Dusk/Bunker/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Costa  Rica's  Dusk  have  returned  with  a  bew  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  experimental  and  industrial  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  album  "Bunker"  which  will  be  released  in  February.

  Apocalyptic  sounding  synths  and  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Industrial  style  beats  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  good  amount  of  black  metal  screams  and  blast beats  are  added  into  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  faster  riffing  they  also  give  the  album  more  of  a  raw  feleing  while  spoken  words  and  industrial  style  vocals  are  added  into  some  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parrs  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  experimental  moments.

   When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  one   song  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  words  and  acoustic  guitars,  a  couple  of  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  bring  in  an  instrumental  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  the  album  closes  with  a  Burzum  cover.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  post  apocaylptic  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Dusk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  and  industrial  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "L"  "IV"  and  "Dunkelheir  (RMX)".  8  out  of  10.

   https://linktr.ee/dusk27.  

Sanctvs/De l'Abîme au Plérôme/Osmose Productions/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Sanctvs  are  a  solo  project  from  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for a   very  aggressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2025  album  "De  l'Abîme  au  Plérôme"  which  will  be  released  in  January  30th  by  Osmose  Productions.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   lot  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  added  into  the  fast  riffing  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams.  Most  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  modern  era  of  the  genre  mixed  in  with  an  old  school  style  aggression.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  chaotic  yet  melodic  style  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Sanctvs  brings  out  a  very  modern  and  aggressive  style  of  black  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  Occultism,  Death,  Devotion  and  Transformation  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sanctvs  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  fast  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rex  Hominum"  and  "La  Lumiere  de  I'infini".  8  out  of  10.

  Online release page: https://osmoseproductions-label.com/sanctvs-de-labime-au-plerome-cd-lp-mc-digital/

Pre-Order/Order on: https://tinyurl.com/SANCTVS-store
Bandcamp: https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/de-lab-me-au-pl-r-me
All Digital Links: https://bfan.link/SANCTVS-de-l-abime-au-plerome

Petrale/Goat At Sunset/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Croatia's  solo  project  Petrale  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  dissonant  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  album  "Goat  At  Sunset"  which  will  be  released  in  2026.

  Field  recordings  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  dissonant  sounding  while  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  sticking  to  more  of  a  dissonant  style  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  at  times,  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  closing  track  is  a  Sven  Path  cover.

  On  this  recording  Petrale  expands  on  the  dissonant  style  of  black  metal  that  he  has  introduced  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Croatian  cover  the  different  manifestations  of  the  devil  in  a  rural  Mediterranean  Catholic  area.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Petrale  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dissonant  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Elevated  Crosses  For  Everyone  To  See  (Goat)"  "Inverted  Forests,  Sterile  And  Black:"  and  "The  Pulsating  Conduit".  8  out  of  10.

  https://petrale.bandcamp.com    

Characith Interview

 

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

1. Sure, we are a black metal band with a lot of 90's influence, I would say we play very melodic and dark music.

2.So far you have released a demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

2. When creating the demo material, we wanted to go towards beautiful and at the same time dark melodies, we played purely from our souls and what we like.

3.Some of the band members also have experience playing death, thrash, speed and heavy metal in previous bands, do you feel this gives your approach to black metal a more diverse style?

3. Our guitarist and vocalist played drums in Bömbardiër before, but we think that apart from stage experience, it didn't bring anything to our band.

4.Some of your lyrics cover occult and left hand path themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

4. Our lyrics are mainly based on Satanism, gnostic themes and life experiences of our vocalist, they are very important in our band to spread hatred and fear.

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

5. Anti-Christianity and more serious Satanism.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Characith'?

6. Characith is the name of one of the demons inhabiting the 18th path of the Qliphoth, his disharmonic energies can lead to the dark paths of the subconscious (Sitra Ahra)/ the other side.

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

7. The artwork on our demo shows a sigil designed by our Vocalist signifying dark gods and the Anti-Cosmicism.

8.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

8. We've already had our debut concert in our city. The next one will take place on January 9th, and a small tour is in the works for the coming months. Come see us or go fuck yourself.

9.Curremtly you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

9. We are actively looking for a label, no offers yet but we got one prominent answer. We are serious about what we do and we expect the same from the distributor. Sadly we are having a bad time looking for adequate people we are either met with deathcore black metal mainstream wannabe or part-time underground distros with inactive websites.

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

10. Reception was great; overwhelmingly great. Either from friends and random people. It's quite cool seeing people you don't know posting your stuff on their socials. Yet we think it's not enough, not like it's ever enough. Since we got this mail we were acquainted with two proposals of promotions (with one being quite large) so far 80% of listeners are based in poland and rest in US of A. Currently we are working on our first batch of 50 CDs containing "Fairest She" Demo. These should be available to buy when we are live and on Bandcamp.

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

11. We expect the album to be released within a year. The band will continue to evolve until we're completely satisfied with the material we've released over the years. We'll decide when to finish.

12.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?

12. The bands that inspire us the most are the classics of our genre such as: Dissection, Sacramentum, Marduk, Emperor, apart from these we like to listen to old school death metal like Entombed and classic heavy metal like Black Sabbath or King Diamond.

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

13. Thank you for your support. If you have any questions contact us at: characithband@gmail.com

Blodørn/Det Finnes Ingen Trone/Solistitum Records/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Blodørn  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  viking  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  theri  album  "Set  Finnes  Ingen  Trone"  which  will  be  released  in  2026  by  Solistitum  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  is  also  very  rooted  in  the  classic  Norwegian  tradition.  Clear  viking  metal  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

    When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  words,  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  viking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Blodørn  are  a  very  great  sounding  viking  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Det  Finnes  Ingen  Trone"  "Kast  Dir  Krone"  and  "Vandrar  Av  Rang".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/ImceMKnFYRg  

  

Ars Manifestia/All Meaningless All/Malevolent Sound/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Ars  Manifestia  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  very  psychedelic,  progressive  and  experimental  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2025  album  "All  manifestations  A;;"  which  was  released  by  Malevolent  Sound.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  also  takes  the  music  into  a progressive  direction  while  all  of  the  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  heavier  riffing  along  with  the  harsh  vocals  being  mostly  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  recording  also  has  its  experimental  and  avant  garde  moments.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  psychedelic  sounding  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  clear  singing  is  also  adds  on  a  couple  of  tracks  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  introduced  on  the  closing  song.

  On  this  recording  Ars  Manifestia  goes  for  a  very  progressive,  psychedelic,  experimental  and  avant  garde  style  of  black  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  ylrics  cover  sorrow,  joy,  love  and  despair.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Ars  manifestia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive,  psychedelic,  avant g arde  and  experimental  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Sweets  notes".  8  out  of  10.

  

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Handful Of Hate/Soulless Abominations/Dusktone/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Handful  Of  Hate  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  hateful  and  blasphemous  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Soulless  Abominations"  which  will  be  released  in  2026  by  Dusktone.

  Dark  soundscapes  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  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  spoken  words  are  also  used  briefly.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  The  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  aggressive  yet  melodic  style  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  one  track  is  an  instrumental  and  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  synth. 

  On  this  recording  Handful  of  hate  remain  true  to  the  hateful  and  blasphemous  style  of  black  metal  that  they  introduced  on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  blasphemy,  violence  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Handful  Of  Hate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blasphemous  and  hateful  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "