Satan's winged hellspawns and mighty warriors will swing their sharpened axes with the return of Germany's black/thrash metal band LUCIFUGE. Their fifth full-length album Monoliths of Wrath is set to be released on April 28th 2023 via Dying Victims Productions. Be sure to experience the hellish aggression of blood and steel with today's premiere of LUCIFUGE's new song 'Before The Altar Of Famine And Desire'!

Monoliths Of Wrath will be released by Dying Victims Productions on April 28th, 2023 on CD and vinyl LP formats.

LUCIFUGE is:

Matorralix - Bass
Dominatrix - Drums
Berenjenix - Guitars
Equinox - Vocals, Guitars

MORE INFO AND PRE-ORDERS:

https://www.facebook.com/lucifugeblackmetal/
https://lucifuge666.bandcamp.com/
http://www.dyingvictims.com/
https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/dyingvictimsproductions/

Greetings, fellow metalheads!

The summer went through so quick I almost didn't notice it was here. Doesn't mean I didn't try to stay up to date with the latest releases. I hope that you've been keeping an eye on our profile as I've been trying my best to keep our playlists updated. I definitely encourage you to check out the July playlists as it was quite exciting month with full releases from Warkings, Impureza, Imperial Crystalline Entombment, Born of Osiris, Slaughter to Prevail, Entrails, Abigail Williams, Beheaded and Alice Cooper, to name just a few.

In the meantime we've got September and we can go through August releases. And as usual, we start with full releases. And on our playlist with albums we've got To The Grave, Fox Lake, ONMYO-ZA, Sinsaenum, Blackbraid, Haunt, Unleashed, Panopticon, Nuns Of The Tundra, Castrator, BAEST, Signs of the Swarm, Panzerchrist, Feuerschwanz, Burning Witches, Vicious Rumors, Mélancolia, Månegarm, In Mourning, Helloween and more. Get those speakers or headphones ready and hit "Play":

Our list with EPs released in August is also looking healthy and provides almost 5 hours of sounds created and performed by Aversions Crown, Bitter Disdain, Crypt Sermon, Crystal Gates, Dusk, Eskapism, Estuarine, Grand Cadaver, Prognan, Soul Debt, Winter Ov Thanatoz and Zetra. Enjoy!

The list of singles is as usual long and includes a lot of bangers, chosen to show off the best from the upcoming bigger releases (or not). The list includes Primal Fear, OCEANS, Car Bomb, Frayle, Belphegor, Battle Beast, Revocation, Omnium Gatherum, Despised Icon, Amorphis, Wolfheart, Gaerea, Lorna Shore, The Acacia Strain, Paradise Lost, Nicolas Cage Fighter, The Halo Effect, Testament, 1914, Vintersorg, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Pupil Slicer, Mystic Circle, Avatar, Igorrr, Soulfly and Christ Agony. All this and a lot more can be found here:

We've got some splits from August to share as well and I've managed to find the Nunslaughter half of their split with Sabbat, Chaos Relic/Ritual Fog, tracks from Lipoma from their split with Endometriosity and we've got full Human Corpse Abuse/Mortify split. You can listen to them here:

Now, the live shows, the highlight of every metalhead's summer, the opportunity to see your favourite artists performing live and maybe speak to them or take a photo. While the list below doesn't give you the opportunity to do the latter two, it's trying to make you feel as if you were there. August gave us live releases from Cult of Luna, Groza, Moonspell and Rioghan:

I've been quite excited about re-releases in August mostly because Dan Swanö keeps on making remasters and remixes of one of my favourite death metal bands in my teenage years - Edge of Sanity. Apart from them you can find An Abstract Illusion, Crematory, Distant, Gurthang, Kekal, Nunslaughter, Queensrÿche, Rage, Slipknot and Týr. You can refresh your memory of these by clicking the link below:

And, surprisingly, we've got not one, but two compilations which saw the light of day in August. Pantheïst are celebrating their 25-year anniversary by giving you their best of the best and Deceased did the same thing on their 40th anniversary. Celebrate with them and listen to both by clicking below:

Have fun going through all of the above, keep on checking our profile on Spotify for the latest releases, support your favourites by increasing traffic on their social media or give them some of your hard-earned money and always remember to mosh responsibly.

Your fellow metalhead (still resisting the urge to use AI to make this a bit more exciting read),

Maciek

Today, in cooperation with STERVELING, we are excited to present their first single "Verstoten" from the upcoming self-titled album "Sterveling".

STERVELING is a one-man band founded in 2022 by M.vdW (Weltschmerz, Prospectors, ex-Wesenwille) from the Netherlands. Following its debut demo 'In De Schoot Der Aarde' released in late 2022, STERVELING played several shows with a live line-up. With a debut full-length being released on September 26th, 2025, STERVELING is ready for the next chapter in its existence.

The music can be described as atmospheric black metal, its feel and essence best summarized by the artwork of the new album. A figure frozen with streams of moving lights rolling over him amidst a desert of overwhelming black. A bright shining porthole mesmerizing, tempting the protagonist, but at the same time unreachable for now. The same holds for the music, which takes the listener on a journey moving closer to a final climactic conclusion, yet dark, minimalist and building only very slowly. If you like bands like Wiegedood, Leviathan, Xasthur or Wekling this may be the right stuff for you

The debut album will be self-released on September 26th and will be available on CD, tape and digitally.

STERVELING is:

B.K: vocals
M.R: synths on 'Met Kalmte in het Hart'
R.S & W.vK: additional vocals

Everything else performed by M.vdW

Artwork and design by Passivist
Engineering and production by M.vdW
Mastering by James Plotkin

All music and lyrics written by Sterveling

MORE INFO AND PRE-ORDERS:

https://www.facebook.com/Sterveling
https://sterveling.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/stervelingbm/

Today, in cooperation with Dying Victims Productions, we are excited to present the new track 'Nosferatu' from DET's highly anticipated debut album, Destructive Elite Terror.

Hailing from Helsinki, Finland's DET are a speed / death metal band formed in 2022. A power-trio from the very beginning, DET feature members who do or have done time in such bands as Excuse, Asphodelus, Ranger, and Cryogenic among others. Right away, they released the demo Death Night, which was followed a year later by the Vengeance demo and a split with fellow countrymen Kruisfoitu. Meanwhile, they played live in several countries – including Armenia, Georgia, Germany, and the UK among others –and received praising reviews for their performances.

If there was ever any mystery about the acronym to their moniker, DET now deliver their debut album, spelling it out in no uncertain terms: Destructive Elite Terror. Truly titled, Destructive Elite Terror rushes forward with a fury that cannot be contained. While DET will never win any faster-than-thou contests, their use of speed of a measured one, going from hypnotic cruise to Bathorian bang to even an early Sarcofago surge – and every step of the way, energy is maintained and maximized. As such, Destructive Elite Terror offers a refreshing amount of variety in its deceptively breathless 36-minute runtime, and the trio's riffing similarly exudes a keen sense of space and moody melody to ensure it's not just straight-ahead bulldoze all the time. Simple but never simplistic, this is authentically old school without pandering to tired tropes.

Somewhere between the crudest early speed metal, contemporaneous proto-black metal, and the very earliest death metal lies Destructive Elite Terror: DET are coming for you!

DET is:

Jari - Guitars, Vocals
Miikka - Drums, Vocals
Atte - Bass

MORE INFO AND PRE-ORDERS:

https://www.facebook.com/DET
https://detmusic666.bandcamp.com/
http://www.dyingvictims.com/
https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/dyingvictimsproductions/

Under The Black Sun Festival - Friesack, Germany - Day 1

I haven't been for 29 years to a festival so I was pretty excited to get to the "Under The Black Sun" festival which is located close to Berlin for many years now. Apart from that fact it also took me quite a way (and a lot of time) to get there, driving through half of Germany from west to east. And of course as it is always when you are in a hurry, the typical German traffic jam was to be found after half of the way and I arrived with about three hours delay in Friesack. So, I unfortunately missed the Germans of Flammenaar and the Brazilians of Sodomizer.

French Hell Militia were the first guys I was able to see and like the last time I saw them back in February, they really kicked ass. I don't know but somehow their music comes over much catchier and more powerful than on the albums (at least that's my opinion). The sound was very good and the audience was celebrating them excessively. That was definitely a good start the get the right festival feeling.

Setlist: Goathrone / Black Arts Of Crime / Fili Diaboli / Dust Of Time / Jericho / Always The Same (sample) / Black Fucking Cancer / Jacob's Ladder

After that Sextrash (best band name of the festival) hailing from Brazil entered the stage. And what shall I say – the name isn't chosen wrong. Covered with spikes and masks, the guys came over pretty antisocial and super casual. Equipped with a beer in my hand this band made a lot of fun. Playing super rumbling and raw black thrash in the vein of old Sarcofago, Mystifier and co the guys rocked the early evening in a very brutal, bestial way.

Now it was time for mighty Vader. I guess everybody who knows them (and has ever seen them live) is expecting nothing else than total devastation and a full blast. And so did the Poles. The sound was very powerful and the choices of the songs were too. With all their routine and many-year-experience in the death metal scene it was really a pleasure seeing them live once more. Peter did a murderous job with his deep-throated voice and so did the other guys on the stage as well. And with the dark, the light show was very impressive, too. That was one of many highlights of the festival for sure.

With the late evening came the Greeks from Lunar Spells as the last band for the first day. Dressed in some kind of monk's habit and with a lot of corpse paint, the guys spread a slight gloomy and scary atmosphere. Musically they performed some super melodic black metal which doesn't sound too Greek at all but goes more into the Scandinavian direction, but with that you cannot do anything wrong, I guess. The only thing the guys have to improve is their stage acting. That reminded me of good old Deicide when the Hoffman brothers were still members and moved maybe about 6 foot during the whole show. But all in all they did a really good performance and I guess that Lunar Spells got some more fans that evening.

Setlist: Intro / Beyond Our Darkest Paths/ Necromantical Glorification/ Ejaculate The Masses Of Holiness / Malefic Incarnation / Sorcery of Death / Anguish And Sorrow

Day 2

Before the second festival day started there was a lot of time to check the village and get some food and drinks. No surprise that the Aldi was invaded by many metalheads that Friday morning (and of course the locals were also disturbed during their Saturday shopping-spree by them) but I guess after all these years Under The Black Sun is located here, Friesacks' inhabitants are already used to see these strange people annually. And hey, at least the guys visiting UTBS aren't that freaky as many goofy guys at Wacken.

2 PM it was time to be at the stage when Maggots opened the day, an East German band that isn't locted far from the festival location. I didn't know them actually (like many other bands on the festival) but a lot of the people in the audience obviously knew them and celebrated them. The music was really cool - they played some mixture of black-death with a lot of rock n' roll attitude and some war metal outbursts here and there which often reminded of Celtic Frost / Hellhammer (which is quite obvious if you look at the song titles and the cover song).

Setlist: Dethroned / Warchrist / Black Whore Of Total Eclipse / Humanity Decay / Vulgar Undercover / Corpse Delicti / The Rise Of Doom / Dethroned Emperor (Celtic Frost cover) / Rigor Mortis / Place To Hide / Burn Your Church

Next Thronecult from Saxony wanted to offer the fans some hellish black metal. The only album they have released is already three years old ("Essence Of Eternity") but quite worth checking if you like some brutal black metal. And also live the music came over quite well. But what wasn't too cool was the very bored stage-acting, especially from their vocalist. I don't know if he had a hang-over or was pissed because of the sun that was shining during the gig but this is something that the band has to make better.

Setlist: Dark Desire / The Cult Of The Throne / Essence Of Eternity / Human Decay / Saturnian Black Mass / Amor – Psyche II / Plague Eternal

With Grabunhold a band from my hometown was next. And almost like Thronecult, their latest sign of life is also 2 years old (a split with Circle Of Shadows) and their one and only released album "Heldentod" was released in 2021. I guess it is time for some new stuff guys! Presenting their Tolkien-based songs during 80° F isn't maybe the best base but nevertheless they did a good job. The sound might have had been better but it was an okay gig though.

Setlist: Intro / Grambergs Fluch / Flammen und Schatten / Caras Galadhon / Hügelgräberhöhen / Der Zorn der zwei Türme / Gespenster

One of the biggest surprises of the festival was the next band I never had heard of before: Streams Of Blood from Germany. With their superfast and relentless black metal they did not only convinced me during their first two songs but also many of the folks in the front of the stage. The Scandinavian black metal influences are clearly to hear but nonetheless they play a very unique and entertaining sort of music. And in comparison to some other bands that day, they had a very impressive and aggressive stage-acting. Well done and if you have to opportunity to get an album by them, just grab it – you can't do anything wrong with that.

Setlist: Detox / Freitodmaschine / Nychts / The Sense / Deepest Abyss Of My Soul / New World Order / Fullmoon Era

Now it was time for some barbarian black metal. Thorybos which is another band from Germany took their chance to offer some real sinister ultra brutal war black metal and that hit like a demolition hammer into the face. Melodies were to find here like you can find some stracciatella ice cream in the very pits of hell (with exception of the instrumental in "Monuments Of Death Revealed") but that wasn't a big problem. The bigger problem was the sound which sounded so unbelievable shitty but according to the sound crew the band wanted to sounds exactly like that. Ah well. By the way, with Ryan Förster they have a very prominent member in their row having played in bands like Conquerer or Blasphemy. I guess there is no reason to explain anything more, is it?

Baxaxaxaxaxaxa!!!!!! My absolute favorite band name you still can pronounce after 30 beers and also a legend in the black metal scene. Although it still wasn't dawning, the eerie atmosphere the Bavarians spread on their albums came over live also very well. Fully disguised in heavy robes I guess the guys had to sweat a lot in their dresses. Nevertheless they did a very energetic gig and had the crowd on their side. And just like on CD, their old-school black metal with a lot of Celtic Frost / Hellhammer-influences was a killer. Not to think of what could have become out of that band if they didn't split up in the early 90s. I guess they could have become one of the global players in the scene.

Setlist: Church Of The Antichrist / Above The Stellar Gateway / As The Moon Inhaled All Sunrays / Walpurgis Dancers / Catacomb Cult / The Great Malicious Tongue / Nocturnal Mass / Ghosts Of Tötzburg / Hellfire

With Naxen another German band (hailing from my town of birth) followed afterwards and they also did a good show. Although everything on stage was quite minimalistic (no super evil items nor corpse paint) they performed very well. Their atmospheric, slight doomy black metal might not be the music for every day but with the right mood the songs are able to catch you quite well. At this gig the band mainly focused on their latest album "Descending Into A Deeper Darkness" which was released in 24, it is a really cool gem which you should check for sure.

