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
What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age! But do you know what will crush you like an insect here on The Headbanging Moose? If you said it’s a ruthless bass player as our metal lady of this month of January to properly kick off the year of 2026, you’re damn right, my friend. She’s not only a member of one of the must-see names of the current Death Metal scene worldwide, but also a very talented tattoo artist. Her name is Samantha Mobley, also known as Sam Mobley, the badass bassist for Texas-based Death Metal entity Frozen Soul, and the owner and artist at Heavy Metal Tattoo, and after knowing more about such an up-and-coming artist who lives and breathes heavy music, you’ll definitely feel the heat in this always bitterly cold month to kick off another headbanging year in style.
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Samantha has always loved arts and music, constantly creating art as a child. “I’ve been an artist since I was a little girl, I would draw on anything I could get my hands on. Being a quiet and sensitive child, art was a perfect outlet for me, and it took up most of my time growing up, as well as having a love of music since I was little,” she commented. Always placed in advanced art classes in which she excelled, those were basically the only formal classes that allowed her to have structure and craft her technique. “I have done freelance photography, logos, artwork and graphic design since I was a teenager. I’ve become proficient in digital media, watercolor, oils, graphite, charcoal, acrylic, clay, and now, putting designs on skin,” said Sam, showing how talented she is not only in music, but also in arts in general.
Long before becoming a bassist, she spent around 11 years working as a pet stylist at a veterinary clinic, bathing, brushing, and styling everything from chihuahuas to great danes. “When Frozen Soul started, I was on a completely different career path. I was like a hermit pretty much. I just went to work and came home.” Also, despite the steady income coming form her days as a pet stylist, her decision to leave that stability and pursue her passion for music is a testament to her courage and determination, and all that can be easily noticed when you listen to her ruthless bass in any of the songs composed by Frozen Soul, proving she took the right decision to invest in her career as a musician.
She was gifted her first guitar at the age of 8, and a cherry red electric guitar at age 10, casually playing off and on throughout the years, always trying to teach herself the basics in between her studies. “I would listen to the radio, record it on a tape player, and teach myself how to play.” Sam grew up on 90’s alternative music, but quickly progressed into listening to heavier and heavier music in her teenage years. “The first thing that made me pick up an instrument when trying to learn how to play guitar was the band Kittie. I saw that they were all female and was like, ‘Shit, if they can do it, I can do it!’ I messed around with guitar in my free time when I was younger but as I got older I just really wanted to pursue music as it’s always been a huge passion of mine. When I finally got the opportunity to do so with Frozen Soul, at the time, the bass was the only instrument open. I had to learn it fast and now it’s my first instrument of choice, but I still play guitar passively too I guess.” She mentioned in an interview that she picked up bass at the end of 2018, and started practicing with a Black Metal band called Vermiculated. While short lived, it allowed her to get some experience under her belt. “We broke up right before I started playing with Frozen Soul, and shortly after (about a month or two after recording the Vermiculated demo) we recorded the Frozen Soul demo.”
However, not everything in her life has been as smooth as her career as a musician and as a tattoo artist, mentioning in an interview she struggled from the age of 15 up until about a few years ago with a mental illness misdiagnosis that deeply affected her life. “It caused me so many hardships, damaged relationships, setbacks, trauma, and ultimately, it caused me a lot of grief with the time lost in my late teens and all through my twenties. Now that I am in my early thirties, things have gotten much better for me because, honestly, I stopped being afraid of everything. I was too scared to go out of my comfort zone for too long and that squandered my potential because of it,” she said back then, but fortunately now she’s stronger than ever, kicking ass on and off stage with Frozen Soul, and spreading the beauty of her tattoos to the four corners of the earth.
Speaking of the frostbitten creature known as Frozen Soul, the band got together back in 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas, when vocalist Chad Green (End Times, Vulgar Display) and guitarist Michael Munday (End Times, Wildspeaker, Creeping Death, Disencumbrance, Contusions) set out to revive the primal force of 90’s Death Metal. After laying down initial riffs steeped in themes of winter’s desolation, the duo realized they needed a rhythm section capable of matching their vision. That’s when they recruited Sam, longtime acquaintance of both Chad and Michael. “I knew Michael and Chad, and they’re like, ‘Well, we need a bass player.’ I was like, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to learn how to play bass,’” she said in one of her interviews. Currently formed of our dauntless Sam Mobley on bass, the aforementioned Chad Green on vocals and Michael Munday on the guitars, Chris Bonner (Steel Bearing Hand, Tolar, Distort, Obstruction, Unit 21, Wild//Tribe) also on the guitars and Matt Dennard (End Times, Sage Fortune, Humanerror, High Anxieties, Negaduck, What They Lack) on drums, the band released the demo Encased in Ice, in 2019, followed by the split Live in Chicago 10/23/2019 (with the bands Molder and Coffin Rot), in 2020, their debut full-length album Crypt of Ice, in 2021, and their sophomore beast Glacial Domination (co-produced by Daniel Schmuck and Trivium’s own Matthew K. Heafy), in 2023 (including additional vocals by Sam herself on the song Morbid Effigy, which also features guest vocals by John Gallagher of Dying Fetus), all available on BandCamp and on Spotify.
The cold and ice-theme of the band might not make a lot of sense at first, as Texas is absolutely scorching during most of the year, but Sam perfectly explained why the band decided to move in such a unique direction. “We wanted to incorporate a band theme that was both true to the brutal nature of death metal without being played out . We like to think our theme sets us apart and gives us a different feel than most bands. It may be hot here, but we’re cold blooded,” she commented. Furthermore, if you want to feel the frostbitten Death Metal crafted by Sam and the boys, you can enjoy the official videos for the fantastic, bitterly cold Death Metal bangers Glacial Domination, Crypt of Ice, Arsenal of War, Encased in Ice, and their most recent single, a cover version for White Zombie’s Creature of the Wheel. Not only that, as Frozen Soul are a band that simply kicks ass onstage, you can also check out several videos on YouTube with their live performances, like their demolishing full set at Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2023.
