Wow, what a great billing was my first thought when I saw the festival announcement a couple of months ago. I guess this was one of the best black metal billings during the last years and so I went very excited to Oberhausen very early at noon. Start was scheduled to be at 2 P.M., before I had the pleasure of meeting some friends I hadn't seen in years to do some gossip and punctually the first band started.

German Temple (which arose from the ashes of former "Forgotten Darkness") offered the audience some traditional black metal from their first demo. Their vocalist sounded pretty grim and a little bit as if he was suffering unbearable tortures and stylistically it was sort of a bastard between Scandinavian and French black metal. After about half an hour (and their four songs) their performance was over. It wasn't the best music I've ever heard but a good start into that long day and I am curious what is to come from the band in the future.

Setlist (don't know if it is in the correct order): Sacrificed Ego / Labyrinth / Die Of A Thousand Funeral Pyres / Torches

 

From the temple to the tombs – Sumerian Tombs hailing from Cologne, Germany really surprised me. I knew their first self-titled album but what the guys delivered on stage was much more energetic and rousing than the music on the album. Kicking off with a creepy atmospheric intro that makes you feel like you are trapped in an ancient tomb, the five guys (of which only their vocalist didn't wear a hood did a great performance that afternoon. A super crushing and brutal mixture of black and death which became better and better with each minute laid everything into ashes and left me quite speechless in front of the stage after 40 minutes. I guess I have to check Sumerian Tombs once again.

Setlist: Intro / Bloodgods Rise To Power / Altars Of The Past / Interlude / Edimmu Rising / Savage Dreams / Interlude / The Key – Bloodmeditation / Vampyric Dominance / Outro

 

After having visited the glorious Sumerian past it was now time for some more futuristic stuff hailing the pure chaos provided by the local tech-deathers Khthoniik Cerviiks. Maybe this band was the most polarizing one that day because their music truly is very bulky and strange. A lot of Voivod influences combined with some kind of black war metal are very obvious and if you don't like dissonant and harsh music, the guys probably aren't the right thing for you. High-pitched guitars, a lot of inexplicable breaks and guttural growls and insane screams maybe characterize the music best. I wonder why they still didn't perform any songs from their debut though…

Setlist: Odyssey 3000 / Magmatiik Moil / Scars 2.0 / Monochrome Man / Staiinless Archoliite / Elektriik Redeemer

 

Now it was time for some Belgian deli. Kicking off with one of his two bands to play that day (and with Slaughter Messiah, he is even involved in some more), Lord Sabathan (former Enthroned member) had a furious start with Heinous. Quite Scandinavian-sounding, the quintet were truly a blast. Harsh, furious and bestial black metal to the bone and probably their vocalist had a day-off from psychiatry. It was unbelievable how much power and energy he put into his performance. That was really an amazing show and there is to hope that the guys soon will release another album and maybe find a way to distribute their first full-length Ritual, Blood And Mysterious Dawn in an appropriate way – I was looking for it at the merch but a) I was too blind or b) it wasn't actually available.

 

Quickly after that French deathers Venefixion had quite an easy match. Delivering mostly stuff from their 2021 released full-length A Sigh From Below and also one new song from the Anointed In Nazarean Blood-EP ("Nocturnal Decit")they played harsh, brutal sulphurous death metal that touched my very blackish heart a lot. If you were looking for some innovative and technical surprises you surely were absolutely wrong with the French. Here some really old-school fans got a git with full guns and if you like stuff like Degial, old Venenum or Necrowretch you couldn't be disappointed from that gig.

Setlist: Veneficial Upheaval / Of Wolves And Ghosts / Summoned And Defiled / Aghori's Ashes Of The Dead / Nocturnal Decit / Necrophagous Abandon / III Chapel / As Light Goes Astray

 

According to a good friend of mine, nobody can nag as beautiful as Lord Sabathan. Well, maybe my wife can but unfortunately she isn't singer in a black metal band so there may be some other reasons for that. So now the time was right for Lord Sabathans' second band that evening where he had a bigger role than in Heinous, bass and vocals. Musically they played fast black metal quite similar to Slaughter Messiah (vocals) and old Enthroned (from the rest) and of course that's no big surprise if you know that he was a band member until 2006. And surprise surprise, they had a very special Enthroned set and for "Rites Of The Northern Fullmoon" they had a special guest on the stage – Onielar from Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult. Wow, that was really impressive and I guess both were pretty proud about that (at least both mentioned the special surprise to me before their show).

