Ancient Torment/Follow The Echo of Chaos/Eternal Death/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Rhode  Island's  Ancient  Torment  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  very  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Follow  The  Echo  Of  Chaos"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Eternal  Death.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  a  lot  of  the  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  album  also  adds  in  a  lot  of   influences  from  the  Finnish  and  Québécois  bands  mixed  in  with  their  own  style  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Synths  are  also  added  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  sticking  to  more  of  an  old  school  direction,  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Ancient  Torment  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  tradition.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while t he  lyrics  cover  the  mysteries  of  death  worship,  the  swirling  depths  of  depravity,  suffering  an  infernal  release.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ancient  Torment  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hanging  From  A  Dead  Star"  and  "Rotting  Temperament".  8  out  of  10.

  http://eternaldeath.bandcamp.com/album/follow-the-echo-of-curses

ancienttorment.bandcamp.com   

Sea Mosquito/Majestas/I, Voidhanger Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  United  Kingdom's  Sea  Mosquito  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  epic,  atmospheric,  mystical  and  psychedelic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Majestas"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  fast  riffing  they  also  give  the  album  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style.  Clear  chants  can  also   be  heard  briefly  as  well a s  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  psychedelic  soundscapes,  clean  playing  and  spoken  words  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  writings  of  Mircea  Eliade  and  the  Japanese  Buddhism  practice  of  Sokushinbutsu.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Sea  Mosquito  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  epic,  atmospheric  and  psychedelic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Organs  Dissolved  In  lacquer"  and  "To  Look  Upon  Your  Own  Skeleton",.  8  out  off  10.

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/majestas

    

        

Amphisbaena/Rift/I, Voidhanger Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Amphisbaena  are  a  band  from  Edmonton,  Alberta,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  dissonant  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  with  elements  of  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "Rift"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and    grim  black  metal  screams.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  doom  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats.  At  times  the  recording  also  goes  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction  and  one  of  the  tracks  is   also  an  instrumental.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  album  also  having  its  dissonant  moments.  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  touches  of  ambient  and  harsh  noise,  chants  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  cosmic  horror,  mystical  revelation  and  mechanized  post  human  transcendence.  

  In  my  opinion  Amphisbaena  are  a  very  great  sounding  dissonant  and  progressive  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wading  The  Deserts  Of  Earth"  "Braying  Of  70,000"  and  "Exponentially  Falling... Upward".  8  out  of  10.

  https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rift    

Malthusian/The Summoning Bell/Relapse Records/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Ireland's  Malthusian  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2025  album  "The  Summoning  Bell"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Relapse  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  some  of  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  chaotic  style.

  Vocals  are  mostly  cavernous  death  metal  growls  mixed  in  with  a  few  black  metal  screams  while  the  album  also  has  its  brutal  moments.  Elements  of  doom  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  recording  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  words.

  On  this  recording  Malthusian  goes  for  more  of  a  modern  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  existential  dread,  death  and  darkness.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Malthusian  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Read,  Waiting"  "The  Summoning  Bell"  and  "In  Chaos,  Exult".  8  out  of  10.

  https://malthusian.bandcamp. com

https://www.facebook.com/ malthusianDM  

https://www.instagram.com/ malthusianire    

Dashiem/Invocation Of Malfayosh/2023 EP Review

 

  Dashiem  are  a  solo  project  from  Egypt  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2023  ep  "Invocation  Of  Malfayosh".

  A  very  ritualistic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  chants  and  synths  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  harsh  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  while  the  spoken  words  also  add  to  the  more  ritualistic  vibe.  Synths  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times,  blast  beats  and  raw  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  briefly  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  most  of  the  recording  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.

  Dashiem  plays  a  style  of  occult  black  metal  that  is  very  ritualistic  and  mid  tempo  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Demonology,  Arabian  Witchcraft  and  Middle  Eastern  Black  Magick.

  In  my  opinion  Dashiem  are  a  very  great  sounding  occult  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invocation  Of  Malfayosh"  and  "Darkened  Rites".  8  out  of  10.

  Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf8dJ2T7vM4&t=801s&ab_channel=NoGleamingLight

Bandcamp:
https://dashiem.bandcamp.com/album/invocation-of-malfayosh
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dashiem.egy/

Metal Archives: 
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Dashiem/3540532569

  

      

Jaeger Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Jaeger is a black metal project in which I try to make beautifully aggressive, vengeful melodies that contrast with the drums and vocals in a blaze of rawness. I want to make music that feels like catharsis, in a sense; because music is catharsis.

