OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XXVIII: FLYING HIGH

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Jun 172026
 

(Today we present another monthly collection of reviews by Daniel Barkasi, who focuses his attention this time on albums released during May 2026.)

I began writing this reflecting on what was another incredible edition of Maryland Deathfest and preparing for my flight over the pond to attend and cover the mighty Fortress Festival. Well, with the time needed to complete my extensive overview, we’re finally getting back to this column. Apologies for the delay, but between that and getting my general existence sorted post-Fortress mayhem, this unfortunately got pushed to the back burner. But hey, better late than never, and we’ve got some records you won’t want to sleep on.

I also have to give a shout out to the wife, as Monday, May 25th, was our tenth wedding anniversary. Thanks for being the best and dealing with my oddball self. Time flies far too quickly, and each moment is a cherished one.

To add to personal instances, we mentioned our pregnant horse Naru was due any day. Well, during the Maryland Deathfest weekend, she gave birth to her first foal, a wonderful grulla filly who we just named Ezri. Mom and the little one are healthy as can be, doing great, and thriving at home. Life can be pretty awe-inspiring sometimes, and this is one of those moments. Excited to see this little one grow up. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2026 – MAY 30-31, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND – DAY 2

 Concert Reviews  2 Responses »
Jun 122026
 

(Here is Daniel Barkasi’s extensive report on the second day of Fortress Festival 2026 in England, accompanied by his great own photos. Go here to see his article on Day One of the festival.)

Sunday, Day 2

Intro

Survive the first day, we did. To say that we were raring to go for day two, at least on first waking up, would be an outright fallacy. Four days of Maryland Deathfest, all of the travel, and the long first day had somewhat caught up to me. The initial plan was to grab breakfast from somewhere – there were a few places nearby that looked solid – but that would require me to move more than a couple of feet, so a couple of protein bars and some Tim Tams that I picked up at the local Tesco would have to suffice. Don’t get me started on my adoration for Aussie snack foods, but yes, I indeed did make some tea and did a proper Tim Tam slam. You’re not looking at some novice.

Once our faculties were in order, it was about time to stroll over to the old Spa for a second and final day that was to give very little mercy in terms of downtime. The proof of a killer lineup – we’ll take it, but the feet protest. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2026 – MAY 30-MAY 31, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND – DAY 1

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Jun 102026
 

(Below you’ll find Daniel Barkasi’s extensive report on the first day of Fortress Festival 2026 in England, accompanied by his great own photos. His report on Day Two lies ahead.)

Intro:

When one has an incredible experience, it’s only natural to chase that down to re-experience it again. My experience at Fortress Festival last year without doubt qualifies – a festival that was built from the ground up to provide something unique, and now in its fourth iteration, Fortress has become a destination for many that they simply can’t miss. Yours truly obviously can be tossed into that categorization, as here we are, ready for our second helping of black metal insanity.

With this mind-boggling lineup, how could we not come back? Continue reading »

AVERSIO HUMANITATIS: “TO BECOME THE ENDLESS STATIC”

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
May 132026
 

(We present Daniel Barkasi’s review of a new album by the Spanish black metal band Aversio Humanitatis, which is out now on Debemur Morti Productions.)

The question of why we dedicate so much time and energy to this music isn’t one that pops up into this writer’s brain often; to the initiated, there’s a plethora of reasons, of course. Once in a great while, a band or an album does serve as a stark reminder of what makes this boiling underbelly of audible chaos so very special.

Enter Spain’s Aversio Humanitatis, a band who have regularly been a part of my admittedly expansive rotation. Most notably with the release of 2020’s Behold the Silent Dwellers – an album that made these ears perk up immediately, like our dog Jericho when we’re making salads (yes, our good boy loves romaine lettuce). There’s a discordance woven into that album that keeps it off-kilter enough to satiate my hunger for music that doesn’t stick to pre-defined genre guardrails. Moreover, the innate skill to compose truly intriguing black metal that’s equally enraged and impetuous is a combination that’s irresistible.