Setlist: To Welcome The Withering / A Shadow In The Fire - Pt. III (A Life Led By Loss) / The Fate Of All Flesh / Triumphant Tongue Of A Thousand Sword

Finnish Curse Upon A Prayer were one of the bands I was really looking for because I like their albums very much. Very harsh, uncompromising Finnish black metal in the style of Horna, Behexen etc – with that you cannot do anything wrong. So they kicked ass from the first tunes and with the grim announcements from their vocalist they came over very evil and powerful. The sound was really good so you could hear the songs very clear and their performance was also top notch.

Setlist: Ortopraxia / Black Venus Erotica / Blood Poetry / Haram / Al-Mash Ad-Daijal / Cunt God / Infidel / Rotten Tongues / Let Thy Kingdom Come

After that black metal inferno the time had come for legendary Impiety. I guess they don't need any further explanation since they are active since the mid-90s and have released many really good black metal albums since then. Rabid, hyper-fast music blew the audience straight away, there was almost no time for breathing. This was truly a lesson in relentless black metal and a remarkable statement that the band is still alive considering the last full-length is from 2019. So there is some hope that another full-length will follow.

Also the next band doesn't need a further introduction – Swedish Marduk. I have seen them a couple of times live and they never disappointed. Not back in 94 when I saw them for the first time or 31 years later. At that show had probably the most people attending and of course this is no surprise when you consider the popularity of Morgan and co in the scene. Offering a very cool collection of older and newer songs, the Panzerdivision Marduk successfully waltzed over the battlefield of Friesack. That evening was really unforgettable – the sound, the light, the mood – everything matched perfect!

Setlist: Werwolf / Steel Inferno / Shovel Beats Sceptre / Slay The Nazarene / Marching Bones / The Sun Has Failed / With Satan And Victorious Weapons / Those Of The Unlight / Christraping Black Metal / Blond Beast / The Black… / Wolves

As the last band of that Friday Order Of Nosferat (and with that some of the guys in Curse Upon A Prayer) praised the Lord down below. I always thought that the band would play some more ambient stuff but what my ears got to hear was some really grim and rough black metal in the typical Finnish way (let Sargeist or Satanic Warmaster be some reference for that). The guys came over very authentically and were a very cool nightcap. If you like that style of black metal you should really check them.

Setlist: Crossing the Shadowland / Vampiric Wrath Unleashed / Followed Path Of The Carpathian Bloodwolves / Beyond the Eternity Gates I Wait / Rats and Pestilence Shall Conquer / Fear The Unchained Ghoul / My Final Breath Cruel Awakening

Day 3

Getting waked up by the machines that clean the portable toilets at 7 am isn't the best thing on a Saturday, especially when the day is going to be that long. Fortunately I have a good sleep so I feel asleep again after the toilets were emptied. So with empty toilet tanks and empty stomach my morning started. Fortunately the crew brewed some good coffee so that I could get my daily caffeine dose.

At 2 PM the last day of the festival started with German Magoth, a band that has already released three really good albums. I was very excited to see them live for the first time and didn't get disappointed by them. Okay, the weather (sunny and hot) wasn't the best again for some hateful black metal music but the quartet bravely defied the sun. I guess it must have been quite tough wearing the goat heads the whole show which was full of energy and hatred. With "Lucifer Ascendit" we got a song premiere from the album and they also presented two more songs from the upcoming album ("Declaring Eschaton" and "Converging The Void"). Let's hope that the guys will release their new album quite soon, at the moment they are recording the album at Soundsight Studios in Bonn.

Setlist: Lucifer Ascendit / Sinister Forces Arose / Declaring Eschaton / Above the Sacred Lands / Sola Scriptura / Converging The Void / Thorns

Now it was time for King Demogorgon and Sardonic Witchery. I had the pleasure meeting him and his girlfriend the previous day and I have to say that he is really a crazy cool metalhead. So I was pretty curious to see him and his band on stage. They did a really cool show with spikes, axe and sword and their music was perfect for a festival. A lot of casual rock n' roll attitude mixed with some rumbling death / black metal – that was a lot of fun and with some beers even double.

Setlist: Sacrificial Storm Ritaul / Sofriemnto Da Ordem Do Tempo (Disciplina) / Lusitanian Wolf (Viriathus) / Barbaric Bastards Of Mass Destruction / Horizon's End / Merciless Warrior Of Steel / Nocturnal Wanderer (Goddess Of Desire)

Unfortunately the black metal party was over way too soon but one surprise hunted next that Saturday. German Amystery had a total blast that day. I knew the name of the band but never heard much of their music what I terribly regretted that day. They absolutely kicked ass and played the kind of black metal I personally like most - super catchy with a lot of Celtic Frost vibes mixed with frosty Scandinavian influences, nothing else it better than that. Their latest album "Chaos Empire Satan" is really a fierce beast and if you have the chance to get the album, you'd better do that!

Setlist: Introduction / End Of infinity / Incense Burning / Intro Grim Satanic Blessing / Nailed / Awake The Dead / Goddess Of Sins / Winds Of Chaos / Imperium Terror

Pestlegion did convince me the last time I saw them (which is about three years ago). This time they had the time for corpsepaint and everything so the prerequisites were fine. And from the first tunes the guys from the Ruhr Area did a good job. A symphonical intro and off we go. Fast black metal prevailed here and tempo-like they come pretty close to bands like Marduk or Dark Funeral. The sound was really good, only the vocals were a little bit too load at the beginning. But after some minutes the problem was solved and so this was a really good gig.

Setlist: We Deny Thy Name / The Witchhammer / The Portal / Of Gods…Evoke Hastur / Entsage Gott / March To War / Into The Golden Valley / The Warlocks Curse

Gorgon are one of the oldest French black metal bands, having released their first album "The Lady Rides A Black Horse" in 1995. I don't know why they never got the well-deserved attention, musically they are absolutely convincing and also the label on which they released their last three records isn't the smallest one (Osmose Productions). So they came, saw and conquered that early evening. Also equipped only with some pentagram flags, they focused more on the music than on stage setting. This worked really well. The audience also wasn't distracted by some stage stuff but had time to enjoy just the music which was really groovy and catchy. Fantastic show.

Setlist: For Those Who Stay / Traditio Satanae / Tower Of Gargoyle / The Lady Rides A Black Horse/ As a Stone / Still 666 / Depraved Conception / In Another Sea / Path of Doom / Tod. Mort. Death. / My Filth Is Worth Your Purity / The Jackal Pact / Time to Murder Your Family

What do have Denial Of God and Metallica in common? Yes, they both have a Danish drummer but that's not the thing I wanted to say. If you have a look at the time span between the releases they are both hot competitors for the slowest song-writers, I guess. I mean, Denial Of God exists since 1991 and just have released three albums. But so you don't need to learn so many songs by heart, that's the positive thing. On the stage, and that was to expect, they built on some opulent show with a lot of skulls and a coffin (not like King Diamond of course) to underline their morbid songs and musically they also convinced. With "Funeral" they also played my personal fave, so I was very satisfied with the show.

