Let the battle commence to the sound of the striking third studio album by this German Heavy Metal brigade.
Having emerged from the ashes of a band named Wolven back in 2021, Cologne, Germany-based Heavy Metal brigade WarWolf is back for the attack with their third studio album, titled The Final Battle, the follow-up to their 2023 opus The Apocalyptic Waltz. Produced, mixed and mastered once again by Grave Digger’s own mastermind Chris Boltendahl at Graveyard Studio, the new album by frontman Andreas von Lipinski, guitarists Frank Noras and Peter Müller, bassist Florian Abegg and drummer Holger Bloempott offers exactly what a fan would expect from the band and even more, showcasing “Maiden-esque” influences with a slight Teutonic Metal touch, but this time rawer and more honest then ever.
The opener Eye of the Storm is simply fast, furious, striking, and showcases metallic lyrics for our total delight (“In the heart of chaos / Where tempests collide / Beneath the shadowed clouds / Where fears reside / An eye of the storm / A glimpse into the night / Where wars unfold / And souls take flight”), followed by Burning Skies, another slab of old school Heavy Metal where Frank’s soaring vocals are nicely boosted by all backing vocals. In The Lycan Empire, the title of the song matches perfectly with not only the band’s name but also with their traditional Heavy and Power Metal sound, whereas Fight the Invaders is not a very exciting song, not to mention it’s a long one too, despite the solid job done by Frank and Peter on the guitars. A New Hope presents a much more exciting sonority led by the galloping bass and drums by Florian and Holger, sounding very Iron Maiden-ish in the end.
Andreas continues to lead his bandmates with his soaring vocals in Time Stands Still, offering more of the band’s classic Teutonic Heavy Metal, with their riffs sounding sharp and vibrant; whereas serene guitar lines kick off the seven-minute aria The Dark Emperor, an ode to the NWOBHM with a German twist, led by the classic drumming by Holger, flowing into the headbanging tune Blood & Ice, a beautiful fusion of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock where the guitars by Frank and Peter are spitting fire. The second to last track of the album is a full-bodied, detailed nine-minute tune titled The Final Battle, starting in a serene acoustic manner, and alternating between heavier moments and deep introspective passages; and as the battle seems to be finally reaching its end, the band offers a soothing ballad titled The War Is Over, overflowing melancholy and grief.
In addition to all that, all songs have a continuous story so The Final Battle can be called a concept album, though each song can also stand on its own, and you can experience that metallic adventure by WarWolf by purchasing a copy of the album or streaming it as many times as you want by clicking HERE or HERE. You can also start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, staying up to date with all things WarWolf (including their tour dates, like their upcoming European tour alongside the mighty Grave Digger), and stream their awesome music on any streaming platform like Spotify. Because the battle rages on, and the Teutonic beast WarWolf is definitely ready to fight by our side armed with their new album of undisputed, classic Heavy Metal.
Best moments of the album:Eye of the Storm, A New Hope and Blood & Ice.
Worst moments of the album:Fight the Invaders.
Released in 2025 Metalapolis Records
Track listing 1. Eye of the Storm 5:37
2. Burning Skies 5:04
3. The Lycan Empire 5:36
4. Fight the Invaders 8:23
5. A New Hope 5:41
6. Time Stands Still 4:05
7. The Dark Emperor 7:04
8. Blood & Ice 4:02
9. The Final Battle 8:52
10. The War Is Over 5:06
Band members Andreas von Lipinski – vocals
Frank Noras – guitars
Peter Müller – guitars
Florian Abegg – bass
Holger Bloempott – drums
Ragnarök is upon us all, and there’s nothing better than enjoying it to the sound of some first-class Progressive and Pagan Black Metal made in Germany.
