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Album Review – Kamra / Unending Confluence (2025)

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This uncanny Slovenian Black Metal beast will attack your senses with a complete madness of riffs, intricate drumming, flowing bass and multifaceted vocals, allowing you to dream of death.

Touching the borders where Black Metal has experimented in the 90’s but daring to go further with combining that with fleshy parts of Death Metal within a truly dark atmosphere, Unending Confluence, the new offering by Slovenian Atmospheric/Experimental Black Metal entity Karma, is unrelenting, brutal, beautiful and mentally unstable. Recorded at MH Dungeon, mixed by Anže Čanžek, mastered by Gabriele Gramaglia at Crepuscular Sound Studio, and displaying a stunning artwork painting by Jeff Christensen, with layout and design by Nik Košar and Tryfar, the follow-up to their 2022 debut Cerebral Alchemy showcases an overdose of darkness and madness by N.K. on vocals and keyboards, M.D. on the guitars and keyboards, J.B. on the guitar, L.B. on bass, and D.K. on drums, a true celebration of life and death through six unrelenting songs.

When an album starts with a song that surpasses the eight-minute mark like Unlightment you know you’re in for a treat, and such an insane Slovenian cult makes sure they slowly build up the atmosphere before starting their obscure mass, with D.K. demolishing his drums in the name of Black Metal. Then the raspy, demonic vociferations by N.K. and the Stygian riffage by M.D. and J.B. will darken your minds and thoughts in Cavernal Rebirth of Ends, another multi-layered aria of total fuckin’ darkness. After two intense tunes it’s time for the serene Owlgrowth, with parts of it being recorded in May 2020 in forests of Bled, creating a dark embrace to capture our souls forever before they crush our damned bodies once again with Weaver’s Bane, where the cryptic, gnarling vocals by N.K. sound even more demented. Of Pillars, Walls and Mutilation is one of the most insane and experimental creations of the current Black Metal scene worldwide, with the bass and drums by L.B. and D.K., respectively, oozing of obscurity and sulfur, and the album ends with the disruptive, dissonant Dreams of Veiled Veins, where the band’s fusion of Black and Death Metal with avantgarde elements works majestically.

A complete madness of riffs, intricate drumming, flowing bass and a multifaceted vocals, Unending Confluence allows you to dream of death. Hence, you can get to know more about such an uncanny five-headed creature on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their idiosyncratic creations on Spotify, and of course add their new black mass to your private collection by purchasing it from their BandCamp, as well as from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp or from Sound Cave. Unending Confluence is dark, heavy, atmospheric, mysterious and diverse, while at the same time keeping a raw and primeval vibe exactly like we enjoy in such a distinguished genre, and after two incredible albums we can rest assured the voices of Kamra will keep echoing to all four corners of the earth for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Unlightment, Cavernal Rebirth of Ends and Of Pillars, Walls and Mutilation.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Avantgarde Music

Track listing
1. Unlightment 8:58
2. Cavernal Rebirth of Ends 8:40
3. Owlgrowth 3:07
4. Weaver’s Bane 6:54
5. Of Pillars, Walls and Mutilation 7:04
6. Dreams of Veiled Veins 6:02

Band members
N.K. – vocals, keyboards
M.D. – guitar, keyboards
J.B. – guitar
L.B. – bass
D.K. – drums

Guest musicians
David Kocmur – additional keyboards

Album Review – Defacement / Duality (2024)

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Three years after their latest output, this Dutch Black and Death Metal entity flares its cryptic head yet again with an epic tome of twisted and gnarly emanations, an immersive pathway into the void.

With an inception going back to 2019, Utrecht, Netherlands-based Blackened Death Metal beast Defacement rapidly gained momentum within the underground realms with two full-length records marked by an intense and experimental take on Death and Black Metal, those being their 2019 debut Deviant and their 2021 self-titled album. Three long years after their latest output, the band flares its cryptic head yet again with an epic tome of twisted and gnarly emanations, an immersive pathway into the void entitled Duality. Mixed by Gabriele Gramaglia (Cosmic Putrefaction, Vertebra Atlantis) and mastered by Simon Da Silva (Aversio Humanitatis) at The Empty Hall Studio, Duality is as addictive as it is distressing, a vast landscape of sense and spirit, an ode to the dark night of the soul, a penetrating sonic journey masterfully crafted by Forsaken Ahmed on vocals and bass, Khalil Azagoth on the guitars, and Mark Bestia on drums, sounding unpredictable in its own dynamic, ever-changing form.

Eerie sounds arise from the depths in the opener Optic, sounding and feeling futuristic yet primeval, therefore captivating our senses before the trio smashes our souls in Burden, where a visceral, demented roar by Forsaken Ahmed invites us all to their Stygian lair, not to mention how evil and technical the blast beast by Mark Bestia sound, resulting in a multi-layered aria of darkness alternating between Black Metal-inspired moments and sheer Death Metal bursts for admirers of the most experimental side of both genres. Vagus is another cryptic interlude that brings moments of serenity, yet sounding obscure, flowing into the phantasmagorical Barrier, a fulminating onrush of Experimental Death Metal not recommended for the lighthearted where the riffage by Khalil Azagoth couldn’t have sounded more dissonant and infernal, adding extra layers of violence and insanity to their core sound.

