OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XVI: SEASON OF PARKS AND FESTIVALS

(Here we have another monthly column of Daniel Barkasi‘s vivid reviews, this time focusing on six highly recommended albums released in April 2025.)

Sometimes, you need to savor the weird pastimes that make life grand. One of those things for me that I haven’t touched upon much in this space is theme parks. Ah, I love a good theme park. Disney does it best, and having been to every Disney park on the planet, we’re a tad invested – both emotionally and financially. No park is better than Tokyo DisneySea, and it’s not particularly close.

Recently, however, we attended a preview of the brand new Universal Epic Universe with KevinP (another theme park connoisseur) before it officially opens to the public on May 22. Everything wasn’t operational, as it’s in a testing phase, but what we experienced was pretty fantastic. We’ll be going again one more time before opening day, and hopefully we’ll get to do everything that we didn’t get to the first time. If you find yourself in the sweaty hellhole that is Orlando, I’d suggest giving it a whirl – especially fans of Universal Monsters and Frankenstein. That land – or “portal” as they’re calling it – is worth the price of admission itself.

More akin to the music subject, this time of year brings festival time. NCS’s beloved Northwest Terror Fest just wrapped up and looks like it was an amazing time. One of these years, I’ll make it out. We’ll be attending Maryland Deathfest, per tradition. Hopefully plenty of readers will be descending upon Baltimore, and if that’s you, don’t be shy and say hello! One of the best things about festivals is the awesome people, and we’re looking forward to seeing plenty of friends and making new ones. If you can make it out to a festival this year, definitely do so.

Whether or not a festival is in the cards, April was bountiful with new releases well worth your time. We could list well over ten that we really enjoyed, and we’d still feel like something is getting unjustly left out. We’ve got six slots, however, so kick back with me and slap on your best headphones.

 

Amimia – Eigengrau

Release Date: April 11, 2025

We start with a black metal act that lands on the morose and downtrodden part of the spectrum. Germany’s Amimia have been at it for a few years now, with last year’s self-titled album being a damn fine example of emotive, depressing black metal. A little over a year later, they’re back with their third full-length in Eigengrau, which translates to “intrinsic gray” to describe what one may see “in the absence of light.” Certainly fitting for the mood Amimia is after, serving as an apt descriptor of what may be their most stinging release to date.

There’s an energy to their music that’s reminiscent of Austere or Autumn’s Dawn (who released a fine record in March that’s really grown on me), but there’s an increased presence of somberness. Perhaps a hint of post-rock here and there, and when combined with the sweeping tremolos and Sven Kleis’ chilling screams, it arranges to be a smoothly harrowing experience.

Cuts such as “Disintegration” feature a gorgeous piano piece wrapped around an otherwise decently paced composition. The title track contains some of Amimia’s best songwriting on offer, with the piece progressing deeper and deeper into the listener’s core, while also featuring added electronic elements towards the end that are unexpected, but also somehow fit. “Oda a la Miseria” may be the standout, however, with its dazzling guitar work that invokes feelings of sentiment and loss, which actually has become a song that soothes this scribe’s often sensitive soul when the depression bug rears its unwelcome face. We keep going back to this one, as it represents the best characteristics of this nuanced style.

Amimia have produced a record that will appeal to those who seek a whole lot of soul and emotiveness in their music. Bands that make me feel something always tend to stick around in my long-term listening habits more than others. This probably explains why Anathema, Arctic Plateau, and Shamrain are all-time favorites (more recently, add the mighty Afsky) that these ears will never get sick of. If Amimia continue to produce music of such an intrinsic quality as Eigengrau, they’ll be destined to join that list.

 

Ghörnt – Bluetgraf

Release Date: April 11, 2025

Sticking with black metal, but more of the sort that packs a wicked punch while giving a little dash of melody on the side, we give you Ghörnt. This two-piece serves as a project of Jöschu Käser (listed as J), who is mostly known for his masterful drum work in Aara, Malphas, Porta Nigra, Taubrą, and Thron, but also more recently for his axe-slinging via Forgotten Tomb. With Ghörnt, however, he does it all, sans vocals, which are provided by Thulus. Combined, Ghörnt have slowly but surely become a band that some may not know, but everyone absolutely should. Album number three Bluetgraf is the best reason thus far in their still early career to give them a spin.

