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Metal Chick of the Month – Katsiaryna Mankevich

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I searched for my fate, wore my feet raw on the stones, barefoot I walked… Bring my body home, promise me…

September is that type of month that you never know how its going to be. It’s sometimes scorching, sometimes cold. However, one thing is certain, and that’s darkness will keep growing as the month progresses. Hence, there’s nothing better than celebrating the arrival of the longer nights with the obscure fusion of Post-Black Metal with even darker styles such as Doom and Depressive Black Metal by Dymna Lotva, spearheaded by our metal lady of the month, the indomitable Katsiaryna Mankevich, or Кацярына Манкевіч, also known by her stage moniker Nokt Aeon, or simply Nokt. Considered an “extremist” in her homeland Belarus due to her fight for freedom and justice through her music, she will hypnotize you with her ritualistic vocals and multi-layered compositions,  darkening our hearts, our thoughts and our minds faster than the night comes. If you have what it takes to face such a deep dark, you’re more than welcome to join The Headbanging Moose on this humble tribute to one of the must-see names of the music scene worldwide.

Born on February 21, 1989 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, but currently residing in Warsaw, Poland for not-very-nice reasons (which will be explained in detail shortly), Katsiaryna is not only an accomplished vocalist and lyricist, but she’s also a digital creator, studied Scientific and Production Activity (or “научно-производственная деятельность”) at Belarusian State University (BSU), and studied Radio Engineering and Electronics (or “Факультет радиотехники и электроники”) at  Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics (BSUIR), or БГУИР, and all of those courses of course helped her develop skills that would be extremely useful in her career as a professional musician.

As already mentioned, Katsiaryna is the striking frontwoman for Depressive Doom/Post-Black Metal entity Dymna Lotva, formed in 2015 by our she-wolf, who goes by the moniker Nokt Aeon, and guitarist and bassist Yauheni “Jaŭhien” Charkasau, drawing inspiration from the history and culture of Belarus, evoking the mystical fog and ancient marshes of their homeland. As a matter of fact, Dymna Lotva translates from Belarusian as “swamp in smoke,” referencing the devastating atrocities and burned villages of Polesia, a deeply distinct geographic and cultural region that extends across southern Belarus into Ukraine and Poland. Guitarist Mikita Stankevich and drummer Wojciech “Bocian” Muchowicz complete the band’s current lineup, and if you have never heard anything about such an amazing metal ensemble, don’t waste another second and go listen to their entire discography because they surely kick some serious ass.

There’s an interesting story behind the creation of the band over a decade ago, linked to the news of Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexandrovna Alexievich winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. “I remember when I read the book, and it was so terrific. I was going home with a big idea that I needed to make a song for the part of the book with quotes from Lyudmila Ignatenko, the widow of the Chernobyl liquidator, and her account of her husband, Vasily Ivanovich Ignatenko. If you watched the Chernobyl Netflix series, you might remember her as the main character. She’s a real person; she’s still alive, living in Kyiv, and these are her real words,” commented our metal diva. “The same day, I was checking a certain metal forum in case somebody was searching for musicians. I read that Jaŭhien was searching for a vocalist for his post-metal project, and I wrote to him that maybe I could help. I said I knew almost everybody and could bring him the vocalist he wanted. He said that I was OK and that he didn’t need another vocalist. So let’s do it. I told him about the idea I had and that we needed to make that song. I asked him to send me some material, and he did it, and one of the songs fit. So, for our first single, Самотны чалавечы голас, I just read that monologue. So, officially, our birthday was on 8 October 2015.”

Katsiaryna has no idea if Svetlana knows she was the inspiration for the band, saying she tried to contact her without much success. At least she was able to contact her agent to discuss the author rights to use Svetlana’s text for a song. “So, we have rights if it’s not commercial. I think we are still not a commercial band because selling 500 copies of the album is not really commercial.” Furthermore, their second album is fully based on Svetlana’s book Chernobyl Prayer, a collection of real people’s stories and monologues. “We were just going through this book and did the lyrics for the album,” she commented in one of her interviews.

Speaking of their discography, Dymna Lotva have already released upon humanity four full-length records, those being Зямля пад чорнымі крыламі: Дрыгва (which translates from Belarusian to “The Land Under the Black Wings: Swamp”), from 2016, where Katsiaryna was responsible for the vocals and lyrics, and also played the flute; Палын (or “Wormwood” in English, dedicated to the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster), from 2017, where she also took care of the vocal duties and lyrics; Зямля пад чорнымі крыламі: Кроў (or “The Land Under the Black Wings: Blood”), from 2023, also doing vocals, writing all lyrics, playing the flute, and being responsible for the artwork; and more recently Vyraj ( a mythical realm to where birds migrate for the winter, and where the souls of the departed find their final rest), also doing all vocals, lyrics, and playing the flute, all available on BandCamp and on Spotify.

