AN NCS PREMIERE: KHOLSTOMER — “FOREST”

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Jul 012026
 

(written by Islander)

One English dictionary defines “nuanced” as “something characterized by subtle shades, fine distinctions, or layered meanings.” The riffing in the very riff-centered song we’re now premiering is nuanced in all those ways, but it coheres in the creation of compelling dark moods.

The song, “Forest“, is one of seven encompassed by an album titled Elegy, which is the debut full-length from the American-Polish black metal band Kholstomer that’s set for co-release on August 15th by Satanath Records and Pagan Fury Records. The band was founded by James Oskarbski (Odious Spirit) and (as the labels say) “draws inspiration from literature, history, and the contradictions of human nature”. Elegy, for example, was “informed by reflections on Tolstoy’s view of mortality and war”:

“Drawing from the idea that history is shaped less by great individuals than by vast, impersonal forces beyond anyone’s command, Elegy finds both tragedy and transcendence in human limitation.”

As for the music, the labels recommend it for fans of Dawn, Mgła, Emperor, Woe, and Winterfylleth. But now let’s get to “Forest“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: TORPOR — “ƉUNGEON ƉWELLERS”

 Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres  No Responses »
Jul 012026
 

(written by Islander)

We have devoted a lot of attention over the years to a UK band named Torpor, a point we mention because some of you may recall that coverage — and because the Torpor whose music you’re about to hear isn’t that band. But as you’re about to discover, although the names are the same, there’s no way anyone could confuse the music of the two groups.

Today’s Torpor is a Polish band originally formed in Warsaw under the prime influence of Bathory. They began making short releases in 2018, including a 2021 EP (The Ancient Tales), but now they’re primed for the release of a debut album by Dying Victims Productions on July 24th.

The new album, Ɖungeon Ɖescent, fully reveals the path they’ve been on. It could be considered “the idiosyncratic side of ancient heavy metal” or “swords & sorcery metal”, which are among the phrasings circulated on behalf of Dying Victims, but with spices of black metal in the mix; the classic Bathory influence still makes its mark too.

As a sign of what Ɖungeon Ɖescent presents, we’re premiering a thrilling album track named “Ɖungeon Ɖwellers“, one that creates an ancient atmosphere (swords and sorcery indeed) while getting listeners’ hearts pumping and leading them through a sequence of changing moods. And we’ll tell you right up-front that it features clean singing, which connects to the glorious old heavy metal traditions that this Torpor have embraced. Continue reading »

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 196): TODOMAL

 THE SYNN REPORT  2 Responses »
Jul 012026
 

Recommended for fans of: Moonspell, Anathema, Tiamat

I always try my best to ensure that each edition of The Synn Report is different from the last, in the sense that I never want to have too many Black Metal, or Death Metal, etc, entries in a row.

For example, so far this year we’ve had some maddeningly technical Death Metal brutality (Eximperitus), broodingly proggy Black Metal (Juodvarnis), genre-splicing Industrial Electro-Punk (Doodseskader), riff-heavy Death/Hardcore crossover (Black Breath), and gnarly blackened Sludge (Erdve), so today we’re continuing to keep things fresh by featuring the doomy romanticism of Spain’s Todomal (whose new album is out on Friday).

Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: THORNS OF RUINS — “WICKED SOULS”

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Jun 302026
 

(written by Islander)

Thorns of Ruins makes its first appearance in ours page today. It is the solo work of Thomas Aamodt, who is probably better known for his other project, the Norwegian black metal band Ildfar.

We’re informed that the idea for Thorns of Ruins started back in 2022 when some of the songs that would become Ildfar’s second album, Nattemørkets kall, did not fit within Ildfar’s universe. Rather than abandon them, Thorns of Ruins was formed – and since then Aamodt has strived to create even greater musical separation between the two projects.

That separation is now most evident in Thorns of Ruins’ second album, Stellar Reverence, which will be released on August 13th by a trio of labels — Satanath Records, Black Plague Records, and Pagan Fury Records.

The new music still shows its connections to black metal, but it also reaches across genre lines to create intersections with doom and death metal, and to craft melancholic, atmospheric, and melodic experiences. We have an example of how multi-faceted the music is, through our premiere of a lyric video for the song “Wicked Souls“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: CEREMONIAL WORSHIP — “PANTHEON OF SUFFERING”

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Jun 302026
 

(written by Islander)

The Greek black metal band Ceremonial Worship now find themselves in the tenth year of their existence. In that time they’ve released a pair of EPs, a split, and two albums — with a third one slated for international release by the Eternal Death label on July 31st.

