Tulus/Morbid Desires/Darkness Shall Rise/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Norway's  Tulus  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  band  taking  the  classic  Norwegian  black  metal  style  into  a  different  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Morbid  Desires"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Darkness  Shall  Rise.

  Synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  direction  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  very  grim  and  angry  black  metal  style.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  clear  singing  is  also  used  at  times.  Flamenco's  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  classic  Nordic  style  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  of  a  classic  style  of  metal  along  with  some  the  mid  tempo  sections  also  adding  in  touches  of  blacl'n'roll  and  the  closing  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  shows  an  influence  of  doom  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  dark  folklore.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Tulus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  Norwegian  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Skabb"  "Vanvidd"  "Foessegrimens  Vakt"  and  "Sabbat".  8  out  of  10.

  facebook.com/TULUSband 

Black Luster Interview

 

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

Black Luster is a home-recording project between me & my partner. We make metal, most dominantly black metal but with influences of punk & hardcore – the genres we listened to most in our lives. We have screamy and clean vocals and sing about the anime Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters

2.Recently you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

It’s the first time we made a record in the metal genre, so it was an adventure to figure out the style we wanted. I wanted to make it modern-sounding, and I wanted to make sure there were riffs. There’s a certain urgency to how it came out that I hope makes it stand out from all the atmos-black out there.

3.Your lyrics cover Yu-Gi-Oh! themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this franchise?

When I was a kid, I watched a the usual mainstream anime on Saturday mornings. Later, I revisited Yu-Gi-Oh! during my college years. It turns out it’s a lot of darker and more sinister than I recalled. It deals with stuff like the Shadow Realm, capturing souls, various mythological creatures & deities, different dimensions and of course all the cool monsters. I felt like the topics would fit right into some of the traditional black metal lyrical tropes and themes.

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

The Black Luster Soldier is a Monster Card in the anime series, summoned by using the Black Luster Ritual. At various moments in the series it’s a sort of deus ex machina. I felt the name Black Luster would be generally cool sounding, but also hint the theme to people knowing the series: “if you know, you know”.

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

Our vocalist Invader of the Throne created the cover from a picture we took on a hike. It has typical features, like the black/white contrast, natural elements and a vague portrayal, but the picture itself is very candid.

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

I think it will remain a home-recording project with the two of us.

7.So far very little is known about the project, do you prefer to keep a lower profile?

It’s new and we don’t have a lot of public relations in the (black) metal scene. I’ve written to some webzines and some of those, like Occult Black Metal, were nice enough to give us some space online and support us in a world of total abundancy of musical projects. I’d love to be able to reach the niche of nerdy black metal lovers, but my general aspirations with this band are not very high.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

That is not something we have given any thought, to be honest.

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

So far, nice. Someone from the UK bought a CD last week. We have been added to the Encyclopaedia Metallum, which was one of my personal goals. It's an ongoing road.

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

We hope to have some new material in 2027. Maybe a full length, maybe another small batch of songs. There are some general ideas and lyrical topics I want to develop into songs. I’m trying to continue a similar sound – I was very pleased with how ‘The Monster Reborn’ came out in terms of songwriting, so I think we’ll follow up on that path

11.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?

These first 3 songs were directly inspired by: Woe, a US black metal band with some hardcore influences at the start of their career; Gudtsforladt, another US act that has these amazing melodies and harsh, catchy riffs; Dödsrit, generic but excellent European atmospheric crust/black metal. And Darkthrone, especially the Arctic Thunder/Old Star records, right after their full-on Motörhead period. Nowadays we're listening to the new Ellende, latest Yellow Eyes record, Austere and svrm.

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

If you like cartoons and want to re-watch any of the turn-of-the-century popular anime series: consider Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. The different story archs reference so many different mythologies & folklore which all culminate into an epic final season set in ancient Egypt. Of course, it’s mainly just kids playing with monster cards, but still! There is a historical & mythological gravitas that can be quite inspiring.