Setlist: Intro / The Ultimate Horde Fights / Scared By Darkwinds / Ha-Shaitan / Rites Of The Northern Fullmoon / At The Sound Of The Millenium Black Bells / Bloodline / Evil Church / Radiance Of Mordacity / Hertogenwald / By Dark Glorious Thoughts

 

Hell Militia had a very strange disturbing background show and that was quite matching to their black metal. A little bit psychotic, morbid and full of hatred they really kicked ass. Just having re-released their first album Canonisation Of The Foul Spirit they also opened with "Burning Human Pigs" from that one. But also from the other three albums they played some songs and got a lot of support from the audience that evening. Although it wasn't that sort of easy listening black metal they were really cool and for the last track (G.G. Allin cover of "Shoot Knife Strangle Beat & Crucify") they got their countrymen from Venefixion as support on the stage.

Setlist: Burning Human Pigs (live version) / Goathrone / Black Arts Of Crime / Fili Diaboli / Dust Of Time / Jericho / Always The Same (sample) / Black Fucking Cancer / Jacob's Ladder / Shoot, Knife, Strangle Beat And Crucify

 

Finally the time has come for Bewitched and I have to confess that I was looking forward the most to see them live once again. Too long it has been (1996) and too long it has been that they released some new music. The Swedes knew how to satisfy the audience because they mainly focused on the first three albums. Although the sound actually wasn't the best that evening, their show which was full of energy was impressive and makes you feel as a teenager again. And if you know the old hits by heart and raise your fist and yell lines like "We desecrate, we violate, we burn the book of lies" or the refrain in "Hellcult Attack" everything is fine for that special moment. Let's hope for some new music from the guys, that would be great!

Setlist: Blood On The Altar / Might Of The Sinner / Holy Whore / Hellcult / Deathspell / Sabbath Of Sin / Triumph Of Evil / Fucked By Fire / Worship The Fire / Hellcult Attack / Hellblood / At The Gates Of Hell

 

And finally after some long nine hours it was time for Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult. I had never seen them live before and have to state that Onielar (and she already impressed me at the guest appearance in Sabathan) with her ghastly masquerade alone is worth watching the show. She appeared like some kind of ghost / witch and that dress and everything was stunning and scary both. Her vocal performance was really sick, high-pitched screams and creaking vocal lines changed so fast, really unbelievable! Musically the band performed really well, also the sound was absolutely fine and with "Das All-Eine" and "To Necromancy" they had two songs I personally love very much. If you have never seen the Germans live, you should do that when you have the next opportunity.

Setlist: Intro / Mardom – Echo Zmory / In The Land Of… / A Beseechment Twofold / Bearer Of Blackest / Malignant Deathcult / Das All-Eine / In The Hue Of Night / Imperishable Soulless Gown / Spectral Runlets Of Tulwod / To Necromancy

That Saturday truly was a masterpiece of death / black metal and I hope that next year will be coming part IX of Odyssey To Blasphemy!

Entered: 3/15/2025 7:14:34 PM

Previous Post MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - February 2025	Next Post MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - January 2025

Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 albums of the month! December is always a weird time in the music journalism business - it's much more manageable for new releases, but bands that do choose to put their music out tend to get buried in the Album of the Year list frenzy. But here at MetalBite, all albums are created equal. We stick to our steady monthly schedule, and as long as it's got riffs, we'll make sure it gets our glowing seal of approval. Nothing escapes our watchful eyes, and we pass our spoils on to you, the reader. Let's get to it.

-Nate

HONORABLE MENTIONS

A Dead Poem - Abstract Existence
Personal Records

Worship music can be overlooked and underrated - especially when the albums they're influenced by have a fertile well of musical ideas to explore. A Dead Poem doesn't keep its influences a secret - the band name alone is a dead giveaway, and the album promo makes it very clear that the sole purpose of this band was to recreate the sound of mid-90s melodic death/doom: the first two Katatonia albums, Paradise Lost and, of course, Rotting Christ. Fortunately, A Dead Poem is speaking my language: the album that they're named after is my favorite Rotting Christ album and Brave Murder Day was my gateway into Katatonia, who are a top-10 all-time favorite band.