She mentioned in one of her interviews that some of her favorite bands growing up and her biggest influences are, in no particular order, Dissection, Acid Bath, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Bolt Thrower, Crowbar, Black Sabbath, Pantera and Type O Negative, and let’s be honest, all of those influences can easily be seen in her playing style and sound. “I basically just try to be as punchy as possible without overpowering the guitars. I try to be as heavy as possible – the nastier the tone the better.” Frozen Soul are actually compared to Bolt Thrower a lot, and Sam is truly proud of it. “Jo Bench (Bolt Thrower) and Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse) are my two main influences on bass,” she commented. Moreover, although we don’t have her list of top 10 albums of 2025 yet, you can find online her top 10 albums of 2024, a kickass list, by the way, including Mortal Wound’s The Anus of The World (10), Modem’s Megalomania (9), Gost’s Prophecy (8), Undeath’s More Insane (7), Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere (6), Enforced’s A Leap Into The Dark (5), Fluids’ Reduced Capabilities (4), 200 Stab Wounds’ Manual Manic Procedures (3), Necrot’s Lifeless Birth (2), and Fulci’s Duck Face Killings (1).
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Let’s now switch gears to her career as a tattoo artist. Owner and artist at Heavy Metal Tattoo, she specializes in colorful traditional and neo-traditional tattoos. “I started a tattoo apprenticeship in 2019, and graduated to a full time tattoo artist that same year.” She said that when she was a teenager, she was also big into painting and charcoal arts. “I took a little break from it in my twenties but it’s really what I love to do. Tattooing has always been super cool and at the time was a good way for me to earn a living while still doing art everyday. I did an apprenticeship and then I got really busy with clientele and then the opportunity presented itself for me to open my own shop. I knew nobody was going to let me work at a regular tattoo shop and be gone seven months out of the year on tour so I decided to open my own shop and that’s pretty much how it was all born.”
With Heavy Metal Tattoo, she has put together a solid team of tattoo artists who share a collective vision to make the shop an all-inclusive and safe space for their vast clientele in a male-dominated industry that has often not prioritized inclusion. “I want everyone to feel like they are welcome there and that it’s a safe play to get tattooed where you’re not going to get harassed or feel uncomfortable by male tattooers — which is a pretty big problem in the tattoo industry. Everyone’s welcome and I just want everyone to have a good time. I also want it to be a good environment for everyone who works there to grow in their career.” She also had some nice words to say about how to gain a loyal clientele. “Networking is a newer thing to me as of this past year… I’m pretty introverted. I’ve found Instagram to be the best for showcasing your work and gaining new clientele. Tattooing my friends that are also musicians or heavily involved in the local music scene has been very helpful too,” commented Sam in one of her interviews.
Back to her career as a musician, more specifically to the equipment she uses as a bass player both in the studio and when she’s kicking some serious ass across the stages worldwide, Sam said that she currently alternates between an 87 NJ BC Rich Warlock with DiMarzio pickups in it, and a 5 string Legacy Series Widow with active EMG pickups, while her pedal board consists of a Decimator, the Lone Wolf Audio Caveman pedal, a Metal Muff and her tuner. For her cab, she plays on a 8×10 Ampeg, and for her head she uses an Ampeg SVT4PRO.
Having already scored high-profile tours with Death Metal legends the likes of Cattle Decapitation, Aborted and Gatecreeper, and an arena run with Swedish Melodic Death Metal veterans Amon Amarth, Frozen Soul are already a force to be reckoned with when they hit any stage, but of course as their touring schedule gets busier and busier, all band members, including obviously Sam, have less and less time for other activities outside of the band. “It’s been very busy and very crazy. Last year, I think we toured seven months out of the year but this year has been a constant grind with touring to get our name out there and promote our new record. It’s been awesome though and it’s been nice to see the reception to everything. That tour with Amon Amarth really was an affirmation that we are doing the right thing. For some of the shows, we were playing to six-thousand people a night, so going from 800-cap venues to that was a little bit jarring but also really cool,” she commented.
During such a hectic touring schedule, Sam always finds time for herself. “For self care, on an off day I will do my own thing and take an Uber somewhere to get a pedicure, manicure or maybe a massage. I feel like that is very important for me on tour because I’m always the only woman in the band. It’s very chaotic and hectic every day, so having a little bit of peace, at least once a week is essential,” she said, also commenting about other things that help her calm down, relax and decompress from her touring madness. “Sometimes, I’ll go find a local card store and play Magic: The Gathering or go shopping even if I don’t end up buying anything. I feel like I’m kind of bougie but I bring a massage gun, face masks and satin eye things to help me go to sleep which really helps me. I also bring my Steam Deck so I can play video games. Any little thing helps.”
Moreover, among all concerts ever played by Frozen Soul, there’s one in particular in 2024 that holds a very special place in her heart. “One of the things that I’m super proud of is when we played Red Rocks Amphitheatre last year with Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, and Obituary. All of our families flew out for that. I did special makeup. And I had special stuff on. I had a special bass. And I played what I would consider a perfect set. We were technically the first death metal band to play there. So we have a plaque at Red Rocks. And that means I’m the first female death metal musician to play there as well.” Her first ever concert with Frozen Soul was also a special one for her and the boys, of course. “It was weird for me because I had never toured. Hell, my first live show was with Blood Incantation and Necrot. That was my first time playing live – ever! I still actually get nervous to this day.”
As a proud and strong woman, Sam also had a few beautiful words to say to any girl who wants to start a career in heavy music or in tattooing. “I am in two professions that are male-dominated. My advice is to study hard, work your ass off, and don’t take anyone’s shit. Do everything with your whole heart because anything less is not worth doing. My advice for other women and younger women especially would be to just figure out what means the most to you and just go for your dreams. The worst that can happen is that you fail. And even failure is not an excuse to give up. Keep trying, learn from your setbacks, because sometimes wonderful opportunities will present themselves as a result.”
As expected, our dark diva is also a huge fan of the occult. “I have an entire wall of books that are just occult and astrology stuff. I used to study pagan witchcraft when I was younger and studied it heavily for fifteen years and am still very interested in it. I would say the ‘three of swords’ card is my favorite, I actually wanted to get that tattooed on my chest at one point. I’ve always liked the imagery of it and think it looks sick.” There are lots of excellent interviews online with Sam where she talks about different topics like that, such as episode 55 of the series “She’s with the Band” by Knotfest, where she discusses her passion for Death Metal and tattoos, being the only woman on tour with a lot of men, and more, and you should definitely go check all of those interviews, as well as the music by Frozen Soul. Because Samantha Mobley is an indomitable bassist and tattoo artist that’s getting stronger and more prominent in the world of heavy music year after year, and you better get ready as once she hits you with her devilish music and art, there’s no escape from her ice-cold embrace.
