(Still recovering from recent festival experiences but still carrying on, Daniel Barkasi brings us reviews of six strongly recommended albums released in May 2025.)
Yeah, I know, this column is late – very late. My review(s) and photos (Day 1 and Day 2) of Fortress Festival took my full attention since returning, and coupled with a lot of day job and farm stuff, because we basically have a farm at this point, have gone hand-in-hand with catching up on May releases. I need to actually absorb an album and fully grasp the nitty gritty details to come to a fair conclusion, so this also wasn’t going to be rushed. I go full bore into everything, or else I’m not going to do it. Most who routinely immerse themselves into this sort of music aren’t the casual types, and I don’t think I’ve been casual about a whole lot in my existence.
Therefore, here we are, and my feet are screaming; thanks, plantar fasciitis and metal festivals. We’d do it all again, of course.
I know what you’re thinking – “Jesus, he’s not going to talk about May releases, is he?” Yes, he is! I hope some of you got that somewhat subtle George Carlin callback. I miss Mr. Conductor and his musings – what a brilliant, introspective, master of language and observational humor, who is still so relevant to today despite passing in 2008. If you haven’t watched any of his specials, you need to right that wrong. Here are some good places to start, and how hauntingly reflecting on current times they are.
We’ve had a ton of incredible May releases, and fellow NCS brethren have written about a load of fantastic ones. Are there any good ones left that haven’t been talked about in our halls? Like Dr. Alan Grant, I’m a digger, and sure enough, we found some 65 million-year-old mosquitos preserved in amber to genetically engineer dinosaurs for you. Or six albums that we’ve enjoyed substantially and feel the need to get the word out about. Sure, that’s an apt comparison in magnitude. Off we go!
Amalekim – Shir Hashirim
Release Date: May 2, 2025
A mystical, grave shroud falls with Amalekim’s frenzied storm of black metal. Hitting like a pike through the torso, but with a cloud of creeping annihilation, the band has much lurking between the multitudes of layers that comprise their aural potions. 2023’s Avodah Zarah gave us a dynamic step up in their songwriting, and a darker refinement to their stylistic approach. Shir Hashirim is a more fully realized resultant of the band’s continued evolution.
The band consistently possesses a melodic undertone, but don’t sacrifice robustness to attain it. Opener “Chant I: Ra’al Zorem” is a prime example, stacking melodious guitar leads with forceful rhythms and crunching riffs that cut through the thick mix. Cuts such as “Chant III: Mesharet HaShilton” exude sweeping, pensive atmospheres to begin, before transitioning into an explosive burst of furiousness.
At times, there’s a rawness akin to Watain within Amalekim, with “Chant IV: Sodot HaYekum” and “Chant VII: HaKa’as HaNachash” serving as the most prominent examples. To top it off, “Chant VIII: Mishteh Malkhuti” completes the album with a blistering gallop ala Necrophobic; a grandiose finale to a detailed, ferocious 38 minutes of black metal.
There’s plenty to unravel within Shir Hashirim, as this is a record that revealed finer details by way of repeated listens, resulting in going back to it quite frequently. Amalekim exemplifies the balance of boasting significant atmosphere and melodic qualities, but still maintaining a sturdy, thumping vigor that the best black metal exudes in abundance. Shir Hashirim is an album to not take lightly.
https://www.facebook.com/Amalekim/
Solfatare – Asservis par l’espoir
Release Date: May 2, 2025
Moving toward the despondent, hopeless sort of black metal is Solfatare to maliciously drain the remaining oxygen out of the air. The Belgians aim to twist and rend the listener, all whilst instilling a disparity that’s near impossible to elude. Asservis par l’espoir (“Enslaved by Hope” translated) is their debut full-length, and we’re immediately struck with Jean Delville’s artwork – a seemingly unending sea of desperate humanity, overcome with misery, but reaching out to the light all the same. A fitting image that matches the band’s aural output exceedingly well.