Combining storming Black Metal with progressive influences in order to create their unique sound, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s own Progressive/Pagan Black Metal horde Surtalogis unleashing upon us their new beast titled Ragnarök – Schicksal der Götter, Tod der Menschen und Ende der Welten (or “Ragnarök – Fate of Gods, Death of Men and End of Worlds” in English), a concept album about the end of the world in Norse Mythology. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Florian Dammasch at Nightside Audio, and with logo and artwork by Timon Kokott, the album is a must-listen 75-minute sonic journey for fans of bands such as Helrunar, Windir, Kampfar, Fimbulvet, Graveland, and Falkenbach, all masterfully crafted by Lukas “Surtuz” S. on vocals, guitars and orchestrations, Alex W. on lead guitars, Kolja “Centrox” B. on bass, and Nils “Phobos” S. on drums.
Prolog – Weissagung (“Prologue – Prophecy”) is an epic, cinematic start to the album, offering nine minutes of atmospheric passages and imposing sounds, with the guitars by Lukas and Alex exhaling heaviness and harmony while also overflowing progressiveness and intricacy, flowing into the instrumental interlude Praeludium ad Fortunam Deorum (“Prelude to the Fate of Gods”), before exploding into I. Akt – Hass und Missgunst (“I. Act – Hate and Resentment”), with the harsh vociferations by Lukas matching perfectly with all background sounds and tones, all spearheaded by the classic drumming by Nils. Then venturing through the realms of Doom Metal, it’s time for II. Akt – Fimbulwinter (“II. Act – Awful, Mighty Winter”), offering us all 11 minutes of progressiveness, heaviness and epic passages, with the sound of their drums and riffs penetrating deep inside our minds.
After that, we have the epic interlude Heimdalls Horn Ruft Uns Nun (“Heimdall´s Horn Calls Us Now”), inviting us all to join the band into the battlefield to the sound of III. Akt – Die Letzte Schlacht (“III. Act – The Last Battle”), bringing forward 13 minutes of sheer devastation and power, with the piercing riffs by Lukas and Alex exhaling Black Metal magic supported by the rumbling bass by Kolja, with its second half being a lecture in progressiveness and experimentations. We then face the Progressive Death Metal attack titled IV. Akt – Weltenbrand (“IV. Act – Burning of Worlds”), where Nils once again sounds ruthless behind his drums; followed by Die Leere der Welten (“The Emptiness of Worlds”), offering us all four minutes of serene, melancholic sounds, albeit it could have been slightly shorter, but it does its job of prepping us for V. Akt – Untergang (“V. Act – Downfall”), a 14-minute feast of harsh vociferations, strident riffs, rhythmic beats, and a strong sense of darkness and melancholy, before all morphs into an atmospheric passage and ends in an epic and climatic manner. Lastly, hope arises in the closing song Epilog – Neubeginn (“Epilogue – New Beginning”), where a mysterious female vocalist brings joy and peace to our blackened hearts while the band delivers delicate acoustic sounds until the very last second.
In summary, the bold and multi-layered Ragnarök – Schicksal der Götter, Tod der Menschen und Ende der Welten is the perfect soundtrack for the end of the world, it doesn’t matter if in Norse Mythology or in our present-day society, and you can show your support and admiration for those Teutonic bringers of doom by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, by streaming their music on Spotify (or any other platform), and obviously by purchasing their new album from their own BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. Because you know, if Ragnarök is truly upon us, let it be to the sound of some first-class Progressive and Pagan Black Metal.
Best moments of the album:I. Akt – Hass und Missgunst, III. Akt – Die Letzte Schlacht and V. Akt – Untergang.
Worst moments of the album:Die Leere der Welten.
Released in 2024 Independent
Track listing 1. Prolog – Weissagung 9:06
2. Praeludium ad Fortunam Deorum 4:04
3. I. Akt – Hass und Missgunst 5:46
4. II. Akt – Fimbulwinter 11:39
5. Heimdalls Horn Ruft Uns Nun 2:31
6. III. Akt – Die Letzte Schlacht 13:01
7. IV. Akt – Weltenbrand 5:38
8. Die Leere der Welten 4:00
9. V. Akt – Untergang 14:41
10 .Epilog – Neubeginn 4:34
Band members
Lukas “Surtuz” S. – vocals, rhythm & acoustic guitars, orchestrations
Alex W. – lead guitars
Kolja “Centrox” B. – bass, backing vocals
Nils “Phobos” S. – drums, backing vocals
Get ready for 13 minutes of a fast and loud fusion of Thrash Metal, Punk Rock and Hardcore made in Germany.
