Tag Archives: lima

Album Review – Argul / Soledad & Orgullo (2026)

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Behold the debut by this up-and-coming Peruvian Doom Metal outfit, bringing the past into the present, presenting a blend of the band’s early days with what they are today.

A Doom Metal band formed by guitarist Mauricio Guerrero and drummer Jose María Venturi in Lima, Peru in 2014, originally leaning towards the roots of Heavy Metal and Stoner Rock by drawing inspiration from contemporary bands such as Orange Goblin, Witchcraft, and Reverend Bizarre, but evolving into the more distinct style it is today, sounding slower, heavier, and more introspective, Argul are unleashing upon us their highly anticipated debut, titled Soledad & Orgullo, which is Spanish for “solitude and pride.” Recorded, mixed and mastered by Eddie Plenge at Dragonverde Studios (with the song “Kamog” being recorded and mixed by Alonso and Mauricio Guerrero at Ogro Space), and showcasing a grim cover photo by Jose María Venturi, the debut by the aforementioned Mauricio Guerrero on vocals and lead guitars, Jose María Venturi on vocals and rhythm guitars, Jian Holmes on bass, and Alonso Guerrero on drums (also featuring guest drummer Emilio Carranza on a few songs) brings the past into the present, presenting a blend of the band’s early days with the Argul of today, where heavier atmospheres are moving between crushing weight and quieter, thoughtful moments without losing intensity.

They kick off their doom-laden feast with the dark, sluggish and groovy Ritual, where the dual vocal attack by Mauricio and Jose works beautifully while their ritualistic guitars transpire darkness and sulfur. Then the thunderous bass lines by Jian dictate the pace in the rhythmic, pounding Engendro, with Emilio making sure his beats and fills bring absolute heaviness to their music. Hor Hodin continues from where the previous song left off, showcasing the power of the mighty riff by both Mauricio and Jose; however, it’s when they deliver those sluggish, no shenanigans Doom Metal arias that surpass the ten-minute mark like what happens in Animal Dog that they truly thrive, with their guitars breathing fire accompanied by the massive bass lines by Jian. And last but certainly not least, get ready to be dragged to absolute darkness with the introspective and grim Kamog, where their vocals walk hand in hand with the fierce drumming by Alonso, putting a beyond heavy and climatic ending to the album.

Mostly utilizing their native tongue throughout the entire album, imparting a particularly unique aspect to it, highlighting those contrasts whilst never losing a focused consistency, Ardul are on absolute fire in Soledad & Orgullo, and if you want to put your hands on the album you can find it on their own BandCamp, as well as on the Personal Records’ BandCamp or webstore, and don’t forget to also give those talented Peruvian rockers a shout on Instagram, staying up to date with all things Ardul, including their heavy and doomed live performances. In the end, the primordial is wrapped in a gloomy heaviness. The essence is the obscure and the inevitable. This is Argul’s Soledad & Orgullo.

Best moments of the album: Ritual and Animal Dog.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Personal Records

Track listing
1. Ritual 10:08
2. Engendro 5:04
3. Hor Hodin 5:47
4. Animal Dog 10:15
5. Kamog 14:20

Band members
Mauricio Guerrero – vocals, lead guitars
Jose María Venturi – vocals, rhythm guitars
Jian Holmes – bass
Alonso Guerrero – drums on “Ritual” and “Kamog”

Guest musician
Emilio Carranza – drums on “Engendro”, “Hor Hodin” and “Animal Dog”

Album Review – Psicorragia / Nekromanthra (2026)

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This Peruvian Death and Doom Metal entity returns from the underworld with their scorching third offering, exploring the darkest corners of the human species.

Active since 1994, Lima, Peru-based entity Psicorragia (the temporary manifestation of a person’s soul or astral body at a distance from their physical body) has forged a distinctive identity rooted in darkness, combining the weight of Death and Doom Metal with elements and technique from traditional Death Metal, along with Black Metal nuances and influences from other dark genres, establishing themselves as a representative band of the genre in South America. Now in 2026 the band formed of Mario Romanet on vocals and bass, Marco Borra and Alick González on the guitars, Antonio Duncan on keyboards, and Teo Suchero on drums returns from the underworld with their third studio offering, Nekromanthra, ten years after their 2016 sophomore beast Madremuerte. Showcasing a sinister artwork by American artist Thomas G. Anderson (recognized for his Dark Art aesthetic, where cinematic photography and psychological horror converge), the album explores the darkest corners of the human species, immersing itself in landscapes of decay, death, and the deepest horrors of existence.