There’s a touch of later-era Ulcerate in the guitar lead play and the dissonant overtones, but the complete package is as discordantly black metal as it gets. Opening duo “Des monarques anhedoniques” and “D’Hommes et d’Isopteres” are dizzyingly chaotic. This is music that demands quite a bit from the listener in its complexity and draining, monolithic nature, but the rewards are attainable for the truly initiated. “Ozymandias” furthers this notion, spinning a hypnotic web that rends the listener with a deft, yet steady touch.
Vocally, there’s a mix of emphatic howls and the occasional deeper roar, leaving one guessing and adding plenty of texture to an already rich tapestry of desolate instrumentation. “Quand ton cerveau te surine le crâne” portrays that bleakness as well as any, leaving a deceptive feeling of minute optimism, only to be drowned by nothingness. Not a cheery journey, but that’s not what we’re after here, is it?
The riffs stick the landing, and the compositions are memorable and finely crafted, all merging together to provide a heaving slab of suffocating black metal that holds nothing back. Asservis par l’espoir stands as a sinister and combustible debut, to be certain, and we’re completely invested in the band’s present and future. There’s much more to come from this phenomenal act.
https://www.facebook.com/Solfatare/
Escarnium – Inexorable Entropy
Release Date: May 9, 2025
A respite from black metal, but equally brooding and derelict, is Escarnium’s punishing death metal affront. No newcomers to the game, they’ve been slinging out helpings of vehement barbarity for a time, with their debut record being Excruciating Existence back in 2012. They’ve released a total of three albums before their latest Inexorable Entropy, which may represent the band at the peak of their powers.
There’s an added level of grit and aggression in comparison to Escarnium’s previous works, and it’s evident quickly – “Relentless Katabasis” takes zero time to set the vehement tonality, with low grinding guitars and the coarse, potent growls of Victor Elian dominating. Furthermore, the riffage is dialed in to new levels – tracks such as “The Heritage” and “Revulsion of Carbon” showcase a relentless onslaught of guitar-driven death metal that’s cavernous and overcome with dread.
Others like the title track and “Through the Depths of the 12th Gate” show a murkier side, leaning more into downtrodden atmospheres, but fret not, as the ferocity remains constant throughout the just over 31-minute runtime. Furthermore, the punch provided by drummer Nestor Carrera is the rumbling backbone of Escarnium’s relentless incursion.
Excruciating Existence moves briskly and leaves a noticeable imprint, representing one of the heaviest and most abrasive death metal releases to grace these ears at the midpoint of 2025. An album that we see ourselves coming back to for some time, other death metal juggernauts take note – Escarnium is a force to be reckoned with, and they’ve hit their groove with their fourth record. Descend into misanthropy with me and spin this a few dozen times. No regrets will be had, we assure you.
https://www.facebook.com/escarnium/
Fragments of Unbecoming – Dawnbringer: Chapter VII – The Amber Emperor
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Germany’s Fragments of Unbecoming have always walked to their own beat, and their approach has been consistent, yet definable, through their 25-year existence. Embracing a melodic death sound that’s without compromise, they haven’t followed the trends that derailed many of their peers. Instead opting for a heavier, more aggressive and caliginous direction, these characteristics have endeared them to these ears for some time.
Having been seven years since their last release, Dawnbringer: Chapter VII – The Amber Emperor wastes little precious time to get right to it with the title track, itself seeping with blackened tremolos and razor-sharp rhythm guitar work. Fragments of Unbecoming harken back to early Eucharist in the overall vibe, but with a more modern production to slicken up their wares. The next few tracks continue the momentum, “Broken Breath of Time” being a standout that packs an abundance of crunch amongst a parade of clever drum fills and a continued black metal influence in the leads.
The overall pace for Dawnbringer is mostly furious, though there are occasional moments of mid-tempo attack – the preceding track being a prominent example, along with moments of “Thou Shalt Wander Eternally” and “Caught in the Endlessness.” For a punchy face melter, “In Times of Doom” and a few others have you covered, diversifying the offerings on the record. Perhaps the most ambitious is the dynamic “Lakespectre,” offering a nifty clean interlude and numerous twists to make it one of my top selections.