You can also go to YouTube and enjoy their official videos for some amazing tunes the likes of Buried Alive, Zory, The Boat Of Despair, Return My Coffin Home, Death Kisses Your Eyes, Come and See, Hell, among others, and visit the band’s YouTube channel, where you’ll find amazing footage from their breathtaking live performances such as for the songs The Pit, Dead Don’t Hurt, Buried Alive and Ravens Are Also Mortal, as well as full concerts like live at Brugge Club in 2019, and live at Metal Mine Festival in 2024. While listening to their music, you’ll soon realize most of their songs are in their mother tongue, with the song titles and lyrics in Cyrillic, and the fact that countless fans around the world won’t fully understand their lyrics doesn’t seem to be an issue to them. Another important detail is the difficult task to categorize the music by Dymna Lotva due to their always shape-shifting fusion of atmospheric and dark styles like Doom and Black Metal with Folk and Experimental Metal. Katsiaryna said they’re similar to Austrian Black/Folk Metal entity Perchta in style, but even so, comparing Dymna Lotva and Perchta is not an easy challenge.

Apart from her career with Dymna Lotva, Katsiaryna can be found as the vocalist for a crushing Polish-Belarusian party-DSBM and Post-Black Metal outfit named Hangover in Minsk, formed in 2024 out of a drunken bus-ride debate by members of Dymna Lotva, also under the moniker Nokt Aeon. Born in 2024 on a brutal 12-hour drive from Munich to Warsaw after the Dark Easter Metal Meeting when the Dymna Lotva crew couldn’t agree on tour tunes with a hangover, they forged their own brand of “Depressive Beer Metal,” having released in 2025 their debut effort Party Is Over, available on both BandCamp and Spotify. Their music is melancholic, dark and haunting, just like in the official videos for the songs Farewell and Party is Over, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this interesting alter-ego by the Dymna Lotva brigade.

Before and during her career with Dymna Lotva, the unstoppable Katsiaryna was the vocalist and lyricist for a Depressive Black Metal project named Absence of Life between 2018 and 2022, together with a former member of Dymna Lotva named Forladt. They recorded together the 2018 EP The Fall, and the 2021 full-length Instinct of Self​-​Destruction, both also available on BandCamp and on Spotify. Another band featuring our she-demon on vocals was Belarusian Gothic Metal band Aconitum, with whom she recorded the vocals and flute for their 2018 EP Недолго. Несчастливо. (having also taken care of the EP recording process). The band split up in 2018, but you can still enjoy the full EP with Katsiaryna on vocals on BandCamp. And finally, she also sang on the 2015 single Навальніца, by Belarusian Atmospheric Black Metal project Трызна, and sang live with Belarusian Blackened Death Metal horde Dwellstorm Borned in 2018.

As a guest musician, you can find Katsiaryna lending her stunning vocals to an array of distinct bands. For instance, she recorded the vocals on the song Falsygen Mask, from the 2015 single Black Depth Domain, by the probably now defunct Belarusian Groove/Death Metal band Apologeth; choir vocals for the Twisted Sisters’ cover We’re Not Gonna Take It, from the 2020 album Pandechristmas, by Belgian Heavy Metal machine Déhà; vocals on the 2018 single Demons and Witches, by the aforementioned Dwellstorm Borned; vocals on the 2018 single Петля времён, by Belarusian Black Metal horde Engraving Infinity; vocals on the 2019 album Before It All, by Belgian Depressive Black Metal entity The Penitent (another one of the excellent project by Déhà); and vocals on the 2019 album Far Away from the Painless Life, by Mexican Depressive Black Metal outfit Traurigkeit. Not only that, she also worked on grammatic consultations for the 2020 EP Час адплаты, крыві і смутку, by Ukrainian Black Metal duo Цемра.

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Regarding her idols and influences, our dauntless metaller mentioned Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance and Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride as two of her major influences, as well as Ville Valo and his HIM. In addition, despite the fact the initial idea behind Dymna Lotva was to write music based on the fictional work of Edgar Allan Poe, they became an anti-regime band, reclaiming parts of the Belarusian culture that Alexander Lukashenko’s predominantly Russian-speaking administration has tried to suppress. “He hates our culture and language,” commented Katsiaryna. “I’ve been in love with Belarusian culture since I was a teenager, and I started to collect books about native language and pagan traditions. We based our lyrics and concepts on legends, literature and history.” By the way, Alexander Lukashenko has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office’s establishment in 1994, making him the current longest-tenured European president.

However, before talking about the band’s conflict with the Lukashenko administration, let’s discuss the impact of Dymna Lotva when the band hits the stages. “I can call our show an emotional exhibitionism. If you want to drink beer and cry, please come to our show. After the concert, you can drink even more beer with us,” said Katsiaryna when asked what the audience can expect from their live performances. Always eager to go onstage and play their music to rock and metal fans from all over the world, the band had to flee their homeland in 2021 after getting involved in the mass protests that were happening all over their homeland then, performing music and opening their homes to offer food and medicine to those who were injured. When two members of the band Irdorath, and singer Lesley Knife of Gods Tower (with whom they had recorded the protest song Да Волі (or “To Freedom”) were arrested, they knew it was time to run away. “We had some shows planned, and the promoters called us to say that someone from the Ministry of Culture had pressured them to remove us from their events, else they would be imprisoned and their clubs closed. We started to live in places we weren’t renting officially, so that they would not find us. Eventually, we knew it was time to go.”