It’s then time for another instrumental piece titled Facial, again presenting the band’s characteristic obscurity and experimental vein, morphing into Scabulous, a very detailed and disturbing creation where the deep roars by Forsaken Ahmed walk hand in hand with the piercing riffs by Khalil Azagoth, all embraced by another bestial performance by Mark Bestia behind his drums. Hypoglossal, their last interlude, will drag us back to the pits of hell together with the trio, consuming our souls until there’s no way back in the 16-minute feast of darkness titled Duality, an absolutely demonic, captivating and grim explosion of Black and Death Metal, showcasing their caustic riffs, blast beats and infernal vociferations, a sonic descent into the abyss presenting all the band’s dexterity and passion for the underworld, ending in a climatic, ethereal and hellish way.

If you think you have what it takes to face the disturbing sounds blasted by one of the most talented bands hailing from the Netherlands, you can start following Defacement on Facebook, stream their wicked creations on Spotify, and above all that, purchase a copy of the pulverizing Duality from their own BandCamp page, from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page, or from Sound Cave as a CD or LP. Duality is challenging and confrontational in its invocation of primal forces lying dormant in the world below, and Defacement deserve our full recognition and admiration for continuing to pave their path to total darkness with another excellent album of pure, undisputed extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Burden and Duality.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Unorthodox Emanations

Track listing
1. Optic 2:10
2. Burden 9:48
3. Vagus 2:23
4. Barrier 5:05
5. Facial 2:23
6. Scabulous 6:27
7. Hypoglossal 2:30
8. Duality 16:18

Band members
Forsaken Ahmed – vocals, bass
Khalil Azagoth – guitars
Mark Bestia – drums

Album Review – Argenthorns / The Ravening (2023)

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Prepare yourself for a breathtaking Symphonic Black Metal journey to the war-torn, magical and baroque world of Argenthorns.

A new and mysterious Symphonic Black Metal project from the land of a thousand lakes, more precisely from the Finnish city of Lahti, Argenthorns will take you on an epic cloak and dagger adventure in the project’s debut opus The Ravening, all taken from the mind of its sole member, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Juuso Peltola, the man behind Warmoon Lord and Old Sorcery who goes by the name of Mason Rofocale in this epic and baroque metal saga. Mastered by Gabriele Gramaglia (Cosmic Putrefaction, Vertebra Atlantis, and many more), and displaying a stylish, classic artwork by Swedish master Pär Olofsson, The Ravening marks the first chapter of Mason Rofocale’s occult chronicle through lands unknown, a Black Metal tale told the way it used to be in the 90’s with piercing screams, fascinating keyboards and icy cold riffs, recommended for fans of Dimmu Borgir, Bal-Sagoth, Odium and Limbonic Art.

The cinematic and phantasmagorical intro Hanen Salissaan Kastoimme Unenhoureet Vereen (“In Hane’s hall, we drenched the sleeping whores in blood” from Finnish) will captivate your senses before Juuso smashes our cranial skulls in The Manor of the Demon Duke, a pulverizing Symphonic Black Metal aria showcasing fast and electrifying riffs, menacing drums and Juuso’s infernal gnarls, resulting in a grandiose start to such compelling tale. Juuso wastes no time and continues to tell the album’s story in the most metallic way possible in In the Hoary Shadows of the Blighted Gardens, where all background keys, orchestrations and sounds provide him with the perfect atmosphere for his wicked Black Metal vociferations; whereas his old school Black Metal vein gets stronger in I: Incursion II: a Procession of Spectres, bringing forward his passion for the 80’s and 90’s sound while also adding his own twist to the music, ending in a doom-ish, sluggish manner.

Investing in a more orchestral, imposing sonority, Juuso will embellish the airwaves with his piercing guitar lines in Malefic Chronicle, enhancing the song’s punch and heaviness with his classy drums and whimsical keys; and in Wings of Psychomachia he adds elements from Atmospheric Black Metal and also from Doom Metal to his core sound, resulting in a song that exhales melancholy and introspection while also evolving into a Symphonic Black Metal voyage that will smash your mind mercilessly. Then epic keys ignite the second to last song of the album, titled The Grand Hallowing of the Tyrant, with Juuso declaiming the song’s words in a poetic way before gnarling and roaring like a demonic beast, feeling modern yet deeply rooted in classic Black Metal (not to mention his amazing riff work), flowing into the also cinematic outro Elpyminen (“recovery” from Finnish), putting a mesmerizing and climatic finale to Juuso’s blackened musical journey.