Playing a fusion of Thrash Metal, Punk Rock and Hardcore as fast and loud as those styles demand since the band’s inception in 2015 in the city of Köln (or Cologne, if you prefer), Germany, the five-piece act known as 4 Kings is back in action in 2021 with a brand new EP, simply titled The 2021 EP. Currently comprised of Seth on vocals, Martin and Jannes on the guitars, Marino on bass, and Marcel on drums, 4 Kings (and yes, I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense for a band of five musicians to be named like that) will smash your cranial skull with the four heavy and visceral tracks from their new EP, inviting us all to slam into the pit and, consequently, to develop that severe neck pain we all love so much after some good headbanging, leaving you absolutely eager for more after the EP’s 13 intense minutes are over.
Martin and Jannes begin slashing their stringed axes in Tantrum, being quickly joined by the raspy roars by Seth and the classic Hardcore beats by Marcel, resulting in an old school and straight to the point tune that kicks things off in style. Then adding hints of Death Metal to their core Thrash Metal sound, the quintet delivers the fulminating Winter’s Back, with Marino’s bass jabs and Marcel’s beats generating a massive atmosphere perfect for the crisp riffs and solos by the band’s guitar duo; whereas Bay Area Thrash riffs ignite the circle pit celebration titled Braindead, where Seth sounds even more enraged and demented on vocals supported by the classy backing vocals by his bandmates. It’s undoubtedly the most dynamic and diverse of all four songs, pointing to an exciting direction for the band. And last but not least, sinister sounds permeate the air in Under my Skin, with Martin and Jannes cutting our skin deep with their razor-edged riffs, sounding less intense than the other songs but absolutely vile and brutal just the way we like it.
If you want to give The 2021 EP a try you can find it in full on Spotify, but in order to properly support the underground you should purchase a copy of it from Amazon, and don’t forget to also give the band a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, and to subscribe to their YouTube channel to stay updated with all of their future releases. As aforementioned, The 2021 EP will offer your metallic ears a very good dosage of Thrash Metal infused with Hardcore and Punk Rock nuances, proving 4 Kings (or maybe I should say those five thrashers from Germany) are back and ready to rock no matter what for years to come in the name of heavy music.
Best moments of the album: Winter’s Back and Braindead.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2021 Independent
Track listing 1. Tantrum 2:32
2. Winter’s Back 3:53
3. Braindead 3:20
4. Under my Skin 3:41
Band members
Seth – vocals
Martin – guitar
Jannes – guitar
Marino – bass
Marcel – drums
Between love and hate… I’m waiting for you daydreamer…
There’s nothing better than celebrating any type of anniversary with some classy metal music, and here at The Headbanging Moose it couldn’t be any different than that as we celebrate eight years of existence supporting the underground by paying a humble tribute to our beyond amazing metal chick of the month of October. Owner of a stunningly operatic voice, she’s the singer, songwriter and founder of a fantastic Symphonic Metal act that goes by the poetic name of Dream Ocean, as well as a professional Opera singer. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the multi-talented Başak Ylva, also known as Başak C., a woman that will surely put you in a trance with her powerful vocals and stylish music. Are you ready to join Basak and The Headbanging Moose on a very pleasant symphonic journey?
Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, but currently residing in Cologne, the largest city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Başak began her singing career at the age of seven encouraged by her parents (although they were hoping she would sing traditional Turkish music) in the children’s choir of the TRT (Turkish Radio and Television) and continued it in 2003 as a soprano in the youth classical choir of the TRT. During her high school years, she initially pursued a scientific focus, which she followed in 2004 with a degree in business administration at the University of Istanbul, which she completed in 2008 as a bachelor’s degree. On the advice of her professors, she decided in 2008 to make music her profession and at the age of 23 she started her first bachelor’s degree for her operatic career with Prof. Ayşe Sezerman in Opera singing at the Music Conservatory of Istanbul University as a mezzosoprano. During her studies, she sang as a choir singer in various Opera projects such as Die Opernprobe and Dido and Aeneas, while in 2012 she sang for the first time in Europe at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival under the direction of Rolf Beck, later making her solo debut in 2013 as Susanna in La Nozze di Figaro.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in 2014 in the role of Giovanna Seymour from Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, she began her master’s degree at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne with Professor Mechthild Georg in 2015, where she sang in many different Opera projects such as the literary Opera of the HfMT Cologne, AscheMOND or The Fairy Queen (choir, Opera Wuppertal), Hansel and Gretel (witch, Opera studio of the HfMT Cologne), Dido and Aeneas (Sorceress, Festival of Early Music Knechtsteden) and The Clever Little Fox (Forester and Owl at the Theater Aachen). In addition to her operatic activities, she also performs musicals and film and crossover music with event orchestras. Furthermore, as a choir and solo singer, she was able to gain further experience with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Tan Dun and E. Oronzo Estrada in countries such as Brazil, China, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Poland and South Korea.
An accomplished mezzosoprano and vocal coach, an admirer of makeup, interior design, fashion, movies and video games, and a huge supporter of female freedom and empowerment, Başak started her metal music career with Dream Ocean in Turkey in 2009, having “moved” the band to Germany in 2015 to pursue her career as an Opera singer. As she’s the creative mind, lyricist and composer behind the band, it was becoming really hard for her to fly all the time back to Turkey due to the fact she had been working in Germany for three years already. Currently comprised of our beloved diva together with Oz Khan and Borna Matosic on the guitars, Sebastian Heuckmann on bass, Nils Kessen on drums and Sebastian Plück on the keyboards, the band has been on a roll for the past ten years, having already released the EP Daydreamer, in 2012, and the full-length albums Lost Love Symphony, in 2018, and The Missing Stone, now in 2021. Before that, the band was “just a name” according to Başak herself, as they were just entertaining themselves without investing into anything more serious at first. In other words, Dream Ocean was a hobby band where they tried some covers with friends every now and then in the studio, and then she started to write her own songs and got encouraged to take things a lot more serious due to all the positive feedback received. As they were all working in different jobs or studying, and due to their their limited financial situation, they couldn’t record and album and the band was put on hold from 2011 to 2016. In between that they still did concerts and wrote songs, until they were finally able to record their debut album. If you want to have a very good taste of the music by Dream Ocean, you can enjoy several of their official videos on YouTube including Eterna Espera, Uyan, Daydreamer, The Great Silence, Somewhere Untouched, Everstorm, Forever and Beyond The Greed, or you can also stream all of their creations on Spotify.
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As aforementioned, Başak is also a professional Opera singer, using even a different name for her metal career (Başak Ylva, instead of Başak C.) due to the prejudice that still exists in classical music. “I actually try to hide it. Because in the past, I was told that I am dressing too much femme fatale-like, very extravagant. Or that my hair was too red for singing in a church. Or I should not make my hair blond because I am Turkish. Or that I should not wear red lipstick because this was not a job to wear red lipstick. Therefore the classical music branch, especially in Germany, not so much in Sweden or Norway, but in Germany, it is terribly backwards and conservative. And several times, I got severely bullied because of that,” commented our diva. Still regarding her career as an Opera singer, she described the dark moments experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany. “We performed a couple of performances around September and October. But then the next lockdown came, and the theatre decided to not extend the contracts. And when I thought I was just starting my job and was thinking, I landed in a good opera house, and I could slowly build up my career. And now I was jobless! Like from top to zero. Of course, for me, this is another thing. When I don’t have a job, I am at risk to lose my visa. And I am also helping my brother in Turkey. So everything went down. And I got a big depression. I could not go out for 6 months. I did not sing for 6 months. And I just started to have therapy. Because everything was falling apart in my life. I mean, in everybody’s life, in Sebastian’s too. But for me, my visa and everything is depending on my job. I thought something like, my career has ended. I’m done. They will throw me out of the country.”
