Dephosphorus - Planetoktonos (2025)

It's great to be able to listen to a new Dephosphorus album, five years after the previous one. As you can guess, Planetoktonos continues the cosmic theme of the band, but also explore it further with some sc-fi atmospheric moments (is it guitar effects, analog synths, samples? all of that?). But don't expect some super long progressive tracks, as they always do, Dephosphorus manage to integrate this atmospheric element into short and raging songs blending black, death metal and grind. Good stuff, as expected.

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Botanist - VII - Beast of Arpocalyx (2024)

I think the use of a lot of clean vocals on the previous Botanist album was a convincing success, but if you regretted it you'll be pleased to read that it nearly disappeared on the latest one VII - Beast of Arpocalyx, only aggressive screamed vocals remaining (except for a few clean backing vocals). This and maybe a bit more blast beats make the overall mood of Beast of Arpocalyx darker and more aggro, even if the hammered dulcimer parts are still mostly melodic (if you don't know Botanist yet, it's a one-man band with a drummer, and it's only drumming and hammered dulcimer and vocals, no guitars). The album has been released last year, but was recorded back in 2016, so it's literary a return but a rawer past of Botanist (and probably not indicating which direction he'll be taking next). Probably also explains why two albums in 2024. Anyway what doesn't change with Botanist be it 2016 or 2024 is the high musicianship level and songwriting skill, and obviously uniqueness, so it's another worthy additions to its awesome discography. 

 

The BC page. 

 

Imperial Triumphant - Goldstar (2025)

Goldstar from Imperial Triumphant is another progressive and slightly fusion jazz flavoured black metal retro-futuristic tribute to New York grandeur and decadence. Their song keeps on surprising you, but what was expected is getting another awesome album from Imperial Triumphant, and, as always, they don't disappoint. No need to say it's a highly recommended listen!

 

The BC page. 

 

 

Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja (2024)

Each album from Oranssi Pazuzu is different and special, and Muuntautuja is no exception. This time the prog/psych elements is less obvious and the band goes in a more dissonant industrial avant-garde black metal direction, with also some ambient/trip-hop elements. Like always with Oranssi Pazuzu it defies easy description, but imagining a music somewhere between Blut Aus Nord and Massive Attack could give you an idea of the kind of atmospheres they built in Muuntautuja. Another sucessful experiment and really interesting album from Oranssi Pazuzu.

The BC page.

Botanist - Paleobotany (2024)

Paleobotany is the twelfth album from Botanist, in which the post-black metal one-man band playing hammered dulcimer instead of guitars and singing about plants move further away from black metal, with a totally convincing result. On Paleobotany the focus was on creating memorable songs, and it sounds like there have been a lot of work dedicated to the clean singing parts, which is now the most important part of the singing. And the work paid off, those clean vocals are great. The extreme metal vocals are still present, rare but more impacting thanks to the contrast. The blast beats are also still there, and the drumming as good as usual. Maybe my favourite Botanist album so far, I really recommend it!

The Bandcamp page.

 

babelfishh - coma worthy (2021)

This isn't your usual hip-hop album. coma worthy by babelfishh has vocals that are mostly near spoken words flow, but also screams, over indie/underground hip-hop productions, that could remind Sole, but is rawer, less polished, and... some tracks are black metal. Recommended stuff!

The BC page.

 

 

Circle of Ouroborus - Thurisa (2022)

Circle of Ouroborus keeps on releasing new stuff very fast, and this one called Thurisa, is one of the three he released last year. While on Aavikon Varjo he experimented with short keyboard /ambient oriented songs, and Autuala was closer than his usual to "normal" black metal with a focus on epic atmospheres, Thurisa sits somewhat in the middle, sounding between a drugged and depressed Emperor and a black metal tribute to The Cure (expect it's sung in Finnish!). And I think it's the most interesting and convincing album of the three. Good and singular stuff as usual from Circle of Ouroborus.

Exordium Mors - As Legends Fade and Gods Dies (2022)

As Legends Fade and Gods Dies, the second album from Exordium Mors may be not as awesome as their first one (I urge you to listen to The Apotheosis of Death), but it's another excellent one anyway, among the best recent metal releases. They polished a bit their sound, and I'm not sure it really makes it better, but it's ok, I suppose some will prefer it this way. Othersiwe they are back with another assault of epic black/death/thrash/speed, with high level songwriting skills, and old school in spirit but modern and quite technical in execution. Highly recommended!

The BC page.

 

Eggs of Gomorrh - Wombspreader (2022)

Wombspreader is the second album from Switzerland's Eggs of Gomorrh, another frantic assult of black/death/war metal, barbaric and viciously evil, in a vein reminding Arkhon Infaustus. Good stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy (2022)

Let's start with what I feel is wrong in this new Imperial Triumphant album. The first two tracks (and they are long ones) are not especially memorable and could have been B sides tracks. fortunately the rest is better, even if I think Spirit of Ecstasy is not as good as were Vile Luxury and Alphaville. OK, that been said the black metal infused with free/jazz-rock (reminding John Zorn maybe even more than previously) of Imperial Triumphant is still among the best and most interesting music around and the best songs on Spirit of Ecstasy are enough to make the album totally worthy of your time. Even if Spirit of Ecstasy isn't the best Imperial Triumphant album, it's still an excellent one.