The multi-talented metal warrior Juuso, or maybe I should say Mason Rofocale, is eager to know what you think of his music on Facebook, and you can show him all your support by purchasing a copy of the intense and multi-layered The Ravening from his own BandCamp page, from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page, from Sound Cave (as a CD, a vinyl, or a special galaxy vinyl), as well as from other sources such as mvdshop.com. Prepare yourself for a breathtaking journey to the war-torn, magical and baroque world of Argenthorns, but I must warn you that once you enter such metallic realm you might never come back.

Best moments of the album: The Manor of the Demon Duke, In the Hoary Shadows of the Blighted Gardens and The Grand Hallowing of the Tyrant.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Avantgarde Music

Track listing
1. Hanen Salissaan Kastoimme Unenhoureet Vereen 1:36
2. The Manor of the Demon Duke 3:55
3. In the Hoary Shadows of the Blighted Gardens 5:29
4. I: Incursion II: a Procession of Spectres 7:21
5. Malefic Chronicle 5:28
6. Wings of Psychomachia 7:02
7. The Grand Hallowing of the Tyrant 5:19
8. Elpyminen 2:17

Band members
Juuso Peltola – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Kamra / Cerebral Alchemy (2022)

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A veiled and secretive Slovenian horde is ready to attack armed with their debut opus, offering us all seven tracks of sheer Black Metal madness.

As a room’s confining embrace, the mysterious Slovenia-based Atmospheric/Experimental Black Metal entity Kamra grabs and plunges you in a world of allegories, ruminations and imagery with their upcoming debut full-length opus, entitled Cerebral Alchemy, following up on their 2021 EP Conversing With Ghosts (which was by the way recorded as a two-piece comprised of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist N.K. and multi-instrumentalist M.D., who are most probably still part of the band). Drawing influences equally from Norwegian Black Metal classics, modern death dealers, as well as experimental oddities, this Slovenian veiled and secretive horde, now expanded to five unknown creatures of the abyss, offers in their new album mixed by Anže Čanžek and mastered by Gabriele Gramaglia seven tracks clocking around 42 minutes of Black Metal madness, enriched with a beautiful artwork by by Jeff Christensen, being therefore highly recommended for admirers of the most obscure and dissonant side of music.

Stygian guitars and sluggish Doom Metal beats will consume your soul in the opening tune It Burns Without a Fire…, a sulfurous intro that will crush you mercilessly before such uncanny entity comes ripping in Death Eternal, a raw Black Metal onrush that’s utterly and beautifully primeval, with the wicked vocalizations by N.K. adding a touch of dementia to the overall result while its guitars and bass generate a massive wall of sounds, not to mention its old school Black Metal blast beats. Then after such demonic extravaganza get ready for almost eight minutes of impious sounds, atmospheric passages and endless darkness in the form of Lantern of Ghostly Unlight, where its bass sounds and feels as primitive as possible, and with N.K. gnarling like a demonic creature in a great display of classic Black Metal with the band’s own experimental and sulfurous twist.

Resurgence of Temporal Malignity is even more demented and multi-layered, showcasing a great job done on the guitars which sound absolutely sharp while also melodic and enfolding, taking us all on a one way journey to the pits of the underworld; and those Slovenian metallers dive deep into the mouth of hell in the spine-chilling aria entitled Oozing the Thirteenth Hour, starting in a serene, grim manner before exploding into more of the band’s Experimental Black Metal, with all of its vile vociferations, somber and tribalistic drums, and piercing riffage turning it into a must-listen for diehard fans of contemporary Black Metal. The simple but effective interlude Last Lamentations sets the tone for the closing track, titled Colossal Blight, where their Atmospheric Black Metal vein walks hand in hand with their more hellish sonority, once again presenting a band that not only sounds extremely focused and in sync, but it also displays their undisputed devotion to sheer darkness, resulting in an climatic and eccentric ending to the album.

The voices of Kamra are inviting you to their grim lair in Cerebral Alchemy, an album that will surely please Black Metal enthusiasts from all over the world. Hence, don’t forget to give those Slovenians a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, to stream their music on Spotify, and to connect with the band in all possible ways by clicking HERE. Soon you’ll be able to put your damned hands on Cerebral Alchemy by purchasing it from their own BandCamp page, as well as from Avantgarde Music, Sound Cave, Edged Circle Productions or Rock Inc. Mediastore, darkening your minds and souls even more while enjoying the first-class Black Metal by an enigmatic band that definitely knows how to craft great music in the name of pure evil.

Best moments of the album: Death Eternal, Resurgence of Temporal Malignity and Oozing the Thirteenth Hour.

Worst moments of the album: Last Lamentations.

Released in 2022 Avantgarde Music/Unorthodox Emanations/Edged Circle Productions

Track listing
1. It Burns Without a Fire… 2:20
2. Death Eternal 5:58
3. Lantern of Ghostly Unlight 7:47
4. Resurgence of Temporal Malignity 6:42
5. Oozing the Thirteenth Hour 9:46
6. Last Lamentations 1:59
7. Colossal Blight 7:54

Band members*
N.K. – vocals, drum programming
M.D. – guitar, keyboards, drum programming

*The other three members of the band are still unknown.