…Y sus plagas invocaron, or “…and their plagues they invoked” from Spanish, is  already bold, imposing and grandiose, with the haunting background keys by Antonio bringing even more epicness to the dark vociferations by Mario; while Abismales (“abyssal”) continues to spread sheer doom and obscurity upon us, with the lugubrious beats by Teo walking hand in hand with the crying, visceral guitars by Marco and Alick. The atmosphere gets darker and more menacing as the music progresses in Lo inexorable (“the inexorable”), with their guitars once again transpiring pure Funeral Doom Metal magic, followed by Sombras luminosas (“luminous shadows”), where a grim intro morphs into a Death and Doom Metal beast led by Teo’s crushing drums, while Mario keeps growling like a demonic entity. La osamenta (“the skeleton”) offers us all nine minutes of despair, melancholy and doom while Mario darkly declaims the song’s venomous words accompanied by the phantasmagorical keys by Antonio; and lastly,  a ritualistic start evolves into the most funereal song of the album, titled Nekromanthra, el meditar de los fúnebres (“Nekromanthra, the meditation of the funereal”), putting a vile, soul consuming ending to the album.

With Nekromanthra, the band delves even deeper into their darkest vision, expressed through six tracks infused with Death and Doom Metal, being therefore highly recommended for fans of the obscure music blasted by renowned acts the likes of My Dying Bride, Anathema, Katatonia, Paradise Lost, and Moonspell, as well as more extreme bands such as Varathron, Rotting Christ, Acheron, Edge of Sanity, Mystifier, Abysmal Grief, and Unholy. You can find more details about the band on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their music on any platform such as Spotify, and of course purchase Nekromanthra from their own BandCamp or from the Satanath Records’ BandCamp. It’s time to dive deep into the darkest side of humanity, and there’s nothing better than the new album by Psicorragia as the soundtrack to such a disturbing journey.

Best moments of the album: …Y sus plagas invocaron and Sombras luminosas.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Satanath Records

Track listing
1. …Y sus plagas invocaron 8:49
2. Abismales 7:19
3. Lo inexorable 6:17
4. Sombras luminosas 7:39
5. La osamenta 8:58
6. Nekromanthra, el meditar de los fúnebres 6:01

Band members
Mario Romanet – vocals, bass
Marco Borra – guitars
Alick González – guitars
Antonio Duncan – keyboards
Teo Suchero – drums

Album Review – Illwind / The Unfolding at the End of Light (2026)

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Born under the gray skies and sea mist of Lima, Peru, this Heavy, Doom and Post-Black Metal brigade will attack your senses with the lumbering heaviness of their debut album.

Born under the gray skies and sea mist of Lima, capital of Peru, with influences ranging from Black Metal to Stoner Rock to Post-Punk, and a clear aim to march towards the darker side of existence, the four-piece Heavy/Doom/Post-Black Metal brigade Illwind is unleashing upon humanity their debut opus, titled The Unfolding at the End of Light, providing five original tracks which paint a somber underworld to dive into, and a closing cover to climb back out of. Recorded at Dragonverde Studios, the first-ever offering by Marcos Coifman (Reino Ermitaño) on vocals and bass, Mauricio Guerrero (Argul) and Andres Rhor (Cobra) on the guitars, and Hokama (Arcada) on drums and guitar sounds at first stridently like a traditional doom record – lumbering heaviness, slow-yet-insistent rhythms, emotively clean vocals – but patience, like much orbiting the wider doom world, yields maximum immersion.