Setlist: Intro / The Curse Of The Witch / Undead Hunger / The Crypt Has Eyes / Funeral / The Book Of Oiufael / Robbing The Grave Of The Priest / The Horrors Of Satan

The last time I saw Swedish Bewitched I had to drive back home so this was a very dry gig for me. This time it was a little bit different and so I could party during the songs. "Diabolical Desecration" and "Pentagram Prayer" are still one of the most perfect black-thrash albums that were ever released and so I was very pleased that the guys played a lot of the songs from these two albums. Of course songs from the other three albums also found their place in the set but they don't kick that much ass in my opinion. This was a really perfect gig, the band enjoyed playing and Kristoffer told me after the show that they are going to record a new album soon. Let's hope this will really happen.

Setlist: Blood On The Altar / Night Of The Sinner / Holy Whore / Hellcult / Deathspell / Sabbath Of Sin / Triumph Of Evil / Fucked By Fire / Worship The Fire / Hellcult Attack / Hellblood / Cremation Of The Cross / Hard As Steel

I hadn't seen Mika Luttinen and his chaos hordes in Impaled Nazarene for about 30 years since that Saturday and they still appear that anarchic and cranky like they did back in 1996. Of course the line-up has massively changed since then but the songs still sound punky and evil as they did when they originally were released. What I personally really liked was that they played a lot of songs from "Tol Comrpt Norz Norz Norz", "Ugra-Karma" and "I Am The Killer Of Trolls" which still is one of the best ones. Maybe the musicians could have moved a little bit more on stage but the choice of songs and the sound plus light were absolutely fine.

Setlist: Stratagem / Absence Of War / Sadogoat / Something Sinister / For Those Who Have Fallen Eight Headed Serpent / Coraxo / Soul Rape / Steelvagina / I Am The Killer Of Trolls / Motorpenis / One Dead Nation Under One Dead God / Goat Of Mendes / Sadhu Satana / The Day Of Reckoning / Goatzied / The Horny And The Horned / Armageddon Death Squad / Total War, Winter War / Outro

And so the time for the last band had already come. Norwegian Abyssic were an absolute counterpart to every band that had played on the festival. Their music is much calmer, a very pleasant mixture between death and doom mixed with some orchestral parts. The night time was absolute perfect for this gig and the stage illumination did the rest to give that gig a very scary but pleasant atmosphere. I had seen Abyssic before and like on the previous gig I was again very impressed from the intensity the band creates on the stage. Especially vocalist Memnoch playing the contrabass and bass player Makhashanah are very impressive on the stage and it is truly a pleasure seeing them live. Let's hope that they will release a new, fourth album soon, at least they told me that there some plans for that next year.

Setlist: Funeral Elegy / Cold As A Winterstorm / Skoddeheimen / Sombre Dreams / Djevelens Lys

Well, that was the Under The Black Sun Festival 2025. What is my conclusion after these three very intense days? Well, first of all the line-up was really a killer line-up if you like extreme metal. Here weren't any shitty bands you can find so often on City XY Death Fest et cetera. All the bands had a lot of time to perform and this is also not usual. The sound and light crew did a really good job and also the other crew members were very nice. The food trucks had a really good choice of food (BBQ, Asian, ice-cream), the drinks were tasty (you could even get cocktails) and the prices were really fair. What I (and a lot of other people) missed, were some showers. There is a problem with the water supply to the festival area so this all is a little bit tricky but they are working on a solution for Under The Black Sun 2026.

I often heard rumors that the festival was a Nazi festival but this isn't the case. First of all, I know people from the more left-spectrum that go there and also the organizer of UTBS isn't into that but here and there I saw some guys with not such inappropriate shirts. But there is always the question how to deal with that, especially in an area of Germany where a Nazi-party is quite popular. If you restrict it, will there be even more of these people? If you don't are you tolerating it and accept that these persons are part of the festival? I guess it is hard to find a good solution for this.

Under The Black Sun was a really great festival where I met a lot of nice new people and also some friends I hadn't seen for many years. Let's hope that the next UTBS will be such a great one again!

Today, in cooperation with Dying Victims Productions, we are excited to present the new track 'Curse Of Eternal Winter' from SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH's highly anticipated debut album, Violence.

Hailing from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH originally formed in 2013 but were mostly inactive until 2017. Back then, the band was a duo of vocalist / guitarist / bassist Morbid Goatpriest of Lust, Filth and Mayhem and drummer Goat Primator. As suggested by those nom de plumes and, of course, their very moniker itself, SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH revel in sonic filth, as exemplified by their first couple demos, where a strong influence of the almighty Nifelheim and Australian blackthrash can be felt – and Japan's legendary Sabbat, above all, which endures to this day. In 2021, bassist Goatess of Fire arrived, making the band a power-trio and driving that filth in a different-yet-parallel direction: speed metal with Hellhammer / Celtic Frost and Darkthrone influences and an unapologetic punk attitude (and still Sabbat!). Thereafter, four splits and a demo followed, fleshing out the SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH sound before the inevitable debut album.

At last here, Violence is that first full-length, and its elegantly simple title says everything it should. Fast and deadly as the scythe of the reaper, SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH here unload an arsenal of dungeonic speed metal steeped in the ancient and fuck off, loose and lawless and deliberately raw as hot blood. Those aforementioned influences still remain, but the foremost one is of Sabbat, where eerie leads ride a galloping steed of filth, all reverbed to Hell and back, never feeling "retro" because the future never happened. For all the familiarity, the ten tracks comprising Violence work their malevolent magick due to SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH's off-the-rails execution: never faked, always full-on, fucking going for the throat and never letting up. As such, the album's 40 minutes fly by in a flash, compelling repeat listeners just as you try to escape that very dungeon…the air above stinks, so might as well plummet back down to the filth! You want Violence? SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH will give you fucking VIOLENCE!

SADISTIC GOATMESSIAH is:

Morbid Goatpriest of Lust, Filth and Mayhem - Vocals, Guitars
Goat Primator - Drums
Goatess of Fire - Bass

MORE INFO AND PRE-ORDERS:

https://www.facebook.com/Goatmessiah666/
https://sadisticgoatmessiah.bandcamp.com/
http://www.dyingvictims.com/
https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/dyingvictimsproductions/

Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month! We're in the season of a torrential downpour of new releases. We'll get caught up eventually so that we're releasing these lists closer to the end of the month, as we've been in a state of constantly being behind for the past few months. When will that happen? Your guess is a good as mine. But at least it gives us a bit of extra time to sit on new releases and sift through what we really want to include on here.

As an aside - you may or may not have noticed our Facebook page got taken down. We're not sure why and when it's going to go up again. In the meantime, if you can follow the new MetalBite Facebook page to help get us back to where we were before, that would be greatly appreciated. If you follow/consume the content of these lists, this helps to demonstrate that, and you also get notices of when new one-off reviews go up as well!

Anyhow, on to what you're really here for. Cheers y'all.

-Nate

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Drawn And Quartered - Lord Of Two Horns
Nuclear Winter Records

I love me some death metal that just fuckin blasts constantly. Is this a multi-faceted album that incorporates disparate influences to create a genre-defying masterpiece? Fuck no. Does it need to be in order to be effective? Also fuck no.
-Nate

Inhuman Condition - Mind Trap
Listenable Insanity Records

There are no big surprises on Inhuman Condition's third full-length album. Most of the songs rely on catchy mid-tempo grooves that sound more like 90s Florideath than some of the recent output from the active bands of that era. But there are also some tracks that diverge from this formula. "Science Of Discontent" is a more dissonant track (not like Deathspell Omega or Portal, though), showing growth and an attempt to break free from the confines of their sound. Apart from that, they integrate cool breaks and twists with the deep growls and the 90s-style guitars. Even with these extra frills, though, this is still what this band has always been - solid 90s styled old school metal.
-Michael

Dark Matter Secret - New Matter
The Artisan Era

TAE has been quiet lately - I know they've been holding off on signing any new bands for a while now, but even their current roster seems unusually quiet. I guess with the multitude of other ventures the label heads have on the go, they haven't left much time to release other albums.

