Review by Norbert on September 10, 2026.

For years, Neolith have accustomed their listeners to one simple fact: they have never recorded two albums that sound the same. From their death/doom roots, through increasingly bold flirtations with black metal, progressive arrangements and oriental influences, to the uncompromising blackened death metal of recent years, every release has been another stage in their evolution rather than a revolution. The funny thing is that instead of running out of steam with age and reheating old ideas, this band from Lesko/Krosno, and for some time now also Warsaw, has recorded the most devastating material of their entire career after more than three decades of activity. When many people unanimously declared after the release of "I Am The Way" in 2019 that Neolith had created the album of their lives, it seemed that they had also reached the ceiling of their abilities. The band's sixth album, "Inbir", shows just how wrong that diagnosis was. Apparently, somewhere between the Bieszczady Mountains and Mesopotamia, the guys found quite a bit of ammunition left in the magazine.

The easiest thing would have been to record another "I Am The Way". Neolith chose the more difficult path. "Inbir" does not try to forcibly surpass its predecessor — it simply leaves it several steps behind. The compositions are more multi-layered than ever before, yet they never lose their internal logic. This is music that reveals new details with every listen without turning into some kind of progressive puzzle. The riffs don't so much get stuck in your head as crawl under your skin. Neolith keep throwing another great motif at you, so after a few spins you catch yourself nodding your head unconsciously even when you're nowhere near a stage. There isn't a single filler track here. Eight songs. Eight solid punches. At one moment, Neolith are pounding away like a runaway steamroller, while the next they slow things down only to hit twice as hard a moment later.

The album is full of moments that immediately make you want to hit the "Replay" button. The shamelessly Morbid Angel-esque 'Ashur Has Given Me A Brother' is such a fucking monster that there is really only one thing left to say: kneel before it. Trey Azagthoth himself wouldn't be ashamed of some of these riffs, and when the song kicks into full gallop, you instinctively check whether your speakers are still sitting on the shelf. This isn't blind imitation of the classics, but a conscious tip of the hat delivered with Podkarpackie class. 'The Dawn Is Waking' is the next punch in the face, followed by another one from the other side. 'Modlitwa Na Marny Czas', meanwhile, goes down in the band's history for a different reason — for the first time, Neolith have devoted an entire song to the Polish language. And it is a bullseye. Polish sounds harsh, ritualistic, and sinister here. There isn't a trace of artificiality to it, only an atmosphere that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

The greatest strength of "Inbir" is the sense of the band working as one. You can hear that everyone has contributed their own piece, but nobody is trying to steal the spotlight. The rhythm section grinds away without a moment's rest, while the guitars cut like a circular saw one moment and then throw out a motif that stays in your head for a long time. Technique never takes center stage here. Everything is subordinate to the songs, not musical showboating. Vocalist Levi isn't trying to scream louder than everyone else. He simply opens his mouth and things immediately become unpleasant. Exactly as they should. This time, his trademark growls and black metal screams are complemented more clearly than ever by two additional vocalists. The three-way vocal attack isn't some flashy gimmick — it builds tension, adds drama and gives certain passages an almost ceremonial grandeur.

The lyrical side deserves special recognition as well. Neolith have been consistently exploring the world of ancient civilizations, religions and mythology for years, but on "Inbir" they do so with an even greater sense of purpose. The Sumerian subject matter isn't merely an exotic decoration — it works together with the music, creating a coherent story about war, beliefs and the fall of civilizations. This is an album worth not only listening to, but reading as well. At a time when some bands limit themselves to a few Latin phrases and a pentagram on the cover, Neolith have actually done their homework.

There has also been a major step forward in terms of production. The album was produced by the band themselves together with Haldor Grunberg of Satanic Audio, whose work on the extreme metal scene speaks for itself. The results can be heard from the first note to the last. "Inbir" has the right weight, the right amount of dirt and, above all, the right punch. Nothing gets lost in the mix, nothing is ruined by plastic sterility, and when the blasts kick in, the whole thing gets an additional kick in the ass. This is exactly how modern blackened death metal should sound.

