Alekhines Gun

The Lion, the Blog, and the Black Metal

Sermon to the Lambs – Sermon to the Lambs Review

By Alekhines Gun on March 6, 2026 in Reviews, 79 comments

“What’s your favorite slam album and why? Do you value catchiness in your big bruutz? Clear production? Melodic presence? My favorite slam alternates with my mood between Devourment’s Obscene Majesty and Analepsy’s Quiescence; the former for the excellent execution of such a narrow sound, and the latter for the colors and beauty imbued into the otherwise bone-shattering grooves. Though given a bad rap for its easy-to-emulate smoothbrain caveman stereotypes, slam has shown much evolution in recent years as bands continue to push and redefine the limits of extremity. Hailing from Chile, new outfit Sermon to the Lambs have arrived with their self-titled debut, coming with the usual aggrandizing promises of maximum aural violence and assurances of a downright traumatizing listen for anyone who has ears to hear.” Lambs to the killing floor.

Petrale – Goat at Sunset Review

By Alekhines Gun on February 10, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, 42 comments

“Hailing from Croatia, one-man black metal project Petrale have arrived with some creepily straightforward artwork and an equally straightforward album title; will this be relegated to your ever-flowing streams, or have you reaching for your wallets?” Goat on a black lake at sunrise.

Architectural Genocide – Malignant Cognition Review

By Alekhines Gun on January 18, 2026 in Death Metal, Reviews, 18 comments

“It’s gotta be tough being inspired by genre giants. For bands like Incantation or Autopsy, it can be hard to drink from their well without sounding like derivative, uninspired knockoffs. In the realm of brutal death, Suffocation unsurprisingly stands at the top of the corpse pile, with a sound that’s inspired offshoot after offshoot and triggered more permutations of listener-savaging than one can count. There was a period when “Suffoclone” was used as a term of mockery, and now time has looped back around to turning such a descriptor into a potential point of praise. Architectural Genocide have landed with their sophomore album Malignant Cognition, which unsurprisingly seeks to worship at the altar of the brutal death kings.” Brutalist constructions.

Blut Aus Nord – Ethereal Horizons Review

By Alekhines Gun on November 26, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 81 comments

“Sometimes it’s all a question of perspective. Among the most prominent and influential of French black metal, the sometimes-solo-project-sometimes-three-piece entity known as Blut Aus Nord have manifested four or five entirely different versions of themselves over the last thirty(!) years. Occasionally, their albums are released in sets of connected sounds and themes, and other times you can be exposed to one idea you fall in love with, only for the band to pivot away into something new and unexpected; imagine the surprise fans of Fathers of the Icy Age must have felt first hearing The Work Which Transforms God. We are now at album sixteen, and the question isn’t as much “is this gonna be any good” as much as “which band is showing up today?”” Blut is going on here??

Putrevore – Unending Rotten Cycle Review

By Alekhines Gun on November 12, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, 26 comments

“Inevitable. Perpetual. Eternal. Constant. And of course, Unending. All monikers appropriate for the supremacy of death, widely recognized by figures wiser than me as the most unifying of all our experiences. Whether your death is peaceful, disease-ridden, or a sudden explosion of macabre tragedy, it will come, and it will bear a face unique to your own experience. It’s fitting, then, that death metal too has such an inexhaustible supply of manifestations and sonic descriptors from which to draw from.” The rot never stops.

Heraldic Blaze – Monument of Will Review

By Alekhines Gun on November 2, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 34 comments

“Those of you who know the difference between a trebuchet vs a catapult, gather round as we return to the realm of castles, be they conquered and disposed, or not. If you had to Google the difference, that’s fine too, because we still have a pillaging to get to. International two-piece Heraldic Blaze have arrived onto the scene with their full-length Monument of Will, fresh on the heels of their sole demo Blazoned Heraldry last year. That demo was a tidy little slab of slightly raw melodic folky black metal, with a presentation that buried some of the brighter moments in the expected fog of underproduction. With such a quick turnaround from inception to full length, will these be the knights in shining armor you’ve been looking for?” Honor to thy House.

Internal Bleeding- Settle All Scores Review

By Alekhines Gun on October 17, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Slam, 25 comments

“Few bands influence outshine their immediate popularity as much as Internal Bleeding. The founding fathers of slam, the lynch pins of New Yawk style thuggin and brawling, have been a pivotal DNA strain of death metal since debut Voracious Contempt spat in the face of human decency back in 1995. But the years have been as gritty to the band as their music, with infamous production issues, perpetual lineup shuffles, and tragic deaths littering their storied careers. The band have remained unbroken, and now seven years later have returned with a semi-reconstructed lineup, a new label, and a new album in tow.” Let the blood run red on Strong Island.

Morke – To Carry On Review

By Alekhines Gun on October 12, 2025 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 23 comments

“One of my favorite bits in the game Portal 2 comes near the very beginning, when the player is commanded to go stand in front of a piece of art. It’s an okay piece, depicting a lovely mountain overlooking a lakeside cabin where everything looks peaceful, somewhat colorful, and safe. By the end of our momentary study, we are assured we should now feel “mentally invigorated.” Such mental vim and vigor is sought out in more artistic albums, which don’t seek to liquify teeth as much as transport us to other realms and times, whether it be brimming with life and motion or a well-executed snapshot of a mood. Morke, a project spearheaded by sole member Eric Wing, have arrived with self-described “Atmospheric Castle Metal” on display for their fourth album To Carry On.” Morke in the moat.

Last Retch – Abject Cruelty Review

By Alekhines Gun on September 26, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, 39 comments

“Despite the core ingredient being completely the same, not all steaks are created equal. Marbleization, marination, seasonings, sauces, garnishes, lobster tail, and the right type of whiskey to chase it down are all equally important considerations in preparation for the final product, despite the cynics’ argument that you’re dealing with the same slab of beef. So too with death metal. Hailing from Canada, Last Retch are our chophouse today, offering up their second LP Abject Cruelty to appease your palate for all things medium rare.” Looks like meat is back on the menu, boys!

Slomatics – Atomicult Review

By Alekhines Gun on September 15, 2025 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 34 comments

“Arguably more than any other subgenre, doom metal is as much about aesthetic as it is raw substance. The meshing of tone with riffs of tectonic heft to compensate the substitution of speed with glacial pace is key to the formula, with many a genre great being defined by the two elements in equal measure. Long running doom outfit Slowmatics, first founded in 2004, are here to drop their eighth LP Atomicult, and have opted to modify this approach a little by making a cosmic themed album. Being a sucker for space and all its aural manifestations, I was intrigued to see whether such a relatively rare framework could mesh well with the force and requisite black-hole summoning doom is known for.” Space in the face.