Dark Matter Secret is one of the OGs, though - they were, if I'm not mistaken, one of the first Artisan Era bands that weren't directly affiliated with Malcolm Pugh. Their instrumental, narrative, proggy tech death has a flavour to it that bands like Obscura and Beyond Creation have in spurts, but where those bands might have some heavier, crushing sections, Dark Matter Secret add EVEN MORE SOLOS.

That's not to say the band is an Yngwie Malmsteen-esque one dimensional shredfest - they understand the necessity of playing with space and using some sections to build tension and develop the soundscape, even with the lack of vocals removing a layer of immersion. New Matter is perhaps even more focused on draw long out a story and exploring textures within the prog-death realm as opposed to just making you go "fuck that must be hard to play" all the time. Usually instrumental albums are the kind of thing you can throw on in the background while you're doing something else, but New Matter constantly demands your attention - just when you start to get too comfortable, they snap you out of it with some wicked shredding. They're clearly overflowing with talent - that was evident on Perfect World Creation - but on New Matter they tell you a story that keeps you hooked through the ebbs and flows.
-Nate

Katatonia - Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State
Napalm Records

This record seems to be divisive among fans and honestly, I understand! With bands as mighty as Katatonia, fans have decades of flawless material that obviously drastically increase expectations! First of all, by no means is this a bad album, it's just I expected more… But no worries, there are still incredible songs on here, songs like "Lilac" and "Temporal" are classic Katatonia, a catchy and emotional chorus with Jonas Renkse's immediately recognizable voice that is both commanding and full of vulnerability. The guitars are still great, often soft and a bit in the background but can get super heavy in an instant. The song "Thrice" is an interesting example. It begins the album with approximately three chords that are super heavy and full of distortion and literally four seconds later, everything becomes quiet and a few guitar notes accompany Jonas' soft voice. That feeling of incompleteness is very unsettling but becomes so satisfying with multiple listens. "Wind Of No Change" is another interesting composition, with that infectious groove, courtesy of the incredible rhythm section that is Niklas and Daniel! Paired with the gothic choir, you'll have the lines: "we lay in sin, and sing praise hail Satan." stuck on repeat in your head, guarantied! In the end though, the lack of numerous distinct and memorable songs, with notable exceptions, hurts the album a little but I think it's another solid addition to Katatonia's discography, just not among the strongest.
-Raphael

Creeping Fear - Realm Of The Impaled
Dolorem Records

This is a comparatively groovier and more restrained album than 2021's Hategod Triumph, but all the hallmarks of that album are still there. A dash of blackened tremolo, vitriolic death/thrash (more of the former than the latter), and yet another passionate, uniquely piercing vocal performance from one of the most underrated shriek-growlers out there, Clement Ducouret. There's the occasional point where they flirt with more atmospheric bridges ("Demonic Ascent") but by and large this is no frills black/death/thrash/whatever. They've always been solid, and I've said it before and will say it again - the vocalist turns a solid-but-forgettable album into a must-listen, elevating everything around him.
-Nate

Morbyda - Under The Spell
Dying Victims Productions

Fast but not overly crazy, full of mesmerizing evil atmospheres, giving ode to metal legends of the past but with an impeccable sounding modern production, Morbyda takes us on an unforgettable journey across the best of blackened heavy metal! With a vocal performance drenched in reverb that often goes from clear high pitched aaaaaaaahs, to raspy shrieks for those extra evil sounds. The guitar leads are always melodic and the solos, holy hell the solos, from mid pace to crazy fast, if you crave metal jam packed with technical solos full of emotions and character, Morbyda is here for you.
-Raphael

Patristic - Catechesis
Willowtip Records

There's a lot packed into this one and it's hard to describe. It's got an esoteric grandiosity that brings Schammasch to mind, with a lot of big buildups into sustained blastbeat sections courtesy of a spirited, relatively unproven speedfreak drummer in his mid-20s. This is a side project of Enrico Schettino, the main Hideous Divinity songwriter - seemingly an avenue to explore occult black metal while keeping his main project intact. You can tell it's from a similar mind, as Patristic also has a strong sense of continuity and flow while covering a lot of different textures. There's lots of dissonance and mysticism that should appeal to fans of Aosoth and Deathspell Omega - this sounds far too complex and intricate to be considered a side-project. There's more going on here than in most people's main bands.
-Nate

Angel Of Damnation - Ethereal Blasphemy
Dying Victims Productions

Germany's Angel Of Damnation is doom metal in its purest form, a grandiose sadness, the sheer heaviness of the riff and slow grooves that weigh a ton. The Sabbath worship that never ever gets old, pump that shit in my veins 24/7! And that pristine Dying Victims Production! Crystal clear, every cymbal hit sits perfect in the mix, the snare, every melodic guitar notes and that low rumble from hell. The songs being fairly long gives room for the song writing, for beautifully creative moments, like the string arrangements on the last song, the unfortunately a little cringingly named, Anal Worship of the Goatlord. So yes, this is pure, traditional doom that does not invent anything new, but does the old to perfection.
-Raphael

Zeicrydeus - La Grande Heresie
The Stygian Oath

Everyone's favorite extreme metal polymath is back, this time deciding to venture into…old school Hellenic black metal with ripping bass lines? and it's got Charlie Koryn on session drums? Can't pass this one up. As someone who is a similarly obsessive genre nerd and sees pre-second wave black metal like Master's Hammer, early Rotting Christ, Varathron and Root as criminally underrated, this is an incredibly authentic recreation that takes you straight to 1991. I haven't always vibed with Phil Tougas' other side excursions (Atramentus was a bit of a miss imo) but this one hit the spot real nice.
-Nate

Sodom - The Arsonist
Steamhammer

Musically, not too much has changed since Sodom's last album, "Genesis XIX". There are no melodic, catchy tracks like "The Harpooneer" or "Occult Perpetrator" here - this iteration of Sodom focuses on brutal riffs and uncompromising heaviness. It's not quite as brutal as their flirtations with death metal back in 1992 on "Tapping The Vein", but this is still a blunt, relentless thrashing straight to the face. "The Arsonist" is a lesson in powerful thrash without any experiments or compromises. As always, the production is professional and it's impossible to find a fault with it. What is missing is a real standout, anthem track, but that's just me being nitpicky. To sum it up, this is a really good Sodom album for their twilight years.
-Michael

METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH

10: Putridity - Morbid Ataraxia
Willowtip Records

These disgusting Italians are established masters of brutality, standing at the musical edge of a style that has long been little more than a gross-out contest. It's all about who can be the fastest, the most cacophonous, the heaviest, who can get the closest to white noise while still retaining some qualities that make things musical.

