DrunemetonRecital to the Shining Moon Breaking with dogma somewhat (and in 1996 no less), Drunemeton attempt to exert a degree of organic musicality across ‘Recital to the Shining Moon’ by sincerely engaging with the alleged neoclassical lineage of dungeon synth. An album constructed almost entirely from piano licks, but one that deploys organs, orchestra hits,... Continue Reading →

40 of the best - part 4 of 4 10: Marthe: VictimizedSelf-released Marthe’s intoxicating blend of Bathoryisms and loose psychedelia only intensifies on this single. ‘Victimized’ picks up exactly where the ‘Sisters of Darkness’ EP left off, marrying foot stomping heavy metal with Viking intensity, soaring guitar leads rich in bracing spirituality yet minimal in... Continue Reading →

40 of the best – part 3 of 4 20: Pestilength: Basom GryphosNuclear Winter/Sentient Ruin/Goat Throne Every time death metal tries to break out of its funk it seems to fall further backward. Until we end up in the bizarre situation where explicitly retro acts like Blood Incantation are praised for their forward thinking ethos.... Continue Reading →

Necropolis #55 - On Mayhem (Band Focus): This episode is a focus on the band Mayhem; our general thoughts and ideas in regard to their endurance, influence on black metal, uniqueness, and rationalizing the controversies surrounding the band. Shelley from www.hatemeditations.com and Metalegion Magazine joins alongside Joseph Aprill who is a former writer for Invisible Oranges. Leave... Continue Reading →

40 of the best – part 2 of 4 30: Theandric: Flight Among the TombsSelf-released Theandric lack the darkness of Cirith Ungol, the shameless intensity of Candlemass, the glamourous swagger of Queensrÿche, or the speed and exhilaration of Iron Maiden. What they do have is a shit load of riffs, an ear for melodic development,... Continue Reading →

Krvna: For Thine is the Kingdom of the FleshOut 12th December on Third Eye Temple/Ancient Dead Productions Having offered one of the most cohesive works of vampiric black metal of the last few years in the form of ‘Sempinfernus’ in 2021, Australia’s Krvna return with a swansong of the year, expanding their vision of ice... Continue Reading →

WitcheR: LélekharangOut 15th October on Beverina Productions/Filosofem Records Sleepy and obscure melancholic black metal emanates from the speakers on playing WitcheR’s latest LP ‘Lélekharang’. This Hungarian outfit seek to turn the mournful undercurrents of European black metal of a more melodic bent toward – as the cover art suggests – themes of witch persecution. Structurally... Continue Reading →

40 of the best - part 1 of 4 40: Fiat Nox: Demanifestation (Hymns of Destruction and Nothingness)Crawling Chaos Records Fits comfortably inside the modern penchant of modern extreme metal for oppressive aesthetics, favouring dissonance and density as ends in themselves. At the borders of death, black, and doom metal where listeners are permitted to... Continue Reading →

Frost CladA Hunter’s Delight Frost Clad embody so many of dungeon synth’s internal contradictions it’s actually rather difficult to keep track. ‘A Hunter’s Delight’ positions itself as a reverential dedication to the simple pleasures of the hunter gatherer, via self-consciously naïve cover art in the aesthetic of a children’s fairy story, and a small clutch... Continue Reading →