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Album Review – Lumen Ad Mortem / A Grave Ascent (2026)

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This ruthless Black Metal entity from Down Under returns with their sophomore beast, offering a sonic landscape of chilling melodic ferocity and suffocating atmosphere.

Following the release of their debut record, Upon the Edge of Darkness, in 2023, Adelaide, Australia-based Black Metal horde Lumen Ad Mortem (or “light unto death” from Latin) returns with their sophomore beast titled A Grave Ascent, a striking dose of ferocious Black Metal that balances perfectly between an energetic drive fueled by lightning-fast tremolo riffs and a mid-paced dirge drenched in atmosphere. Recorded at Fjordrecord Studio C (vocals), at Forest Trees Studio (guitars, keyboards and orchestration), at M/E Studio (bass and percussion), produced and mixed by Patrick Pages Oliver at Blood Wolf Productions, mastered by Owen Gillett at O.G. Mastering, and displaying a sinister artwork titled “Le Devourer” by Leoncio Harmr, the new offering by Gregor Pikl on vocals, Aaron Tuck on the guitars, keyboards and orchestration, Morris Ewings on bass, and Rory Amoy on drums and percussion shines with a harmonious mix, sounding raw, cold and emotional, yet clear and perfectly balanced, a sonic landscape of chilling melodic ferocity and suffocating atmosphere.

What Was Lost is a haunting and evil intro that will send shivers down our spines before the band crushes our hopes and dreams with The Departed, where the devilish gnarls by Gregor match perfectly with the scathing riffs by Aaron, resulting in a lecture in modern-day Melodic Black Metal while Morris and Rory make the earth tremble with their ruthless bass and drums, respectively. The strident guitar lines by Aaron kick off another blast of absolute Black Metal magic titled I Never Ceded, inspiring us all to succumb to absolute darkness; whereas Rory shows no mercy for his drums in Ghost Gums, blasting our minds with total savagery and violence while also presenting Stygian, atmospheric moments.

Then the cryptic piano by Aaron ignites one more round of the band’s trademark obscurity in A Grave Ascent, before exploding into a massive beast led by Gregor’s demonic vociferations, followed by A Stone Shall Come to Rest, presenting a blend of doom-laden Black Metal and with the fierce riffage by Aaron being nicely complemented by Morris’ thunderous bass without a single second of peace. And What is Yet to Lose is another song with a cinematic intro, as suffocating as it can be, and when the music hits get ready to be pulverized into tiny pieces to the venomous roars by Gregor and the killer beats and fills by Rory, resulting in ten minutes of first-class, consuming and vile Black Metal to conclude their black mass.

Retaining a malleable nature, alongside ominous synth lines and drums that relentlessly drive the energy forward, while lyrically drawing from the Australian wellspring of loss, death, and the undying spirit that refuses defeat, driven by an unrelenting force of cold and undeniable vengeance, all set within an ancient landscape where the vastness of time and darkness renders human existence utterly insignificant, A Grave Ascent is a must-listen for admirers of the darkest side of music. Hence, you can get in touch with those Stygian musicians via Facebook and Instagram, stream their music on Spotify or any other platform, and above all, grab a copy of their striking new album from their own BandCamp, or from the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp or webstore (as a CD or an LP). Bitterly cold, haunting and ethereal, A Grave Ascent will embrace you in darkness and choke you until you’re no more, exactly the way Black Metal is supposed to sound.

Best moments of the album: The Departed and And What is Yet to Lose.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. What Was Lost 2:06
2. The Departed 7:10
3. I Never Ceded 5:22
4. Ghost Gums 4:51
5. A Grave Ascent 6:04
6. A Stone Shall Come to Rest 5:47
7. And What is Yet to Lose 10:13

Band members
Gregor Pikl – vocals
Aaron Tuck – guitars, keyboards, orchestration
Morris Ewings – bass
Rory Amoy – drums, percussion

Guest musicians
Lachlan Odell – keyboards (live)
Lachlan Stopa – guitars (live)

Album Review – Tanin’iver / Dark Evils Desecrate (2024)

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The blind dragon steed of Lilith will breathe fire upon humanity once again to the sound of his fourth full-length opus, an outpouring of blazing hatred and rage in the form of devilish Blackened Death Metal.