How exactly does Putridity remain so cutting-edge? it's not like there aren't plenty of bands in a similar ballpark. There's something about their obsessive fixation with pummeling the listener that is uniquely tantalizing. Take Malignancy, strip away some of the technicality and replace it with a slurry of never-ending blastbeats and low-end guitar spasms. The only signal you have that one riff has ended and another has begun is the squealing pinch harmonics. Dynamics? Restraint? those get in the way of blastbeats and punch harmonics.

That's not to say there's not moments where they dial things back a bit - it might be a standalone bass part that lasts for literally one second, or a sample to bookend a song, but they pull back for just long enough to remind you how immersive they are - something about how they stack layers of sound has a way of keeping you engaged and entertained, even though it's the same thing for 34 minutes straight. Maybe it's the absurd skills of drummer Cedric Malebogia. Maybe it's the thick yet roomy production that lets everything be heard but still hits you like a brick. Whatever it is, it all comes together to give you that giddy feeling of boundlessness, pushing the limits of musical intensity the way that this type of music is meant to.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10

9: ByoNoiseGenerator - Subnormal Dives
Transcending Obscurity Records

This one caught me by surprise, usually, a full album of brutal death is a bit much to digest. But here comes ByoNoiseGenerator from Russia, saying hold my beer, sit down and listen. They seamlessly blend crushing brutal death with a grindcore edge but then throw in more dissonance and when this disgusting whirlwind of brutality is almost too much to handle, it abruptly changes into smooth jazz to sooth your ears, but not for long, the brutality is never far! Clocking in at an extremely lean 22 minutes, there is absolutely no fat on this, every note is impactful, from the grinding blastbeats, the chunky brutal chugs and the smooth saxophone, everything works to give you a coherent experience! Who knew all that I needed to enjoy brutal death was smooth jazz interwoven with pure brutal chaos!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10

8: Fallujah - Xenotaph
Nuclear Blast Records

Fallujah's signature tech death sound is a meditative experience, a journey through sound waves that is full of lush atmospheres, bursts of technical brutality and progressive song structures. Since Kyle Schaefer took on the role of vocalist, he really brings Fallujah to new heights, his growls are the perfect blend of cavernous but with enough variety that they don't feel one note. And on Xenotaph, he pushes even further, frequently using soft and angelic cleans that fit the dynamics of this band to perfection. Despite many line-up changes and a few misses here and there, Scott Carstairs's vision is probably responsible for the band remaining fairly constant sounding throughout the years. This album feels like a culmination of the band's entire career, with even nods to their debut, The Harvest Wombs! It's also their shortest work since The Flesh Prevails and in many ways this album feels like it, not necessarily a complete reinvention, but a refinement, a distillation of everything that makes them unique! Let's hope this line up persists, I can't wait to see where they go from here.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

7: Nightbearer - Defiance
Testimony Records

Opening with a beautiful classic guitar short piece, the distortion soon ramps up and a powerful scream on top of a full speed blastbeat rips your eardrum, sucking you in their unique sonic world, a sound deeply rooted in the greats of 90s Swedish death, the glory of the Boss HM-2 chainsaw tone but they take this as a base and push it forward with Gothenburg style riffing and ethereal leads that transport you in deepest corners of space and just when you feel safe, hypnotized by the majesty of the pillars of creation, groovy rhythmic chugs drags you back in reality and makes you headbang furiously. Thematically based on the book trilogy His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman it revolves around the need of humanity's emancipation from oppression by religion. Throughout these 47 min you'll traverse many influences ranging from a blackened blastbeat here and there, doomier passages and always with an impeccable sense of melody. I do not know what is in the water in Germany but they keep releasing top quality death metal over and over, keep em coming!
-Raphael

Wow, this is quite a massive improvement on the last album. Defiance is littered with super cool riffs and melodies, and would have been a highlight during the mid-90s heyday of Swedish melodic death metal. You can hear these traditional influences in every pore but the Germans have added intriguing touches and eruptive outbursts that verge on black-death territory. Although super melodic, Defiance never gets kitschy or boring. Hopefully this will boost Nightbearer's popularity!
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

6: Austere - The Stillness Of Dissolution
Prophecy Productions

Having a look at the cover, you see mummified hands reaching out to something. Perhaps it's grasping for the good old days when Katatonia were still exciting and Paradise Lost kicked ass with some good riffs (instead of shit like "One Second")? "The Stillness Of Dissolution" is a nice follow-up to Katatonia's "Brave Murder Day" mixed with some Draconian Times-era Paradise Lost riffs. Altogether this is a very entertaining, slightly depressing, breathtaking trip into the mid-nineties when gothic metal was still in its infancy and not as played out as it is now.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

5: Fer De Lance - Fires On The Mountainside
Cruz Del Sur Music

The word epic is often used to describe metal, from various horizons but Chicago's Fer De Lance took that moniker and decided to push it to the max! I hear influences ranging from Blind Guardian, to Sabbath and later era Bathory. Rich vocal layers, grandiose and often folky instrumentation and the occasional touch of extremity in the form of raspy harsh vocals, this album is varied but always incredibly, epic. The songs in themselves are always relatively long and hitting that mid-tempo pace giving ample time to build-up and explode in emotional highs! The folk metal elements are everywhere, even throwing some middle eastern scales in the last song. I strongly recommend for fans of everything epic and folk, Fer De Lance's cinematic approach to songwriting will transport you in a world full of grandiose battles where men die with sword in hand and become legends in the halls of Valhalla!
-Raphael

Fer De Lance (French for 'spearhead', although the band themselves are American) play the sort of rugged, resolutely anti-trend heavy metal of which this particular writer cannot get enough, at least when it's composed and played as well as this. Some may suggest that Fires On The Mountainside is old-fashioned, but timeless is a more appropriate adjective for a record that sounds less like it's been recorded to tape, and more as if it's been carved from granite. If Doomsword, The Atlantean Codex and Sacred Outcry make you feel like an indomitable warrior ready to dominate all-comers in apocalyptic battles for honour (and if they don't, it's possible that heavy metal just isn't the genre for you), Fer De Lance will almost certainly stir your blood, raise your blade, and send you headlong unto the melée. The epic, Eastern-tinged 'Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)' and 'Children Of The Sky And Sea' stand out a little more than the rest, but the overall quality is uniformly spectacular, and the fairly lean run-time means that despite the band's expansive sound, the album holds the attention until the final triumphant note.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

4: Cryptopsy - An Insatiable Violence
Season Of Mist

None So Vile must be my all-time favorite death metal album, not even close. Being a metalhead from the beautiful province of Québec, Cryptopsy always enjoyed a legendary status, the pride of our nation! (except for the one rule, we never talk about The Unspoken King) All that to say that the last album was the band making a statement, we are back boys and An Insatiable Violence is even stronger! As an ex-drummer-ish, I remember watching youtube videos of Flo Mounier teaching various methods of doing blastbeats, double pedal techniques and being in awe of the light years separating me from a drummer like him. In terms of performance, I can definitely say, it's the best every member has ever been! Flo seamlessly goes from superhuman gravity blasts to neck crushing groovy and brutal breaks, his performance places him at the very top of extreme metal drummers. Matt McGachy's vocals are as demonic as ever, bringing a lot of dynamics to a genre that often lacks in this department (brutal death). His low guttural grunts are as impactful as his high piercing shrieks. Olivier Pinard quitted Cattle Decapitation to focus on his main role, providing technical bass lines to the madness of Cryptopsy, that are both subtle and impactful. Christian Donaldson brings the fast and technical riffs and occasional solos. In this dizzying assault, the band never forgets to focus on the macabre atmosphere of uneasiness. Clocking in at just 34 minutes, this album is an easy no skip and has endless replayability. VIVE LE QUÉBEC BRUTAL!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