There’s not much to celebrate in rock and metal music in the same year when we lost the one and only John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. Nothing will ever be the same without the Prince of Darkness, the Madman, The Wizard of Ozz. There isn’t a single artist or band reviewed in the history of The Headbanging Moose that wasn’t influenced in several ways by Ozzy and, of course, by Black Sabbath. It is a very sad year indeed. However, Ozzy was always in a great mood, always happy, and I’m sure that, wherever he is now, he wants to see us all smiling and laughing, because that’s what life is all about. He also wants us to keep attending rock and metal concerts to have a good time with our loved ones, with our closest friends, just like Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I did so many times this year, covering incredible bands the likes of Blackbraid, Ne Obliviscaris, Cattle Decapitation, Blind Guardian, and so on. I’ve also had the utmost pleasure of seeing the mighty Judas Priest in Dalhalla, Sweden, a dream come true for this fanboy here, and I can’t wait to “run for my life” in 2026. Having said all that, let’s honor the life of Ozzy with The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2025, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums, and keep on rockin’ like the Madman until our very last breath!
1. Blackbraid – Blackbraid III (REVIEW) Behold the stunning next chapter in the musical and spiritual journey of the witch hawk of Black Metal hailing from the Adirondack Mountains.
Best song of the album: Wardrums At Dawn On The Day Of My Death
2. Werewolves – The Ugliest of All (REVIEW) The torchbearers of “Caveman Death Metal” continuing to annihilate intellects with an unlistenable barrage of truly hideous music.
Best song of the album: The Ugliest of All
3. Testament – Para Bellum (REVIEW) Let’s prepare for war to the sound of the breathtaking fourteenth studio album by California’s own masters of old school Thrash Metal.
Best song of the album: Para Bellum
4. Helloween – Giants & Monsters (REVIEW) These German giants of Heavy Metal and monsters of Rock N’ Roll are back with their ass-kicking seventeenth studio album.
Best song of the album: Majestic
5. An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City (REVIEW) This incredible Swedish Progressive Death and Black Metal entity returns with their heaviest and most atmospheric work to date.
Best song of the album: Like a Geyser Ever Erupting
6. Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens (REVIEW) World domination awaits to the sound of the striking new beast by one of the must-see bands of the current tech death scene worldwide.
Best song of the album: The Swarm
7. 1914 – Viribus Unitis (REVIEW) Trench warfare meets blackened death and doom in 1914’s fourth onslaught of war-torn fury.
Best song of the album: 1918 Pt 3: ADE (A Duty to Escape)
8. Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence (REVIEW) Canada’s own Death Metal machine returns with their ruthless ninth studio album.
Best song of the album: Until There’s Nothing Left
9. Baest – Colossal (REVIEW) Back from the fires of Denmark, this unstoppable creature will crush you with their fourth studio album.
Best song of the album: Colossus
10. Diabolizer – Murderous Revelations (REVIEW) The torchbearers of diabolical abomination unite once again to drag us down into the fiery abysses of Turkish Death Metal without warning.
Best song of the album: Deathmarch of the Murderous Tyrant
And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:
11. Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me (REVIEW)
12. Impureza – Alcázares (REVIEW)
13. Crimson Shadows – Whispers of War (REVIEW)
14. Primal Fear – Domination (REVIEW)
15. Serenity In Murder – Timeless Reverie (REVIEW)
16. Khôra – Ananke (REVIEW)
17. Panzerchrist – Maleficium – Part 2 (REVIEW)
18. Ominous Ruin – Requiem (REVIEW)
19. Wrath of Belial – Embers of Dead Empires (REVIEW)
20. Grima – Nightside (REVIEW)
Not only that, here’s once again our Top 10 EP’s of 2025, proving once and for all that the duration of an album is not that important in the end. As long as the music is great, the whole thing can be only one second long, like the classic “You Suffer” by Napalm Death!
1. When Plagues Collide – Kingmaker (REVIEW)
2. De Profundis – The Gospel Of Rot (REVIEW)
3. Fimbul Winter – What Once Was (REVIEW)
4. NecroticGoreBeast – Brute (REVIEW)
5. Serpent Corpse – Retaliate (REVIEW)
6. Akouphenom – Connections To The Erebus (REVIEW)
7. Necht – The Inevitable Suffering (REVIEW)
8. Discovery Through Torment – Telesynthetic Rebirth (REVIEW)
9. Der Rote Milan – Verlust (REVIEW)
10. Eleine – We Stand United (REVIEW)
Do you agree with our list? What are your top 10 albums of 2025? Also, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 10pm BRT on Rádio Coringão to enjoy the best of classic and underground metal with Jorge Diaz and his Timão Metal, and every Thursday at 8pm UTC+2 on Midnight Madness Metal e-Radio for the best of underground metal with The Headbanging Moose Show!
Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2026!
And of course, as we really don’t like those boring Christmas songs here on The Headbanging Moose, we’ll leave you with what’s perhaps the most emotional and strongest metal hymn of the year, the charity version of “War Pigs”, by Black Sabbath, recorded by Judas Priest and with Ozzy himself sharing the vocal duties with the Metal God Rob Halford! This is the epitome of rock and metal music!
Generals gathered in their masses Just like witches at black masses…
Taking Death Metal deep into the caverns of old(e), this newborn beast from Down Under will consume your soul with its debut opus, a 35-minute spelunk into those caverns.