Thanks for the questions! Very exciting to have DIY zines like yours around.

https://blackluster.bandcamp.com/album/revealing-light

Qwalen/Veri Virtaa Edelleen/Time To Kill Records/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Finland's  Qwalen  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  raw  mixture  of  black  metal  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Veri  Virtaa  Edelleen"  which  will  be  released  in  march  by  Time  To  Kill  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Elements  of  punk  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  lot  of  the  old  aggression  with  a  more  modern  take  on  the  genre.  Angry  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  along  with  one  song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  synths,  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks,   A  couple  of  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  album  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  On  this  recording  Qwalen  continue  to  expand  on  the  raw  mixture  of  black  metal  and  punk  that  they  introduced  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  the  rottenness  of  human  realty  and  the  abolition  of  kings  and  gods.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Qwalen  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  black  metal  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hunnutettu  maa"  "Kiviä  ja  luita"  and  "Kuolleet  jumalat".  8  out  of  10.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/0VeCkt13riw

Stream: https://ffm.to/qwalen-matala-hauta-huutaa

YouTube: https://youtu.be/0VeCkt13riw

Stream: https://ffm.to/qwalen-matala-hauta-huutaa      

Årxøytt/Sunder/2025 EP Review

 

  Årxøytt  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2025  ep  "Sunder".

  A  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal   sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a mixture  of old  school  and  modern  influences  as  well  as  some  keyboards  being  added  on  a  few  tracks  which  gives  the  recording  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling

  Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  brief  use  of  clear  singing  The  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some   melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  one  song  is  an   ambient  orientated  instrumental.

  Årxøytt  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  yet  atmospheric  at  the  same  time.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while t he  lyrics  cover  Darkness,  Occultism  and  Fourth  Dimension  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Årxøytt  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pain"  and  "Opfer".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.youtube.com/@arxoytt  

Horion/Doom/Void Wanderer Productions/2026 EP Review

 

  Horion  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  ep  "Doom"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Void  Wanderer  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  cello's  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  elements  of  doom  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Horion  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  as  well  as  adding  in  some  touches  of  death,  doom  metal  and  cello's  to  create  something  very  different.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  a  world  ruled  by  violence  :  Structural,  social  an  inflicted  amongst  the  most  vulnerable.  

  In  my  opinion  Horion  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  melodic  black  metal  band  with  elements  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Monarque"  and  "Doom".  8  out  of  10.

https://voidwanderer.com/product/horion-doom-cd/  

Throat/Beyond The Devil's Shroud/Primitive Reaction/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Throat  are  a  band  from  Poland  that h as  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  an  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Beyond  The  Devil's  Shroud"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Primitive  Reaction.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  of  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  blast b eats  are  added  into t he  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  fast  riffing  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  bring  in a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  A  lot  of  the  album  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  era  of  the  genre  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments,  operatic  voices  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  instrumental  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  synths,  percussion  and  dark  soundscapes  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  On  this  recording  Throat  continues  to  expand  on  the  atmospheric  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  that  they  introduced  on  their  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism  and  medieval  witchcraft  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Throat  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cain's  Mark"  and  "The  Pact".  8  out  of  10.

  devilsthroat.bandcamp.com  

Schattenwald/Alle Hernach/Solisttitium Records/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Schattenwald  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  traditional  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Alle  Hernach"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Solistitium  Records.

  Thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostyl  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  era  of  the  genre  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  keyboards  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  some  atmospheric  and  symphonic  touches  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  a  a  lot  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  spoken  words  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  a  couple  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  the  local  story  of  the  forest  prophet  "Muhlhiasl"  who  lived  in  the  Bavarian  Forest  at  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century.

  In  my  opinion  Schattenwald  are  a  very  great  sounding  traditional  atmospheric  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Daemmertage"  "Der  nachtwanderer"  and  "Winterland  (Alle  Hernach)".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/pF2SKUHTSM8