of Murmuur long player, The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy, this November.” A cold light for mankind.

Lord of the Lost – Opvs Noir Vol. 1

By ClarkKent on August 8, 2025 in Reviews, Glam Metal, Gothic Metal, Industrial Metal, Pop Metal, Symphonic Metal, 31 comments

“Chris Harms has been in the music business since 1999, but it wasn’t until founding Lord of the Lost in 2007 that he seems to have found his home. I say this not because I am familiar with him or the band, but because Harms has released ten full-length albums, three orchestral albums, four live albums, and one compilation since forming Lord of the Lost. Probably Lord of the Lost’s biggest claim to fame is their participation at Eurovision in 2023, representing Germany, where they unfortunately placed last in the final round. But wait, isn’t Eurovision for pop music? Why are these guys being covered on Angry Metal Guy? Apparently, they’re metal enough to sign to Napalm Records and also have toured with KMFDM and Iron Maiden. And now with Eurovision in the rearview mirror, Lord of the Lost look to return to their darker roots with Opvs Noir Vol. 1, the first in a planned trilogy.” Pop-rock recovery.

Blind Equation – A Funeral in Purgatory Review

By Kenstrosity on July 15, 2025 in Reviews, Chiptune, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Electronic Metal, Gothic Metal, Grind, Melodic Black Metal, Metalcore, 45 comments

“When I reach for something blindly, I hope for the best. As it pertains to the acquisition of promo, I calculate my chances of enjoying whatever I select as little as possible. Impulse reigns supreme, instinct takes precedence, gut feelings have the final say. This process ultimately led me to Chicago, Illinois’ Blind Equation. Originally launched as a chiptune-heavy cybergrind project, mastermind and main songwriter James McHenry steadily integrated other influences that distinguish this material from that of the greater subset.” Blind but loud.

The Bleak Picture – Shades of Life Review

By Maddog on July 8, 2025 in Reviews, Death Doom, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 17 comments

“It’s been a draining year. Lacking the mental energy for new music, I’ve subsisted on a diet of ISIS and Fvneral Fvkk. Clouded by the doomy stylings of the latter, I decided to make my return to reviewing with dismal death-doom. Despite releasing their debut just last year, Finland’s The Bleak Picture is a project of members of Autumnfall. That said, these two bands sound worlds apart, as their names betray. Abandoning the blackened scenery of Autumnfall, The Bleak Picture paints a bleak picture with melodic death-doom that reeks of Finland.” Smell the bleakness.

Darkyra – Life Force Review

By ClarkKent on June 24, 2025 in Reviews, Gothic Metal, Hard Rock, Symphonic Metal, 11 comments

“Sometimes life takes you to unexpected places. Gina Bafile, who dubbed herself Darkyra Black and founded the band Darkyra, saw her dreams become reality with the release of two albums in 2014 and 2015. Her band started touring in her hometown of Australia shortly thereafter, and apparently, her shows were popular enough to make plans to take them to Europe. Unfortunately, life took a turn for Bafile. In 2016, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to take an indefinite break from her music. Now, nearly 10 years later, Bafile is back at it with the release of her third Darkyra album, Life Force.” Live, laugh, record.

Sun After Dark – Tatkraft Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard on June 13, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, 44 comments

“Sun After Dark is an enigmatic new project that comes to us from one Benjamin König. He was a co-founding member and the principal composer of frigid black metal legends Lunar Aurora, which will surely excite my Dear and Hollow friend, but has very few listed musical credits since Lunar Aurora’s dissolution in 2012. In the interim, König has been a prolific artist, providing album artwork for bands like Botanist, Horna, Equilibrium, and so on. In fact, König’s artwork for Polar Veil by Hexvessel was even awarded 10th place on GardensTale’s Illustrious Artwork Extravaganza. Today, Herr König is cursed blessed with his first trve AMG review, for his first musical work in roughly a decade: Tatkraft.” Art and darkness.

Aganoor – Doomerism Review

By Killjoy on June 7, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Metal, 34 comments

“Of all the genre labels, doom metal is probably the one that most often prompts me to investigate further. This isn’t because it’s my favorite per se, but rather because doom and its myriad subgenres can sound so wildly different from one another, so I try to ensure I don’t miss something good. This time it paid off when I found Aganoor, a brand new doom group from Rome, Italy. Formed as recently as summer 2023, they wasted no time writing and recording a debut LP, Doomerism, which promises an intriguing blend of classic doom, stoner, heavy psych, and goth rock.” Doom for expansion.