A continuation of Australia’s late, great Innsmouth, a certifiably cult band whose 2014 debut album Consumed by Elder Sign is considered a classic by the underground-dwelling souls who heard it, Black/Death Metal creature Olde Outlier is unleashing upon humanity their debut opus, titled From Shallow Lives to Shallow Graves, a four-song/35-minute spelunk into those caverns. Formed of the Dyer Brothers, Beau Dyer on the guitar and Neil Dyer on drums, alongside Mark Appleton on vocals, Ben Askew on the guitar, and Greenbank on bass, the band simmers their cauldron with ones both culter and less detectable, from the earthy likes of Amon Goeth, Martyrium, Head of the Demon, and Florida’s Equinox to the more ethereal undercurrents of Ophthalamia and even echoes of early Katatonia and Tiamat in their debut, taking the Death Metal by Innsmouth deeper into the caverns of old(e), but ones totally their own, and suitably extending the sulfurous splendor across epic track lengths.
The Revellersalready begins in full force, offering an overdose of raw Death Metal where Mark barks the song’s demented words viciously accompanied by the intricate and hammering beats and fills by Neil, all while Beau and Ben slash their axes manically. Then bringing elements from the most primeval form of Doom Metal to their core deadly sonority, we’re treated to more of their caustic riffs and rhythmic beats in The Pounding of Hooves, also presenting some interesting breaks and variations to give the whole song an extra kick; followed by Swept, presenting eight minutes of hard hitting, ruthless Death Metal from Down Under, with the stylish rockin’ riffs and solos by Beau and Ben sounding thrilling and captivating until the very end. Their last breath of elderly Death Metal comes in the form of All Is Bright, with the raspy vociferations by Mark walking hand in hand with their melodic yet visceral instrumental, resulting in a very detailed and consequently vibrant aria of extreme music.
Altogether, and with keenly timed bits of clean and chorused guitar, From Shallow Lives to Shallow Graves becomes an utterly immersive experience that defies time itself, showing Olde Outlier are simply eternal, existing in a forgotten realm that’s worth the journey a hundredfold. Those metallic cavemen are not easy to find, though, as they’re not present in any type of social media; however, you can still purchase their primeval debut offering from Iron Bonehead’s BandCamp or webstore, letting their cadaverous sounds consume your putrid soul mercilessly. Olde Outlier play the rawest, most primitive form of Death Metal you can think of, and once you start listening to the visceral sounds form their new album, there’s no way back.
Best moments of the album: The Pounding of Hooves and All Is Bright.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2025 Iron Bonehead
Track listing 1. The Revellers 7:54
2. The Pounding of Hooves 10:55
3. Swept 8:05
4. All Is Bright 7:50
Band members Mark Appleton – vocals
Beau Dyer – guitar
Ben Askew – guitar
Greenbank – bass
Neil Dyer – drums
This blood-soaked creature hailing from Colombia is back with their second tome of monstrosities and malignancy, spewing forth their particular brand of Death Metal sickness.
He’s dead? Not anymore…” – Herbert West, Reanimator
Formed in the time of the global pandemic, Barranquilla, Colombia’s own Funeral Vomit have been spewing forth their particular brand of Death Metal sickness since 2020, becoming a must-listen for fans of Autopsy, Grave, Mortician, and Grave Desecrator, among many other torchbearers of pure death. Now in 2025 the band formed of C. Monsalve on vocals and guitar, Y. Lopez also on the guitar, H. Montaño on bass, and J. Carvajal on drums returns from the grave with their sophomore offering entitled Upheaval of Necromancy, their second tome of monstrosities and malignancy to be released on the same fateful date on which their debut Monumental Putrescence was exhumed, two years ago.
Get ready to be pulverized by Funeral Vomit, as the cadaverous intro The Disentombment will drag us to their Stygian lair where the quarter will crush our putrid bodies and souls with the title-track Upheaval of Necromancy, a lecture in old school, primeval Death Metal where C. Monsalve sounds like a creature from the abyss on vocals. After one of those classy excerpts of some crazy dude talking crazy stuff, we have more of their evil sounds in Sulphuric Regurgitation, with J. Carvajal showing absolute zero mercy for our necks armed with his demented beats and fills, followed by Hematophagia, less frantic but still venomous and absurdly heavy, with C. Monsalve and Y. Lopez firing devilish riffs and solos in great fashion.
The second part of the album kicks off with another phantasmagorical instrumental piece titled Interlude (Mortuary Ecstasy), opening the gates of the underworld for the band to consume our souls with Winds of Exhumation, an evil, no shenanigans Death and Doom Metal creature led by C. Monsalve’s visceral guttural, supported by the thunderous kitchen by H. Montaño and J. Carvajal. Then the band goes absolute berserk in Altars of Doom, demolishing their instruments mercilessly, therefore inviting us all to crush our skulls into the pit. A name like Cryptic Miasma Stench demanded the most putrid form of Death Metal, and the band delivers exactly that with honors led by J. Carvajal’s violent drums; whereas the album ends with the gruesome, devilish Rancid Insorcism, another blast of pure Colombian gore and violence, morphing into the bestial outro Effluvia of the Mass Grave, sounding like the closing credits of a brutal horror flick.
In the end, there will be no escaping Funeral Vomit’s call from the grave to the sound of their demented new album, and you can join them in their quest for extreme music, violence and gore by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming their depraved and sick music on Spotify or any other streaming platform with enough guts to host their music, and obviously by putting your impious, dirty hands on the album via Xtreem Music’s BandCamp or webstore. As you listen to the extreme aggression found in Upheaval Of Necromancy, you’ll soon realize this is not just your regular Death Metal. The Funeral Vomit nightmare is real, and it will never end.
Best moments of the album:Upheaval of Necromancy, Winds of Exhumation and Cryptic Miasma Stench.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2025 Xtreem Music
Track listing 1. Intro (The Disentombment) 1:45
2. Upheaval of Necromancy 3:30
3. Sulphuric Regurgitation 4:05
4. Hematophagia 5:48
5. Interlude (Mortuary Ecstasy) 1:15
6. Winds of Exhumation 4:00
7. Altars of Doom 2:48
8. Cryptic Miasma Stench 3:25
9. Rancid Insorcism 3:40
10. Outro (Effluvia of the Mass Grave) 1:05
Band members C. Monsalve – vocals, guitar
Y. Lopez – guitar
H. Montaño – bass
J. Carvajal – drums
Let the ambience take you over in the fifth studio album by this up-and-coming Cosmic Black Metal entity from outer space.