This new album, Between Sleep and Death, is the work of a new lineup (though with founder High Priest C.W. still in the lead), and it has drawn comparisons to both classic Hellenic black metal (the legacy of Rotting Christ, Varathron, Necromantia) and “second wave” bands such as Kawir, Legion of Doom, Nocternity, and even mid-period Nightfall.

What we have for you today is the premiere of the second advance track off the new album, a truly ravishing song called “Pantheon of Suffering“. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: UNMOTHER

 Interviews  No Responses »
Jun 302026
 

(Today we present Comrade Aleks’ interview of Spyros, aka Declwa, guitarist/bassist for the UK band Unmother, whose second album was released in February of this year and was reviewed by us here.)

The second album of London-based project Unmother, State Dependent Memory, depicts a disturbing urban atmosphere of isolation and unsafety in post-black metal tones. The black metal elements used as the album’s framework are almost devoid of the genre’s extreme spirit, but the speed of delivery and screaming vocals work to Unmother’s advantage. The album’s main mood, or atmosphere, so to speak, is supported by “experimental” and melancholy deviations from the theme, embedded in the guitars’ transitions into the appropriate register and the non-trivial, noire keyboard melodies.

Unmother truly has crafted material with its own character, and the black metal component isn’t as prominent as one might expect, but that’s not particularly important. State Dependent Memory provides questions and barely answers, and an interview with the band was a question of time. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: RAPID — “MOONLESS NIGHT”

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Jun 292026
 

(written by Islander)

A decade has passed since the Finnish metal band Rapid released their first demos, eventually leading to their 2022 debut EP Blackstar Oppression Regime. The music captured in those four songs has rightly been described on behalf of their label as an electrifying collision of “the urgency of hardcore punk, the hook-oriented propulsion of speed metal, and the spidery aura of old-wave black metal”.

Here we are, four years later, and Rapid’s debut album Enter the Realm of Fire is set for release on August 21st by Dying Victims Productions, and we’ll help you get your week off to a diabolical start with the premiere of an album track called “Moonless Night“. Continue reading »

JUNIUS – SOTERA

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Jun 292026
 

(Andy Synn catches up with a band we’ve featured a lot of over the years)

With so much music being released all the time, by both new bands and old ones, it’s all too easy to lose track of even your favourite artists.

Case in point, has it really been nine years since the most recentl album from Boston-based Post-Rock-influenced, Shoegaze-inspired Alt-Metallers Junius?

Well, apparently it has (not counting an interim Live Album from 2024), and while nine years definitely isn’t the longest gap between albums I’ve ever heard of (I’m still waiting patiently for that new Anata album) it’s definitely enough time that you might be wondering if the band have still “got it”.

So, let’s find out, shall we?

Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: ALKUHARMONIAN KANTAJA, THE WATER WITCH, BLODTÅR, BLACK DOOR

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK  No Responses »
Jun 282026
 

(written by Islander)

For this Sunday I don’t have as many selections to recommend as usual. That’s not because I haven’t come across more releases that are worth recommending but because I’m short of time as I begin writing this.

On the other hand, this collection includes two complete albums. To forewarn you, both of them are unconventional, which is to say they may pose a challenge to some listeners who are less inclined to spend their time with avant-garde and experimental concoctions. But for people inclined to get off the usual beaten paths, with a taste for getting their minds bent, both albums are remarkable.

I’ve followed those two with two singles from forthcoming albums. Compared to today’s first two selections, they’re more easily grasped, but they’re still very engrossing. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: BEHEMOTH, RUSSIAN CIRCLES, FUMING MOUTH, SÉPULCRE, LUMINOUS VEIL, JØTNARR, THOLN, MAUNAH

 Album Reviews, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  2 Responses »
Jun 272026
 

(written by Islander)

Sometimes we lead off these roundups with shiny lures (bands whose names are well known) to attract hungry fish (you), in the hope that the fish will get hooked by something sharp hanging below in darker waters. That’s what I’ve done today, though to be clear, I was also attracted by the lures.

(Note to self: don’t use the fishing analogy again since you haven’t gone fishing in decades and the only lures you used were worms.)

The lures are themselves quite different from each other, and so are the lesser-known hooks, and altogether they provide a lot of listening (and viewing) pleasure. Be forewarned: there’s a bit of singing in the mix until you get to the end — when there’s a lot of it (and extraordinary singing it is). Continue reading »

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