Necromantic Worship/The Nameless Shrine/WolfKult Religion/2026 Split EP Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Netherlands'  Necromantic  Worship  and  The  Nameless  Shrine  which  will  be  released  on  May  15th  by  WolfKult  Religion  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Necromantic  Worship  a  solo  project  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  black  metal.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  while  the  synths  also  add  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  classic  horror  movie.  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  of  the  genre  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  the  track  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  song  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats,  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  added  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  and  the  lyrics  cover  the  Necronomicon  and  Chthulu  Mythos.

  In  my  opinion  Necromantic  Worship  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  The  Nameless  Grave  a  band  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  occult  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  yet  heavy  sound  while  the  synths  also  add  in  an  atmospheric  touch,  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  track  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  few  whispers,  most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in   the  90's  era  of  the  genre  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  melodies.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  and  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Nameless  Grave  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  occult  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a very  great  sounding  split  and  i  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  occult  and  old  school  black  emtal.  8/5  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/Necromantic.Worschip/

https://thenamelessshrine.bandcamp.com/track/sigils-beneath-the-black-moon

    

    

Numen/Erre/Les Acteurs de L'Ombre Productions/2026 Full length Review

 

  Numen  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  goes  for  a  very  raw,  old  school.  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Erre"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  les  Acteurs  de  L'Ombre  Productions.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  era  of  the  genre.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  recording  also  adds  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Growls  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  a  couple  of  tracks  along  with  the  album  also  having  its  progressive  moments  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  folk  instruments  and  whispers  are  also  added  towards  the  end.

  On  this  recording  Numen  brings  out  a  very  raw,  melodic  and  progressive  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  Euskera  and  cover  the  darkest  chapters  of  Basque  History  and  the  witch  trials  and  Inquisition  of  the  early  17th  century.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Numen  and  if  you  ae  a  fan  of  raw,  melodic,  old  school  and  progressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kez  beteriko  zeru  penatua"  and  "Euria  infernuko  sutan".  8  out  of  10.

   https://www.lesacteursdelombre.net/product-category/preorders

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Dauþuz/Todeswerk: Uranium II/Amor Fati Productions/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Germany's  Dauþuz  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Todeswek:  Uranium  II'  which  will  be  released  on  may  29th  by  Amor  Fati  Productions.

  Acoustic  guitars,  synths  and  stringed  instruments  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 b eats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  some  angry  shouts  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody.  

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  clear  singing  also  being  used  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style,.

   Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  and the  recording  also  adds  in  a  few  instrumentals  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  is  also  introduced  into  the  music.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  the  inhumane  conditions  in  the  mines,  industrial  plants  and  camp  ran  by  the  Soviets  and  later  the  Communists.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dauþuz  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  melodic  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Uranlager  I"  and  "Des  Halftlings  Nergmannstod".  8  out  of  10.

  facebook.com/DauthuzBM 

Mauna Sol Interview

 1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

George: Since the recording of the album, we worked on its release and promotion. We signed a deal with the record label Loud Rage Music, recorded a few clips and trying to secure some gigs. We also worked on new songs for a follow-up to The Calling.

2.The band started in 2016 but you waited until 2026 to release any material, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?

George: In 2016, we weren't a real band. Marius (the founder and band guitarist) composed a few demo songs and I did some lyrics and a short story, everything in a first draft form, unfinished and unpolished. Everything got shelved after not so long, due to more important life commitments at the time for both of us. It was only in early 2020 that the band became a reality, with the current line-up, actual songs and dedication. In retrospect, we might have released the album earlier, but we were affected either by the pandemic, financial constraints, lack of studio experience or just bad luck. At one point, I also left the band for a few months because I was struggling with depression and it was holding everything back. Either way, the time passed came with a powerful learning experience for everybody involved.

3.You have your first full length coming out in the middle of May, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

George: The foundation is black metal, but far from a traditional one. Marius is a very expressive and natural guitarist and most of the riffs are his, including the influences coming from progressive metal and post-metal/rock. Everybody else came with their own personal touches, but in the end, we can call the music post-black metal. Everything was done by feeling, smooth, flowing and in agreement with each other, while trying to be self-critical. The chemistry between us also helped a lot.

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

George: I wrote a short story, initially to help inspire Marius, but it became a complementary element, like a lyrical adaptation of the music. While this is a concept album, each song has a different theme and a sub-topic, a distinct threshold crossed by the wandering hermit. From renunciation, to reinventing his identity by killing his old one, dealing with temptations, suicide, his relationship with the past, the outside world and with death. And of course, how he views himself throughout the story, from the beginning of the journey until his dying breath.

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

George: a friend of us made it and surprised us with the level of details and with how much he was in tune with the music. The end result represents this annonymous hermit traversing the hostile desert.

6.Out of all the shows the band has dene so far, which one stands out the most?

George: I believe it was the first gig we did, for Rockstadt Fest (a different event than Rockstadt Extreme Fest), in Brasov, on May 2022. It was the first live experience for myself and Ionut, the bassist, and the moment we received our first feedback from the public. The place was packed and it was an amazing and insane experience.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

George: We have two confirmed live shows for now and hopefully, we will get to play more gigs until the end of the year.

8.The new album is going to be released on 'Loud Rage Music', how did you get in contact with this label?

George: We got recommended, I think. It was an easy pick, I believe, since it's the label who supports Romanian metal bands the most.