The formula is well established, and it is so for a reason. The simplicity of the building blocks found on albums like Abstract Existence is a big factor in their effectiveness. Stripped-down rock beats with the occasional double-kick section, a strict adherence to a middling pace, and prominent, melodic guitar leads is the order of the day here. It's formulaic, sure, but tropes are tropes for a reason: they work, as long as the executor understands what makes them so effective. The underlying strength here is the effective songwriting. A Dead Poem holds onto an idea long enough to create a hypnotic loop in your head, but still have a wide enough sense of scope to be able to build momentum in the tempo shifts. You won't find a single blastbeat on this album, but the drumming is exactly what it needs to be - minimal fills and each beat a driving force for the somber, ethereal melodies. The production is dingey with an underlying warmth, which contributes to their ability to recreate the atmosphere of the 90s.

A Dead Poem breathes fresh life into a dormant style, and serves as a great reminder as to why this subsection of music was so good in the first place. It's a welcome addition to a walk on a cold, dreary winter day.
-Nate

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Monte Penumbra - Austere Dawning
Norma Evangelium Diaboli

Eerie, off-kilter black metal that falls in the same general region as Deathspell Omega, although there is more overlap in the general vibe it gives off as opposed to the riffwork and chord shapes. There's hints of putrid doom that help to add dynamics and variety - there are lots of unexpected twists and it all serves to drag you further into their nightmarish abyss. I get some Impetuous Ritual vibes from this, but that might just be me. Regardless, I imagine fans of them will get some mileage out of this.
-Nate

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Pandemic - Phantoms
Dying Victims Productions

Creative thrash, yes, in a genre that's been played a billion times, you can still come up with new ideas. Thrash is timeless and will remain an essential part of the scene. Also, Dying Victims Productions really know how to make an album sound organic and authentic but with a modern twist!
-Raphael

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Nocte Obducta - Hammergeddon
Supreme Chaos Records

Nocte Obducta have a nice little present for their fans – a new EP called Hammergeddon. Like the box of chocolates Forrest Gump talked about, you never know what you're going to get with this band. This time, they go dep into their history and play dirty, rough black metal mixed with some rock n' roll elements. The vocals are super sick and the atmosphere is very cold and dark. With "Blut, Bier, Dunkelheit" ("Blood, Beer, Darkness") they have a song title which sums it all up very well and pays some tribute to Motörhead. The last track is very different from the rest, very creeping and sinister black metal with disturbing industrial samples that reminds me I have to make an appointment with my dentist.
-Michael

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Svarttjern - Draw Blood
Soulseller Records

You have no idea how many black metal promos I get in my inbox - seriously, bands, unless you feel you have a really fresh take on the genre, stop making more generic ass black metal. The only exception to this rule is if you're Norwegian and have ties to some of the old guard like Carpathian Forest and Ragnarok, as this group does. Then you're allowed.

The underlying 80's thrash/speed metal contingent here is what most modern bands forget to include - remember that this was a genre born out of kids listening to Slayer and Venom and wanting to make something a little bit more savage and extreme. It adds a catchy edge that gives Draw Blood some reply value. This is a bit goofy in its stark uber-seriousness (see the chanting of "suicide" at the end of one of the tracks), but it's classic Norblack, that's probably what you're here for. It's hard to knock it too much when the band knows what they're going for and execute it effectively.
-Nate

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Druparia - The River Above
Independent

Early 2000 melodic death and metalcore worship. It's fast, full of energy and the songwriting is creative so it's never boring. There are a ton of beautiful melodies that made me feel nostalgic of the "good ol days".
-Raphael

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Atra Vetosus - Undying Splendour
Immortal Frost Productions

Atmospheric black metal that feels…warm. Perhaps it's the inspiration drawn from Australian landscapes, but the prominent synths, fantasy-esque sense of marvel and wonder, and uplifting melodies make this feel like an album that's much more suited to a summertime walk than a dreary winter, galavanting through the woods instead of trudging about an alienating concrete jungle. Falls of Rauros, Woods of Desolation and Gallowbraid are good reference points, or even Be'lakor through a blackened lens. If you like it bombastic and epic, look no further.
-Vlad

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METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH

 

10: Becerus - Troglodyte
Everlasting Spew

At first glance, this gives the impression of a knuckle-dragger with fewer IQ points than digits, but when you start to pick apart the album there's a certain intelligence in how simple and effective the riffing and structuring is - and there's a underlying intricacy that shows Becerus is dedicated to their craft. Resembling early Deicide (with Satanism replaced by blunt force trauma via guitar), Cannibal Corpse and Aeon, this is no-frills death metal of a high caliber. There's a reason this style has endured for over 30 years now. The vocals benefit from the absence of lyrics, as it leaves them untethered and free to explore all sorts of unique and memorable vocal patterns, and Mario Musumeci has an underrated range in terms of the different sounds (grunts?) that he can deliver out of his throat hole. Sometimes, you don't need atmospheric brilliance or stupefying technical mastery - you just want to get skull-fucked. Becerus understands this.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10