Having started back in 2021 as a studio project by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Aleksandr Medvediev in his hometown of Kherson, Ukraine, but currently located in Szczecin, Poland, the otherworldly Symphonic Black Metal entity known as Morbonoct evolved into a more serious and powerful beast in 2023 when vocalist and lyricist David Welnicki joined the band. Now in 2025, after the releases of Anmet (2021), Chorna bezodnya (2022), Galactic Gloom (2023), and The Highest Purpose (2024), the duo returns in full force with their fifth opus, entitled No One Knows We’re Dying. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Aleksandr himself, who also took care of the album’s cryptic artwork, the album offers more of the project’s blend of Cosmic Black Metal, continuing with their exploration of the captivating space theme while presenting dense atmospheric canvases in the background.
It doesn’t take too long for Aleksandr to go full Black Metal in The Creation, offering us all 11 minutes of visceral passages, breaks and variations, with his beats and fills sounding truly insane while Dawid barks and growls nonstop. Lost also surpasses the ten minute mark, warning the listener the album is not for the lighthearted, blending Atmospheric Black Metal moments with the undisputed, raw aggression of Black Metal; followed by Cold Wind, one of the heaviest songs of the album, if not the heaviest, showcasing an amazing job done by Aleksandr on both the guitars and drums, providing Dawid with exactly what he needs to vociferate sheer Black Metal fury. Drifting Away is more contemporary and melodic, also starting in an ethereal way led by the whimsical keys by Aleksandr, offering elements of Doom Metal to spice things up a bit while Dawid’s vocals exhale anguish, and lastly, an extraterrestrial intro slowly morphs into the Atmospheric Black Metal title-track No One Knows, We’re Dying, with Aleksandr crushing his drums majestically in a lecture in progressiveness, heaviness, intricacy and darkness.
“No One Knows We’re Dying traces the inevitable cycles of life – from the beauty of creation to the weight of existence, and finally, to a cold, inevitable silence. The project embraces raw authenticity, with the mix and master intentionally restrained to preserve the natural texture of the vocals. Minimal post-processing allows every imperfection to speak truthfully, amplifying the emotional resonance of the performance. The instrumental foundation forms a cohesive narrative that evokes deep melancholy and a quiet sense of hopelessness, guiding the listener through a hauntingly introspective experience,” commented Aleksandr, and you can be part of Morbonoct’s cosmic journey by following the project on Instagram, by streaming their unique albums on Spotify, and of course by purchasing No One Knows We’re Dying from BandCamp. Or in other words, relax, take a deep breath, and simply let the ambience take you over in the excellent new album by this up-and-coming Cosmic Black Metal entity from outer space.
Best moments of the album:Cold Wind and No One Knows, We’re Dying.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2025 Independent
Track listing 1. The Creation 10:55 2. Lost 10:43
3. Cold Wind 11:45
4. Drifting Away 11:16
5. No One Knows, We’re Dying 12:07
Band members Dawid Wełnicki – vocals
Aleksandr Medvediev – guitars, bass, keyboards, drums
Lionesses are the primary hunters in a pride, working together to bring down prey, and are faster and more agile than males. And in this cold and dark month of December our lioness Aleksandra “Lioness” Stamenković, guitarist for an array of awesome metal bands including Jenner, Frozen Crown, Chaos Rising, and Sigma Epsilon, will shred her prey to pieces armed with her scorching riffs and solos, as our metal lady of the month. Having said all that, get ready for a wild ride together with Aleksandra and her unstoppable axe, bringing absolute fire to The Headbanging Moose and, therefore, leaving you completely disoriented and eager for more of her first-class music. The days might be getting shorter, and the nights are surely getting longer this time of the year but, in the end, that’s the perfect environment for Aleksandra to hunt us down and to crush our damned souls with her electrifying blend of Heavy Metal magic.
Born on August 5, 1996 in Belgrade, the capital of the southeast European country of Serbia, Aleksandra is the younger sister of Marija Dragićević, the drummer for one of her bands Jenner, showing the talent and passion for heavy music runs wild in their family’s DNA. She was first interested in music back in 2011 when she was 13 years old, saying she wanted to play bass guitar, but as she couldn’t afford one she used to borrow it from one of her sister’s friends. However, she said that “destiny” decided she was going to become primarily a guitarist in 2013, having bought her first guitar back then, therefore starting her journey in heavy music.
Although she’s a renowned musician in the world of Heavy, Power, Thrash and Speed Metal, Aleksandra also nurtures a deep passion for medicine and graphic design, having graduated from the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Belgrade in September 2021, and becoming a certified nutrition coach, combining her artistic passion with a commitment to promoting healthier lifestyles. And yes, she’s THAT smart and intelligent. In addition, although she mainly writes original songs, she started a YouTube channel back in 2020 where she posts covers of her favorite songs, like for example Into the Lungs of Hell, by Megadeth, Abigail, by King Diamond, and Coma of Souls, by Kreator, among several others, and apart from the usual social media you can also find her on Linktree, Patreon, and Big Cartel.
It was in December 2013 when the indomitable Stamenković Sisters founded in Belgrade the ruthless Speed/Thrash Metal beast known as Jenner, from the ashes of a Glam Metal band they had named Cat O’ Nine Tailz, in which she played bass, and that disbanded after two years. Aleksandra started playing the guitar back then, and with the support of Marija they started searching for two guys to play with them to form a band in the vein of Madam X, but they ended up meeting two girls instead, vocalist Anđelina Mitić and bassist Jana Bacić, and so Jenner was born. Named by Aleksandra after Dr. Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823), an English physician and scientist known as the “father of immunology” for creating the world’s first vaccine, which was for smallpox, the girls started playing covers of their favorite bands including Warlock, Judas Priest, Grim Reaper, and Saxon, and as a year later they became more interested in Thrash Metal they started playing covers of Agent Steel, Exodus, and Anthrax, just to name a few, as well as they started writing their own songs.
