Conceived as a journey through eight visions, the new offering by this amazing Atmospheric and Melodic Black Metal entity from France is a thrilling concept album about erasure, cosmic implosion, and isolation.
Inspired by the frozen visions of Vinterland, the incantatory fury of Misþyrming, and the melodic intensity of Dawn, the idiosyncratic Clermont-Ferrand, France-based Atmospheric/Melodic Black Metal entity Inherits The Void, the brainchild of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Antoine Scholtès, has established itself as a singular voice within the modern French Black Metal scene since its inception in 2020, culminating in 2026 with the release of its fourth studio offering, titled The Silent Abscission. Mastered by Simon Da Silva at The Empty Hall Studio, ensuring a sound both dense, dynamic, and abyssal, and featuring session musicians Romain Negro (Apolaustic, Stortregn) on vocals and Nicolas Müller (Akiavel, Artefact, Svart Crown) on drums, the album is a true turning point, a concept album about erasure, cosmic implosion, and isolation. Conceived as a journey through eight visions, it moves between incantatory convulsions and silent abysses, leading to an inevitable and overwhelming resolution, continuing to pave the project’s path from its previous releases Monolith of Light (2021), The Impending Fall of the Stars (2023), and Scars of Yesteryears (2024).
The album begins in full force with The Sepulcher of Time, with the riffs by Antoine walking hand in hand wit the harsh vociferations by Romain in sheer Black Metal madness; and Nicolas crushes his drums like a true beast from the abyss in The Dawn over Ruins, offering Romain exactly what he needs to roar manically in a lecture in Atmospheric and Melodic Black Metal. The Silent Abscission sounds as destructive and harsh as its predecessors, with the guitars by Antoine exhaling fury and obscurity, whereas In the Shadow of the Falling Star brings forward another blast of absolute Black Metal excellence by Inherits The Void, with the riffs by Antoine and the beats and fills by Nicolas sounding incendiary until the very end.
The second half of the album begins in a visceral mode as well, with the venomous riffage by Antoine in Wrath of the Endless Sea transpiring modern-day Black Metal while also presenting introspective, Jazz-like passages. The Last Cry of Cosmos kicks off in a more melodic manner to the classy riffage by Antoine and the rhythmic drumming by Nicolas, again presenting multiple layers and nuances, followed by A World Unmade, a solid composition by Antoine and his henchmen despite lacking the same dynamism of the other songs of the album. Lastly, Inherits the Void, the song that carries the name of the band, couldn’t have sounded more majestic, offering us all almost nine minutes of contemporary Melodic Black Metal where the harsh vocals by Romain bring even more obscurity to their music.
A total Black Metal experience where matter and spirit are consumed within the same incantation, standing at the frontier between despair and eternity, The Silent Abscission might be Inherits The Void’s most ambitious and complete work to date, and you can get more information about the album, as well as about Antoine Scholtès and his Inherits The Void, by following the project on Facebook and on Instagram, and don’t forget to also stream his albums on Spotify, and to grab a copy of the album from BandCamp or from Sound Cave. The cosmic and Stygian path paved by the indomitable Antoine Scholtès until today is a thing of beauty, and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more form such an amazing musician in the near future as The Silent Abscission is indeed fantastic, and a must-listen for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in pure Black Metal magic.
Best moments of the album:The Dawn over Ruins, In the Shadow of the Falling Star and Inherits the Void.
Worst moments of the album:A World Unmade.
Released in 2026 Avantgarde Music
Track listing 1. The Sepulcher of Time 4:27
2. The Dawn over Ruins 5:15
3. The Silent Abscission 5:56
4. In the Shadow of the Falling Star 6:59
5. Wrath of the Endless Sea 4:41
6. The Last Cry of Cosmos 6:00
7. A World Unmade 5:22
8. Inherits the Void 8:37
Demon, please leave my mind… Delusional fight… Beaten, feel so traumatized… Outraged and down…
As June in the Northern Hemisphere is always splendid, our metal lady of such a warm and vibrant month also had to be a splendid one. However, you’re absolutely wrong if you think she sings about happiness and joy. Quite the contrary, she doesn’t care if it’s sunny and warm outside, delivering a Stygian blend of Atmospheric Black and Doom Metal with her band powerful enough to block the sun like a true sonic eclipse. Her name is Kristien Cools, the frontwoman for Belgian doom entity Splendidula, and you better be ready because once you enter her realm of gloomy and visceral doom, there’s no escape.
Born on September 22, 1985 in Mol, a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, but currently residing in Temse, a municipality in East Flanders, Belgium, Kristien is not only a metal vocalist, but she’s also a digital creator and a financial assistant. Regarding her studies, she went to the Provincial Kunsthumaniora Hasselt (PIKOH), to SISA in Antwerp, and also studied Desktop Publishing at CVO Heusden-Zolder. In addition, she’s is in a relationship with Belgian musician Joachim Taminau, who’s by the way the drummer for Splendidula.
Kristien said that she already started singing from the very first moment she could, already as a young child. Even back then she said “I’m going to be a singer,” and she has stuck to that ever since. “I was in my first band when I was 17, with which I did gigs and recorded a CD. Splendidula is definitely the band where things got more serious. I actually waited a very long time before taking singing lessons, but I once read an article about a singing teacher who teaches the technique for heavier singing in a healthy way, and that piqued my interest.”
Effortlessly blending genres to create a unique and captivating sound while dealing with delicate topics such as spirituality, depression, nightmares and death, Temse, Belgium-based Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal entity Splendidula started back in 2008, but none of the founding members are part of the band anymore. As a matter of fact, the band only released their debut self-titled album in 2013, already including Kristien on vocals, but with a completely different lineup with David Vandegoor and Adriaan Paszewski on the guitars, Jo Flemings on bass, and Patrick Vanderhenst on drums. After that, already featuring Joachim Taminau on drums (as well as other band members), the band released the albums Post Mortem, in 2018, and Somnus, in 2021.