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9: Old Forest - Graveside
Soulseller Records

James Fogarty (ex-In The Woods…) has been one of the pillars of the UK black metal scene since the mid-1990s, and Old Forest is his vehicle to recapture the spirit of 1994. After the misdirection of the warped, Slayer-esque intro, the rest of Graveside, the band's eighth full-length, in addition to a plethora of EPs, does exactly that, with an excellent set of synth-assisted grim hymns. While the timbre of the keyboards mean that there is an inevitable passing resemblance to Cradle Of Filth, a band Old Forest have previously been much compared to, this is an over-simplification. Old Forest's songs are generally built from monolithic passages of tremolo riffing, which features none of the twin-guitar classic metalisms of Dani Filth's crew, and in general Old Forest offer a convincing take on the unpolished, but still majestic symphonics of early Satyricon, and For All Tid-era Dimmu Borgir, with the spine-tingling 'Witch Spawn' a perfect example of the band's ability to tap into the kind of otherworldly power of those classic records. In the wrong hands, there's a danger that this kind of homage to old-school black metal could come across as hokey, but Fogarty's innate understanding of the sub-genre ensures that the album expertly avoids such pitfalls, and instead ensures that the listener remembers just how exciting it felt to hear the second-wave masters for the first time.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

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8: Mavorim - In Ominia Paratus
Purity Through Fire

These Germans once again deliver some hateful and highly atmospheric traditional black metal. Baptist and Valfor present ten interesting anthems, each one totally different from the other, all songs kept in German language, which makes for a harsh and martial sound. The riffing is very smart and catchy, the drumming is powerful and thunderous and keyboards underline the epic atmosphere. There aren't any big surprises on the album but it is another solid entry in Mavorim's discography.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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7: Misanthropy - The Ever-Crushing Weight Of Stagnance
Transcending Obscurity

Riff salad tech death can turn into an incoherent mess very quickly, but this avoids those pitfalls with constant attention-grabbing motifs. This album never stays in one place for too long, but the transitions aren't jarring and senseless - there is a path that you can follow from riff to riff, but when you zoom out after a couple of minutes and reflect on the journey, you wonder how the hell you got where you are so fluidly. There's a healthy amount of Gorguts-styled dissonance but the way it's presented is surprisingly easy to get into. You won't remember any hooks, but you'll want to come back for the brain-scrambling madness and to challenge yourself to see if you can remember when the occasional off-kilter slam is going to kick in. I wouldn't say it was an especially strong year for tech-death, but nonetheless, this should be in any conversation about the best albums of 2024 in the style.
-Nate

Brutal, dissonant and sometimes groovy, technicality. This album sounds like what you would probably hear when you catch a glimpse of Cthulhu.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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6: Nogothula - Telluric Sepsis
Blood Harvest

Note: this originally came out in April 2024, but the vinyl release is in December, so we're still including it in this list. Get it in your ears if you missed it the first time around!

Since Blood Harvest brought Cryptic Shift and Snet to this listener's attention, their releases generate a little more anticipation than those of a lesser label. Cincinnati's Nogothula are relatively callow, with just a single EP to their name since their 2021 inception, but they've clearly been pouring all of their available time into the composition and recording of a debut album that is among the very best that 2024 has to offer in terms of death metal. While there is nothing regressive about the band's sound, their appealing mix of modern technicality and an old-school fondness for memorable riffs (of which there are approximately 25 in the magnificent 'Catacomb Cauldron' alone) means that the band perfectly synthesise the song-based approach of Morbid Angel, Suffocation and Deicide, with the precise and fleet-fingered fretwork of modern tech-death in a way that calls to mind Cattle Decapitation, Decapitated, or any other band whose name involves the separation of head from body. Telluric Sepsis (which sounds unpleasant, whatever it is), is a very solid first album indeed, the band's relentless brutality showing just enough personality and potential to ensure that one can be both excited about the force that they already are, and the monster that they may yet become.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.6/10

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5: Aara - Eiger
Debemur Morti

It's haard to describe why Aara is aawesome, because they aaren't necessaarily aa unique baand in the aatmospheric blaack metaal reaalm - they just do it…better. Their aalbums aare caathaartic, graandiose aand irresistibly cold, with aa hypnotic sense of scaale aand pacing thaat taakes you on aa journey. Aaaaaaa this is aawesome.
-Nate