3: Noise Trail Immersion – Tutta La Morte In Un Solo Punto
I, Voidhanger Records

Like much of the best contemporary extreme music, Italian quintet Noise Trail Immersion (a fitting name), are not especially easy to categorise. Sitting somewhere in the middle of a Venn Diagram that would include post-metal, black metal, and post-hardcore, they make a difficult, but utterly compelling noise, with the emphasis on noise. Much of their dissonant cacophony resembles early Dillinger Escape Plan played at the wrong speed, and Pyrrhon and even Krallice are similarly reasonable reference points. This kind of thing is very easy to get wrong – the lack of obvious hooks and digestible melodies require vigilant attention from the listener, but Noise Trail Immersion succeed in fashioning intriguing structures and rhythms from apparently scattershot components haphazardly joined, and over the course of the album, something wonderful emerges from the wreckage of the bent and broken remains of music that represent their building blocks. Unpleasant in all the right ways, one hopes that the newly-secured backing of the excellent I, Voidhanger Records will see the band receive the attention that the quality of their music deserves.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.6/10

2: Heaven Shall Burn - Heimat
Century Media Records

Thanks to Michael's excellent review, (go check his reviews, they're always insightful and so well written) I learned that "Heimat" can sometimes mean homeland or that refers to the German Race, which is usually not interpreted in the best way by the better of what humanity has to offer. The album is a strong statement of where the band stands, an answer to the question: which side are you on? A bit of my history with Heaven Shall Burn, they are an important band in my musical journey; their 2008 album "Iconoclast" had such an impact on young 17-year-old me! Back then, a song like Endzeit blew me away. That short string instrumental that immediately explodes in one of the most savage screams! Chills every time! The fact they always embraced their "core" influences was a big draw and made me get into more extreme forms of metal. So, in 2025, I feel like their strong anti-fascist messaging is now needed more than ever, with the spectacular fall of the "neoliberal world order" we are currently living through.

But politics aside (although, politics is a constant on the album so it will come back), how does the album sound? For fans of 2000's melodic death, this will be pure nostalgia filled joy! It's aggressive but filled with memorable melodies and has that hardcore authenticity and raw sounding energy. The album starts with a truly beautiful and emotional instrumental intro, those violin and cello does something to my cold heart, it makes you vulnerable and then; 'War Is The Father Of All' begins with an epic build up, drum rolls and choir included. The funky bass lines lead to groovy riffs and melodic leads that say "I love you In Flames". Also, the breakdowns on this one will make you headbang until your neck hurts. Lyrically already impactful, the lines: "Obliteration, Atrocities unbound, Kneel to the only one, For no man is mightier than the sword, Unerasable, It dwells within us", made me think of the military industrial complex that has overtaken what little influence we "common mortals" can have on the decisions our states take, with no regards for life. He then goes on to say: "Your gods are going down in flames, They're all material and nothing shall remain" highlighting the real reasons for all this carnage, behind religion or race, most wars are about control of the material world. That's my silly interpretation at least. The album continues with a flow of pure melodic death ragger until we get to song number five, the aptly named 'Empowerment'. Melodious punk vibes emanate from this one, filling me with hope and the will to fight! Accompanying classic melodeath leads are the line: "The time has come to choose your side, You stand or fall before their eyes, Conquer your fears, come face to face with the enemy". A song that tells you like it is, a modern Florence Reece composition, choose your side today! Another lyric that hits hard, this time from 'A Whisper From Above': "I had to walk among the brutes, and I felt nothing but disgust, Leading a double life amidst our murderous enemies, My downright lie, a bold disguise in the cruelest of all times, To save a few of the doomed". It perfectly describes reality nowadays. The mask we need to wear to go on business as usual, while watching the holocaust livestreamed on our phone. For the past 20 months and much earlier even, seeing people around you basically parroting our leader's discourse against immigrants or Palestine, can feel lonely but musicians can make us feel a bit more united with their message. To convey this message, we are transported back in time with In Flames worship leads, fast double kick drum, a tasteful short blastbeat and pure Gothenburg breaks.

Everything on this album flows in a coherent manner, even the Killswitch Engage cover is both a faithful adaptation, with guest vocal Jesse Leach, but still adds a Heaven Shall Burn twist of extremity. The heavy moments feel huge, the melodies are everywhere and impactful, down to the three instrumentals that cut the album perfectly, Marcus Bischoff's vocal performance is as savage as ever, the musicianship and song writing are on another level! This is a superb work of art with a message more important than ever, resist fascism at all cost! Let me just finish with their words: "Good or evil, there's nothing in between, I could not deny myself, We upheld life in the realm of the dead."
-Raphael

While they were heavily influenced by Bolt Thrower, Entombed or Earth Crisis on their previous albums, Heaven Shall Burn have added some extra melody here. The songs are still aggressive and kick-ass, but the guitar leads are sometimes more like Lunar Strain-era In Flames. A good example is "Confounder", a super-groovy melo-death track. There are some Bolt Thrower blast beat attacks sprinkled in occasionally. "Heimat" is a great piece of music that I refuse to call metalcore. There are more death metal parts in here than so-called death metal bands nowadays. And apart from the music the band once again has released a significant statement against racism which seems to be of growing importance in these times.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.7/10

1: Turian - Blood Quantum Blues
Wise Blood Records

One thing I love the most in life is discovering new music. Usually it goes like this, I open a promo email, read a bit about the band, listen to a few songs and see if it clicks. Well, with Turian, it instantly clicked! Trying to describe their sound the most summarized possible, they play an eclectic brand of metallic hardcore, reminiscent of bands like Code Orange, they do have a lot of industrial influences, but it goes broader than that. I hear everything from electronic to post-hardcore to noise rock and a touch of alternative metal.

By the music alone Turian conquered my heart, but it was only the beginning! Fronted by Vern Metztli-Moon, they had this to say about the album "As a Yaqui Indian, this album is about my ancestors, acknowledging their unheard grief and our transcendental connection to one another". Now, if it wasn't evident before, I absolutely adore what I lovingly refer to as "woke-DEI" metal, which is basically any music that deeply engages with political subjects and/or features the point of view of any marginalized individuals. After reading the lyrics I was incredibly pleased, they mix engaging music with deep lyrics that often approaches truly heavy subject matters but often with a catchy beat that makes you want to move! In an interview with Belgian Jasper on youtube, Vern had this to say about performing these deeply personal and meaningful songs night after night: "I think I was ready for that, taking on that role you know, I think actually being able to have the outlet to scream about it and write songs about it, make people listen to the anger I have about it. I feel like it's a productive way of expressing that, like it needs to come out you know. I think that it's meditative and it's not as heavy or taxing emotionally as one would maybe think." The role they are talking about is to be the voice of their ancestors and I could not think of a better way to do that than screaming their lungs out with sick breakdowns!