After a few lineup changes, the band is now a trio formed of Aleksandra on vocals and guitar, Marija on drums, and Anja Mirković on bass. Under different lineups, but always with Aleksandra and Marija in their formation, Jenner released a demo back in 2015, their debut full-length album To Live Is to Suffer, in 2017, the EP The Test of Time, in 2020, and their sophomore opus Prove Them Wrong, in 2024, with Aleksandra becoming responsible for the band’s vocal duties starting in 2019, as you can see in their 2020 EP and their 2024 release. Not only that, she also took care of the design and logo of their 2017 debut, and of their 2020 EP, expanding her skills even further as a musician and as an artist. You can enjoy basically their entire discography in places such as YouTube, Spotify, and BandCamp, and of course have an absolute blast with their official videos for songs like Night Without Dawn, The Test of Time, Never Say Die, and No Time for Prayer, among others. Moreover, don’t forget to check Beacons for all things Jenner.
Aleksandra has also been part of two other amazing bands for a few years, those being Sigma Epsilon and Chaos Rising. Regarding Belgrade-based Sigma Epsilon, the band has been delivering a more straightforward, no shenanigans blend of Thrash Metal since its inception back in 2014, when a few members of a Serbian band named Prisoner, those being her boyfriend Emil Ivošević on vocals, Stefan Tomić on the guitar, and Nikola Simonović on drums, left the band and started creating their own music. It was only after Aleksandra joined them that they released their first offering, the 2019 EP Svi putevi vode do smrti (or “all roads lead to death” in English), followed by the 2021 single Ruka koja mrda usta, or “the hand that moves the mouth.” She mentioned in one of her interviews that the band is working on a new conceptual album, but until then simply go to BandCamp or Spotify to enjoy their existing songs, and also go check the official videos for the songs Svi putevi vode do smrti, Kap, and Trofej.
The metal machine Chaos Rising is a collaborative international metal project formed back in 2019 open to every female artist interested in metal music, with the project’s participants and guests offering an amalgamation of styles from Groove and Thrash Metal to traditional Heavy Metal and also Melodic Death Metal. It’s indeed a phenomenal initiative showcasing the power of women in heavy music, and if you don’t have enough time to check all of their songs on BandCamp or Spotify, you must at least listen to the song with our dauntless diva on the guitars, the excellent Prisoner, also featuring Miss ScarRed (Germany) on vocals, Catherine Fearns (Switzerland) on the guitar, and Stéphanie Nolf (France) on bass and drum programming.
Furthermore, starting now in 2025 she has also become one of the guitarists for Italian Power Metal warriors Frozen Crown, joining the also indomitable girls Giada Etro on vocals and Alessia Lanzone on the guitar, as well as Federico Mondelli on guitars, keyboards and vocals, Francesco Zof on bass, and Niso Tomasini on drums. Having already played with Frozen Crown during the summer festivals this year, Aleksandra is already fired up to start working with the band on their future releases, and the band is also extremely excited to have her as a permanent member. “Some may question our decision to include in the band someone who was born so far away from us, in a non-EU country, even! Truth is, you don’t choose your family – you build your own. Aleksandra appeared in a pretty challenging situation, and helped us go through both the shocking realization of Jade’s health conditions and the sudden line-up shake, motivating us and gracing us with her enthusiasm. Her incredible dedication, humility, and constant positivity proved we have just found the perfect fit, and after working together for a while, it just ‘feels right’ to start this new chapter with her, and to entrust her with the Crown and the Sword,” commented the band.
If that’s not enough for you, you can also find Aleksandra as the guitarist for Slovenian Heavy Metal beasts Hellcats from 2017 to 2022. “In 2017 Hellcats needed a female guitarist to play with them in Arena Stožice where they would be supporting Slovenian punk band Pankrti on their 40-year band anniversary. They couldn’t find someone closer, so they asked me. At first I thought that it will be only for that concert, but we got along nicely, and I really liked them as people and as musicians,” commented the lioness. In addition, Aleksandra also played bass live with Serbian Melodic Death Metal band Nemesis a couple of years ago, and with the aforementioned Serbian Speed/Thrash Metal band Prisoner back in 2017.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Not only that, you can also find Aleksandra shredding her guitar as a guest musician in the song Open Your Eyes, from the 2025 album Retribution, by Hungarian Heavy/Power/Speed Metal band Burning Sun; in the song Cimmeria, from the 2023 compilation By This Sword We Rule: A Decade of Steel, by Serbian Epic Heavy/Power/Doom Metal band Claymorean; in the songs We Fight Like Lions and Fear and Regret, from the 20187 EP II/III/IV by Serbian Stoner/Sludge/Southern Metal band Superhammer; and in the song Creatures from the Depth, from the 2019 album Monuments of Fallacy, by Croatian Thrash/Death Metal band War-Head. She has also played with other bands including Realma and Black Widow Conspiracy, has collaborated with several brands such as Harley Benton, Blackfire Pickups and Safari Pedals, and she is a proud partner with Guitar Pro, Guyker, Drop Strap, Playtronica, Ordyh, and Enya Music, aligning with companies that support her music and gear choices.
Her idols and influences are what anyone would except from an avid thrasher like Aleksandra, including some of the most important names in the history of Thrash Metal like Megadeth, Anthrax, and Testament, all playing a crucial role in her style and career, of course. Moreover, when asked which attributes a brand new Speed or Thrash Metal band should have in order to become unique and successful, her answer was exactly what we all want to hear from hardworking metal musicians like her. “People need to make music the way they feel. It doesn’t matter what genre it is, because listeners can recognize energy and sincerity, even when it comes to metal,” she said, and when asked what would be her ideal live show when performing as a band, she also focused on the importance of feeling you’re doing things right. “I’m not sure there’s an ideal performance. What is important is the feeling on stage. And for that to happen I just need to have no technical problems on stage. I’m not asking much.”
As a huge supporter of the underground, and of course as a proud Serbian, Aleksandra was asked not too long ago about the current scene in her homeland, including bands, fanzines, webzines and anything else connected with heavy music. She said that, unfortunately, the situation looks “complicated” as despite the fact there are tons of excellent bands in Serbia, very few webzines promote them, and therefore very few people attend their concerts. Well, let’s say that’s not an issue exclusive to Serbia, as everywhere you go you’ll face the same lack of proper support, with very few kids these days getting into heavy music and succumbing to to the most generic playlists shoved down their throats via all types of social media.