Although she doesn’t have any side projects aside from Dream Ocean, Başak mentioned in one of her interviews that she would love to do her own solo crossover project with folk and Celtic touches. However, due to her very busy agenda with Dream Ocean and her career as an Opera singer, she said it will be really tough to actually pursue that. Let’s say that she already does A LOT with both Dream Ocean and her classical career (as you can see in her beautiful repertoire), and that we’re all more than fine with “just” those two projects. And lastly, regarding her influences and idols in music and what inspires her the most to compose her stunning creations, Başak said her introduction to Symphonic Metal happened with Nightwish, plus a local Turkish band called Almôra (which unfortunately split up in 2009). She said she used to listen to those bands and sing along with them, and the final result was so good that later on Almôra found her recordings online and invited her to sing with them in front of a real audience. Moreover, she also expressed her passion for Opera as well, saying that in the end her distinct influences end up complementing each other. “I love Opera because it has another challenging side and gives another satisfaction such as learning very hard, complicated music and then singing it with perfect technique. One is for technicality and the other is for my creativity.” Having said all that, how about we stop right here and go listen to the amazing creations by our metal diva and her Dream Ocean, and also enjoy her awesome performances as an Opera singer? I’m sure you’ll love every single second of her music and get addicted to her distinguished voice.
“I just want people to know that musicians and the audience – we complete a whole and we’re the same. Having the same struggles and happiness, the same problems and same solutions – one may find the way easier while the other needs to take a second look. But in the end, we meet at the same place, which is the concert hall. There we want to reach them, get to know them, and for them to get to know us. To see that we mean what we play and sing with our words, and while we do this we want to be speaking their words. Things maybe they could never say out loud. We just want people to know that we desire to tell stories and meet with people who ARE the heroes of those stories. We hope we can do this.” – Başak Ylva
It’s time to embark on a 65-minute journey into the abyss in the form of contemporary Black Metal by an unrelenting Cologne, Germany-based horde.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Mario Dahmen at Liquid Aether Studios in Schladern, Germany, the breathtaking opus A Grey Chill and a Whisper is an expanded vision of contemporary Black Metal by an unrelenting German horde formed in 2002 in the city of Cologne that goes by the name of Beltez, based on the original short story “Black Banners” written exclusively for the band by German writer Ulrike Serowy (known for her novella Skogtatt). Following up on their highly acclaimed 2017 record Exiled, Punished…Rejected and dealing not only with despair and hopelessness, but also with courage and strength, A Grey Chill and a Whisper is a 65-minute journey into the abyss (plus an incredible audiobook with the full “Black Banners” story backed up by Beltez’s original music), a monolithic entity that frightens as much as it allures thoroughly crafted by vocalist Marc, guitarists Dominic and Jens, bassist Christian and drummer Sebastian, showing again what artistic freedom could mean in Black Metal, yet without denying the roots of the genre.
Featuring guest Alex Newton of Dzö-nga on keyboards, the cinematic intro In Apathy And In Slumber sets up the stage for Beltez to crush in the atmospheric The City Lies In Utter Silence, where Marc roars the lyrics with tons of anger and hatred (“Silence / Absent are any signs of life / A nameless city under a cloud-laden Sky / Dwelling aimless in vain existence / Half-awake, half-alive, half deceased”) while his bandmates smash our senses with their fulminating riffs, bass lines and beats. Put differently, it’s Black, Doom and Post-Metal all at once, and above all, it’s pitch black darkness in the form of music. Then the band comes ripping like a beast from the underworld in the doomed Black Banners, where the scorching, razor-edged riffs by Dominic and Jens walk hand in hand with Sebastian’s menacing beats, exploding into vicious Black Metal for our vulgar delectation, followed by A Taste Of Complete Extinction, another top-of-the-line, bestial Atmospheric Black Metal spawn by Beltez where Sebastian sounds utterly infernal with his blast beats and fills while Marc keeps growling rabidly, supported by the phantasmagorical keys by Jens.