“The heavenly serpent is a blind prince with name of Tanin’iver…he is the bond, the accompaniment and the union between Samael and Lilith. If he were created whole in the fullness of his emanation he would have destroyed the world in an instant.” – The Early Kabbalah

A Black and Death Metal embodiment of one man’s creative spirit, forged in the cold flames of tragedy, loss and personal struggle, an outpouring of blazing hatred and rage at a world blighted by sickness, cursed by violence and intolerance, drowning in greed and ignorance, Adelaide, Australia-based Blackened Death Metal outfit Tanin’iver (the blind dragon steed of Lilith in ancient mythology) is unleashing upon humanity its fourth full-length opus, titled Dark Evils Desecrate, the follow-up to the project’s 2021 album The Lucifer Effect. Produced, mixed and mastered by the band’s mastermind, vocalist and guitarist Steve Lillywhite (aka Skorpa), Dark Evils Desecrate sees Steve (alongside once again guitarist and bassist Liam Mohor) turning his coruscating gaze from the poisonous cesspit of religion and delivering a bombardment of scathing, acidic vitriol onto humanity’s obsessions with war, violence, intolerance and the brain-sapping curse of social media, being therefore highly recommended for fans of Dissection, Belphegor, Mayhem and Svart Crown.

Another World’s Hell hits us hard in the face with its infernal lyrics roared by Steve (“Long, the way, to light  / Out of all this dark / To be precise, / The killing of the night /Will be the end, / Of what I failed to be / Your dreams, are dead”) while the music is as bestial as it can be, with his caustic riffage adding an extra touch of evil to the overall result; followed by Disrepair, another pulverizing, devilish tune by the duo, with Liam sounding thunderous with his bass while also delivering a crisp guitar solo for our total delight. Then we’re treated to Separatist, sounding absolutely devastating from the very first second, with its blast beats and venomous screams and riffs generating a truly demonic atmosphere perfect for some vigorous headbanging, whereas a rumbling, massive wall of sounds will crush your soul in Better the Devil, with its mechanized, pounding rhythm matching perfectly with Steve’s devilish gnarls.

It’s time for another feast of Black and Death Metal titled Freedom Is Never Free, with the guitars by both Steve and Liam grinding your mind in the name of absolute evil and darkness, flowing into Soul Thief, offering our putrid ears six minutes of hatred and fury blasted by the duo, with Steve stealing the spotlight with his most Black Metal, infuriated harsh growls, showcasing a very detailed and dense sonority. Get ready for another Blackened Death Metal onrush by Tanin’iver titled The Seer, where Steve vociferates like a demonic entity nonstop supported by the song’s classic riffs, beast and fills; and a cryptic start evolves into more of the band’s hellish sounds in Drowning on Dry Land, this time also presenting subtle elements from Industrial Metal in special in its drums. It drags for a bit too long, though. And lastly, the band offers us all an ode to the pits of hell titled So Was Red, bringing forward more of Steve’s high-pitched growling, demented riffs and brutal drums, consequently spreading a visceral, demonic stench in the air.

Steve’s story has been one of ongoing struggle, fighting against illness and addiction and processing the impact of heart rending loss, but he has harnessed the chaos that has raged around his life and channeled it into music of profound power and impact. Hence, if you want to show Steve how much you love the music by his Tanin’iver, you can start following him on Instagram, stream more of his music on Spotify, and above all that, purchase the sulfurous Dark Evils Desecrate from his own BandCamp page or from the Morning Star Heresy webstore as a CD or a cassette, letting the music by the blind dragon steed of Lilith reach deep inside your blackened heart.

Best moments of the album: Another World’s Hell, Separatist and The Seer.

Worst moments of the album: Drowning on Dry Land.

