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Album Review – Terrestrial Hospice / Omnicide – Chapter I (2026)

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Behold the caustic new opus by this uncanny Polish duo, inviting us all to join them in their impure ceremony of absolute Black Metal devastation, causing total havoc and destruction in their wake.

There are nihilists, there are elitists, and there are people threading on others to move forward. Gdańsk, Poland-based Black Metal duo Terrestrial Hospice  doesn’t need any of these labels or methods to move ahead. Formed back in 2018 when Inferno, the unstoppable drummer for blackened masters Behemoth, pitched the idea to the mighty vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Skyggen (from bands like Dead to This World, Tortorum, and Thunderbolt, among others), the duo is unleashing upon humanity their third full-length opus, titled Omnicide – Chapter I, following up on their 2023 album Caviary to the General and their 2024 EP Rübezahl. Recorded at Sound of Records, mixed and mastered at Wielolsad Studio, engineered, mixed and mastered by Haldor Grunberg at Satanic Audio, and displaying a sinister cover art and photo by Bartek Rogalewicz of Lodge Black, the album invites us all to join Skyggen and Inferno in their impure ceremony of absolute Black Metal devastation, with the duo causing total havoc and destruction in their wake.

Phosphoric Salvation starts in an ethereal, pensive way before the duo comes crushing our hopes and dreams with their visceral riffs and blast beats, with Skyggen’s vocals sounding phantasmagorical. And Inferno keeps pounding his drums manically in The Couloir of Despair, offering us all more of the duo’s evil Black Metal magic; while Call of the Void is even more infernal and vile, with Inferno’s blast beats providing Skyggen with exactly what he needs to haunt our damned souls with his demented vociferations, followed by Serpents in the Grass, another solid, otherworldly composition by the duo where Inferno takes the lead with his classy beats and fills as usual.

There’s no time to breathe as their Black Metal machine moves forward in full force to the sound of Menace, presenting an overdose of strident riffs by Skyggen not recommended for the lighthearted; whereas Depraver (Black Invocation) is by far the most incendiary and demented of all songs, if that’s humanly possible, with Inferno crushing our frail bodies with his undisputed Black and Death Metal attack. Drowning Spirit sounds a bit generic compared to the rest of the album, despite the fact that Skyggen’s evil gnarls are still a thing of beauty; and last but certainly not least, they bring forward their blend of Melodic Black Metal in the form of The Gospel of Obedience, as rhythmic as it is obscure, putting a chaotic and vile ending to the album.

Joined live by Norwegian bassist Thurzur, known from Gaahlskagg, Dead to This World, Taake and Deathcult, among others, and by guitarist Namas, Terrestrial Hospice represent heart, emotion, will, power and consistency, and their new album perfectly depicts their hard work and commitment to Black Metal. Hence, you can enter the left-hand path alongside Skyggen and Inferno by following the duo on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming their caustic music on Spotify, and of course by putting your damned hands on Omnicide – Chapter I from the Edge Circle Productions’ BandCamp or webstore. The “now” of the world needs more individual thinking like what Skyggen and Inferno have to offer in their new album to move forward. We need more Terrestrial Hospice. We need more Black Metal.

Best moments of the album: Phosphoric Salvation, Call of the Void and Depraver (Black Invocation).

Worst moments of the album: Drowning Spirit.

Released in 2026 Edge Circle Productions

Track listing
1. Phosphoric Salvation 6:47
2. The Couloir of Despair 2:34
3. Call of the Void 4:11
4. Serpents in the Grass 4:50
5. Menace 6:45
6. Depraver (Black Invocation) 2:19
7. Drowning Spirit 4:48
8. The Gospel of Obedience 4:25

Band members
Skyggen – vocals, guitars, bass
Inferno – drums

Guest musicians
Magdalena Sienkiel – grand piano interlude on “The Gospel of Obedience”
Soror NMHN – spoken words on “Call of the Void”, “Serpents in the Grass” and “The Gospel of Obedience”
Namas – guitars (live), keyboards on “Phosphoric Salvation”
Thurzur – bass (live)

Album Review – Phantom Fire / Eminente Lucifer Libertad (2023)

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This rebellious Black and Speed Metal duo hailing from Norway is ready to reap again to the sound of their sulfurous sophomore opus.