Six years have passed, and Aversio Humanitatis finally returned with To Become the Endless Static in tow, their third full-length effort via the always reliable Debemur Morti Productions, who are on a hot streak unlike any other label in 2026 for this fellow’s money. What was in store was beyond whatever one’s imagination could devise. Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES — VOLUME XXVII: A DREAM OF SPRING

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May 112026
 

(We present another monthly collection of reviews by Daniel Barkasi, who focuses his attention this time on albums released during April 2026.)

Spring – that lovely time when the cold goes away and I don’t need thermal undergarments to go outside. Alas, Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind – freezing one day, gorgeous the next. One day, we experienced the conditions of all four seasons in a single day. Those kinds of swings have been common all over – ask the poor iguanas in Florida – so we just have to push through it.

When titling this edition, yes, of course we’re parodying the A Song of Ice and Fire book series that’ll seemingly never finish, so with a lack of judgement in the humor department, this is where we landed. At least this column will be done before the next book comes out.

Also, totally unrelated – the horses are finally home! It’s good to have them back, and by the time we’re writing about May releases, we’ll hopefully be able to announce the arrival of our girl Naru’s foal.

The beginning of festival season is of course upon us, and NCS’s very own Northwest Terror Fest is literally days away as I write this. To all attending, have the absolute best time, and thanks for making it and this lovely place what it is. I’ll join the group someday. Maryland Deathfest follows, of course, with a lineup that’s difficult to imagine being real. For me, Fortress Festival immediately follows, so stay tuned for a documentation of my adventures in the town of Scarborough. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2026 PREVIEW

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May 062026
 

(Our writer Daniel Barkasi prepared the following preview of the 2026 edition of Fortress Festival set to take place in Scarborough, UK, on May 30-31.)

Deja vu is a hell of a thing. Just like this point last year, we were preparing for experiences familiar and new – we’ll be in attendance for the annual tradition known as Maryland Deathfest in a few weeks, and the celebration of all we love at NCS in Northwest Terror Fest looms even sooner still this coming weekend. I swear, I’m going to make it out to NWTF one of these years.

What’s also similar, but a little different this time for yours truly, is the subject of the buzzing Fortress Festival. Last year was our first foray to this destination weekend of black metal powerhouses, and we were nervously scrambling to make sure everything was in order. It was my first visit to the UK, after all, so paths unseen can be a tad stress-inducing. That said, deep in my gut, it felt like a festival that we just had to attend.

The experience we had was far beyond what could have been realistically expected. The lineup was absolutely packed, the organization was excellent from all angles, the locale was picture-perfect, and the crowd was an eclectic bunch of amazing folks clad in black t-shirts. What’s not to love? If you don’t believe me, read up on my memorable experience in 2025.

Naturally, considering all of the above, the opportunity to come back to the shores of Scarborough again in 2026 was simply too good to pass up, and you’re all welcome to come along for the ride (virtually speaking) on May 30 – 31, coming from the wonderful seaside locale of Scarborough. Continue reading »

FOETOREM: “INCONGRUOUS FORMS OF EVERGROWING ROT”

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Apr 142026
 

(Here is Daniel Barkasi’s review of the debut album by the Danish band Foetorem, which came out at the end of March through Everlasting Spew.)

Demos tend to be raw glimpses of a band in their yet-to-be fully realized form. Once in a blue moon, you come across a legitimate head-turner that’s further along in their spawning phase than it has any right to be. Such is the case for yours truly and Danish death/doomsters Foetorem. Their three-song introduction in early 2025 was robust, intricate, and absolutely nasty in the most putrid way (that’s good), whetting the appetite for what they might be capable of within an LP.

That time came not too long afterward, with the band being picked up by denizens of all things grotesque Everlasting Spew Records – a home that feels perfectly suited for the wares we’ve heard from the foursome thus far. Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot is the most fitting name of that first full-length effort, and the question of whether they can fulfill their massive potential or sink into the murky swamp is the curiosity of the day.

Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XXVI: RIP BO LUEDERS AND JAMES LOLLAR

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Apr 072026
 

(Our friend Daniel Barkasi returns with another monthly collection of reviews for recommended releases, and this time draws his lot from what the month of March brought us.)

I had a bit of a different angle planned for the beginning of this edition until April 2nd, but we’re going to take an unwelcome detour.

News that day came out informing us that we lost two important artists – James Lollar, known as the darksynth legend Gost, and Harms Way guitarist Bo Lueders. Both had an indelible impact in their respective genres, and their losses are a devastating shock to the friends and family of these two fine folks, but of course also to those who followed and embraced their creative endeavors. Harms Way’s crushing, vibrant approach to hardcore is a go-to for me, and Lueders came across as an excellent guy who touched the lives of many through his music, his podcast, and his all-around good nature.

Due to my personal experiences, I want to focus on Gost/James Lollar for a moment – an artist who holds an esteemed place for myself and many others due to his extremely innovative and genre-molding music, which in tandem with Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, Dance with the Dead, Mega Drive, and Dan Terminus, invented and perfected the darksynth sound. His dense, incredibly aggressive and monolithic productions are ones for the ages. A discography that has been in regular rotation since hearing Behemoth in 2015. My wife and I were lucky enough to cover a live show of his in December of 2023 – the only time either of us got to view his work live, and what an indelible experience it was. Continue reading »

HELLRIPPER: “CORONACH”

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Mar 242026
 

(This is Daniel Barkasi’s review of a new album by the Scottish band Hellripper that’s set for release on March 27th by Century Media Records.)

The story of Hellripper is quite a humble one, and the project’s meteoric rise in the metal scene has been exciting to witness. The brainchild of sole songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James McBain, it all started as an EP in 2015 – The Manifestation of Evil – that he hoped a few folks in the local Aberdeen, Scotland scene would dig, and it’s been quite the rapid ascent since.

His approach to black/speed/thrash is deeply rooted in the black metal classics like Bathory and Venom, the punky thrash of Toxic Holocaust, and the rock ‘n’ roll swagger of Motörhead, but done so in his own highly singular amalgamation of those aforementioned influences. Having gained further steam with each album, his 2023 effort Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags has been the most complete thus far, adding a sense of refinement within the raw, pacey attack that makes Hellripper so damn fun and memorable.

With his fourth full-length Coronach, which is titled after a traditional improvised song during a wake in the Scottish Highlands, McBain continues fine-tuning Hellripper’s sound with added instruments and songwriting techniques, while not straying from the firmly established overarching approach. There’s enough primal intensity in the album’s 44 minutes to power a freight train at full throttle, and the newfangled elements bring a fresh purview to the riff-centric chaos, ensuring that this isn’t a mere rehash or more of the exact same. Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XXV: 28 HEAVY DAYS LATER

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Mar 052026
 

(In this latest of Daniel Barkasi’s monthly reviews for NCS he focuses on records released in February 2026.)

With the snow thawing in our area – a much different tale for many in the northeast US – leaving the house has become much more of a normal feat, without the risk of slipping on an ice sheet. I should have whipped out my ice hockey skates when we had sub-freezing temperatures, and made a complete ass of myself. Well, you know, in a different way than normal.

The lessening presence of arctic cold in the air hasn’t slowed the release calendar, with proceedings picking up with an icy bluster of quality releases in the year’s shortest month. For the “bigger” releases, Mayhem put out what has been one of the most dynamic and intriguing releases of their existence, while Worm went symphonic with dazzling results, and vets Converge bestowed an all-timer upon us.

While we’ve only got six spots to bestow in this column, there were several strenuous omissions, not due to a lack of quality of course, but fierce competition amongst a bevy of top level records. Mors Verum’s death metal manifestation is ever intriguing, Howling took me by surprise with their abrasive black metal, and The Magus and Nazghor provided contrasting-yet-gripping slabs of the dark arts, whereas Bizarrekult and Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne gave their own inspiring and undeniable viewpoints on all things black. Hell, there’s a full slate for this monthly exercise that would have been fantastic, but therein lies the strength of February’s offerings. Continue reading »

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