Now based in Poland, they continue to sing songs filled with grief and pain, writing lyrics lyrics based on true stories from the rich history of Belarus, filled with sorrow from historical events or folklore while new horrors are committed in their country every single day. Belarus has a lot of excellent metal bands, including for example, Eximperitus, Belle Morte, and Ciemra, but Lukashenko’s administration has repeatedly squashed them to pieces since he got into power. “So many bands have been imprisoned for playing metal music,” she said in one of her interviews. “You cannot organize any underground concerts, clubs are forcibly closed. Every generation starts new bands who are then forced to emigrate or disband. It’s a miracle that we have one metal band who have played since the end of the 80’s, Gods Tower.”

Katsiaryna actually moved first to Ukraine, then from Ukraine to Poland in 2022, and at least while Lukashenko is the Belarusian leader they cannot return to their homeland, otherwise they’ll certainly go to jail. Jaŭhien is considered a “terrorist” by the Belarusian government, while Katsiaryna is an “extremist.” The band’s videos were officially declared “extremist” in December 2025, and there are several additional criminal cases pending in Belarus courts that are very similar to what’s happening with Dymna Lotva. Not only that, Belarus officials are also using their accusations against Katsiaryna to imprison the band’s Belarusian fans who simply liked, reposted or commented on their videos online.

“Every presidential election after his first one has been stolen,” mentioned Katsiaryna about the “unofficial dictatorship” imposed by Lukashenko. “It’s not normal. Opposition has been put in prison, some of them murdered, hanged in the forest. Murders, repression, stolen money, stolen land. That is dictatorship in Belarus.” Granted international protection status in Poland in 2022 alongside Jaŭhien, and living with her fellow Belarusian refugee cat Beelzebub, she mentioned their escape from Belarus to Ukraine wasn’t an easy one, as they had to go though Russia first. “We got into Russia by train, and there was a document check near the end of our journey. We stayed and hid inside the train a little longer,” she commented. “If we had gone to the nearest official shelter or to our flat, we would be dead.”

It was only in 2023 when the duo was able to restart Dymna Lotva, releasing their third album that same year, as already mentioned, and making an emotional return to the stages at Prophecy Fest in Germany. “We had just released our new album, so we thought that nobody had heard about Dymna Lotva. When we came to the stage and saw this big crowd, it was like, ‘Whaaaat?!’ Our bassist Jaŭhien was in Warsaw, because his new Polish documents weren’t ready in time. So we placed his bass on the stage, put the Belarusian national flag on it, and I told the public our bassist was a ghost.”

The Belarusian government’s ban on their music has made them determined to keep moving forward no matter what, resulting in their fourth album Vyraj, incorporating their experiences while using a concept about a passage through the Underworld as an allegory for emigration out of one’s country due to war and oppression. Unfortunately, she has no idea if she’ll ever be able to return to Belarus and play her music again in her homeland. “Every year we are further away from Belarus. Two years ago, all of us would have said, ‘Yes.’ Now, we’re not so sure. I definitely want, when the regime falls, to stage our own metal festival in Belarus. I want to go home and make something good for the scene there. It would be hard though, because most of the people we love are not in Belarus anymore.”

As a huge supporter of not only the underground, but also of freedom of speech and of justice, The Headbanging Moose truly hopes Dymna Lotva can one day return home and kick some ass with their beautiful music. Several bands might sing about wars and battles, but deep down inside they just want to show their fans how horrible those things are. Metalheads only want peace, they just want to be able to hit the stages all across the world and bring happiness to their fans through their music and concerts, and Dymna Lotva might be one of the most important leaders of that movement in music nowadays. In the meantime, while the war and dictatorship in Belarus linger, let’s show our utmost support to Katsiaryna by listening to Dymna Lotva’s music, buying their merch, attending their concerts, and raising our fists together with her and her bandmates. Oppression and dictatorship have no place in the Heavy Metal universe. Long live Nokt Aeon! Long live Dymna Lotva!

Katsiaryna Mankevich’s Official Facebook page
Katsiaryna Mankevich’s Official Instagram
Katsiaryna Mankevich’s Official YouTube channel
Dymna Lotva’s Official Facebook page
Dymna Lotva’s Official Instagram
Dymna Lotva’s Official YouTube channel

“I have already found a good place for my grave, though. When I die, I’ll be in Belarus.” – Katsiaryna Mankevich

Album Review – Merculistarya / Áradó Fájdalom a Tűnődés Medrében (2026)

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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

Track listing
1. Merengő 7:03
2. A haldoklás csalogat 4:59
3. Kitörve süllyedés 5:18
4. Rémálomköd 6:16
5. Pusztuló kor 6:39
6. Álomország 7:17
7. Sóhaj 5:38

Band members
Árpád Szenti – vocals, all instruments

Guest musicians
Gabriel Cold – intro on “Pusztuló kor”
Ivett Dudás – vocals on “Rémálomköd”

Metal Chick of the Month – Vanessa Funke

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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.”

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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 schl​ä​ft 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.

Vanessa Funke’s Official Instagram
Vanessa Funke’s Official YouTube channel
Vanessa Funke’s BandCamp
Vanessa Funke’s Spotify

Album Review – Tjaktjadálvve / Encompassing Nothingness (2026)

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This Sweden-based Australian lone wolf returns with his unique blend of the sorrow of depression-tinged Black Metal with the coldness, thrill and melancholy of its atmospheric kind in his third album.