The massive Crimson Skies kicks off the album on a purely Doom Metal mode, with the sluggish beats by Hokama darkening the skies while also presenting Sludge Metal riffs and solos to give it an extra kick. Wanderer takes us back to the glory of 70’s Rock N’ Roll through Marcos’ passionate vocals, supported by a killer solo by Mauricio; while Portal keeps the atmosphere as dark and enfolding as it can be, with Marcos once again declaiming the song’s poetic lyrics accompanied by the striking guitars by Mauricio and Andres. Their Sludge Metal riffs bring forward sheer heaviness in God of Sleep, inspiring us all to bang our heads in pitch black darkness; followed by Lucifer’s Mule, offering our ears thirteen minutes of absolute obscurity crafted by the quartet, with their 70’s Heavy Rock vein pulsing stronger than ever boosted by the Stoner Rock drums by Hokama. And finally, let’s bang our heads to their cover for The Stooges’ masterpiece I Wanna be your Dog, an excellent rendition of one of the coolest songs by such an iconic band (and you can check the original version HERE, from their 1969 self-titled album).

With influences ranging from Neurosis and Swans to Black Sabbath and 70’s Hard Rock to Yob, Windhand, Monolord, Bellwitch, and Warning to Sonic Youth, Depeche Mode, or the aforementioned The Stooges, the band reached a mélange of musical mapwork which has truly given The Unfolding at the End of Light a relatively singular sound – equally ambient and extremely heavy, ominously moving yet dreamlike, and all of it with a surprisingly kaleidoscopic tint of melancholy. The album’s richly analog production heightens this sensation and penetrates the listener to his core, and if you also want to be part of such a unique sonic experience you can purchase the album from the Personal Records’ BandCamp or webstore. In other words, it’s time to begin the trip of The Unfolding at the End of Light, embracing you in darkness, and leaving you eager for more of the music by Illwind in the near future.

Best moments of the album: Portal and Lucifer’s Mule.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Personal Records

Track listing
1. Crimson Skies 10:43
2. Wanderer 5:29
3. Portal 4:47
4. God of Sleep 8:55
5. Lucifer’s Mule 13:13
6. I Wanna be your Dog (The Stooges cover) 4:25

Band members
Marcos Coifman – vocals, bass
Mauricio Guerrero – lead guitar
Andres Rhor – guitar
Hokama – drums, guitar

Metal Chick of the Month – Katiuzca Guerrero

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Chaos, war and death!

Just like what happens in old school Death Metal, our tribute to our metal lady of the month of August will go straight to the point, with no shenanigans nor anything like that, focusing on the music above anything else, and I’m sure you’re going to be impressed with her undeniable talent as a musician, as an illustrator, and also as a martial arts fighter. The Right Hand of Kali Ma, the Hindu goddess of time, creation, preservation, and destruction, she’s known as the guitarist for Peruvian Death Metal veterans Disinter, and she takes no prisoners in her quest for underground extreme music and arts. Her full name is Katiuzca Guerrero Medina, or simply Katiuzca Guerrero, but you’ll also find her under the monikers Sadistik Kali and Tsurr when she’s armed with her scorching guitar. Having said all that, get ready to be stunned and crushed like an insect here on The Headbanging Moose by a fierce and ruthless woman who lives and breathes Death Metal, proudly carrying the flag of Peruvian extreme music wherever she goes.

Born and raised in the Peruvian capital of Lima, our dauntless Katiuzca went to Colegio Nacional San Agustin 2085, and later studied Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Instituto de Educación Superior Ricardo Palma, both located in Lima, before starting her career in music and arts. In 2014 she began kicking some ass on the guitar and bass with Lima, Peru-based band Tunjum (which began in 2007 as an all-female project playing Pagan-themed Death Metal), under the moniker Tsurr (which might have been inspired by a sentient species, among the galaxy’s most dangerous predators, indigenous to the planet of T’surr, from Star Wars), having recorded with them a rehearsal promo/demo, the EP Sagrado Tiempo De Caos, and the demo Muerte Ancestral, all in 2014. You can find the EP available on some online underground retailers, and some videos online such as the song Demonios de la Tierra, but overall Tunjum are a very underground act and apart from their most recent release (already without Katiuzca in their lineup) you won’t find anything on BandCamp or on Spotify.