Things unfortunately took a dark turn for Splendidula in 2022 with the passing of bassist Peter Chromiak, who played with the band in the albums Post Mortem and Somnus. Both guitarists at that time, Pieter Houben and David Vandegoor, found it impossible to carry on and Kristien and Joachim had to find new band members. After guitarist Guy Van Campenhout joined the band, and with the departures of guitarist Kim Van Stichel and bassist Bart Deroissart, they released their 2026 opus Absentia, a deeply personal journey through themes of loss and remembrance, available on BandCamp and on Spotify. Furthermore, in all of their albums you’ll find really touching, grim and scathing creations such as Absentia, Echoes of Quiet Remain, Behind My Semblance, Oculus, and Drocht.
According to the band, their name is derived from “lamprohiza splendidula,” the Latin name for “firefly,” aiming to represent the mysterious and peaceful feeling that these insects express when they fly around trees or float over water at night. Sitting at the crossroads of Atmospheric Black Metal and Doom Metal, the band blends the raw intensity of Black Metal with the deep, immersive atmosphere of Doom Metal, and while classic influences are certainly present, their focus is on crafting a layered, emotional experience. The combination of visceral screams, ethereal synths, and heavy instrumentation builds an atmosphere that is both intense and hypnotic, as their music is all about emotion and immersion, drawing the listener into the darkness they create.
Kristien also had some interesting comments about the music style played by Splendidula in one of her interviews. “We actually started writing music without wanting to play a particular genre. For us, the atmosphere that a song radiates is more important than whether or not we fit into the box we’re put into. During this process, we’ve evolved to a sound with a typical Doom metal base, accompanied by different influences from Sludge, Post and Black Metal. In this way we’re not limited to the boundaries of a particular genre. We want to continue evolving and explore musical boundaries, without standing still, and of course we hope that our audience will show the willingness to grow with us.” Regarding the band’s usually bleak artworks, she mentioned that the band decided to go for a really somber, yet very meaningful style of monochromatic art, to connect further with the concept of dreaming. “Actually a part of the population dreams solely in black and white, and a lot of theories suggest that people tend to dream in black and white when they experience something traumatic. After overcoming that difficult period, colours are gradually returning. We found this connection between dreams and reality very intriguing.”
Although Splendidula is obviously Kristien’s only band, you can also find her as a guest vocalist for the song Of Winter’s Woe and Whishes Whispered, from the 2021 album Prelude to Void, and all female vocals in the 2022 album A Voidchaser’s Elegy, both by German Ambient Doom/Post-Metal act Eirð, with her delicate yet visceral vocals matching perfectly with the long composition by the band’s mastermind Andreas Georg Libera, going on for over 10, 15 and even 20 minutes. I’m sure we’ll see more special appearances from Kristien in the near future for other bands that play Black, Death, Doom, Post-Metal, or any other subgenre of extreme music, as her voice fits perfectly in any of the darkest styles in Heavy Metal.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Within the Black Metal spectrum, Kristien said that some of her major musical influences are renowned acts the likes of Rotting Christ, Wiegedood, Austere, Hecate Enthroned, and Urfaust, among several others, saying she’s always been drawn to Atmospheric Black Metal. “There’s something about the darkness and atmosphere that truly moves me. It’s more than just music, it’s an emotional experience. Outside of metal, my ‘feel-good’ music is New Wave and EBM, as I love the melancholic yet danceable energy these styles bring. I listen to many genres, what truly matters is that the music evokes emotion,” she commented.
As the band wanted to dedicate Absentia to their deceased bassist Peter Chromiak, and as Kristien was looking for a way to express her emotions even further, that album is the one where you’ll find her most aggressive vocals, having received lots of tips on how to properly venture through the realms of screaming and guttural singing. “Personally, I like to be able to vary as much as possible, both the low and high vocals, and now with the screams added, so that people stay captivated, and for me that is interesting too, of course.” Not only that, she mentioned that the band’s creative process includes writing the music first, starting from a basic riff in the rehearsal room, and then experimenting with song structures and implementing some of their personal influences, which is when she begins crafting her vocal lines as well. “Remarkably, I usually create my vocals while driving the car. Belgian traffic jams seem to be the perfect occasion to play some rehearsal recordings and start singing along. In this way I often create melodies very instinctively, and only at the very last stage, these melodies are also accompanied by written words.”
Needless to say, Kristien loves to perform live, having already played in different Belgian cities like Antwerp, as well as outside of their homeland, and at Belgium’s second-largest metal festival, Alcatraz. Furthermore, when asked how she would determine the setlist when Splendidula is scheduled for a 30 or 40-minute slot anywhere, taking into account their songs are long and detailed (sometimes surpassing the nine-minute mark), she said that can be a bit of a puzzle, but in the end everything makes sense and the show flows really well. Also, as the band consistently uses visuals in the background, like video footage, to create the perfect atmosphere and give their concerts a more theatrical vibe, there’s always lot of work to be done by Kristien and the boys, but it’s all worth it as the audiences love every single second of their performances.
Lastly, as a Belgian citizen that’s proud of the metal scene in her homeland, Kristien recommends Antwerp’s own Doom/Death Metal band Marche Funèbre, who by the way released the amazing album After the Storm, in 2024; West Flanders-based Atmospheric Death/Black Metal act Thurisaz, who unfortunately played their last concert on December 6, 2024 in Kortrijk, Belgium, before calling it quits; and Mechelen’s own Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal band Pothamus, who released in 2025 the album Abur. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see Kristien as a guest vocalist for one of these bands, or any other band from the darkest and most melancholic side of music, right? Because we need more of the voice of Kristien Cools in our rotten and decaying world, as her singing is as comforting as it’s dark and gloomy.
Ukraine’s own Black Metal entity returns with an introspective three-track EP, continuing to illuminate the path for those who dare to wander, to question, and to dream.