Brought forth by the Västmanland County, Sweden-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist M., aka Matthew Bell (originally from Australia), of bands like Aeon Moon, Arboreal Trance, Autumn’s Dawn, Austere, and many others, the bitterly cold Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal entity Tjaktjadálvve (a Sámi season representing the time when the sun sets and reindeer move to winter pastures, signifying the deep cold and preparation for polar night, translating to something like “Autumn Winter” or “Dark Winter” in concept) returns with its unique blend of the sorrow of depression-tinged Black Metal with the coldness, thrill and melancholy of its atmospheric kind in its third album, titled Encompassing Nothingness, guiding the listener through his low-paced and synth-driven scenarios. Mixed and mastered at Nekkomix, with cover photo by Francesco Del Vecchio and other images and layout by Tryfar, the follow-up to the project’s 2023 sophomore Echoes on a Windswept Plain encloses a musical journey which can’t reward the listener more than so, with its neat production and dreadful vocals elevating the overall coldness and desolation in great fashion.

In The Solitude of Abject Darkness, the name of the song says it all. Prepare for a whimsical journey through cold and dark lands, with M. roaring like a demonic entity, bursting with anguish and pain while the instrumental pieces are simply majestic. Norrsken (pronounced “norr-shen”) is the Swedish word for the Northern Lights (or “Aurora Borealis”), literally meaning “north” (norr) and “light” or “shine” (sken), and that’s exactly what M. offers with his minimalist yet harsh riffs, sluggish beats and all background elements in a true Depressive Black Metal aria; and M.’s deep vociferations will penetrate deep inside your soul in the also bitterly cold Longing, again delivering a classy Atmospheric Black Metal sound with tons of depressive and grim elements. Lastly, let’s embark on a 10-minute voyage through the harshness of the Swedish winter in the title-track Encompassing Nothingness, with M. once again crushing his drums while also delivering ethereal key notes, all boosted by his trademark roars.

In a nutshell, fans of phenomenal atmospheric bands the likes of Woods of Desolation, Austere, Panopticon, and Mesarthim, among others, will have an absolute blast listening to Encompassing Nothingness, and of course if you want to join M. and his Tjaktjadálvve in bitterly cold darkness, you can find his music on Spotify, on Apple Music, and on BandCamp (and no, there’s no social media for Tjaktjadálvve), and purchase his excellent new album from the Flowing Downward’s BandCamp or webstore. Why would anyone move from the warmth and stunning beaches of Australia to face the freezing temperatures of the Swedish winter, one might ask? Well, if M.’s endgame is to craft the enfolding, grim music by Tjaktjadálvve, let’s say Sweden is doing wonders to his creative process, and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more from this Australian lone wolf and his cold adventures in Svea Rike in the near future.

Best moments of the album: The Solitude of Abject Darkness and Encompassing Nothingness.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Flowing Downward

Track listing
1. The Solitude of Abject Darkness 7:17
2. Norrsken 9:07
3. Longing 6:09
4. Encompassing Nothingness 9:49

Band members
M. – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Ellende / Zerfall (2026)

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Austria’s own one-man Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal project is back with its sixth opus, portraying the state of being shattered into fragments and the slow, painful process of rebuilding oneself.

Originally conceived as an introverted, misanthropic, and anonymous project by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist L.G. (aka Lukas Gosch) in Graz, Austria back in 2011, the unrelenting Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal entity Ellende, a Middle High German adjective which means “miserable” or “exiled” (as well as “misery” in Dutch), is unleashing upon humanity its sixth full-length offering, titled Zerfall, which translates as “disintegration” or “decay,” portraying the state of being shattered into fragments and the slow, painful process of rebuilding oneself, a confrontation with the void and ultimately a triumph over it. Recorded, mixed and mastered by L.G. and Markus “Schwadorf“ Stock at Klangschmiede Studio E, featuring session drummer P.F., with oil painting by L.G. himself (under the moniker Farbbringer), and shaped also by a tragic event in the life of its mastermind, the follow-up to the project’s critically acclaimed 2024 album Todbringerin continues to fuse raw intensity with profound emotional depth, turning it into a must-listen for fans of Harakiri For The Sky, Wolves In The Throne Room, Alcest, Drudkh, Blut aus Nord, Negura Bunget, Paysage d’Hiver, and Woods of Desolation.

Stygian, introspective sounds set the tone in the intro Nur (or “only” from German), growing in intensity until we face Wahrheit Teil I (“truth part I”), starting with the caustic riffs by L.G. in the most visceral Black Metal style, offering seven minutes of first-class extreme music with L.G.’s venomous gnarls bringing even more anguish to the music, flowing into Wahrheit Teil II (“truth part II”), a darker tune exhaling Depressive Black and Doom Metal, with P.F.’s pounding drums hammering our souls mercilessly. Then the title-track Zerfall starts in a serene, melancholic manner before exploding into majestic Atmospheric Black Metal led by our lone wolf’s devilish riffs and vociferations, alternating between absolute darkness and whimsical, enfolding passages; followed by Übertritt (“transition”), another song that reeks of contemporary Melodic and Atmospheric Black Metal where the strident sound of L.G.’s guitar will pierce our blackened minds in great fashion.