The excellent artwork by Artur Szolc completes the package. This isn't just another pretty cover to put on a shelf. It works perfectly with the music and lyrics, wrapping "Inbir" in a dark and coherent whole.

There is a certain irony to all of this. Most bands after thirty years of activity release albums that fall into the "nice to hear you again" category. Neolith do things differently. With every new release, they raise the bar for themselves and then... jump over it without much effort. They aren't trying to chase younger bands or compete with the biggest names on the scene. They simply do their thing. And they are doing it better than ever.

If "I Am The Way" was proof that the band had reached a new level, then "Inbir" confirms it beyond any doubt. The album will be released on September 12 through Deformeathing Production and could turn out to be one of the strongest blows delivered by the Polish metal scene this year. And only recently it seemed that things couldn't get any better.

Well... apparently war — which is what the Sumerian word "Inbir" means — suits Neolith exceptionally well.

May this war continue for as long as possible.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Sam on July 14, 2026.

Not only is Poland home of The Pagan Vastlands, but it has also been a fertile breeding ground for some of the finest formations the death metal genre has to offer since the late 1980s. Here we have Neolith, with their latest offering, entitled Inbir, available September 12th of this year on the Deformeathing Production record label. These dudes have been at it since the early 90s, with two members having a three-decade-plus tenure, so tight musicianship, professionalism, and crystalline production are at the top of the ticket for their new album.

If you like blasting, aggressive death metal with lyrical themes of ancient Sumeria, you're in the right spot. After a brief yet torturous intro of wretched moans over a subtle om-vibration, a snappy drum fill erupts into the madness of the opening and title track of the record. Drummer Semuss has only been with the group for a couple of years, but his performance throughout Inbir is one that would put a smile on the face of an Asheim or a Sandoval. On this opening track, he expertly navigates the miasma of tremolo aggression by seamlessly modulating between an up-tempo 6/8 meter and half-time 4/4 with a triplet feel, one of the all-time great templates for crushing extreme drumming. As the piece works toward a chaotic crescendo, an understated choir effect can be detected in the background, heightening the reverence for the ancient ones.

Second track 'Ashur Has Given Me A Brother' is notable for its vertigo-inducing lead guitar over the blast-assault of the drums. The commanding vocal performance of Grzegorz Łukowski, a death metal lifer and original band member, is unrelenting in its brutality and calls to mind a certain extreme metal dignitary who goes by the name of Piotr. The bass is buried in the mix for the duration of the record and never really given a chance to sing, which may be a disappointment for some. For those who are curious, Ashur is the supreme deity of the ancient Assyrian empire, and Inbir is the word for war in the primordial Sumerian language.

'Modlitwa Na Marny Czas' (Polish for A Prayer For Lean Times) starts out with a sinister yet meditative spoken word bit in the band’s native tongue before the violent onslaught ensues. Within this piece, Semuss treats us to some creative ride cymbal accents and patterns over his barrage of double bass, culminating in a jazzy snare pattern which augments the grandiose atmosphere of the song, and the menacing spoken word prayer returns to close it out. It's always refreshing to hear some vocal dynamics in the aggro land of death metal.

'Ouroboros' rips into being with a highly technical drum fill replete with double bass. Man, this drummer is absolutely inexorable, and he must be in peak physical condition. I've no doubt that if I were to play drums this violently on a day-to-day basis, my beer gut would dissolve in no time. At the 2:45 mark, there appears another spoken word piece, only this time pitch-shifted down to the abyss, reminding me of early Entombed or Dismember. This is followed by a highly melodic tap riff, some of the finest work to be heard from the six-string section.

Closing track 'Morte' is the slowest piece to be found on Inbir, almost bordering on death/doom territory, but this variation in tempo adds an element of heft to the overall devastation, allowing the 32nd note kicks to breathe. This song offers a rather magical guitar solo over the lumbering crunch of the motif, lending a tone of finality to the album. To sum up, we've got eight tracks and about forty minutes' worth of old school death metal here that should be pleasing to the ear for fans of Vader and Morbid Angel.

Rating: 8 out of 10 snakes devouring their own tails