Beautiful and harsh, exactly like the mountain from which the album gets his name. You can feel the cold and harsh mountain winds while getting lost in the grandiose atmospheres and melodies.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.6/10

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4: An Axis Of Perdition - Apertures
Apocalyptic Witchcraft

December is an unusually strong month for British black metal, although both Old Forest and An Axis Of Perdition both seemed determined to bury excellent albums by scheduling releases during the worst part of the year for generating interest in new music. The return of An Axis Of Perdition, one of the sub-genre's most perennially forward-thinking bands, is especially welcome, with their fifth album coming well over a decade after the release of its predecessor. Not that the extended break seems to have done the band any harm, as Apertures takes on the challenge set by the band's previously high standards, and meets it head-on. Although not as immediately experimental and unsettling as the band's first two phenomenal records, An Axis Of Perdition remain avant-garde in their off-kilter approach to black metal, with unconventional melody lines snaking their way around the complex rhythms that assail the listener from unexpected angles, while ambient electronics underpin a sound somewhere between Ved Buens Ende and the psychological despair of the last couple of Oranssi Pazuzu albums. This is black metal driven by urban decay, rather than expansive mountains and valleys, and this uncomfortable soundscape oppresses one in much the same way as the quotidian grind of big cities oppresses society, creating a modern hell in much the same way as other black metal practitioners wish to evoke a more supernatural horror. It's great to see them back.
-Benjamin

Remember these fellas? This industrial/ambient/black metal group had a knack for creating some of the most eerie and unsettling atmospheres in a genre where everyone is trying to do that. The album Deleted Scenes From The Transition Hospital is one that conjures feelings of walking in an abandoned mental asylum, slowly building tension as you're constantly turning your back, thinking you've heard a tortured scream from the apparition of a patient from long ago.

After about a decade of inactivity, the group has emerged again, and while I would say they are past their peak, they haven't lost their innate ability to merge angular, discordant black metal riffs with hypnotic sample loops in a way that paints mental pictures. Even at 80% capacity, they're still creepier than 90% of bands this side of Portal.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.7/10

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3: Pillar Of Light - Caldera
Transcending Obscurity

Super crushing sludge/doom but with beautiful post metal atmospheres and buildups. It's disgustingly heavy and beautiful.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.8/10

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2: Moondark - The Abysmal Wound
Pulverised Records

Moondark has existed for about 14 years now and finally released their debut album, but they are by no means newcomers to the scene - members have played in bands such as Interment or Dreadful Fate and were involved in former Dellamorte back in the day. Given this, it is no big surprise that The Abysmal Wound is a rousing death-doom monster with a lot of references to Winter or old Bolt Thrower. Blastbeat attacks and lots of frosty riffs make this album a good pairing with a winter walk and some fresh air. If you like death-doom, this should not be avoided as it is a standout album in the genre.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

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1: Skagos - Chariot Sun Blazing
Independent

When I was forging my lifelong passion for extreme metal as a teenager, Cascadian black metal was kind of a hip new thing. Wolves in the Throne Room was and continues to be one of the most prominent acts, but Skagos came up with groups like Panopticon, Ash Borer, Alda and Falls of Rauros. They are one of the lesser-known bands of the scene, but their naturalistic image and sound heavily rooted in the "Cascadian ethos" makes them one of the most powerful and representative acts. Their debut album still remains on my wantlist 12 years later, as it's hard to find for a price below 100 dollars. Honestly, I'm considering shelling out the benjamins for it.

Their return shows an expansion of palette and a broadened scope, with horn arrangements and other garnishes added for atmosphere. The black metal influences are as they were before - warm, earthy, and with a certain radiating positivity. You can tell why crusty black metal diehards hated this style when it first started making waves, but I'll take this over a million Grausamkeit demos any day. It brings out emotions you forgot you even had, almost connecting you with a buried inner self - when I listen to this and get lost in it, I want to sell all my possessions and go live in the woods.

The fact that they've gone 12 years and a significant overhaul in sound without missing a beat and remaining connected to their roots is incredibly impressive. It's as if they embraced a hermetic lifestyle and are showing us the results and how powerful this can be. Chariot Sun Blazing is the rebirth of Cascadian black metal, and brings forth memories of a time when the genre was a fertile landscape with endless possibilities to offer.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

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Thank you as always for stopping by. Check out all of our previous 2024 AOTM lists here and get your year-end list cleaned up:

November 2024

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

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

Entered: 1/18/2025 3:39:19 PM

Previous Post MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - February 2025	Next Post MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - January 2025