Born from the whispering winds and the brooding landscapes of Ukraine, a realm steeped in history and draped in the enigma of folklore, emerges Drudkh, a beacon of profound expression in the vast expanse of Black Metal. In the wake of their 2025 full-length album Shadow Play (or “Гра тіней” in their mother tongue), the band formed of Thurios on vocals, guitars and keyboards, Roman Saenko on the guitars and bass, Krechet on bass and keyboards, and Vlad on drums and keyboards extends this same creative breath with Thaw, or “Відлига” in Ukrainian, a three-track EP recorded during the album’s sessions and conceived within the same emotional horizon. If the album traced the tension between shadow and illumination, Thaw inhabits the fragile interval between stillness and movement, where change begins almost imperceptibly beneath a frozen surface, being therefore highly recommended for fans of Hate Forest, Windswept, and Agalloch.
The first song of the EP, titled Пам’ять (Memory), already brings to our avid ears the band’s harsh and piercing sounds, with Thurios delivering Stygian vociferations while Roman slashes his guitar and bass in great fashion; followed by the also obscure and harsh tune Десь, колись (Somewhere, Sometime), which begins in an introspective manner before morphing into a feast of Atmospheric Black Metal led by the caustic riffage by Roman. And last but certainly not least, Мить у вічності (A Moment in Eternity) is a full-bodied Black Metal attack by Drudkh, blasting our ears and minds with their devilish roars, scathing riffs and hammering drums while also presenting a good dosage of Doom Metal to give the whole song an even darker vibe, closing the EP on a visceral note.
Drudkh’s journey is one of introspection, seeking to create music that evokes a profound emotional resonance that stirs the depths of the human experience. In Thaw, they continue to illuminate the path for those who dare to wander, to question, and to dream, and you can easily follow such an exciting path by checking what the band is up to on Facebook, by streaming their unique creations on Spotify, and of course by purchasing their new EP from Bandcamp, from Season of Mist, or by clicking HERE. Thaw is a very complex and multi-layered EP, overflowing all types of emotions during its 20 minutes of music, and we can rest assured we’ll hear a lot more from Drudkh in the near future with another blast of excellence like what’s found in their striking new release.
Best moments of the album:Мить у вічності (A Moment in Eternity).
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2026 Season of Mist: Underground Activists
Track listing 1. Пам’ять (Memory) 7:07
2. Десь, колись (Somewhere, Sometime) 5:51
3. Мить у вічності (A Moment in Eternity) 7:02
Band members Thurios – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Roman Saenko – guitars, bass
Krechet – bass, keyboards
Vlad – drums, keyboards
This unstoppable Russian Blackgaze duo is back with their sixth studio album, moving through remembrance toward letting go and acceptance, a quiet reconciliation with what cannot be carried further.
After the burning, there is stillness. Continuing the path opened by their 2024 opus Sacrifice, Saint Petersburg, Russia’s own Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal/Blackgaze duo Olhava is back with their sixth studio album, entitled Memorial. Produced, mixed and mastered by Mikhail Kurochkin, and displaying a darkly captivating artwork by Margot Makletsova, the new offering by Andrey Novozhilov on vocals, guitars, bass and synthesizers, and Timur Yusupov on drums moves through remembrance toward letting go and acceptance, a quiet reconciliation with what cannot be carried further, a shared human state shaped by loss, exhaustion, love, and the fragile will to endure.
The first of the “Ageless River” instrumental tracks, Ageless River X, is a Blackgaze beast that goes on for almost five minutes, hypnotizing us all before we face After I’m Gone and its 14 minutes of atmospheric passages, blackened sounds and the anguished roars by Andrey, while Timur simply crushes his drums in the name of extreme music. Moreover, it completely switches from its core ferocity to a more ethereal sound halfway through it. When the Ashes Grow Cold, featuring a guest “screwdriver solo” (or whatever that is) by Artyom Selyugin (of bands like Show Me A Dinosaur, Somn, and hopeyouwell), is a multi-layered, otherworldly composition that lasts for over 20 minutes for our absolute delight, with its whimsical passages exploding into another round of the duo’s majestic dark music.
Then we have the next Blackgaze instrumental piece, Ageless River XI, heavier and more obscure, as if warning us all about the storm that’s about to begin in the title-track Memorial, where Andrey’s enfolding synths clash with his visceral vocalizations and the Doom Metal drums by Timur, evolving into a full-bodied beast of Post-Black Metal where the anguish flowing from Andrey’s roars is outstanding. Ageless River XII is maybe a bit too long for such a monotone sound, albeit it still builds the ambience for The River Wakes, where their Post-Black Metal vein pulses harder than ever without forgetting their Atmospheric Black Metal essence, and the result is simply superb, with its second half exhaling anger and despair from Andrey’s vociferations. And all comes to an end with Ageless River XIII, the last Blackgaze composition, putting a beyond climatic, eerie and suffocating finale to the album.
Dedicated to more than one loss, Memorial holds space for the dead, for love that has outlived itself, for time that cannot be returned, for friends forced to flee, and for selves left behind. Hence, you can get in touch with the duo and let their music embrace you by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming their music on Spotify, and of course by purchasing Memorial from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp, from Sound Cave, or by clicking HERE or HERE. Memorial offers Olhava’s sonic representation of countless dark emotions like loss, exhaustion, and love, touching deep inside our hearts and souls while speaking the language of atmospheric, melancholic and visceral heavy music.
Best moments of the album:After I’m Gone, When the Ashes Grow Cold and The River Wakes.
Worst moments of the album:Ageless River XII.