Released in 2024 Morning Star Heresy

Track listing
1. Another World’s Hell 4:14
2. Disrepair 5:40
3. Separatist 4:41
4. Better the Devil 4:32
5. Freedom Is Never Free 5:26
6. Soul Thief 6:22
7. The Seer 3:50
8. Drowning on Dry Land 4:34
9. So Was Red 5:30

Band members
Steve Lillywhite – vocals, rhythm guitars, sampling
Liam Mohor – lead guitars, bass

Album Review – Cauldron Black Ram / Stalagmire (2014)

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The music from Down Under has never been so obscure and devilish.

Rating5

CoverIt’s time to visit our friends from Down Under in search for some well-executed heavy music. However, this time our focus is not the traditional Hard Rock from AC/DC or Airbourne, but the extreme music from Australian Black/Death Metal band Cauldron Black Ram and their new album, the 100% evil Stalagmire.

The band has been on the road for quite a while, more specifically since 1996, having already released a couple of demos and full-length albums, but of course due to their raw, unpolished and gruesome musicality, it was pretty hard for them to reach a bigger and more diversified audience in the past. At least the Internet has evolved a lot in the past few years  and nowadays even headbangers from the other side of the world (like here in Canada) are able to enjoy the music from bands like this obscure Australian crew.

The opening track is a very good sample of what Cauldron Black Ram are capable of doing:  Fork Through Pitch is a diabolic mix of Death and Doom Metal, with traditional instrumental and harsh vocals that will please all fans of extreme music, especially because of the band’s previously mentioned rough production. The following track, Maw, goes on with the obscurity with its melancholic intro, good old-style riffs and vocals even more devilish than the previous song, while Discarded Death is a more Black Metal tune, where the good pace of drums and the deeper growling make it pure evil.

A Litany of Sailors Sins is a really slow-paced and dark tune, sometimes so macabre and heavy that I think people who are not really into Death and Black Metal will feel bad after listening to it. Well, that’s one of the main objectives of this type of music, right? Anyway, the nice guitar solo mixed with fast drumming by the end of the song gives it an extra dose of energy, which ends up preparing us for Bats, the fastest track of the album, full of awesome screaming and twisted riffs heavier than hell, and in my humble opinion one of the best songs of Stalagmire.

Cauldron-Black-RamCavern Fever is pretty decent instrumental track similar to Cannibal Corpse’s “Relentless Beating”, showcasing the talent of the musicians, while From Whence the Old Skull Came should be chosen as the perfect soundtrack to apocalypse: it might have a very simple and repetitive riff, but it’s at the same time extremely effective in sending the message desired by the band.

Finally, we have another extremely rudimentary track, The Devil’s Trotters, which not only sounds like the Devil himself is singing in it, but it also has some excellent rude bass lines that make it stand out from all other tracks of the album; and the obscure Speliogenesis, a song that could easily summarize pain, agony, sadness and despair in music if someone asked you to do that. Moreover, its pure Doom Metal vocals and extremely dense riffs help closing the album in the most demonic way possible.

The album art is as primitive as their music, and besides that, one interesting characteristic I could notice in their music was the addition of many elements from Stoner Metal the likes of Down and Crowbar, and even some hints of the Doom Metal played by Danzig and Black Sabbath, which in the end is undoubtedly healthful for the band and its future in heavy music.

In short, if you enjoy “evil” music, Stalagmire is a very good option to invest your hard-earned money, which can be done at the 20 Buck Spin official webshop (both the CD and the LP versions of the album are available there) or you can stream it and download it at the 20 Buck Spin Bandcamp page.

Best moments of the album: Fork Through Pitch, Bats and The Devil’s Trotters.

Worst moments of the album: Maw and Discarded Death.

Released in 2014 20 Buck Spin

Track listing
1. Fork Through Pitch 3:19
2. Maw 3:20
3. Discarded Death 4:07
4. A Litany of Sailors Sins 4:16
5. Bats 3:37
6. Cavern Fever 2:35
7. From Whence the Old Skull Came 3:13
8. The Devil’s Trotters 4:13
9. Speliogenesis 4:23

Band members
Esh – drums, vocals
Alim – guitar, vocals
Ben Newsome – vocals, bass