After her brief stint with Tunjum, our Peruvian metaller joined Lima, Peru-based Funeral Doom/Death Metal masters Lament Christ from 2017 to 2019, but the band didn’t release any new material while they had her on the guitars. Then after leaving Lament Christ she became the rhythm guitarist of Peruvian Death Metal band Necrofagore as Sadistik Kali, having recorded with the band the 2020 album Into the Gloom of the Buried Valley before departing from the band in 2021. As a matter of fact, she was also responsible for the cover art for the album recorded with Necrofagore, but let’s talk about that in more detail when we focus on her career as a Death Metal illustrator.

Finally, in 2022, Katiuzca became the second guitarist for Lima, Peru-based Death Metal institution Disinter also under the moniker Sadistik Kali, having recorded with the band their 2022 pulverizing opus Guerra Eterna, a 12-track concept album divided into three chapters, those being Chapter I: Caos, Guerra y Muerte (tracks 1-4), Chapter II: Ancestrales Cultos Heréticos (tracks 5-8), and Chapter III: Gloria Inmortal (tracks 9-12), featuring absolute Death Metal beasts such as the song Illiatupac. Currently formed of our ass-kicking Katiuzca on the guitars alongside founder and drummer Roberto Leonardi (Supplicium, Gore), former vocalist and current bassist Leonardo Navarrete (Black Angel, Eternal Exhumation, Rotten Evisceration, Ritual), and guitarist Jose Delion (Flagelum, Metal Crucifier, Konrac), Disinter craft austere music about anti-Christianity, gore, history, paganism, Peruvian nationalism and terror, and if you’re curious to know more about such important band of the Peruvian extreme music scene you can find them on Facebook and on Instagram, and buy or stream their ferocious music on BandCamp and on Spotify. In addition, there are a few interesting video on YouTube with Katiuzca slashing her stringed axe together with Disinter, including a summary of their concert at Total Thrash Attack 2023, the song I Have Come also at Total Thrash Attack 2023, a rehearsal of the song Aberrantes Ofrendas Al Ukupacha, another rehearsal for the song Señores De La Guerra Chimu, and the live videos for La Ultima Ofensiva and Aberrantes Ofrendas Al Ukupacha.

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Regarding her career as a Death Metal cover artist and graphic designer, Katiuzca owns her own business named Temple of Kalighat Arts, also located in Lima, Peru, labeling her own practice as “a world full of madness and death dedicated to the illustrations done by the Right Hand of Kali Ma.” You’ll find her artworks beautifully embracing the demonic music by bands the likes of Abatuar, Grave Desecration, Sepulchral Voices, Black Communion and Putrid, anog many others. For instance, you can feast your eyes on the cover arts for the 2017 album Perversiones de Muerte Putrefacta by Abatuar; the 2019 album Porkus Filth’s Crusher by Excruciate 666; the 2022 self-titled EP by Serpent Antique; and of course the 2022 album Guerra Eterna by her current band Disinter; just to name a few. In addition, you can also see her art on the front cover of underground webzines like the one for the Call from Beyond zine issue #2, published in 2018. Hence, don’t forget to keep an eye on the official Facebook and Instagram for Temple of Kalighat Arts for more of her sensational and devilish creations. If you think that’s a lot for just one person, let me tell you that she also works in the sales and distribution department of a Peruvian company named Thrashirts, a heavy music-oriented label specialized in booking and management, distribution, merchandising, concerts and festivals, and more. Is that enough for you?

Well, let’s say Katiuzca is an unstoppable woman, and while you might already be too tired to follow her speed, she still has a lot of energy left to kick your ass as a Muay Thai, boxing and MMA fighter and instructor. She’s one of the teachers and part of the administrative staff at Peru Fight Academy Norte, having arrived from the #NiUnaMenos campaign (a movement against violence against women, spearheaded by an organization called Frente Nacional de Mujeres por la Gobernabilidad y la Democracia), and at that time she was already a national No-Gi Jiu Jitsu champion and a national runner-up in Muay Thai. You can see her in action on a couple of YouTube videos like this one and this one, and check out her profile HERE, but be careful, as she will mercilessly kick your damned ass in the name of Death Metal.