2.So far you have released 2 ep's, musically how do they both differ from each other?

Musically? Well, in my opinion, my first EP (Die höhnischen Krallen der Rache) fucking sucks. I listened back to it yesterday. I don't know why I thought I did a good job on that. But I assume that I will feel the same about the self titled soon once I release something new. It's a cycle of setting new expectations and, in retrospective, looking down negatively on previous material. In sound I'd say that the newest EP is slower, louder, not any rawer though, thank fuck.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

Our lyrical topics mainly deal with existence. The inherent damnation of man. Mythology. And sometimes anti-fascism, but that song fucking sucked.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Jaeger'?

It's just what I thought of and sounded "cool", I guess. Not much thought behind it other than I was wrapping up recording the debut and thought of it's themes. It's a lot about nature, and hunters are in nature. Since "Jäger" is the word for hunter in my native language, and the font I was using didn't have an Ä, I named the project Jaeger. Not very meaningful or creative.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new ep cover?

The artwork on the EP is from a release of "Krabat", a novel I love and have always loved. Read it. It's great.

6.Currentl there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

I am definitely open to expanding the line-up, I can't do vocals all that well, so maybe having a vocalist would be nice. Vocal features will probably appear sometime. I want to do more high and low vocals in one song instead of just doing high fry screams constantly.

7.Currently the band is signed to 'Amnulet', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Annulet*, it's just a little collective between me and some friends, not much to talk about.

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

On a global scale I haven't noticed much, I wish my music was noticed more, but oh well. My friends really enjoy my project. If possible I am going to make CDs of the next Jaeger release, which would boost the numbers of how many people know about me, or atleast so I hope.

9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I am constantly, constantly working on music (different genres as well) and once I've decided I've done enough for a release, I'll release it. I am dedicating more of my musical creativity towards black metal currently, so an LP is more likely. As for where were heading musically, not much will change. We'll have some noise/drone and war metal tracks 'cos were just into that shit.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

A lot of heavy metal, black metal, some war metal, punk. I listen to all of these and grindcore, powerviolence, sludge, doom, stoner, whatever heavy shit I can get my hands on, really. I've started listening to KHANATE recently. They're just real slow droning guitar and bass with drums sometimes and insane vocals.. I've seen them be called "Heroin Drone", and I agree. What else am I listening to? I listen to some electronic music, I guess. I really like Venetian Snares, Autechre, Xanopticon, Aphex Twin (sometimes)

11.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

Oh yeah, most definitely. I practice some magicks like chaos magick. I've made an Annulet and Jaeger sigil. I'm not big on the "Satan worship" type stuff, I feel no connection to it; and black metal where you constantly say shit like, I don't know... "Satan in the forest....Satan in the forest" it just gets boring after a while. Black Metal artists should get fucking creative for once. But yes, occultism does definitely play a role in my music.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

I feel like a lot of black metal just tends to be the same shit... over... and over... and over again, and it becomes exhausting. So if you make black metal and you are reading this. LISTEN TO OTHER SHIT!!! Listen to anything but black metal for like a month or so and you'll have the sickest fucking riffs you never thought you could think of, trust me. Just take a break, or you'll just feedback the same inspiration over and over and over again. Or just listen to random black metal you find on YouTube, and try to be BETTER than them, really.

https://annulet.bandcamp.com/album/jaeger

Lunatic Hymn/War Against Mankind/Dreadful Silence Productions/2025 Demo Re-Issue Review

 

  Lunatic  Hymn  are  a  solo  project  from  New  York  that  plays  a  very  mid  tempo  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2002  demo  "War  Against  Mankind"  which  was  re-issued  and  re-mastered in  2025  with  bonus  tracks  by  Dreadful  Silence  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  intro  starts  off  the  demo  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  sounding  black  metal  screams.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  more  of  an  old  school  style  and  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  guitar  riffing  they  also  give  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling,  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  instrumentals.

  Lunatic  Hymn  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  mid  tempo  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  destruction,  war  and  religion  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Lunatic  Hymn  are  a  very  great  sounding  mid  tempo  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Carnolvore"  and  "War  Against  Mankind".  8  out  of  10.

  http://lunatichymn.bandcamp.com

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