(Daniel Barkasi is back with another monthly collection of carefully chosen obscurities, providing vivid and enthusiastic reviews of six fine albums released in September of this year.)
As I begin to write this in an airport, heading to Pittsburgh on a shockingly delayed flight – helping out the folks with a few things, seeing a great friend who has struggled with some awful health issues (love you, Darren), and the Under Appalachian Skies festival (which has concluded by the time you read this, and it was an incredible time) — it’s dawned on me how wild of a year it’s been, yet it’s gone by so damn fast. Hope everyone is hanging in there best you can!
I wanted to also give my deepest appreciation to those who gave their condolences for our dog Kaiya last month. Those kind words went a long way, and it meant a lot.
Halloween is rapidly approaching, and it’s the season of Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins and good horror flicks. If anyone has any good suggestions, I’m all ears! There’s a ton of Korean films and series that I want to check out, as some of the best productions are coming from there, and have for some time. We also went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando recently and had a blast! If anyone ever finds themselves in the swamp at this time of year, it’s definitely worth your time.
As we traverse further into fall, September provided a number of great albums, and by the selections I’ve got in store, most of them fittingly are of the black metal variety. It also brought the new album from The Midnight (not the black/speed Midnight from Cleveland), which if you’re a synthwave connoisseur, you’re likely to be quite familiar with. Syndicate is a nailed-on triumph for the band, and if so inclined, give it a go for a relaxing and immersive experience. Could be my album of the year. We’ll have to wait for that, however. It’s going to be competitive, but there are also some albums that must be there. Plenty of upcoming candidates, too – October is a tasty month, and even the sometimes dry November and December – looking at you, 1914, Lamp of Murmuur, Blut Aus Nord, Enthroned, Darvaza, and others.
Of course, we’re here to discuss more recent sinister sounds, so without further future talk, let us dig into the current darkness.
Absolutum – Endura
Release Date: September 5, 2025
Festivities begin with a manifestation of the utterly bleak and hopeless. Members of Germany’s Absolutum certainly have pedigree, with some being part of Ævangelist and Moon Incarnate, though the approach here is more deeply of a visceral black metal persuasion. Releasing a pair of EPs in 2018 and 2019 served as apt precursors to the band’s debut Endura; a gritty, enraged record that billows murky duress in abundance.
For an album at a brisk 33 minutes in duration, Absolutum take their time to meticulously dig deeper into the dark recesses by way of brooding guitar work and guttural death-metal-adjacent vocals that paint an ominous picture. “You Will Burn Yourself on the Path of Truth” drags the listener on a damp, fog-laden journey, structurally building into darker soundscapes as it moves forward. Deciding to reside in mid-pacing, mainly relying on a dismal atmosphere, serves the band well, whilst also providing defining moments that stick. The simple-yet-effective ringing of the repeated clean guitar passage on “And Then the False God Will Speak” provides an occult feel that’s alluring and menacing between the rhythmic tension crafted by the full ensemble.
Some tracks do dial the pace up – the ripping “The Crowd of Ignorant People” attacks more directly without losing the feel cultivated thus far. The tension is only increased, in fact, as the piece traverses into more winding and unexpected territory. “Man-Plant with a Petrified Soul” is equal parts haunting ambience and aggressive blackened death venom. “What Will Be Our Redemption” concludes with a cryptic tone, leaving the listener satisfied yet yearning for more.
From Stéphane Gerbaud’s varied yet consistently vexing tone, to Christian Kolf’s unique guitar workings, and the gristly rhythmic tandem of bassist Stefan Braunschmidt and drummer Christoph Glanemann, this is a group with a shared horrid vision that comes together just so on Endura. Absolutum have penned an album of brooding black metal that nails all the right tones, stitched together by an atmosphere that earns the description nightmarish. Listen to this apparition in pitch black darkness, if one is so brave.
Imperialist – Prime
Release Date: September 5, 2025
From the mystifying to the outer reaches of space, Imperialist bring a theme of the cosmos to the black metal genre that isn’t unfamiliar, but also not always attempted equally. Themselves and Transcending Obscurity label brethren Vorga are two of the most profound to tackle this specific theme, though taking differing sonic avenues. Coming into their third full-length Prime, the band at this point in their existence need to show that they can ascend to the next stratosphere.
Since their beginning, Imperialist have tweaked, expanded, and polished their sci-if black metal approach, which tends to lean toward a thrashy, coarse sonic profile. Their second record Zenith has represented just that, giving a curious anticipation to their third in Prime, in the thought of whether they can further tighten their creations.