Closing out are two re-recorded songs, one of which is their first song in “Fragments of Unbecoming” – a nice hat-tip to the beginnings of the band, re-done in their current aesthetic. A connoisseur of melodeath that opts for the harder-hitting end of the spectrum will find much to savor, as Fragments of Unbecoming bring the goods with Dawnbringer. Still sounding determined and vibrant after all this time is a feat in and of itself, and truthfully, this ranks as one of their more enjoyable efforts, scratching an itch that has needed more attention this year.
https://www.facebook.com/fragmentsofunbecoming
Hexerei – Realms…..
Release Date: May 23, 2025
A release from Sentient Ruin Laboratories equals high expectations for quality and a visceral, caustic assault on the senses. It’s been a strong year for them, and an explicitly raw and overtly violent Hexerei continues their string of quality releases. Finnish black metal is the name of the game, and they contain a volatility that reminds of prime Katharsis, emitting a stripped-down and filthy representation of the genre.
Realms….. is the act’s second album – the first being Ancient Evil Spirits back in 2021 – and is my first exposure to the band. We did of course fully digest said debut, and the difference is minimal, though album number two adds additional edge and the production is a tad thicker, which is more to our liking than the more trebly and staticy sound from the first. A distinctive fuzziness is still prevalent, but it’s sharper and more cutthroat, along with the songwriting, which takes a step up in being more fervent and in-your-face.
The songs are long and winding, but never get dull – “Omenstorm Massacre” sets the stage with icy buzzsaw guitars being the driving force, adjoined with chilling screams within an ominous presence that permeates the entire record. “The Sabbath Red” exemplifies the band’s ambitious compositional prowess – dragging the hapless listener on a savage trek that slashes, incinerates, and stomps with plenty of unexpected turns. Incessantly heavy, but never losing that early ’90s feel that’s integral to what Hexerei is trying to achieve. “Corda Plena Infernus Gloria” completes the five track offering, doing so with unflappable tenacity and a gripping, nightmarish resonance that hacks and slashes provocatively.
Hexerei fill a niche that often isn’t executed with such verve and audaciousness. Realms….. isn’t for the meek, and that’s how black metal in this vein needs to be. Boasting massive compositions and moxie-a-plenty, prepare to be torn asunder, and to enjoy it without hesitation.
Ignoble – À l’écart – Afsondret
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Our final entry is a fresh black metal duo from Denmark (Ynleborgaz) and Quebec (Geneviève) known as Ignoble, who have invoked a first album dripping with antipathy. They display a sizable bite to their sound, coupled with a guitar-centric emphasis that’s both nasty and addictive. Debut album À l’écart – Afsondret is a firm statement of intent that leaves nothing to the imagination.
A simple make-or-break for any black metal worth its salt for this observer is guitar tone. Miss this, and potency in the overall sound profile evaporates away. Ignoble capture a weighty fury in their guitars, and with the writing equal parts concentrated ardor and cutting tension, their basis is difficult to deny. They’re also all about long, intricate compositions – the so-called short player on À l’écart – Afsondret is still ten-minutes long – and some may view these as long in the tooth. If one pays close attention, the key to each of the four songs is inside the buildup; purposeful, sharp, and filled with disquieting apprehension.
Both members provide vocals, which mainly consist of variable agonized screams that are rendered in Danish and French; the differing deliveries go hand-in-hand with the instrumental wall of sound that the twosome provide. Cuts such as “Abjects – Afskyelige” engulf the listener with pulsating, galloping guitars that smoothly evolve as the song progresses, whereas the monstrous “Antipathie – Antipati” pummels and leaves the listener flailing in a riff-laden drubbing.
Ignoble are absolutely worth a listen, as À l’écart – Afsondret is a mature and well-curated record that captures the spirit of tortured, intrinsic black metal. As a common theme this month, there’s much to delve deeply into with this album, especially within the shrewdly crafted escalating song structures that pay off with venomous abrasion. Unlike so much dispiriting black metal, À l’écart – Afsondret has teeth bared and isn’t afraid to go for the throat.
https://www.facebook.com/ignobleband