Aleksandra also proved to be an old school metalhead, maybe like Accept would say, an “analog woman”, as she simply loves when an album is released as a vinyl and/or cassette, supporting the revival of those formats (although she said she prefers CDs because they’re more practical). “I’m not a collector myself, but I have some old vinyl and cassettes which I inherited from my mother and I’m really happy that I had an opportunity to have my music on vinyl and tapes,” she commented. Furthermore, when asked about the impact of digital platforms on the careers of bands and artists, she said that Bandcamp for instance helps a lot, but it shouldn’t be the only way of promoting and selling music. “I still haven’t tried other platforms, but I can notice that they’re widespread. I think the ideal way I promote bands is combining all the available methods,” said our unstoppable lioness.
She was also asked in one of her interviews about the greatest satisfaction that music has brought her, and her answer was once again beyond awesome. “The fact that I achieved my goal. My goal was to have at least one physical release of my music, a CD that I’ll be able to show to my children and grandchildren one day. To have something behind me that other people will be able to see and hear and maybe find themselves in it. To inspire others.” Aleksandra also prefers working with a label instead of going full DIY because she believes there are several things she couldn’t do on her own, like a full-bodied promotion of her albums and tours, which makes sense as she can put all her focus on making music, and that’s what really matters in the end.
Lastly, when asked about what a band should sacrifice in order to be successful, and if she has ever sacrificed anything in her life for a better future of her bands, she mentioned she had to reconsider many times what she wanted with the band and whether it was worth it. “In the end, I decided to dedicate myself to education and family, and for the band to be my hobby. Because of that decision, we often have to sacrifice the time we would spend with the family or learning to have a rehearsal or a gig.” To be fair, at least it looks like she’s been able to balance everything quite well in recent years, managing multiple bands, projects and other aspects of her life, always delivering to us avid fans high quality heavy music, and may our unrelenting lioness keep roaring for many decades to come for our absolute delight.
Behold the debut opus by this uncanny duo from Finland, offering a harrowing albeit intriguing sound that’s strangely both alarming and comforting in parts.
Hailing from the darkest and most mysterious corners of Finland, the uncanny duo known as Death Obvious came out of nowhere to release a debut album that coalesces elements of Avantgarde Black, Death and Doom Metal to create a harrowing albeit intriguing sound that’s strangely both alarming and comforting in parts. Showcasing a straightforward, grim artwork by Petri Kiviniemi, the debut offering by Lea LaVey on vocals and Sima Sioux on guitars, bass, keyboards and drums brings to our avid ear eight songs that sound like excursions into pitch-black darkness, not knowing what’s coming next, while the listener remains terrified, haunted by monstrous and spectral voices coming and going, being therefore highly recommended for fans of Thantifaxath, Dodecahedron, Veilburner, Lurk, Blut aus Nord, Hexrot, and Deathspell Omega.
Mercury Off Axis is absolutely dissonant, disturbing and grim from the very first second, gradually adjusting its shape and form to a hammering Sludge Metal beast led by the rumbling bass and riffs by Sima, who keeps pounding his drums until a storm of blackened sounds comes crushing our damned souls in Santuario, with Lea barking and roaring rabidly in the name of total fucking darkness. The Great Gate Theory sounds even more sluggish and introspective, with the bass by Sima once again reverberating beautifully while Lea’s vocals transpire insanity; and it’s pedal to the metal in the Experimental Black Metal attack entitled Total Heavenly Desolation, with Lea sounding demented on vocals while Sima crafts the most caustic sounds imaginable armed with his riffs, bass and drums.
Then leaning towards a more visceral, direct form of Black Metal we face The Third Eye Burning, as primeval as it can be, again offering our putrid ears the absolutely dissonant sounds blasted by the duo, whereas after such an insane display of extreme music the duo brings forward the Stygian tune Suffer The Spectacle, starting in a cryptic manner before Lea begins barking like a venomous beast. Their Sludge and Doom Metal vein pulses harder than ever in As Absence Expands Over Everything, perfect for some vigorous headbanging in absolute obscurity; and lastly, it’s time for the chaotic, ruthless Catechismus For The Plagued, presenting eight and a half minutes of first-class Avantgarde Black and Death Metal spearheaded by the demolishing beats by Sima, ending in utter insanity and violence.
In summary, the Finnish death dealers of Death Obvious are clearly onto something in their first full-length opus, having created an exceptional and mature release right off the bat, one that deserves as much attention as it can possibly get before it gets lost in the annals of history. Hence, you can get to know more about such a promising new entity of the Finnish scene on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their wicked music on Spotify, and of course purchase their caustic album from their own BandCamp or from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ BandCamp, main store, US store or EU store. Because Death Obvious is not a rebirth, but a necessary resuscitation.
Best moments of the album:Total Heavenly Desolation, The Third Eye Burning and Catechismus For The Plagued.
Worst moments of the album:Suffer The Spectacle.
Released in 2025 Transcending Obscurity Records
Track listing 1. Mercury Off Axis 5:38
2. Santuario 5:13
3. The Great Gate Theory 5:16
4. Total Heavenly Desolation 4:45
5. The Third Eye Burning 5:56
6. Suffer The Spectacle 6:51
7. As Absence Expands Over Everything 5:53
8. Catechismus For The Plagued 8:30
Band members Lea LaVey – vocals
Sima Sioux – guitars, bass, keyboards, drums
One of the most ruthless beasts of Occult Black Metal returns with their twelfth opus, emerging as both an autopsy and a resurrection, a descent into spiritual death followed by the sublimation of rebirth.
With the release of their twelfth full-length album, entitled Ashspawn, the iconic beast Enthroned marks a new chapter in their three-decade reign of ritualistic and occult Black Metal. Conceived across six years of deliberate creation, the album emerges as both an autopsy and a resurrection, a descent into spiritual death followed by the sublimation of rebirth. Recorded at Ophiussa Studio, produced by the band’s own drummer Menthor, mixed by Stefano Santi at SPVN Studio, mastered by Phil Bashford at The Hive Rooms, displaying a beyond devilish artwork by Jose Gabriel Alegria Sambogal, and written in close collaboration with Gilles de Laval (an occult author known for his works on ceremonial magic and grimoires, such as Sacerdotium Umbrae Mortis and Black Magic Evocation of the Shem ha Mephorash), the new opus by Nornagest on vocals and samplers, T. Kaos on the guitars and bass, and Menthor on drums and percussion channels arcane praxis, metaphysical calculus, and esoteric mapping into a work that is as much ritual invocation as it is music. In other words, it is the culmination of Enthroned’s uncompromising vision, a weapon of transformation forged in fire and darkness.
