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Album Review – Barbarism / Predetermined Extinction (2026)

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Behold the debut album by this newborn Brutal Death Metal beast, exploring the idea that what appears to be absolute chaos is, in fact, governed by hidden order.

Inspired by the relentless spirit of classic Brutal Death Metal, the ruthless Indonesia and Ecuador-based trio Barbarism is unleashing upon humanity their vision of cosmic annihilation through calculated brutality in the form of their debut opus, titled Predetermined Extinction. Produced by the band itself, with vocals recorded at Calamity Streak Recording, guitars and bass at Resonance Beast Studio, and drums at V Studio, mixed and mastered at Resonance Beast Studio, and displaying a killer artwork by Andik Godfinger, the debut by Ardian Atmosunaryo (Deserter, Devastrosity, Goremorphosis, Obscure Odium, Over Power) on vocals, Roby Agus (Cryogenic, Decaying Human, Devastrosity, Goremorphosis, Gorification, Gorraw) on the guitars and bass, and Claudio Carrasco (Criptor, Huesa Cadáver, Infected Humans, Nephropexy) on drums explores the idea that what appears to be absolute chaos is, in fact, governed by hidden order, being therefore highly recommended for fans of the savagery blasted by bands such as Disgorge, Deeds of Flesh, and Cerebral Effusion.

Claudio ignites the band’s venomous attack with his infuriated beats and fills in Vortex of Celestial Dismemberment, while Ardian delivers those gurgling, inhumane guttural vocals we all love so much; followed by The Creator’s Metabolic Scourge, with its disturbing intro evolving into a cadaverous display of Brutal Death Metal led by the scorching riffage by Roby in a lecture in the genre. Crypts of Uncreation sounds absolutely demented and pulverizing from start to finish, with the massive beats by Claudio making our heads tremble, and the band once again delivers a high dosage of their undisputed savagery in Xul’s Vermicular Feast, with Ardian vomiting the song’s gory words while Roby continues to shred his axe in the name of violence; whereas The Architect’s Final Theorem is another no shenanigans onrush of brutality led by the crushing drums by Claudio.

There’s still a lot of fuel (or maybe I should say corpses) to burn in Predetermined Extinction, starting with the disruptive Catalogue of Calculated Carnage, with the guitars by Roby transpiring aggression while cutting our flesh mercilessly, while Immaculate Putrescence is one of the most demented songs of the album (if that’s humanly possible), offering our putrid ears an avalanche of Brutal Death Metal through their gruesome roars and infernal blast beats. Chaos in Order sounds as demonic as its predecessors, despite lacking a bit of the dynamism found in the rest of the album; and closing the album we have Structured Violence, bringing forward more of their trademark Brutal Death Metal sounds led by Claudio’s hammering drums, before all fades into an eerie, cryptic outro.

“This album is our tribute to the era of brutal death metal that shaped us while forging an identity rooted in structured violence, anti-creation, and the inevitable collapse of existence,” commented such an unrelenting trio, and you can find more details about the band and their music on Facebook and on Instagram, and of course purchase a copy of the infernal Predetermined Extinction from their own BandCamp or from Grave Island Records, or simply click HERE for all things Barbarism. Predetermined Extinction is Brutal Death Metal at its finest because, as you might already know, where structure dies, barbarism begins.

Best moments of the album: The Creator’s Metabolic Scourge, Xul’s Vermicular Feast and Immaculate Putrescence.

Worst moments of the album: Chaos in Order.

Released in 2026 Grave Island Records

Track listing
1. Vortex of Celestial Dismemberment 2:17
2. The Creator’s Metabolic Scourge 2:43
3. Crypts of Uncreation 2:16
4. Xul’s Vermicular Feast 2:43
5. The Architect’s Final Theorem 2:23
6. Catalogue of Calculated Carnage 2:27
7. Immaculate Putrescence 2:36
8. Chaos in Order 2:46
9. Structured Violence 3:54

Band members
Ardian Atmosunaryo – vocals
Roby Agus – guitars, bass
Claudio Carrasco – drums

Album Review – Black Sun / Silent Enemy EP (2020)

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Ecuador’s most prominent metal band is back in action with a new EP overflowing their trademark Heavy and Power Metal, serving as the inspiration for their first ever musical film.