Released in 2026 Avantgarde Music
Track listing 1. Ageless River X 4:56
2. After I’m Gone 14:16
3. When the Ashes Grow Cold 20:21
4. Ageless River XI 5:33
5. Memorial 13:24
6. Ageless River XII 6:33
7. The River Wakes 7:29
8. Ageless River XIII 5:46
Band members Andrey Novozhilov – vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizers
Timur Yusupov – drums
Guest musician
Artyom Selyugin – screwdriver solo “When the Ashes Grow Cold”
This multi-talented Hungarian Black Metal musician is ready to darken the skies with his debut solo offering, following a thorn‑ridden path of struggle, fear, disappointment, madness, resignation, and death.
A Symphonic and Melodic Black Metal one-man project by Hungarian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Árpád Szenti, best known for his drumming work with bands such as Thy Catafalque, Ahriman, Athame, and Damnation, the obscure Merculistarya is going to darken the skies with its debut offering, titled Áradó Fájdalom a Tűnődés Medrében (or “a flood of pain in the bed of contemplation” from Hungarian). Recorded and mastered by Árpád Szenti himself, with artwork by Attila Petheo, logo by Akos Gera, and layout by Zsolt Benko, Áradó Fájdalom a Tűnődés Medrében is a concept album where each song is connected, each meaning is intertwined, forming a single immersive narrative following a thorn‑ridden path of struggle, fear, disappointment, madness, resignation, and death, contrasted against the vastness of nature, its elemental force, its mysticism, and the unseen dimensions that pulse beneath reality.
Minimalist guitars set the tone in the Atmospheric and Depressive Black Metal aria Merengő (or “pensive” in English), with Árpád’s anguish gnarls giving the song a truly darkened vibe while also presenting multiple layers of melancholy, violence and heaviness. Then a piano intro suddenly exploders into sheer Black Metal madness in A haldoklás csalogat (“dying lures”), with Árpád putting the pedal to the metal with his crushing beats and slashing riffs; and his visceral, melancholic vociferations walk hand in hand with another blast of Melodic and Depressive Black Metal insanity in Kitörve süllyedés (“breaking down”), not to mention the touch of finesse added to the music by his piano.
An ethereal and atmospheric intro once again morphs into Árpád’s Black Metal magic in Rémálomköd (“nightmare mist”), featuring Ivett Dudás as a guest vocalist, flowing like an arrow on fire in pitch black darkness until the very last second. Then guest Gabriel Cold takes care of the intro in Pusztuló kor (“destroying age”) before all hell breaks loose in a lecture in Black Metal by Árpád, who’s ruthless with his Stygian riffs, blast beats, and in special with his devilish roars; followed by Álomország (“dreamland”), another song where Árpád beautifully blends the charming sounds of the piano with the harshness of extreme music. It could have been a little bit heavier, though. And closing the album we face Sóhaj (“sigh”), presenting more of his slab of Hungarian Black Metal, with his phantasmagorical keys bringing even more insanity to the music.
Rooted in the darker currents of old school Black Metal, Áradó Fájdalom a Tűnődés Medrében is a deeply personal statement that has been taking shape for over two decades, reflecting a long and introspective creative journey. “This album is a fragment of my soul. Through Merculistarya, I unearthed emotions and energies that could not have surfaced through any other form of expression,” commented the multi-talented Árpád. You can get in touch with such a hardworking and passionate musician via Facebook, and purchase his awesome debut from Loud Rage Music’s BandCamp or webstore, from Pest Records’ BandCamp or webstore, or from Metal Or Die Records’ BandCamp. Fear, madness, death, nature, and Black Metal. This is what Árpád Szenti and his Merculistarya have to offer you in his first full-length album as a solo artist, and I bet you’ll have an absolute blast feeling all those emotions while listening to his acid yet deeply emotional music.
Best moments of the album:Merengő, Rémálomköd and Pusztuló kor.
Worst moments of the album:Álomország.
Released in 2026 Pest Records/Metal Or Die Records
This up-and-coming Irish entity is poised for world domination with their first full-length opus, blending an emotional mix of Post-Black Metal, Blackgaze, and Atmospheric Black Metal.
Formed in 2021 in Northern Ireland and consisting of four experienced musicians from the Irish metal scene, those being Andy Ennis (Celtachor, Imperial Demonic, Overoth) on vocals and bass, Nathan Irvine (So Much for the Sun) on the guitars, Ashley Irwin (So Much for the Sun) on the guitars and backing vocals, and Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan (Ironborne) on drums, vocals and cello, Belfast-based outfit Domhain (an Irish word meaning “world,” “the deep,” or “depth”) blends an emotional mix of Post-Black Metal, Blackgaze, and Atmospheric Black Metal, featuring distinctive vocal harmonies and cello. Following the release of their debut EP Nimue, in 2023, and the split Of Pine and Oak (with the band Ephemeral), in 2025, the band returns in full force now in 2026 with their first full-length opus, entitled In Perfect Stillness. Produced by the band itself alongside Chris Fielding, who was also responsible for the engineering and mixing at Foel Studio, mastered by Mike Lamb at Ghost Bird Studios, and displaying a grim yet delicate artwork by the band’s own Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan, In Perfect Stillness consists of five darkly embracing songs highly recommended for admirers of the darkest yet delicate side of music, positioning Domhain as a force to be reckoned with in the current Post-Metal landscape.
An overdose of melancholy flows from the dark cello by Anaïs in the cinematic intro Una Tarra Ci Hé (which translates roughly to “A Land Is There” from Corsican, often referring to the beauty or essence of Corsica), warming up our senses for the band’s undisputed Post-Black Metal attack in Talamh Lom, a Gaelic phrase, primarily Irish, that translates to “bare land,” “empty land,” or “uncultivated ground,” with Andy’s both clean and deep guttural adding an extra touch of obscurity to their sound while the guitars by Nathan and Ashley exhale heaviness. Things get even more introspective in Footsteps II, featuring guests John Wilson on the piano and Raul Andueza on the cello, with the band going almost full Post-Metal while also presenting atmospheric and progressive nuances in their core sonority. The last part of the album is by far the heaviest one, starting with the stormy title-track In Perfect Stillness, where Andy’s visceral roars and Anaïs’ thunderous drumming turn it into a must-listen for fans of the genre; and guest vocalist Sarah Fielding (of Darkest Era) lends her stunning voice to My Tomb Beneath The Tide, starting in a serene, melodic manner and presenting a beautiful clash of vocal styles while Nathan and Ashley fire their trademark scathing riffs and solos, ending the album on a high and embracing mode.