Ode ans Licht (“ode to the light”) brings forward an imposing start to L.G.’s scathing riffage, sounding very melodic albeit not as exciting as the rest of the album while still presenting the project’s trademark melancholy. Zeitenwende Teil I (“turning point part I”), featuring Klara Bachmair from German Black Metal horde Firtan on the violin, is a lecture in extreme music, taking the listener on a one-way journey to absolute darkness together with L.G., with his riffs transpiring epicness; whereas in Zeitenwende Teil II (“turning point part II”), the second piece of such a thrilling Black Metal aria, L.G. keeps gnarling in the most obscure way imaginable supported by the classic beats by P.F., ending with a killer guest guitar solo by Peter Mairhofer from Austrian Melodic Death/Thrash Metal band Norikum. And lastly, we’re treated to the atmospheric, gloomy Reise (“journey”), where its acoustic moments bring peace to our gloomy hearts while its climatic ending sounds as captivating as it is devilish and grim.

Ellende has grown into an internationally recognized live act with session musicians firmly rooted in the Atmospheric Black Metal genre, while also incorporating classical instrumentation such as strings and grand piano, often pushing beyond the boundaries of what is considered traditional within the style, and that’s exactly what makes an album like Zerfall so interesting, detailed and hypnotizing. Hence, you can get in touch with L.G. and his Ellende via Facebook and Instagram, stream his vast and innovative discography on Spotify or any other streaming service, and grab a copy of Zerfall from BandCamp, from AOP Records, from Nuclear Blast or from Napalm Records allowing the music by Ellende to penetrate deep inside your blackened heart and, therefore, letting your deepest emotions arise. Because that’s what high quality Atmospheric Black Metal is all about, and we should always thank L.G. and his Ellende for providing us with such an amazing form of extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Zerfall, Zeitenwende Teil I and Zeitenwende Teil II.

Worst moments of the album: Ode ans Licht.

Released in 2026 AOP Records

Track listing
1. Nur 2:35
2. Wahrheit Teil I 7:03
3. Wahrheit Teil II 5:50
4. Zerfall 7:19
5. Übertritt 6:03
6. Ode ans Licht 4:23
7. Zeitenwende Teil I 6:36
8. Zeitenwende Teil II 5:01
9. Reise 7:14

Double LP bonus tracks
10. Secunda (Jeremy Soule cover) 2:03
11. Verborgenes inneres Leiden 2:28

Band members
L.G. – vocals, choirs, whispers, electric & acoustic guitars, bass, piano, synths, samples, ambience

Guest musicians
P.F. – drums (session)
Klara Bachmair – violin on “Zeitenwende Teil I”
Peter Mairhofer – guitar solo on “Zeitenwende Teil II”
S.R. – guitars (live)
G.T. – guitars (live)
S.L. – bass (live)
T.H.Z. – drums (live)

Album Review – Listless / Listless (2025)

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Behold the debut opus by this one-man Depressive Black Metal project from Canada, aiming to capture an isolated sense of solitude through melancholic introspection.

A solo Depressive Black Metal project based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from the mind of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Aidan Crossley, the vocalist and guitarist for the excellent Atmospheric Black Metal band Liminal Shroud, Listless aims to capture an isolated sense of solitude through melancholic introspection. Recorded and mixed by Aidan himself, who was also responsible for all visual design, mastered by Cody Baresich at Circle A Studios, and with photography by Rob Hehr, the project’s self-titled debut aims to hypnotize listeners into a dark, endless oblivion with its emotionally resonant guitars, desperate howls, and sorrowful keys, being highly recommended for fans of Austere, Woods of Desolation, Coldworld, None, and Gris, among others.

Devoid starts in a lugubrious, grim manner to the minimalist guitar lines by Aidan, gradually evolving into a dense display of Depressive Black Metal while at the same time exploding into his anguished gnarls; and Aidan speeds things up in Burning Sky, blending his core Depressive Black Metal with Post-Metal elements, and the final result is simply amazing. Then we have Bloodstained Memories, back to a more introspective mode, with Aidan extracting minimalist sounds from his guitar, sounding caustic and despondent until the end. Aidan keeps dragging us down to his Stygian lair in Futility, an interlude that sounds bitterly harsh before we face Absence, one of the darkest, most depressive of all songs, with Aidan once again extracting unsettling sounds from his instruments while also gnarling deeply. Passerine, the longest song of the album, also brings to our avid ears a harsh onrush of Depressive and Atmospheric Black Metal, with his guitar lines and drums exhaling melancholy, whereas lastly, Aidan brings forward A Final Yearning Breath, a serene, grim outro that will darken our hearts for all eternity.

In summary, Listless channels the songwriting, intensity, and surging expansiveness of Liminal Shroud while focusing more on emotive aspects of musical expression in its debut album, resulting in a must-listen opus for admirers of contemporary Depressive Black Metal. You can check what Aidan and his Listless are up to on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their music on Spotify, and grab a copy of its caustic debut offering from the Hypnotic Dirge Records’  BandCamp, worldwide store or Canada/US store (CD only), letting the project’s harsh and atmospheric music penetrate deep inside your soul. There’s always some controversy surrounding Depressive Black Metal as a whole, but when the artist is question is as talented and focused as Aidan, bringing to us the striking sounds of Listless, any type of preconception should be ignored, simply letting the music do its wonderful job.