If a more expansive, craftier result of their now very much dialed-in sound was the stated goal, then the band accomplished that with gusto. To the initiated, Prime will feel welcomingly familiar, but there are subtle differences; the songs take a few more twists, at times a bit more thrash in the guitars, while also coming together as the band’s most focused effort. Opener “Starstorm” boasts an infectiousness that’s difficult to deny, setting the tone for Prime with emphatic fretboard manipulation via Bryant Quinones and Sergio Soto. The latter’s vocals are sharp and raspy, while also punching through the mix with an increased power.
“Beneath the Sands of Titan” continues the momentum, led by delicious guitar harmonies followed by sharp tremolos as the track reaches ludicrous speed. We may even go to plaid a few times on Prime. An increase in dynamism is present, with “I A.M.” being a prime (pun intended) example of the band’s dialed-in songwriting ability. Breaking up the album in the middle is the well-positioned “Heavens Sunder” – serving as a fitting cognitive break that makes the second half all the more effective. Plenty of curiosity abounds to finish proceedings – “Final Hours” overflows with warp speed intensity; “Union of the Swarm” embraces a melodious purview, where finale “A Ghost Abandoned” completes Prime with an epic yarn whose ambition is flexing what Imperialist is capable of.
Altogether, Prime propels on full thrusters, serving as both what we would naturally expect from Imperialist at this stage and a step up in compositional prowess and delivery. Tying it together is the legend Dan Swanö’s mixing and mastering to complete the package, enhancing the band’s well-established density, landing at just where the band is aiming. Prime won’t shock or deviate, but instead offers a stellar cosmic platter that continues to burn the night sky.
LVTHN – The Devil’s Bridge
Release Date: September 6, 2025
Having released a notable split in 2019 and the mesmerizing The Spider Goddess EP in 2017, Belgian black metal outfit LVTHN have released new material on at least a reasonable clip. As for a full-length, it’s been nine years since Eradication of Nescience, so to say they’ve been due on that front is an esteemed understatement. That void has been filled by The Devil’s Bridge, and the age-old question of if the wait was worth it has an emphatically positive answer.
The mysterious quintet waste no time exploding into an energetic gallop via “A Malignant Encounter (The Servant)” and the following connecting entry “(The Master)” to set the proverbial table with a statement of a furious wall of frigid guitars blended with vocal-chord-shredding screams and bellows. Between the lines, there’s plenty to explore, with a bevy of twists and sizable moments that progress into the unpredictable, which is where the majority of The Devil’s Bridge resides.
The fury continues with “Cacodaemon,” featuring a veritable percussive clinic by drummer unknown. A track that slows the tempo to allow a minimal gasp of air, before suffocating the listener once again, ending on a humongous high note of purified fire. That concerted enterprise continues through the robust and noisy evisceration that is “Sum Quod Eris” and the heady, somewhat more varied “Grim Vengeance.” The vocal performances on offer are mightily commanding, filled with a multitude of tones and voicings, which are always thick, powerful, and full of genuine belief.
What sets The Devil’s Bridge apart from previous LVTHN records is a more focused and prolific effort, giving their most adept album yet. Add in undeniably proficient individual and collective performances, and what we’ve been given is a slab of malevolent black metal that pays homage to the desolate one. A devilish delight, indeed.
Nexion – Sundrung
Release Date: September 19, 2025
When many think of Iceland, volcanoes, the beautiful landscapes, and all of the other unique natural wonders come quickly to mind. For us, along with that beauty of course, we think of what often can be considered the most unique and intriguing black metal scene on the planet. Many of the best acts to ever take up this style have come from this small island nation to revolutionize the sound – Svartidauði, Misþyrming, Sinmara, Mannveira, Almyrkvi, Andavald, Helfró, Naðra, Dynfari, Núll / 0 – we could go on for a while with all of the esteemed quality. One of the very best is our current subject, an act that doesn’t get nearly enough fanfare – Nexion.
Having been at it since 2016, they released a shattering self-titled EP as their debut, and an even more impressive full-length in Seven Oracles back in 2020. Five years later, they returned with Sundrung (translating to “Discord” in English), and what a statement it is. Ritualistic, spellbinding, and razor-sharp, Nexion propagate an audible experience to engross in. Opener “Uþarpaspa” is as enormous as it is biting, from frigid guitar work, engulfing chants, and intricacy that few can equal. “Gandr” follows, offering an unrelenting march that tears all in its path to shreds. The vocal variety presented by Josh Rood is vast and cathartic, a standout feature of Nexion. Hymnic rasping screams, scintillating howls, and mesmerizing harmonic mantras combine to form an incantation that consumes the air around you – “Hymn of the Valkyrjur” (further enhanced by some guest vocals) being a prime example of this gripping mixture.