If you want to know more about the stylish, enfolding music crafted by Domhain, as well as more details about the band and their live performances, you can get in touch with those Northern Irish metallers via Facebook and Instagram, and don’t forget to also stream their unique music on any platform such as Spotify, and of course to grab a copy of the awesome In Perfect Stillness from their own Bandcamp or from These Hands Melt, or simply click HERE for all things Domhain. Domhain are poised for world domination armed with their striking full-length opus, shaking the foundations of Post-Black Metal in a beautiful and compelling way, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in the career of one of the must-see names of the underground scene worldwide.
Best moments of the album:In Perfect Stillness and My Tomb Beneath The Tide.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2026 These Hands Melt
Track listing 1. Una Tarra Ci Hé 1:57
2. Talamh Lom 7:10
3. Footsteps II 9:29
4. In Perfect Stillness 7:22
5. My Tomb Beneath The Tide 9:22
Band members Andy Ennis – vocals, bass
Nathan Irvine – guitars
Ashley Irwin – guitars, backing vocals
Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan – drums, vocals, cello
Guest musicians Sarah Fielding – vocals on “My Tomb Beneath The Tide”
John Wilson – piano on “Footsteps II”
Raul Andueza – cello on “Footsteps II”
This German lone-wolf of Symphonic Black Metal returns with a thrilling reinterpretation of the Divine Comedy, where doubt, despair and revelation intertwine.
The brainchild of German composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Tobias Püschner, founded in 2020 as a creative outlet merging Black Metal, orchestration and conceptual storytelling, Brunswick, Germany-based Symphonic Black Metal entity Daidalos (also spelled Daedalus, a legendary Athenian craftsman, inventor, and architect in Greek mythology) returns with a brilliant conceptual album, titled Dante, following up on the project’s 2022 debut The Expedition. Recorded and produced by Tobias himself, with guitars and bass recorded by Nahuel Lozano of Mental Cruelty (who also took care of the album’s mixing and mastering), and displaying a dark, devilish artwork by Bérénice Tulliez of Noirs Dessins, Dante is a reinterpretation of the Divine Comedy, where doubt, despair and revelation intertwine. Yet the core remains the same, the search for meaning in darkness, expressed through meticulous orchestration, intense vocal delivery and the balance between aggression and melancholy that defines Daidalos. Each track represents a fragment of this descent, from the intro in the forest, through the gates of hell, to the final escape, from storm to silence, from fire to frost.
Cryptic sounds ignite the opening tune Dante, with Tobias beautifully gnarling the song’s dark lyrics (“Straying in the Darkwoods / Raging Demons frighten me / In a Forest, on a Hill / Our Poem has begun / Shadows of a Poet who has lost his Way of Life / Leading down the Underworld / Where withering Sunlight dies”), exploding into Inferno, with his blast beats being boosted by all background orchestrations and the striking riffage by Nahuel in a lecture in Symphonic Black Metal. Ashes continues with Tobias’ incandescent feast of Black and Death Metal, with his haunting keys adding an extra touch of insanity to the music, followed by Storm, and the name of the song says it all. It’s an overdose of pure adrenaline, darkness, heaviness and epicness by Tobias, with his deep guttural bringing even more fury to his already violent Black Metal. Then featuring guest vocals by Erik Püschner (most probably Tobias’ own son) we have Minos, a phantasmagorical interlude that sets the tone for King, attacking us relentlessly with his Dimmu Borgir-like vociferations and keys, always supported by the killer riffs by Nahuel.
Polish brass metal duo :wisielec: (D.Rudzinski and T.Grzyb) brings the power of the mighty gongs to another enfolding interlude Styx, whereas Gate showcases a more cinematic side by Daidalos, both warming us up for Dis, where Tobias goes absolutely mental on drums and orchestrations, generating a grandiose wall of sounds perfect for slamming inside the circle pit (of fire). Phlegethon might be the coolest of all interludes thanks to its church-like organ, flowing into the also cryptic Malebolge, which sounds like it was taken from a movie score, exploding into Euphobia, a song that sounds inspired by some of the more recent creations by Cradle of Filth while also presenting devilish lyrics roared by Tobias (“Far above your faith are laws of sinful rotten Dreams / Flowers grow on / Mirrors and their Roots consume / Suddenly: Clashing Dew, Blossoms fall to Snow / In this loveless Pleasure-fauna / Sins have grown like Thorns”). Finally, Ultimatum closes the album on an apocalyptic, hellish mode, with Tobias firing his undisputed growls, blast beats and epic keys nonstop for our total delight.
For devotees of the Symphonic and Atmospheric Black Metal, Dante undoubtedly resonates with the monumental orchestrations of Fleshgod Apocalypse, the dark theatricality of Dimmu Borgir, and the apocalyptic scope of Septicflesh, and if you want to put your hands on such an amazing album from the always exciting German underground, you can grab a copy of it from the Rockshots Records’ webstore as a CD or an LP, or simply click HERE for all digital versions available of the album. Don’t forget to also give Tobias Püschner and his Daidalos a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, staying up to date with all things Daidalos, and of course to stream his creations on Spotify or any other platform. The reinterpretation of the Divine Comedy by Daidalos turns Dante into a must-listen for fans not only of extreme music, but also of good storytelling with endless darkness, passion and despair, and if that’s an indication of the path Tobias will follow with his future releases, we can rest assured Symphonic Black Metal will remain strong for many years to come.
Best moments of the album:Inferno, Storm and Euphobia.