Best moments of the album: Burning Sky and Absence.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Devoid 5:41
2. Burning Sky 4:00
3. Bloodstained Memories 6:21
4. Futility 3:31
5. Absence 7:41
6. Passerine 8:29
7. A Final Yearning Breath 3:12

Band members
Aidan Crossley – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Grima / Nightside (2025)

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This cryptic, haunting Atmospheric Black Metal entity returns with its sixth offering, a dark ritual of ancient forest magic honoring the spirit of the Siberian Taiga.

With already 10 years of scene-stealing experience behind them, the cryptic, looming stars of Siberian Atmospheric Black Metal known as Grima are unleashing upon humanity their sixth full-length offering, the breathtaking Nightside, a dark ritual of ancient forest magic following up on their critically acclaimed 2022 opus Frostbitten. Produced by the band itself alongside Vladimir Lehtinen, recorded by Vilhelm and Serpentum at Grima The Mighty Studio, mixed and mastered by Vladimir Lehtinen at Blastbear Sound, and displaying a somber and classy artwork by Paolo Girardi, the new album by twin brothers Vilhelm on vocals and guitars, and Morbius on the guitars, with the support of session musicians Serpentum on bass, Vlad (Morokh, Solarfall, Ultar) on drums, Valentina Astashova (Eoront, WirgHata) on keyboards, and Sergey Pastukh on the bayan, is set to honor the spirit of the Siberian Forest, Taiga, while also bringing to our avid ears an overdose of high quality atmospheric and extreme music.

Serene, gentle sounds permeate the air in the atmospheric intro Cult, with the bayan by Sergey adding an extra touch of finesse to the overall result, exploding into Beyond the Dark Horizon, where Vilhelm’s harsh, devilish gnarls will send shivers down your spine supported by the classic Black and Doom Metal beats by Vlad, therefore resulting in a bold, dense and multi-layered aria of darkness by Grima. Then the striking sound of the bayan once again brings sheer magic to Flight of the Silver Storm, with the guitars by Vilhelm and Morbius exhaling Black Metal, being perfect for some vigorous headbanging in the bitterly cold darkness of the Siberian Tundra; and the gentle guitar lines by the Siberian twins ignite the also enfolding Skull Gatherers, with Serpentum and Vlad generating a heavy, pounding ambience tailored for Vilhelm’s venomous roars. Then featuring guest vocals by Savely Nevzorov (Deafknife, Ultar) and Ilya Panyukov, Impending Death Premonition is a lecture in Atmospheric Black Metal showcasing striking yet melodious riffs intertwined with sheer violence, anger and obscurity.

The second half of the album begins with the breathtaking The Nightside, with its menacing wall of sounds dragging us all to the cold landscapes of Siberia while their riffs and blast beats, supported by the whimsical keys by Valentina, sound utterly dynamic and captivating. They continue to darken the Siberian skies with their harsh but extremely beautiful music in Where We Are Lost, with Vilhelm and Morbius delivering a thrilling riff attack; whereas Savely and Ilya return in full force in Curse of the Void, starting again in an embracing, mysterious manner before such an amazing metal entity from Russia crushes our souls with their stylish Atmospheric Black Metal sounds. Lastly, the band invests in a more melancholic, cadenced sonority in Mist and Fog, bringing more elements from Doom Metal and even Depressive Black Metal to their core sound, with Vilhelm taking the lead with his sharp, devilish gnarling before all flows into the climatic outro Memories of a Forgotten Home, bringing some peace to our hearts and soothing our souls as we succumb to the enfolding darkness of the Taiga in the harshest of winter.

In addition to their unforgettable sound, the band’s eerie, piercing looks, towering like living trees with intimidating carved wooden masks and branched fingers, adds another haunting element to their brutal yet beautiful output. Hence, with their mysterious visual aura and intriguing sound, on Nightside, Grima continue to prove themselves as an unmissable band to watch within the genre, and you can explore their distinguished realm by following them on Facebook, Instagram, and VKontakte, stream their music on Spotify, and purchase their newborn beast from BandCamp, from Napalm Records, or simply by clicking HERE, letting the darkly menacing beauty of the night sky from the Taiga penetrate deep inside your soul to the sound of one of the best albums of extreme music of the year.

Best moments of the album: Flight of the Silver Storm,  Impending Death Premonition, The Nightside and Curse of the Void.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Napalm Records

Track listing
1. Intro (Cult) 2:00
2. Beyond the Dark Horizon 3:36
3. Flight of the Silver Storm 6:01
4. Skull Gatherers 5:37
5. Impending Death Premonition 6:25
6. The Nightside 7:29
7. Where We Are Lost 6:31
8. Curse of the Void 4:35
9. Mist and Fog 5:09
10. Outro (Memories of a Forgotten Home) 2:03

Band members
Vilhelm – vocals, guitars
Morbius – guitars

Guest musicians
Serpentum – bass (session)
Vlad – drums (session)
Valentina Astashova – keyboards (session)
Sergey Pastukh – bayan (session)
Savely Nevzorov & Ilya Panyukov – vocals on “Impending Death Premonition” and “Curse of the Void”

Concert Review – Swallow The Sun (The Velvet Underground, Toronto, ON, 02/21/2025)

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A night of sheer doom, darkness and melancholy in the form of first-class heavy music took the skies of Toronto this Friday night.