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

George: I don't know, really. I'm not sure we have fans outside Romania.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

George: Since we have been working on a second album, I can obly say that the writing is evolving, but that's just the natural way of things.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

George: We are in our 30's, so we are more mature and open-minded about music. I can list tons of genres we are into, even outside metal, but every person in the band has his own tastes and guilty pleasures. As tight as we are as bandmates, we are as different from each other musically as one can get. Still metalheads at core, though.

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

George: For the readers - follow us on social media and continue to support the metal scene!

https://www.facebook.com/maunasolband/
https://www.instagram.com/maunasolband/

Molosser Interview

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

 

We are a death metal band from the bottom of the world in Wellington, New Zealand.

 

2.You have an ep coming out in May, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

 

For this EP, we aimed for a base of primitive, violent death metal with elements of black and doom sprinkled throughout. These were the first songs we had written together as a band, they were subject to a few rewrites here and there to expand upon the black/death/doom elements.

 

All the recordings for the EP were captured by our guitarist (now drummer) J.A. and we sought out the expertise of Dan Lowndes of Resonance Sound Studio for the mix and master. It was a brilliant experience working together with Dan on this release and he was able to really emphasise on the thick, crushing guitar tone, pummelling drums, and cavernous vocals.

 

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

 

Lyrically the EP mostly explores war and conflict, most notably the Khmer genocide in “Strychnine Hill” and ongoing persecutions/killings in Myanmar in “Ogre Column”. 

 

“Vengeance Manifest” was loosely inspired by the Gombe Chimpanzee War and revenge fantasies, and “Indomitable Force” found inspiration in various depictions of absolute power and strength (notably Nosferatu Zodd from Berserk).

 

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

 

“Molosser” is a term used to describe large muscular dogs (usually mastiffs) commonly used as guard dogs or for livestock protection. I always thought it would be a very fitting name for a death metal band and here we are, haha.

 

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

 

The cover artwork for Massive Retaliation’s Arms of the War God had always stuck with me after I had first seen it, large scale battle scenes work so well as cover artwork in this subgenre. When it came time to prepare the cover artwork for the EP, naturally we reached out to the artist for that piece, Adam Kindred (@archaicfilth on Instagram).

 

We provided a few reference images and lyrics for inspiration, and he had a brilliant idea straight off the bat (which was basically the final piece you can see now) that evoked the exact atmosphere we were seeking, which was just pure staunch and puissance.

 

He was an absolute dream to work with, he also drew a dog crest/sigil which you can see as the alternative front cover for the EP on our cassette release (and in the CD insert).

 

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

 

We have played a number of live shows with both local and international acts, most notably playing shows alongside Dead Congregation, Concrete Winds, Bölzer and Faceless Burial.

 

7.The ep was released on 'Gutter Prince Cabal', how did you get in contact with this label?

 

After we received the final mix and master for the release, we were planning out our next steps for release and distribution. We had heard only great things about Gutter Prince Cabal as a label from friends who have had music released through them, so we reached out via a demo submission. They enjoyed what they heard and N.H. from Heresiarch also put in a good word for us to the label. They offered to help release our EP through them which we gladly accepted.

 

Gutter Prince Cabal have been excellent to work with through every step of the process and we are proud to have our debut release under their banner.

 

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

 

Reception for our single “Strychnine Hill” has been positive so far, but more so on a local scale. We will see what transpires soon.

 

9.Do any of the band members have any experience playing in other bands or musical projects?

 

We currently have members also playing in Brainwave, Stress Ghetto, Heresiarch and Birdparty.

 

Our previous drummer A.M. (who’s performance you can hear on the record) also has some stuff in the works so keep an ear out for that.

 

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

 

We are currently in the midst of writing new material for a full-length, no timeline on that one but hopefully sooner rather than later. 

 

With our new material we are aiming to expand further on the violence. Essentially just make the fast parts faster and the slower parts slower. Crush, kill, destroy.

 

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?

 

We have mainly been inspired by bands such as Morbid Angel, Incantation and Pissgrave for our current material, while also finding inspiration in black metal and death/doom.

 

For our future material we have been primarily been looking to black/death acts like Axis of Advance and Lvcifyre, and death/doom acts such as Rippikoulu and Mortiferum for inspiration. There will surely be more bands (both metal and non-metal) to add to this list as we go further into the writing process.

 

In terms of current listening, Dead Congregation and Axis of Advance have really been scratching the death metal itch for me lately. Outside of metal it’s been a lot of Nuovo Testamento and Westside Gunn.

 

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

 

Cheers for the interview!

https://www.instagram.com/molosser04
https://molosser04death.bandcamp.com

Feralia/Ultima Requies/ATMF/2026 Full Length Review

  Sweden/Italy's  Feralia  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  ancestral  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Ultima  Requies"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  ATMF.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  old  school  influences  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  music  more  of  a  taw  feeling  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  album  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style. as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  clear  vocals  and  one  song  is  also  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  Ancient  Roman  Occultism.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Feralia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ancestral  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ver  Sacrum"  and  "Miasma".  8  out  of  10.

  https://feraliablackmetal.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/feraliablackmetal/

https://www.instagram.com/feralia_black_metal/

Woewarden/The Roots Of My Neglect/Dusktone/2026 Full Length Review

  Woewarden  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  bleak,  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "The  Roots  Of  My  Neglect"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Dusktone.

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams  mixed  in  with  a  few  growls.

  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.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  the  album  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts. Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  on  at  times  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  clear  singing   

  Woewarden  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  bleak,  atmospheric  and  depressive  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Woewarden  are  a  very  great  sounding  bleak,  atmospheric  and  depressive  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Frail"  "Walk  On  Into  Calamity"  "An  Infinite  Void"  and  "The  Mockery  Of  these  Broken  Words".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/woewarden