This up-and-coming Portland, Oregon-based five-piece Post-Black Metal band will stun us all with their “musical tribute” to the lore of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
An up-and-coming five-piece Post-Black Metal band from Portland, Oregon, the thrilling Velothian, the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Daren Walker, blends elements of Post-Metal, Folk Metal and Shoegaze (often with the inclusion of instruments like horns, synth, cello, and hand drums) in their music, drawing inspiration from nature, science fiction and fantasy. After the release of their 2024 debut EP Path of the Incarnate, the band currently formed of the aforementioned Daren Walker on the guitars alongside Juniper Ashford on vocals, Shawn Brannon on the guitar, Ethan Miller on bass, and Ryan Chappell on drums in unleashing upon humanity their first full-length opus, titled Mythic Dawn. Mixed and mastered by Daren Walker himself, the album is a “musical tribute” to the lore of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, following Path of the Incarnate, which focused on Morrowind. Moreover, the album title refers to the Mythic Dawn, a secretive Daedric cult in The Elder Scrolls universe that worships Mehrunes Dagon and instigated the Oblivion Crisis.
Their epic battle begins in full force with The One From My Dreams, where Juniper’s devilish gnarls are properly boosted by the scathing riffs by Daren and Shawn, also presenting ethereal passages to give the song even more depth. In Forgotten Ruins, Juniper roars the song’s dark words (“Keepers of the fire / Sigils of ancient glass / Guardians of this mortal plane / Now a scattered memory / Eyes of pale fire / The Children of the sky”) amidst a doom-ish and enfolding blend of Symphonic Black Metal; while the journey continues with The Great Forest, venturing through the realms of Atmospheric Black Metal, with the guitars by Daren and Shawn exhaling obscurity. Night Mother is another sinister and Stygian creation by Daren and his henchmen, with the massive beats by Ryan adding an extra dosage of heaviness to their music; and Ryan keeps pounding his drums supported by the rumbling bass by Ethan in Deadlands, keeping the album at a demonic level of darkness. The band then goes full Symphonic Black Metal in Mania, led by the vile vociferations by Juniper, flowing into the incendiary and intricate closing song Dragonfires, where Daren and Shawn breathe fire from their axes in the name of extreme music.
With songs focusing on both nostalgia from the game itself while also dealing with original stories and scenarios from the role playing experience, Mythic Dawn offers the listener epic, triumphant, and adventurous blackened extreme music, and if you want to join Daren and his horde in such a heavy and dark adventure, you can start following Velothian on Facebook, and of course grab a copy of the excellent Mythic Dawn from the project’s own BandCamp. Extreme Metal has always been the perfect type of music to represent the passion and perils found in role playing games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, even more than the usual Power Metal bands, and I’m sure Velothian will soon return with another exciting and utterly metallic journey the likes of Mythic Dawn for our absolute delight.
Best moments of the album:Forgotten Ruins, Night Mother and Dragonfires.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2026 Independent
Track listing 1. The One From My Dreams 4:19
2. Forgotten Ruins 5:05
3. The Great Forest 6:16
4. Night Mother 6:19
5. Deadlands 5:53
6. Mania 4:51
7. Dragonfires 6:51
Band members Juniper Ashford – vocals
Daren Walker – guitar
Shawn Brannon – guitar
Ethan Miller – bass
Ryan Chappell – drums
A seasoned duo hailing from Italy will darken your soul armed with their debut offering of arcane, devilish and dramatic Atmospheric Black Metal.
Led by vocalist, guitarist and bassist Max Havler (Ophidian, Shrivel), with Davide Billia (Antropofagus, Beheaded, Vomit the Soul) taking care of additional vocals, drums and keyboards, Milan, Italy-based Atmospheric Black Metal entity Evoked Eclipse has its sound closely tied to the Scandinavian Black and Death Metal scene, primarily Swedish, with references to Dissection and Naglfar, but also the Melodic Death Metal of Dark Tranquillity and Opeth and the melancholic Doom and Gothic Metal elements of early Katatonia. Recorded and mixed by Davide Billia at MK2 Recording Studio, mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, showcasing a cryptic artwork by the beyond talented Gogo Melone (presenting the album’s visual representation in its most arcane, dark and dramatic essence), and with layout by Francesco Palumbo of MKM Graphix, their debut effort The Cries Of Evil represents a new vision of extreme music, positioning the project as one of the must-see names of the new scene worldwide.
The ethereal intro Enchantment will transport us all to the Stygian realm ruled by Evoked Eclipe, flowing into the title-track The Cries Of Evil, where Max roars with tons of anger in his blackened heart while Davide delivers a mix of Black Metal blast beats and sluggish Doom Metal sounds. After that we have Land Of The White Spirit Lady, featuring guest vocals by Kyrah Aylin (of Aresea and Elegy of Madness), a beautiful, dark ballad of Blackened Doom, with their riffs and drums matching perfectly with Kyrah’s stunning vocal lines; and then we face the melancholic, grim interlude Mournishments, setting the stage for The Watch Of Spirits, with Max delivering sharp, crisp riffs and bass lines while Davide continues to hammer his drums mercilessly. In Drops Of Blood we see the band adding hints of Progressive Metal to their core Atmospheric Black Metal sonority, showcasing more of their fiery riffage, followed by Illusions Of The Life, another classic blast of atmospheric madness, sounding as dark and visceral as it can be, morphing into the outro Ascension, feeling utterly epic and leaving us eager for more of their stylish music in the near future.
Max and Davide are waiting for you with their Evoked Eclipse on Facebook and on Instagram, including news, more of their music, and who knows, maybe some live performances in a not-so-distant future, stream the album in full on Spotify, and of course you can put your hands on the excellent The Cries Of Evil from Club Inferno’s BandCamp, from My Kingdom Music, by clicking HERE, as well as from several other online retailers such as MDV Shop, Waterloo Records, and Groovespin.com. The fusion of Atmospheric and Melodic Black Metal with Death, Doom and Gothic Metal nuances found in The Cries Of Evil will certainly darken your already blackened heart even more, fueling the duo to keep blasting their undisputed extreme music for many years to come under their sinister, grim Black Metal eclipse.