Hailing from Bergen, Norway, Black/Speed Metal outfit Phantom Fire includes members from such bands as Gaahls Wyrd and Krakow, but on evidence of their first public recording, the 2021 two-song EP Return of the Goat, Phantom Fire are definitely their own band. Now in 2023, little more than a year after the release of their full-length opus The Bust of Beelzebub, the band formed of Eld (aka Frode Kilvik) on vocals and bass, and Kjartan (aka Kjartan Grønhaug, or simply K_G) on the guitars and electronics, is ready to reap again with their sophomore opus, titled Eminente Lucifer Libertad. Produced, mixed and mastered by Enslaved’s own Iver Sandøy (who also plays drums in the entire album) at Solslottet Studio, displaying a sinister artwork by Per “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson (Nifelheim, Necrocurse), and featuring eerie narrations by Ferruccio Goia, the album keeps the duo’s core sound intact and yet show palpable new sides of their music across its slightly longer and daresay-stronger content, riding the lightning of all-out speed as often as they moodily march to pagan vastlands, sometimes all in the span of the same song.

Not a single second of peace is offered to our blackened souls in Bloodshed, with Eld roaring manically accompanied by the visceral riffs by Kjartan in a fast and furious Thrash Metal party with Hardcore influences, followed by the weird interlude Eminente, which sets the tone for Derive from Ash, a mid-tempo Black and Thrash Metal aria where Eld’s vocals sound inspired by the one and only Abbath, with his bass lines hitting us hard in the head supported by the solid drumming by Iver. Then back to a more ferocious mode, it’s truly exciting how the duo managed to blend the best elements from Black and Thrash Metal in their music as you can sense both styles at once in Ritual, led by the fulminating riffage by Kjartan, morphing into the devilish Satanic Messenger, where eerie vociferations are accompanied by electronic sounds and noises crafted by Kjartan. Not exactly the type of track hardcore fans of thrash would expect, but it does its job in a decent way.

Lucifer is another idiosyncratic track by the band that builds the atmosphere for De Taptes Dans, where we face almost three minutes of obscurity and violence. Furthermore, Iver is once again brutal on drums providing Eld with exactly what he needs to bark like a demonic entity; and investing in a rebellious, punk-ish attitude the duo fires the heavy tune Black Night, where their riffs and bass lines walk hand in hand in the name of extreme music. Mara is a wicked creation overflowing progressiveness, groove and rage with Kjartan hammering his guitar mercilessly, extracting pure Black Metal from his riffs, and the band offers us all another short and sweet interlude titled Libertad before kicking our asses one last time in Pentagram, the longest and most detailed of all songs where Eld’s bass and Iver’s beats bring sheer groove to the music, sounding more like a summoning of evil spirits than an actual metal song. The final result is truly compelling, though.

The insurgent duo of Phantom Fire is ready to kick your ass armed with their flammable new album, and in order to show them you’re a true servant of our buddy Lucifer you can start following them on Facebook and on Instagram, stream more of their music on Spotify, and purchase your copy of Eminente Lucifer Libertad from the Edge Circle Productions’ BandCamp page or from their webstore in the United States or in Europe, as well as from Apple Music. In the end, the album is a rowdier listen but also one that’s stoic or even ceremonial; the chill of the tundra coats all of Eminente Lucifer Libertad, and so does the burning light of Lucifer (up)rising from beneath, always in the name of our beloved extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Bloodshed, De Taptes Dans and Mara.

Worst moments of the album: Satanic Messenger.

Released in 2023 Edge Circle Productions

Track listing
1. Bloodshed 2:33
2. Eminente 0:10
3. Derive from Ash 4:58
4. Ritual 3:42
5. Satanic Messenger 3:32
6. Lucifer 0:57
7. De Taptes Dans 2:49
8. Black Night 1:42
9. Mara 2:55
10. Libertad 0:19
11. Pentagram 6:24

Band members
Eld – vocals, bass
Kjartan – guitars, electronics

Guest musicians
Iver Sandøy – drums
Ferruccio Goia – narration