Their website

 

White Ward - False Light (2022)

False Light is the Third album from Ukrainian band White Ward, they deliver again a unique kind of post/progressive atmospheric black metal with saxophone and some clean vocals, the saxophone being used at times for added "epicness" and at times for quiet moments. Totally not "true", but definitely smart. Recommended (as well as their two previous awesome albums)!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Shataan - Weigh of the Wolf (2016)

Shataan is a Californian duo that used to be affiliated with the Black Twilight Circle (its members are also in Arizmenda). Weigh of the Wolf released in 2016 (Iron Bonehead & Crepusculo Negro) is the last album with black metal vocals and maybe also my favourite (even if what they did afterward is interesting and good as well). But even when they were more black metal they already were of a unique kind, with melodies done not only by guitars but also flute, and a dreamy/gaze/psych atmosphere with also acoustic parts, their black /weird folk/psych metal sounds reminds me a bit of Circle of Ouroborus (one of my favourite black metal bands). Highly recommended!

Deathspell Omega - The Long Defeat (2022)

Deathspell Omega is a French black metal band known for its innovative take on the genre and for its mystical flame. On their new album The Long Defeat, the innovative elements (choirs, post-metal instrumental parts, dissonance, etc.) are the ones we found on previous album, it brings some diversity on the album, even if it is mostly present on the first track (too long and too post-metal). So the mystical flame is not what it used to be, but there is still a strong epic feel on the most traditional black metal parts (with ferocious blast beats and everything), and they still do that expertly. Definitely not a major album for Deathspell Omega, but still head and shoulders above the vast majority of black metal albums.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Wreche - All My Dreams Came True (2021)

Wreche is a duo playing a music that is post... definitely post, but not so easy to say post what. Post black metal? Yes. Post hardcore? Also. But it's much more than that. Their second album All My Dreams Came True released last year is really unique and good. The vocals are a mix of SDBM and screamo and the drummer is doing blast beats, that's for the "normal" part, because the rest is no guitars, only classical piano and synths parts that are somewhere between futuristic and symphonic black metal. The main melodic element is the classical piano, while the synths are adding different atmospheres. It's refreshing and welcome to hear musicians exploring a different kind of intensity.   

 

The Bandcamp page. 

 

 

Botanist / Thief - EP0 Cicatrix / Diamond Brush (split 2021)

 

EP0 Cicatrix / Diamond Brush is a strange split with two strange musical entities, what they have in common is that both are mostly one-man projects, and also that the one doing Thief have been a live musician for Botanist. But both are really different. Botanist is floral themed black metal with only drums, vocals, and hammered dulcimer, unique and excellent, while Thief is more electronic music oriented with elements of synthwave, bits of trap metal and hip-hop, and choirs and spoken words that could remind Zeal and Ardor. For the first time with live drums and guitars in this split. A mix a bit disturbing at first but don't run, the result is actually very good.

Recommended!

The Bandcamp page

 

Impaled Nazarene - Eight Headed Serpent (2021)

Eight Headed Serpent is the twelfth album (once again with Osmose Productions) from the legendary Impaled Nazerene and I'm a bit surprised it's the first one I review here since I love their music since I discovered them in the late nineties. But they haven't been very active in the last ten years, and I started Blasting Days in 2012 (and had been disappointed by Vigorous and Liberating Death in 2014)... My favourite IN albums are the ones in which they balance their war/black metal punk aggression (they say "nuclear metal") with a more rocking and epic feel with some heavy metal melodies, like from "Nihil" to "All that you Fear". Eight Headed Serpent is, on the contrary, one of their more straightforward album, sounding like a return to the black metal/punk brutality of their early days. OK, why not, it's indeed very Impaled Nazarene, and they're good as well like this.

The BC page.

 

Plasmodium - Towers of Silence (2021)

Following their jaw-dropping first album Entheognois (reviewed HERE) wasn't an easy task, but Plasmodium are successfully doing it five years after with Towers of Silence. They lost surprise effect and raw impact but gained in attention to the details and with an even more subtle songwriting, with maybe more place for psych / dark ambient parts. Otherwise, we find again their hard to describe and very special kind of "free black metal". I'd say their music could evoke Blut Aus Nord or Chaos Echoes. But is another kind of weird beast. Strong stuff.

The BC page.

 

Best of 2020 : Death, black, hardcore & sludge

 Here are my 10 favourite death metal, black metal, hardcore and sludge albums released in 2020. Alphabetical order. Click on the name to go to the review.

Cytotoxin - Nuklearth

 

Dephosphorus - Sublimation

 

Dropdead - Dropdead 

Eye Flys - Tub of Lard

Fange - Pudeur

Ils - Curse

 

Imperial Triumphant- Alphaville

Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æquiizoiikum

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi

Skeletal Remains - The Entombment of Chaos

 

 

 

Circle of Ouroborus - Viimeinen Juoksu (2020)

Viimeinen Juoksu is the 18th album from Circle of Ouroborus, and is more straightforward black metal than it is usually, no folkish part but more epicness, the psych  / shoegazey post-punk elements are still there but overall there's a more black metal feel. The result is maybe less unique, even though it totally sounds like Circle of Ouroborus and nothing else, but the songs are great, especially the short but very epic varjonhauta in the middle of the album.

The Bandcamp page.

 

 

AZOK - SAPNP (EP 2016)

Don't know much about this one, seems AZOK is a Japanese band (or from the US?) and this EP? SAPNP was released in 2016 (or was it 2019?). You won't find a lot more underground... and maybe you won't find it at all! Whatever it is, it's excellent ! A kind of crust/low-fi black metal and power electronics/noise hybrid, very raw and very satisfying to my ears... An album from them would be great.

Highly recommended.