The gates of the underworld are wide open, and Enthroned are ready to arise from the burning fires of hell and consume our souls in Crawling Temples, with the demented vociferations by Nornagest exhaling pure Black Metal magic. Menthor continues to hammer his drums with endless fury and hatred in Basilisk Triumphant, offering an overdose of the band’s trademark fusion of violence and darkness; whereas T. Kaos fires sheer aggressiveness and sulfur from his axe in Stillborn Litany, another ruthless, old school Black Metal extravaganza that lives up to the band’s own legacy, followed by the title-track Ashspawn, a lecture in classic Black Metal with the inhumane roars by Nornagest walking hand in hand with the infernal drums by Menthor.
T. Kaos will cut our skin deep with his scathing riffage in Raviasamin, while the song’s ritualistic, occult background elements give it an even more Stygian vibe and feel in the name of absolute obscurity. Then the scathing guitar lines by T. Kaos continue to reverberate in the netherworld in Sightless, as evil and visceral as Black Metal can be; and a vile, gruesome scream by Nornagest sets the tone in the just as malignant Chysalid, flowing like a devilish entity running in the dark until its somber ending. That grim atmosphere continues in Ashen Advocacy, presenting almost eight minutes of the blackest of Black Metal by bringing forward the most bludgeoning elements from Doom Metal to spice things up considerably. And last but not least, get ready to be dragged to pitch-black darkness to the sound of Assertion, with the despair and wrath flowing from Nornagest’s roaring sending shivers down our spines.
A true giant of European Occult Black Metal alongside Marduk, Dark Funeral, Gorgoroth and 1349, among others, Enthroned offer their most ambitious and personal statement to date with Ashspawn, embodying a total unity of vision where ferocious blast beats, oppressive mid-tempos, and progressive structures collapse into one another. You can feel the fire blasted by such an infernal horde by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, by streaming their caustic black masses on Spotify, and of course, by purchasing Ashspawn from BandCamp or by clicking HERE. In the end, Ashspawn is the testimony of the band’s obscure alignment, a ritual weapon that rejects nostalgia and compromise. It is a resurrection of spirit through suffering, and a reaffirmation of Enthroned’s place among Black Metal’s most visionary entities.
Best moments of the album:Basilisk Triumphant, Ashspawn, Raviasamin and Ashen Advocacy.
Drawing upon the oppressive weight of soul crushing Death and Doom Metal and the violent fervor of Black Metal, this UK beast returns with their most enthralling and disturbing work to date.
Formed in 2012 in the West Midlands in the UK, Suffering are exponents of Occult Black Metal, conjurers of fevered nightmares, and invokers of darkness and madness. Drawing upon the oppressive weight of soul crushing Death and Doom Metal and the violent fervor of the blackest metal music, bringing them together in an elixir of spirit staining, mind warping venom, the band formed of Sturmgeist Fornicator Insultus on vocals, Aýdlig on the guitars, Inquinatus on bass, and Malleus on drums returns with their second full-length album, their most enthralling and disturbing work to date, Things Seen But Always Hidden, following up on their 2024 EP Symphonies: Diabolis, and a must-listen for fans of bands the likes of Akercocke, Shining, Acherontas, and Forgotten Tomb, among other servants of the darkest arts.
Such a ruthless UK horde begins their black mass in style with the Doom Metal-infused aria The House with the Red Door, starting in a lugubrious way before exploding into an overdose of Black Metal spearheaded by the inhumane drums by Malleus; whereas Enthralled follows the same darkened path as the opening track, with Aýdlig’s riffs reeking of malignancy while Sturmgeist vociferates the song’s austere words like a creature from the abyss. Then another cryptic intro will drag our souls into the unknown in The Chamber of Breathtaking Delights, offering a blasphemous blend of Blackened Doom and Black Metal as sluggish and cadaverous as it can be; and again adding an endless dosage of heaviness and fury to their core sound we face Consorting with the Devil, where Aýdlig and Inquinatus sound absolutely phantasmagorical armed with their axes.
The poetically titled What Once Was Shall Be Again and What Is Shall Be No More demanded a truly haunting sound and vibe to match with its name, which is exactly what the band offers to our putrid ears, followed by Apocrypha Through the Keyhole, another lesson in carnivorous Blackened Doom, with Sturmgeist taking the lead with his devilish gnarls. In addition, it couldn’t have sounded heavier nor more obscure. Then back to a more straightforward Black Metal sonority the band presents Hell on Earth New Eden, with Malleus crushing his drums manically while his bandmates blast an overdose of hatred through their vocals, riffs and bass lines. Lastly, the conclusion to Things Seen But Always Hidden comes in the form of the hellish Behind the Green Door, with the band dragging our impious souls to their venomous lair in the name of sheer doom.
“The darkness and truth that lies within is far beyond what we had imagined possible. But remember, things are not always what they seem and some things are right in front of your face,” commented the band about their new beast, and you can join them in total darkness by following the quartet on Facebook and on Instagram, including their unrelenting live performances, stream their Stygian, spine-chilling Black Metal hymns on any platform such as Spotify, and above all that, put your damned hands on Things Seen But Always Hidden from their own BandCamp or from Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings, or click HERE for all things Suffering. However, you must always remember that once you have set foot on this path, there is no way back.
Best moments of the album:Enthralled, Apocrypha Through the Keyhole and Hell on Earth New Eden.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2025 Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings
Track listing 1. The House with the Red Door 7:17
2. Enthralled 4:30
3. The Chamber of Breathtaking Delights 7:00
4. Consorting with the Devil 4:38
5. What Once Was Shall Be Again and What Is Shall Be No More 3:12
6. Apocrypha Through the Keyhole 3:27
7. Hell on Earth New Eden 4:55
8. Behind the Green Door 9:42
Band members
Sturmgeist Fornicator Insultus – vocals
Aýdlig – guitars
Inquinatus – bass
Malleus – drums
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.
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.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 