Structurally, this is Nexion’s most dynamic effort, weaving intricate passages with layer upon layer of detail from start to finish. There’s so much going on that it’s near impossible to take in every element, but once the music fully hits, there’s no going back. Entries such as “When Raven Steals the Sun” and “Visions of the Seventh Fire” rank amongst the band’s most immersive formulations, spewing magma with style and viciousness.
Nexion is leading the pack in the realm of black metal at its most creative and forceful. Sundrung is an immense accomplishment that gives an infinite number of reasons to return to breathe in its hypnotic trance. There’s even more to come from this immensely talented group, as they further establish themselves amongst the elite.
Werewolves – The Ugliest of All
Release Date: September 19, 2025
Consistent, incredibly productive, and uncompromising to the highest levels of giving zero fucks, grotesque Aussie death metal stalwarts Werewolves have returned for their yearly scheduled grisly stomping, aptly titled The Ugliest of All.
An album every calendar year since their debut The Dead are Screaming in 2020 is no easy feat, but Werewolves deceptively make it seem like it is. Nary a dud to be had either, and we at NCS have been quite taken aback by their abilities over the years. One may inquire if they could somehow manage to be more brutal here like they have on each subsequent album. Well, Werewolves have surely upped the ante again, somehow getting more abrasive, more candid, and more disgustingly violent – just how nature intended.
“Fools of the Trade” cuts deep by way of a riff barrage and Sam Bean’s now trademark scowling roar. This dude is angry, it shows, and it’s glorious. Guitarist Matt Wilcock delivers some of his nastiest riff work to date, with the ripping “Unoriginal sin” serving as one of many fine examples. Werewolves have always been an absolute blast while also being tight and technically precise, and that continues on The Ugliest of All; tracks such as the brutal “Skullbattering” and the well-titled and magnificent “The Enshittification” showcase the symmetry of these key characteristics.
It’d be a huge miss to not call out David Haley‘s octopus impression of a drum performance, showcasing both variety, insatiable skill, and a knack to always have the right ingredient to give a song exactly what it needs. From the thunderous “Logorrea” and “Rats Versus Snakes” to the catchy and punishing “Slaves to the Blast,” his signature is all over this album like the corpses amongst the pigs on the expectedly gory album cover.
We dare you to not have a good time with The Ugliest of All. This record has been the most fun, crushing, and pure joy of a death metal album these ears have been rattled by this year. Werewolves simply have the “it” factor in spades, and it’s a crime that more folks aren’t screaming about them in maniacal enthusiasm. What can’t these guys do? Considering the excellence of their many other bands in addition to Werewolves – The Antichrist Imperium, Faustian (new album coming soon), and Abramelin, to name a few – there isn’t much they’re unable to accomplish musically. Let’s spin this again and hope these gents continue to conquer all.
Achathras – A Darkness of the Ancient Past
Release Date: September 30, 2025
We finish this month’s journey with a vial of melodic black metal dripping with atmosphere in the form of the anonymous trio known as Achathras. A Darkness of the Ancient Past is their debut album, and it’s a mature, well-written slab of black metal that nails the balance of icy cold old school black metal and an eerie, foggy aura.
Awash in keyboards that elicit thoughts of several early ’90s classics, Achathras embrace a tried-and-true approach while managing to apply their own signature, along with an execution that’s more than formidable. The band embrace the spirit of bands such as Gehenna, Abigor, and Hecate Enthroned by way of their mystique and intensity, with “Anointed with Moonfire,” “A Cerement of Flame,” and “A Lamenting Presence” offering captivating songwriting and razor-sharp instrumentation.
What puts Darkness of the Ancient Past over the top is its effusive, raw energy. “Emanation of Chaos” embodies this notion by way of an explosive wall of unbridled black metal spirit, encased in a song progression that’s utterly virulent. Moreover, the production on the record enhances what the band has put together, capturing the essence required in an effort of this direction and undoubted passion.
Achathras harkens to their predecessors for inspiration whilst making their own strides, culminating in an album that sets a high standard for themselves going forward. Darkness of the Ancient Past is a memorable 43 minutes of pure black metal majesty that any fan of many of the originators will thoroughly enjoy, leaving with a thirst for more. With any hope, Achathras will oblige for years to come.
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