Formed in the year of 1999 in Guayaquil, the second largest city of Ecuador, the three-piece Heavy and Power Metal act that goes by the straightforward name of Black Sun is set to release their fourth official album and their first EP, entitled Silent Enemy, following up on their previous albums Tyrant from a Foreign Land (2005), Dance of Elders (2011) and The Puppeteer (2017), while at the same time venturing through more “cinematic” lands as the EP also includes a short film in Blu-Ray. Featuring guest musicians from several amazing bands, most of them curiously from Finland, such as Sonata Arctica, Lordi, Battle Beast, Smackbound, Omnium Gatherum and Wintersun, which points to an interesting connection between the two countries, Silent Enemy is highly recommended for fans of classic Heavy Metal, overflowing epicness, electricity and a good dosage of 80’s Hard Rock, nicely cementing the names of guitarist Christopher Gruenberg, bassist Santiago Salem and drummer Nicolás Estrada in the local Ecuadorian scene as well as in the global metal community.

Just hit play and prepare your senses for a whimsical and futuristic voyage together with Black Sun in the intro Moebius, setting the stage for the breathtaking Resist, featuring Netta Laurenne (Smackbound) on vocals. This amazing tune has that delicious Hard Rock and Hair Metal feel from the 80’s amplified by Netta’s fantastic vocal performance, with Christopher kicking some serious ass with his in-your-face riffs while Nicolás pounds his drums in great fashion. Then we face Henning Basse (Firewind, Mayan, Sons Of Seasons) as the guest vocalist in Terror Zone, where Black Sun offer us all more of their thrilling fusion of Heavy and Power Metal with classic Hard Rock, therefore reminding me of old school Accept. Moreover, Santiago makes the earth tremble with his bass jabs, enhancing the song’s punch considerably. And Christopher takes the lead with his crisp riffs and solos in the instrumental feast titled Dark Mirror, while Santiago and Nicolás keep the band’s kitchen heavy and thunderous, also presenting tons of progressiveness and endless stamina.

After the short and atmospheric interlude No Return, it’s time for the incendiary Still Alive to inspire us all to bang our heads nonstop while enjoying an array of vocal styles the likes of Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), Mr. Lordi (Lordi), Noora Louhimo (Battle Beast), Pasi Rantanen (Thunderstone), Netta Laurenne (Smackbound), Jukka Pelkonen (Omnium Gatherum), Nino Laurenne (Thunderstone) and Asim Searah (Wintersun, Damnation Plan), not to mention Elias Viljanen (Sonata Arctica) and his wicked guitar solo, all embraced by the always solid Heavy Metal played by the Ecuadorian power trio and with Nicolás being on fire behind his drums, flowing into the climatic and melancholic outro Finale, putting a beautiful conclusion to the EP. In addition, as aforementioned, the EP also comes with a musical short film also named Silent Enemy in DVD format, developed by director and writer Gustavo Arguello alongside Black Sun, paving the way for experimentation and rediscovery of the “musical film” concept.

In summary, if you’re a fan of both old school Heavy Metal and the exciting world of action and Sci-Fi movies, you should definitely take a shot at Silent Enemy, which you can purchase from several locations such as the Rockshots Records webstore, Apple Music, Amazon, mvdshop.com, Craft & Vinyl, imusic.dk, and so on. Also, don’t forget to follow Christopher, Santiago and Nicolás on Facebook and on Instagram to know more about the band, and to stream all of their albums on Spotify. My only “compliant” about Silent enemy is that the EP is too short, with only 20 minutes of music (including the intro, interlude and outro), leaving me more than eager for more of their stunning metal music. Who knows, maybe next time Black Sun will return with not only a full-length opus, but also a full-bodied movie based on that, expanding their horizons even more and, consequently, showing the entire world Ecuador is an amazing alternative for metalheads who are searching for something that’s at the same time new and old school, technical and inspiring, just like what Black Sun have to offer in their new album.

Best moments of the album: Resist and Still Alive.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Rockshots Records

Track listing
1. Moebius 2:14
2. Resist 3:47
3. Terror Zone 3:48
4. Dark Mirror 4:30
5. No Return 0:31
6. Still Alive 4:16
7. Finale 1:33

Disc 2 (DVD)
8. Silent Enemy (short film)

Band members
Christopher Gruenberg – guitars
Santiago Salem – bass
Nicolás Estrada – drums

Guest musicians
Tony Kakko, Mr. Lordi, Noora Louhimo, Pasi Rantanen, Jukka Pelkonen, Nino Laurenne & Asim Searah – vocals on “Still Alive”
Elias Viljanen – guitar solo on “Still Alive”
Netta Laurenne – vocals on “Still Alive” and “Resist”
Henning Basse – vocals on “Terror Zone”