Best moments of the album:The Cries Of Evil, The Watch Of Spirits and Illusions Of The Life.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2026 Club Inferno Ent./My Kingdom Music
Track listing 1. Enchantment 1:11
2. The Cries Of Evil 4:17
3. Land Of The White Spirit Lady 5:58
4. Mournishments 1:25
5. The Watch Of Spirits 7:01
6. Drops Of Blood 5:48
7. Illusions Of The Life 5:17
8. Ascension 2:15
Band members Max Havler – vocals, guitars, bass
Davide Billia – vocals, drums, keyboards
Guest musician
Kyrah Aylin – female vocals on “Land Of The White Spirit Lady”
I’m always on my own… Even in my dreams I die alone… Loneliness is a garment… Made of shadows hanging above…
There’s nothing better than kicking off the short but always freezing cold month of February than with an ultra talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who personifies the underground like our metal lady of this month, setting fire to the atmosphere with her undisputed blend of Extreme Metal. Known for her involvement with some amazing underground bands the likes of Zion Code and Cordiscord Elysium, and more recently for her undisputed solo career, releasing an array of first-class albums, she brings the noise directly from Germany to The Headbanging Moose, taking no prisoners in her quest for heavy music. Her name is Vanessa Funke, and after knowing more about her life and her career, I’m sure you’ll get addicted to her fusion of Melodic Death and Gothic Metal with an overdose of raw emotions and, therefore, feel beyond eager to get caught in a mosh while she kicks some serious ass both in the studio and onstage.
Hailing from Finnentrop, a municipality in Olpe district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Vanessa said in one of her interviews that music has been all around her basically her entire life, mentioning she remembers hearing the intro to Thin Lizzy‘s version of Whiskey In The Jar as a child and imagining that she would play it herself. “It took a while for me to pick up an instrument though, which was about 2009. I was absolutely fascinated with Mike Oldfield around that time, especially that he can play all those different instruments and basically creates albums almost on his own. That really was the impulse that led me to playing guitar and later keyboards. When I got into metal about two years later, I started to play it myself too.”
She believes the first ever metal song she learned on the guitar was Weather The Storm, by Finnish melodeath masters Insomnium, becoming the rhythm guitarist shortly after for a band named Storm Unleashed, which was basically her first step into the music business, naturally evolving more and more even after she decided to pursue her solo career. Clearly a huge fan of the Melodic Death Metal from the 90’s and 2000’s, she also started incorporating elements from Gothic Metal into her music, giving it even more depth, which consequently allowed her to explore darker emotions in her compositions.
Speaking of her solo career, it all began in 2017 when she started recording a few demos, which only came to light in 2022 as a compilation encompassing those demos from 2017 until 2021. After that, she kept firing her own blend of Melodic Death and Gothic Metal through the 2022 EPs Sorted Out and Broken, followed by the split Ode to Hopelessness (alongside French Depressive Black Metal act Angel of Suicide), her first full-length album Solitude, plus the splits Nothing Left… (with UK-based Black Metal outfit Black Apathy) and Anthems of Gomorrah / Vanessa Funke (with Pinellas County, Florida-based Black/Death Metal horde Anthems of Gomorrah), all also in 2022.
Then in 2023 she released the EP Reflections, the splits Lonely Suicide (with American Atmospheric Black Metal creature Nymphrenia), In the Shadow of the Lights (with a band named Luroga), A Road to Nowhere (with Panama’s own Black Metal entity The Last Weapon), and Barely Living on the Edge… (with the bands Nymphrenia, Black Apathy, Shallow Existence, and Have a Nice Life…), and her sophomore full-length opus entitled Dawn. In 2024, the EP Lament and the full-length Void saw the light of day, while in 2025 she brought into being the split Locomotion of Escape (with a band called Tachanka), and her fourth full-length installment, titled Requiem. All of those releases can be found on BandCamp and on Spotify, and on her official YouTube channel you can also find her official videos for songs such as Worthless, Broken Ground, Infelicity, and I Need You Tonight, among several others. Not only that, her music is also featured in a few interesting compilations, including the songs Solitude on the LDP Smörgåsbord Series #2 (released by Liminal Dread Productions in December 2023), Sorrow on Mind Over Metal 4: Volume 1 (released by Cave Dweller Music in May 2024), Buried on Black Metal Against Blackout (released in January 2024), and Dead Souls on Heavy for the Hollers (released by Liminal Dread Productions in November 2024).
One very interesting fact about her solo albums is that all of them have just one word in the title (Solitude, Dawn, Void, and Requiem), not to mention she keeps an impressive streak of one album per year. “I actually try to keep up the pace with one full length release every year. I’ve written so many songs that I have enough material for at least another album right now and several rough sketches and demos. When I get into this certain creative flow, I try to let it all out. Later I come back to these ideas and refine them. Having just one word as the title wasn’t something I planned. I released an EP called Broken in 2022, after that my first album Solitude followed and I basically just stayed with those one word titles since then. Fun fact: the album title never appears as a song title on the same album, but I do tend to use it later. For example, Solitude is the title of my first album, but also the title of the first song on Requiem,” explained our unstoppable metal diva.
Furthermore, she also explained the reason why the song titles in her latest album Requiem also have just one word, like Useless, Worthless, Sorrow, Death, and Buried, but that doesn’t mean her music should be labeled as Depressive Black Metal. “On this album I came up with the song names before I had the music. I wanted to be inspired by those simple words, like what do I feel when thinking about them and translate that feeling to music. Of course reading those titles can definitely imply something depressive, which is partially true because of the story behind it. But the music isn’t depressive black metal in my opinion, more a mixture between atmospheric black metal and funeral doom. The melodic death and gothic influence isn’t that strong here.”