There’s a load of second wave at Ghörnt’s core, but there’s also a muscular robustness that makes their music full and not a thin, needling affair that hampers many comparables. The opener/title track and the following “För emmer” are catchy earworms that immediately imbed themselves, boasting lead work and writing that’s instantly memorable and impactful, while the riffage and thumping pace leave a lasting impression. “Vlad” provides a proper chill while thrilling with extraordinary guitar melodies, giving a shade of melodic black to the listener, whilst “Dominator” does exactly that in a more crunchy, brutal, and shredding fashion.

Bluetgraf enters your cranium, blasts through in a hair over 30 minutes, and briskly departs. Before you know it, you’ve got it on repeat, as it’s a difficult album to want to move away from. There’s a lot here, and it’s all a joyous, violent black metal romp that explodes with seemingly limitless energy, doesn’t over-exert the listener, and is impossible to ignore. Ghörnt has arrived, and it’s the perfect time to jump on this ice train.

 

Imperishable – Swallowing the World

Release Date: April 11, 2025

Those who have been reading for a while likely know my unending love for early ’90s melodic death metal. Gothenburg, of course, is the legendary birthplace of said sound. With a bit of a twist in the myth, Imperishable hail from that famed city, but lean farther toward the classic Stockholm death metal approach of Dismember and Entombed. However, there’s a smidgeon of that melodeath sound present, but not nearly enough to go full At the Gates. The resulting brew is a differing balance that works extraordinarily well, and on the band’s second full-length Swallowing the World we’re given an album that’s easy to love and full of details.

Right from the first track, Imperishable bleed Dismember, but those occasional harmonies sneak their way in to open up the possibilities nicely. The instrumentation is top-notch, and vocalist Henke Skoog’s deep growl keeps the band grounded in the gritty end of the field. If one desires a slice of Entombed but with a distinctly different flavor, “Where No One Survives” has you covered; “Riding Demons” contains reverberating clean guitar voicings trading and mixing with booming rhythm guitars, and an old-school sounding solo to boot. Closing salvo and title track “Swallowing the World” concludes with a brisk, riff-tacular assault that merges melodic notes with the unrelentingly heavy and crunchy.

Moreover, Swallowing the World is an absolute blast of an album that anyone who appreciates either major style of Swedish death metal should get a lot of mileage out of. Imperishable certainly tweak the formula, adding a level of freshness to sounds that have lasted the test of time, without jettisoning any crucial elements. Classic yet fresh.

 

The Man-Eating Tree – Night Verses

Release Date: April 11, 2025

As a connoisseur of all things Finnish metal, the country has many signature styles that have forever shaped the landscape of heavy music. Two of which they’ve mastered more so than most are both the gothic metal/rock and melodic death/doom realms. Janne Markus of Poisonblack fame’s baby is The Man-Eating Tree, and that project has had some bumpy times, but despite that, no doubt has produced some essential gothic metal. On the doomier side, Ghost Brigade should always be in the conversation for one of the best and most influential acts to those in the know. Their demise still stings, and while many of the ex-members have re-united in Ceresian Valot (whose debut will drop on May 23), iconic voice Manne Ikonen is not part of that lineup. His newer project Endless Forms Most Gruesome is cool and a departure from his history, but this selfish bastard yearned for more. Worlds are colliding in the best way, and even a distressed George Costanza can get on board with the complete re-casting of The Man-Eating Tree that includes Ikonen taking up vocal duties.

Obviously, the project’s fourth album Night Verses is way more than just Ikonen and Markus joining forces, but more of a rebirth of the project with four new members. In some ways, the album carries the blistering emotional heft that Ghost Brigade perfected, but this is a different painting altogether, even though Ikonen’s one-of-a-kind croon is highly distinctive and will always be connected to his illustrious past band. Night Verses is heavier than previous efforts, but also fuller melodically, and is even a step up in the songwriting department from The Man-Eating Tree’s previous efforts.

The moody, dreary, yet gorgeous “Days under the Dark” sets the tone for the entire record. The serene and morose are skillfully combined with a bleak heaviness that results in a Michelin Star worthy recipe that we haven’t heard in this sort of music in a long time. Ikonen’s gruff mid-range cleans are sublime, with his snarls being equally menacing, giving the album a standout atmosphere that pleases this weary soul so much. Tracks like “Seer” and “All Our Shadows” burst with energy and melancholic charm, excelling by way of pinpoint craftsmanship and spirit that raise the hairs on your neck.