OPENING ACTS: Snakes Of Russia, Ghost Bath and Harakiri For The Sky

A few days after the heaviest snow storm the city of Toronto has seen for quite some time, The Velvet Underground hosted the Shining Over North America Tour 2025 with the bands SNAKES OF RUSSIA, GHOST BATH, HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY and SWALLOW THE SUN, and of course Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to cover such an amazing event. Well, unfortunately due to the insane traffic to get to Toronto AND also inside the city, it was impossible for several concert goers to arrive in time for the performance by United States-based Darkwave/Electronic/Ambient act SNAKES OF RUSSIA, including Keith and I. I honestly have no idea how the show was, if the crowd enjoyed it or not, as while Snakes of Russia was playing I was desperately trying to find a parking lot where most spots were not taken by huge snow banks. At least before the show I had some time to listen to their 2023 album True Surrender, available on BandCamp and on Spotify, and although it’s not my cup of tea I must admit it’s a really cool album for fans of the darkest side of electronic music.

Band members
Joseph Holiday – vocals, all instruments

When I weas finally able to get inside the venue, American Depressive/Post-Black Metal entity GHOST BATH had already started their setlist, but at least in this case I had plenty of time to enjoy their harsh and sinister performance, led by the visceral, anguished screams by vocalist and guitarist Nameless. One of the main issues with The Velvet Underground, if not their biggest issue, is the fact the stage is way too low, almost as if it doesn’t really exist, and it’s really tough to see the bands performing there unless you’re two feet from the “stage”. Add to that a few pillars in the middle of the venue, and there you have the perfect atmosphere to mainly listen to the music played without seeing anything. Furthermore, Keith couldn’t make it in time for Ghost Bath, and as my mobile pictures of the show are beyond nasty, there isn’t anything to show about them on this review. You can still enjoy their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, like their 2021 album Self Loather, and I highly recommend seeing those guys live if you enjoy such a caustic type of Black Metal.

Band members
Nameless – vocals, guitars
Caleb Cheslock – guitars
Liam Frith – guitars
Josh Jaye – bass
Alec Martin – drums

Then after all that hassle to get to Toronto, the shitty traffic, the excruciating task of finding a parking spot, and so on, I was already getting very tired and ready to go back home to relax a little, but fortunately Austria’s own Post-Black Metal masters HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY hit the stage for the most electrifying performance of the night, waking me up and inspiring me to headbang and raise my horns nonstop to their fantastic music. Playing mostly songs from their 2021 album Mӕre and their newborn masterpiece Scorched Earth, the band led by frontman J.J. and guitarist M.S. kicked some serious ass on stage, investing all of their energy into each song played, and with minimal talk in between songs. I simply loved seeing them live for the first time, and songs like With Autumn I’ll Surrender, Without You I’m Just a Sad Song, Fire, Walk With Me, and Sing for the Damage We’ve Done (all available on Spotify) sounded flawless, superb and touching, and the reaction from every single person to their classy performance was a thing of beauty, which clearly indicated it won’t take long for one of the best bands of the current metal scene worldwide to return to Toronto soon.

Setlist
Keep Me Longing
With Autumn I’ll Surrender
Fire, Walk With Me
Without You I’m Just a Sad Song
Sing for the Damage We’ve Done
Calling the Rain

Band members
J.J. – vocals
M.S. – guitars
Marrok – guitars, backing vocals
P.G. – bass
Kerim “Krimh” Lechner – drums

SWALLOW THE SUN

The name of the band says it all. After a quick break, it was time for the darkest show of the night, courtesy of Finland’s Melodic Doom/Death Metal titans SWALLOW THE SUN, and it was indeed a dark, pensive, doomed and visceral concert. Vocalist Mikko Kotamaki and his henchmen were on fire during their entire set, blending their old material with their newest albums Moonflowers (2021) and Shining (2024), with the sequence of Woven Into Sorrow, Charcoal Sky, MelancHoly, New Moon and Night Will Forgive Us sounding and feeling as heavy and obscure as possible. The encore was just as doomed, with November Dust and Swallow (Horror, Part 1), and their diehard fans were having an amazing time with their scorching riffs, pounding drums and visceral energy. It was a somewhat late show for most of us, but in the end it was a fantastic night of contemporary heavy music, and I’ll surely be there anytime Swallow The Sun are back in town with their undisputed doom.

Setlist
Velvet Chains
Innocence Was Long Forgotten
What I Have Become
Firelights
Under the Moon & Sun
Woven Into Sorrow
Charcoal Sky
New Moon
MelancHoly
Night Will Forgive Us
Plague of Butterflies: Pt. I: Losing the Sunsets

Encore:
November Dust
Swallow (Horror, Part 1)

Band members
Mikko Kotamaki – vocals
Juha Raivio – guitars, keyboards
Juho Raiha – guitars
Matti Honkonen – bass
Juuso Raatkainen – drums

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Album Review – Void Of Hope / Proof of Existence (2025)

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The horrors of reality are the proof of your existence, and this uncanny Black Metal trio from Finland is going to expose you to that harshness to the sound of their debut album.

A Finnish Black Metal trio born somewhere in time during a recording session that includes members from Moonlight Sorcery and Ondfødt and consider themselves influenced by bands like Gris, Silencer, Lifelover, Coldworld and Austere, Void of Hope are set to unleash their debut album, titled Proof of Existence. Composed and recorded in five days in the studio with -30°, -35° outside and in complete darkness for most of the day (with all screams taking place later and being recorded in two days), Proof Of Existence is a journey through mental health and depression, the outcome of which may be triumph or giving up, having started as Depressive Black Metal, but growing into much more.