Christian takes the lead with his low-tuned, vile bass in The Unwedded Widow, again morphing into a reverberating fusion of Atmospheric Black Metal and classic Black Metal with Marc taking his enraged growling to a whole new level of despair; then a purely atmospheric and instrumental interluded titled From Sorrow Into Darkness brings some peace and serenity to our hearts before the title-track A Grey Chill And A Whisper arrives like a thunderstorm from hell, with Sebastian and his demolishing drums crafting a solid base for the headbanging riffage by Dominic and Jens and the inhumane gnarls by Marc in a lecture in contemporary Black Metal. The 14-minute full-bodied aria I May Be Dammed But At Least I’ve Found You begins in the most atmospheric way possible and gradually evolves into Beltez’s piercing music, with the band’s guitar duo breathing fire through their riffs building a menacing ambience for Marc to viciously scream the song’s words (“Dreadful fortress hovering high / Final destination after a fateful decision / Walking the road of the dead”), and curiously enough the band decided to end such grandiose album of Black Metal with a more visceral creation titled We Remember To Remember, where Christian slams his bass in great fashion together with obscure vocalizations and a sense of hopelessness, clearly drinking from the fountain of Blackened Doom.
As aforementioned, one of the versions of the album comes with a beyond special bonus called “Black Banners Audiobook”, a beautiful story that served as the inspiration for Beltez to compose the entire A Grey Chill and a Whisper, and the fact the band added background music to it plus the amazing work done by Dan Capp of Winterfylleth on narration, Corinne Henderson on female voices, Evan Hunt of MetalTower on the introduction, the artwork by Benjamin Harff and the booklet illustrations by Jana Kourgierakis gave it an even more vivid and thrilling vibe. It’s like a hybrid of storytelling and poetry that will please all metalheads who also enjoy a good reading (or listening, in this case), plus an acoustic and vile rendition of “We Remember To Remember”. You can enjoy A Grey Chill and a Whisper in full (except of course for the audiobook) on YouTube, follow those German metallers on Facebook and on Instagram, and purchase your favorite copy of the album from their own BandCamp page, from the Avantgard Music BandCamp page, from Sound Cave (in CD or LP format), from Season of Mist, from Amazon or from Walmart. Raising their black banners high, Beltez will drag you to the pits of the underworld in A Grey Chill and a Whisper, and I dare you to not get addicted to their splendid fusion of Black Metal and a captivating background story after that.
Best moments of the album: The City Lies In Utter Silence, A Taste Of Complete Extinction and A Grey Chill And A Whisper.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Avantgarde Music
Track listing 1. In Apathy And In Slumber 1:45
2. The City Lies In Utter Silence 10:48
3. Black Banners 6:04
4. A Taste Of Complete Extinction 9:50
5. The Unwedded Widow 6:39
6. From Sorrow Into Darkness 1:30
7. A Grey Chill And A Whisper 8:37
8. I May Be Dammed But At Least I’ve Found You 14:13
9. We Remember To Remember 5:37
Black Banners Audiobook (A Short Story By Ulrike Serowy) 10. Black Banners 49:49
11. We Remember To Remember 5:30
Band members Marc – vocals
Dominic – guitars, vocals, additional programming
Jens – guitars, vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, programming, keyboards and programming on Black Banners Audiobook
Christian – bass
Sebastian – drums
Guest musicians Alex Newton – keyboards on “In Apathy And In Slumber”
Dan Capp – narration on Black Banners Audiobook
Corinne Henderson – female voices on Black Banners Audiobook
Evan Hunt – introduction on Black Banners Audiobook