“These Traces” and “To the Sinking” briefly dial back the intensity a level or two to pull hard on the heartstrings at first, before erupting in a doom-laden onslaught that builds into explosive crescendos that are beyond satisfying. Finale “Reflections” ends on a meticulous build – from sullen pianos and clean voicings, slowly picking up fervor as the song drifts towards more furious passages, slyly dancing back-and-forth to provide examples of The Man-Eating Tree at both its fiercest and most stirring.

Simply put, Night Verses is a tremendous accomplishment that surpassed even my lofty and often unreasonable expectations. The Man-Eating Tree is now at its creative zenith, yet the potential for more with this powerhouse lineup is vast. A riveting journey that only the likes of Counting Hours have been able to provide in recent times, done in a manner that acknowledges a wide array of iconic sounds and makes them their own. Anyone who even enjoys the aforementioned approaches slightly need to add Night Verses to their list of required listening. This one has year-end accolades written all over it.

 

Corrupter – Gloria in Profundis

Release Date: April 25, 2025

After my sentimental side has been completely drained, it’s time for some full-on sonic violence. Corrupter is here to give that respite in a vicious, oozing death metal symphony of the grotesque. A keen observer may remember my adulation for Morgue in my column from last June, and by happenstance, the duo behind that long-running grinding death institution is also behind Corrupter. Like Morgue’s latest Close to Complete Darkness, Corrupter’s second full-length Gloria in Profundis also features the incredible artwork of the legendary Paolo Girardi. What’s not to love, right?

Inquiring minds may wonder what’s the difference between the two acts? While Morgue chews into the frenetic death/grind side of things and is mostly quick-hitting, Corrupter falls in the mid-range of pacing and is more ominous in atmosphere. There’s a feeling of creeping horror in every note of Gloria in Profundis, and in that aura lies the irresistibility.

Setting the stage is the monstrous “Eucharist” with gigantic, groaning guitars coupled with cavernous, almost surreally deep roars – both courtesy of Max Lobier. His bass partner in crime Jérôme Blandino must also not be overlooked; his thumping, unrelenting low end gives significant thunder to Corrupter’s perilous destruction. Cuts like “Permanent Storage Down Below” and “Chasm of Atonement” provide non-stop annihilation via riffs with more gross tonnage than a tanker ship, and a guitar tone that’s as sinister as it gets. The whole album is a steamroller, and you’ll be glad to be flattened.

Corrupter should be near the top of the list for all death metal fans, both those looking for something intriguing to explore and the meatheads who just want to get pummeled. Gloria in Profundis is as vehemently horrid as it gets, and while its sub-33 minute runtime is over before you know it, you’ll most assuredly be back. With riffs this salivating and morbid, there isn’t much of a choice.

 

The Great Sea – Noble Art of Desolation

Release Date: April 25, 2025

Seeking to capture the aura of nature’s awe-inspiring power in a blistering black metal skin, The Great Sea is the brainchild of Long Distance Calling drummer Janosch Rathmer and Black Horizonz guitarist Stefan Hackländer, and their combined forces were out to craft a musical entity that sounded as massive as its conceptual scope. By way of their debut Noble Art of Desolation, the twosome have most assuredly accomplished their aspired goal.

Sound-wise, there’s a bit of Agalloch’s earthy tonality present, with a helping of labelmates Agrypnie’s forward-thinking nature, and a slight tidbit of Ellende’s studiousness. Vocally, a variety of stylizations are embraced – from shrill screams and spoken shouts to spine-tingling howls, The Great Sea are an expansive outfit by design. Their music has plenty to tell about both nature’s power and sadly threatened state, with an urgency and a desperation in the feelings portrayed. “The Water Remains” encapsulates their aims in a rousing introduction; dizzying, razor-sharp guitar work built into intricate structures and several well-timed changes in tempo and aesthetic paint a glum picture of dying waterways.

A rousing guest vocal appearance by Secrets of the Moon’s Phil Jonas highlights the compelling “Eden Unfolded” while Gràb’s Azathoth lends his pipes to the chillingly majestic “No Peace Among Men.” The thumping “Upright in Nothing” offers several of Noble Art of Desolation’s most rousing and biting moments, whereas ending entry “ Walking at the Edge of Death” gives a creative tour de force overflowing with searing blackened instrumentation, haunting vibes, and distressing post-adjacent moodiness.

It can be difficult to ascertain what to expect when a new band emerges, and with great thankfulness, The Great Sea have provided a fastidious black metal experience with a forlorn and imperative message. The ambition for this project was indeed gargantuan, and luckily for our ears, Noble Art of Desolation has at minimum matched the lofty heights of its astute creators.

 

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