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Apart form her undisputed solo career, Vanessa is (or was) also part of an interesting music project assembled to celebrate the 36th birthday of Alicia Cordisco (of Arizona’s own Thrash Metal beast Transgressive), with its collaborators spanning countries across three continents, including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The name of such a unique project is Cordiscord Elysium, a Melodic Death and Power Metal outfit with several guest musicians from different underground bands, and that released their debut EP titled Alicia Cordisco’s Amazing Birthday, in 2025, followed by the EP Alicia Cordiscord Autumnal Ball, and the single All Carols are Bangers, both also from 2025, and all available on BandCamp. From all songs recorded so far by the project, the most interesting one is hands down their cover version for Eagle Fly Free, by Helloween.
Prior to flying solo, Vanessa was a member of a Zanesville, Ohio-based Progressive Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore band named Zion Code, taking care of their vocal duties from 2022 to 2024, plus playing guitars, bass and keyboards for the band between 2023 and 2024. Formed in 2021 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brandon Mitchell, the band has already released seven full-length albums and two EPs, with Vanessa being part of the 2023 albums Zion Code and Festung, and the 2024 albums Apocrypha and New Dawn Rising. Curiously enough, nothing is available on BandCamp nor on Spotify anymore for reasons beyond our knowledge. Anyway, apart from recording vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards and drums in those albums, Vanessa was also responsible for the production, mixing and mastering, and even the artwork for the 2023 album Festung. I’m curious to listen to Zion Code as I haven’t had a chance yet, but apparently there’s nothing available anywhere, not even unofficial videos uploaded on YouTube by random users.
She can also be found as a guest musician for some very interesting bands and projects. For instance, she recorded vocals for the 2025 album The Burden of I, by Tucson, Arizona’s own Melodic Black/Death Metal musician Alicia Cordisco; vocals for the 2023 single We Can Win, by California-based Avantgarde Black/Power Metal act Black Stag Rising; the dialogue on the song Lebenssinn, from the 2023 EP Die Welt schläft ein, by French Black Metal entity Myrkyttää; additional vocals on the song Remember Me, from the 2025 album Down the Drain, by American Depressive/Atmospheric Black Metal act Nymphrenia; and additional vocals on the song Writhing in Agony I: Reopening Wounds I Have Once Forgotten, from the 2023 EP Writhing in Agony, by UK’s Depressive Black Metal act Shallow Existence. Not only that, Vanessa was also responsible for the artwork for the 2023 album Broken Cleansing and the 2023 EP Afuckt Up Mess, both by American Metalcore/Technical Death Metal act A Karmic Gray, and for the artwork for the 2023 EP Chaos Undivided, by Ohio’s own Death Metal brigade Bloodthirster.
When asked about how she feels having the drum arrangements (as well as the mixing and mastering) done by Michael Easley for her latest album Requiem, she said that it was an exception under her one-woman band project. “I usually do everything myself. This one album is actually the exception. I used a pretty old drum plugin initially, which lacked some human feel. As Michael is a drummer, he offered me to change it a bit and put a bit more life into it, which I gladly accepted. But nothing was done without my approval of course. Also a lot of the music was recorded at a time where my mixing skills weren’t that good. So Michael basically polished it to make it sound similar to my previous albums. For the next album I already have a higher standard I set for myself, so I’m pretty sure right now that if I get it right the way I imagine it, there’s no need for changes afterwards.” Furthermore, she also shared a few words about her writing and composing style. “When I start to write a song, I only have one chords progression or a melody from which I build up the whole song. So most things actually just happen during the recording process. There’s not much planning ahead usually.”
One very interesting thing about her album Requiem is that it is based on her own experiences as a teenager. “If you look at the album in two different sides (songs 1-5 and songs 6-8), there are two different things I wrote about: the first side deals with the feeling of spiraling deeper into depression, while the second side deals with intrusive thoughts. I couldn’t be completely neutral, but I still tried to keep things vague enough so others can find their own story in this. For me personally this story is deeply tied to dysphoria, something that was really strong when I was younger, the fear of coming out and not being able to live as myself. Even if I’ve come a long way since then and it isn’t that bad anymore, I still felt the need to have an outlet for all these emotions.”
Last but not least, Vanessa is not the type of person that’s very active in social media. “I do use Instagram and Bluesky apart from Bandcamp, but generally I’m not that good in this social media game, so my accounts there are definitely not as professional as bands often have them. But I generally don’t feel the need to change that, as it feels more comfortable for me like this,” she commented, and we must all agree she’s doing the right thing. Focusing on her music, on the quality of her final product, is way more important to us listeners than having an active Facebook or Instagram account. And don’t worry, Vanessa, because your music is so good we can take care of the social media posting on your behalf, spreading your emotional music to the four corners of the earth. Because, in the end, that’s what good music is all about.
Inspired by the frozen visions of Vinterland, the incantatory fury of Misþyrming, and the melodic intensity of Dawn, the idiosyncratic Clermont-Ferrand, France-based Atmospheric/Melodic Black Metal entity Inherits The Void, the brainchild of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Antoine Scholtès, has established itself as a singular voice within the modern French Black Metal scene since its inception in 2020, culminating in 2026 with the release of its fourth studio offering, titled The Silent Abscission. Mastered by Simon Da Silva at The Empty Hall Studio, ensuring a sound both dense, dynamic, and abyssal, and featuring session musicians Romain Negro (Apolaustic, Stortregn) on vocals and Nicolas Müller (Akiavel, Artefact, Svart Crown) on drums, the album is a true turning point, a concept album about erasure, cosmic implosion, and isolation. Conceived as a journey through eight visions, it moves between incantatory convulsions and silent abysses, leading to an inevitable and overwhelming resolution, continuing to pave the project’s path from its previous releases Monolith of Light (2021), The Impending Fall of the Stars (2023), and Scars of Yesteryears (2024).
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 