Now, on to the meat of it all, the album begins with the song 'Spill', which is a straightforward hardcore banger! It's fast, quite complex, with a good dose of dissonance, yet super catchy at the same time. Speaking of catchy, the next song, called 'Chemical Bath', is definitely a highlight! Layers of keyboards are supporting heavy riffs and angry screams. I think the first lyrics that made me instantly fall in love with the band is this line: "Zyklon b chemical bath, Nazis copied the U.S., Corrupted by power hungry hatred you possess, Your spirits will never rest" because yes, this is a historical "fun" fact, Hitler was a big big fan of the US and how they treated black, indigenous or people from Mexico. Reading a bit more, I learned that the song was inspired by the story of Carmelita Torres, a young 17-year-old woman from Mexico that refused, at the border, to go through the humiliating process of completely stripping down and being doused in a mix of kerosene and vinegar. One of my favorite moments on the album is when Vern says: "Dirty, lousy, destitute, Drenching us with insecticide, Treating us like vermin", then the music stops and they yell "YOU ARE THE PARASITE" followed by an upbeat, almost dance breakdown. Back to Carmelita Torres, her brave refusal inspired thousands more and the event was called the 1917 Bath Riots. Last memorable line from the song: Medicalized violence, Racist policies, Your foremen and your fucking sentries, WON'T QUELL THE RIOTING. What an incredibly memorable line! Rest in power Carmelita! Anyway, my final thought on this is, ABOLISH ICE!

Moving on, 'Divine Child (No One's Daughter)' is an alternative metal infused banger that makes me think of Deftones every time. 'Burden of the Blood' is another incredibly heavy song, both musically and lyrically. The line "Burden of the blood, Ancestral repressed grief, A century of memories, Transposed crushing me" makes my eyes water every time. The weight of being a genocide survivor is unfathomable; it must take such courage to even just think about all the ramifications. I have such immense respect for people that tackle such a thing. Speaking of, another incredibly impactful line on the song 'Blood Quantum Blues': "Delusion, drunk on bigotry, Fuck your manifest destiny, Fuck your ordained divinity, Fuck you, You ain't killing me". Being severely disabled, I can totally empathize with this, the feeling you get when the broader society tries to erase your very existence, Fuck you, You ain't killing me, indeed! One of the most powerful moments is when Vern repeats "Indians. Don't. Vanish." on the backdrop of a build up that eventually explodes with the sickest breakdown, chills every time!

Turian has created something truly special, a rich tapestry of influences and sounds used to convey powerful messages. I truly hope this album propels them to fame; their voice is a necessity in these unprecedented times where fascism grows everyday that passes!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

Thank you for checking these lists out! Catch up on what’s what in 2025 by going through our past AOTM columns below:

May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025
January 2025

And, of course, Follow MetalBite on Facebook, Spotify and Instagram so you can be there right when the next Top 10 list drops!

Greetings, fellow metalheads!

We're officially in the festival season and it seems it doesn't interrupt a healthy amount of good studio music being released. I can already see some gems in July, but let's have a quick look at the releases from June.

First, albums, as usual. We've got Volbeat, Refusal (new band to me, very impressed), King Parrot, Katatonia, Gaahls WYRD, Fallujah, Byzantine, Cryptopsy, Sodom, Lord Belial, Heaven Shall Burn and many more. I'm still going through some of June's releases and I'm sure more gems are hiding there. Join me on the search by clicking the link below:

Quite a few EPs have been released in June, we've got over 5 hours of tracks which came from Withdrawal, Funeral, Verbal Razors, Iku-Turso, Disconnected Souls, Epitaphium Doloris, Disfigured Creation, Necht, Blood Torrent, Deathblow, KROD, Valdrin, Upon Stone, Sorrow Enthroned, Shining, Permanent Disfigurement, Existentialist and Alukah. Check them all out on the list below:

Singles playlist is almost 15.5h long, so there's plenty of tracks chosen to get your attention. The list includes Signs of the Swarm (with guest vocals by Will Ramos), Imperial Crystalline Entombment, Ov Sulfur, BAEST, Abigail Williams, Stortregn, Sabaton, Paradise Lost, Car Bomb, Amorphis, Vestige, Aversions Crown, Burning Witches, Primal Fear, Party Cannon, Panzerchrist, Helloween, Omnium Gatherum, Revocation, Necrotted, Unleashed, The Halo Effect (interesting Danzig cover song), Nervosa, NanowaR of Steel, Entrails, Christ Agony, Castrator, Vintersorg, Novembers Doom, Lorna Shore, Igorrr, Forbidden, Sinsaenum, Rage, Grave Digger, Enterprise Earth and a lot more. Just that list above is pretty impressive. Find them and other treasures here:

Under playlist with splits we've got only one entry. Or actually half of an entry because it's just Deathblade from their split "Necro Metal" with Priest Strangler. Find out if that's the darker side of the split by checking the tracks below:

If you're more like me and enjoy staying indoors, but you would like to listen to music recorded live, we've got some releases for you. The list includes Benrth, Crystal Viper, Dordeduh, Festerdecay, Genus Ordinis Dei, Nuclear Assault, Rivers Ablaze, Royal Hunt, Saxon, Tardigrade Inferno and Toxikull. Let thousands of live audience members into your house without ruining your furniture by clicking the list below:

We've been reminded of some older entries in bands' back catalogues and as usual I've been trying my best to find them all. The playlist has Acherontas, Alcatrazz, Annihilator, Bruce Dickinson, Buried Realm, Crematory, Darkness, Edge of Sanity, IATT, Ignite, ILLUMISHADE, Massacred, Nunslaughter, Paleface Swiss, Sigh, Sorry... and SteelFaith. Jump in:

Remember to keep an eye on our profile to stay up to date, share good music with others, support your favourite artists by buying their merch directly from them and, as usual, remember to mosh responsibly.

Your fellow metalhead,

Maciek

Greetings to all you MetalBite legion! Another edition of Digging Through Past is up and ready to be enjoyed. Even more old goodies that you may be interested in or missed out on were looked at again, all information updated with useful links and properly written reviews. We hope you'll enjoy this one too and discover new music, new bands and more headbanging goodies. Thank you so much for the support. Check out previous edition of Digging Through Past here, and if there is anything we can improve on just write us at info@metalbite.com. Cheers!

Vinterland - Welcome My Last Chapter (1996) - No Fashion Records - Jeger

Black Sabbath - TYR (1990) - I.R.S. Records - Mandeep Arora

Nasty Savage - Jeopardy Room (2024) - FHM Records - Greg

Deströyer 666 - Defiance (2009) - Season Of Mist - Fernando

Entombed - Left Hand Path (1990) - Earache Records - Jeger

Grafvitnir - Death's Wings Widespread (2020) - Carnal Records - Nekrist

Mercyful Fate - Melissa (1983) - Roadrunner Records - Mandeep Arora

Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994) - Deathlike Silence Productions - Jeger

Inferno - Uctívání Temné Zuøivosti (2008) - Undercover Records - Felix

Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain (2006) - The End Records - Mandeep Arora

Inferno - Paradeigma (Phosphenes Of Aphotic Eternity) (2021) - Debemur Morti Productions - Nekrist

Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is No Law! (1988) - Vinyl Solution - Felix

Drudensang - Tuiflsrijtt (2022) - Folter Records - Michael

Whoredom Rife - Den Vrede Makt (2024) - Terratur Possessions - Dominik

Dark Funeral - Vobiscum Satanas (1998) - No Fashion Records - Dominik

Wormwitch - Strike Mortal Soil (2017) - Prosthetic Records - Dominik

S.O.D. - Speak English Or Die (1985) - Megaforce Records - Dominik