The gentle, serene start in Gift of Life quickly morphs into a sluggish and pounding feast of Atmospheric Black Metal, with their riffs and beats sounding truly imposing, not to mention its devilish creature-like vociferations. Then fierce, hammering drums and caustic guitar lines set the tone in the title-track Proof of Existence, offering us all almost seven minutes of first-class, modern and ruthless Black Metal; and it’s now time for the skies to get as dark as a raven with 11 minutes of undisputed Black Metal in The Hollow Hymn, sounding and feeling absolutely haunting, multi-layered and penetrating from the very first second.

Then the delicate yet eerie interlude Inner Peace will prepare your putrid souls for total darkness in T.E.T.L., presenting seven minutes of blast beats, ruthless riffs and hellish gnarls not recommended for the lighthearted, a very detailed and impactful creation by such an uncanny Finnish trio, blending elements from different styles into their core Black Metal magic. The last act in Proof of Existence, entitled Decaying Years, sounds as haunting and mysterious as it can be, with its background piano notes walking hand in hand with its sluggish, Doom Metal-inspired beats, therefore ending the album on a high and devilish note.

Void of Hope are not an anonymous band, yet they do not consider their identities relevant, as regardless of what names are printed in the album, the music is all that matters. Void of Hope can be a place or a state of mind, and their debut album will simply show you that the horrors of reality are the proof of your existence. Although there isn’t much information online about the band apart from their recently created profiles on Facebook and on Instagram, you can put your damned hands on their newborn beast via the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page or from Sound Cave, and perhaps we’ll get to know more about those mysterious Finnish metallers as they spread their blackened wings upon humanity to the sound of their austere, grim and, therefore, more than necessary album.

Best moments of the album: Proof of Existence, The Hollow Hymn and T.E.T.L.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Avantgarde Music

Track listing
1. Gift of Life 06:35
2. Proof of Existence 6:51
3. The Hollow Hymn 11:10
4. Inner Peace 1:55
5. T.E.T.L. 7:20
6. Decaying Years 8:20

Band members
*Information not available*

Album Review – Notturno / Our (2024)

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The newest chapter in the story of this Italy-based Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal entity continues the exploration of the human psyche and our obsessive compulsions.

One year to the date of their last album, titled Inside, and two years after their debut opus Obsessions, the newest chapter in the story of Italy-based Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal entity Notturno has just seen the light of day once again in the form of their new album Our, continuing the exploration of the human psyche and our obsessive compulsions. Recorded at BVNKER Studio, with vocals recorded at HK Studios and drums recorded by Stefano Nuccetelli at Music Up Studio, mixed and mastered by Stefan Traunmüller at Soundtempel Studio, and displaying a captivating atwork by Sky Studach, with photos by Riccardo Ziosi and featuring model Giulia Simonelli, the new album by vocalist Kjiel and multi-instrumentalist Vittorio Sabelli, alongside session drummer Aeternus (aka Sven Vinat), is rooted in Atmospheric and Depressive Black Metal with classical instruments incorporated into the compositions, only adding to the rich sonic tapestry, though perhaps never as seamlessly as on this latest album.

And it’s classic Notturno in the intro Adagio, with the dark, deep sounds of the clarinet by Vittorio generating a truly menacing ambience perfect for the band to crush our souls in Inside, where the delicate but piercing instrumental pieces are exactly what Kjiel needs to shine on vocals, overflowing melancholy and flowing majestically until the very last second, therefore connecting in a beautiful way with Anymore, which starts in a serene manner to the acoustic guitars by Vittorio, alternating between utterly introspective moments to the gentle vocals by Kjiel and sheer heaviness and obscurity with harsher riffs and roars, resulting in a multi-layered aria of Depressive Black Metal. Then all explodes into the heavy-as-hell, Black Metal-infused Paranoia, with Vittorio and Aeternus demolishing our damned souls with an infuriated eight-minute wall of sounds full of classic riffs, beats and fills, with its calm interlude bringing peace to our rotten souls before all hell breaks loose again to the devilish vociferations by Kjiel; and lastly, it’s time for Vittorio to reach deep inside our hearts with his piano in the closing tune Doors, with Kjiel darkly declaiming the song’s lyrics, before morphing into a stylish Depressive and Atmospheric Black Metal onrush and ending in a gentle, somber way.

Such an amazing Italian duo of darkness is waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram with more of their music, news, tour dates and so on, and don’t forget to also stream their eerie creations on Spotify and, above all that, to purchase Our from the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp or webstore, adding an extra touch of obscurity to your collection. Kjiel and Vittorio more than just complete each other in a “Beauty and the Beast” style, specially because Kjiel is also a beast; they actually represent one single entity which purpose is to bring darkness and melancholy to our hearts, with Our being the perfect follow-up to Obsessions and Inside, continuing to pave the duo’s beautiful path to a land where there’s no hope, nor light.

Best moments of the album: Anymore and Paranoia.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Adagio 3:53
2. Inside 7:39
3. Anymore 10:14
4. Paranoia 8:08
5. Doors 8:15

Band members
Kjiel – vocals
Vittorio Sabelli – guitars, bass, clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, keys

Guest musician
Aeternus – drums