Katiuzca Guerrero’s Official Facebook page
Temple of Kalighat Arts’ Official Facebook page
Temple of Kalighat Arts’ Official Instagram
Disinter’s Official Facebook page
Disinter’s Official Instagram
Disinter’s Official YouTube channel

Album Review – Antichrist / Pax Moriendi (2018)

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Get ready for 45 minutes of the most visceral form of old school Doom Metal made in Peru, dragging you to an eternal voyage into the most obscure side of your mind.

Formed in 2004 in Lima, the alluring capital of Peru, but not really kicking into recorded gear until a decade later, Doom/Death Metal act Antichrist soon released a steady stream of demos between 2014 and 2016, all harbingers of the colossal beast that was going to haunt our souls now in 2018, the brutally obscure album Pax Moriendi. Not only this is their highly anticipated debut album, but above that, it’s a piercing, funereal ode to the end of life as we know it. As a matter of fact, Pax Moriendi translates as “the peace of dying” from Latin, just to give you an idea of how lugubrious the whole album sounds and feels.

Across the 45 minutes of music split into five Stygian songs in Pax Moriendi, the listener is taken down into sewers a mile deep (or more), tweaking that immortal doom-death schematic into something righteously foul and filthy, but still well within the range of melancholic human experience. Led by the cavernous growls by lead singer and founder Agalariept, Antichirst are a true behemoth of darkness, blasting low-tuned, macabre sounds and tones that will reach deep inside your skin, bringing you venomous thoughts and, as a consequence, dragging you to an eternal voyage into the most obscure side of your mind.

Ominous, eerie sounds permeate the air in the opening track, darkly titled Forgotten in Nameless Suffering, where the duo Luis M. Guerra on drums and Manolo Zaren on keyboards create a truly phantasmagoric atmosphere, perfect for the deep, dark grunts by the band’s demonic frontman Agalariept. Furthermore, this song brings to you the most primeval form of Doom Metal you can think of, spiced up by orchestral elements in the background and, therefore, being highly recommended for your one-way descent into the pits of hell. Then their Death Metal side arises in brutal and somber fashion in Obscurantism, with Manolo slashing his guitar while bassist Gustavo Rodriguez makes sure our brains detach from our skulls with his low-tuned punches, with the whole musicality being nicely complemented by a whimsical, ethereal break. Also, in order to make things even more sepulchral, Agalariept fires intense, deep gnarls to the point he doesn’t sound human.

In the Dark and Mournful Corner is a flawless depiction of depressive, mournful and obscure Blackened Doom where Luis delivers those slow, sluggish and extremely evil beats, turning the song into some sort of evil mass, while Manolo not only burns our senses with his guitar but he also adds a touch of delicacy to the musicality with his keys. Moreover, it’s impressive how Antichrist alternate between old school Doom Metal and heavy-as-hell Death Metal so smoothly and effectively during the song’s gripping 10 minutes. After such demented aria, it’s time for a frantic display of aggression by Antichrist entitled Screams and Lamentations Drowned, with Luis smashing his drums while Agalariept barks and growls like a devilish beast, becoming a more visceral version of Doom Metal with its core essence reeking of putrid Death Metal. And You Will Never See Sun Light, the longest and murkiest of all songs, brings forward over 12 minutes of sluggish beats, hellish roars and uncanny sounds, with the ghoulish noises in the background making the whole song even more impactful and perturbing, flowing into a lugubrious ending led by the sinister piano by Manolo. Hence, if you survive this tenebrous aria, you’re indeed a true servant of darkness.

And as a servant of all things hellbound it’s your duty to follow Antichrist on Facebook and to buy your copy of the perilous and reverberating Pax Moriendi from Record Shop X, from the NWN! Productions webshop, from the Dark Descent Records webshop, or from the Invictus Productions webshop. Peru might not be known worldwide for its metal scene, but when you dig deep into the Peruvian underworld and find an amazing band like Antichrist, you know it’s time to surrender to the dark side of the “Land of the Incas” and crack your neck headbanging to such powerful display of old school Doom Metal.

Best moments of the album: Obscurantism and In the Dark and Mournful Corner.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2018 Iron Bonehead

Track listing
1. Forgotten in Nameless Suffering 8:54
2. Obscurantism 7:44
3. In the Dark and Mournful Corner 10:53
4. Screams and Lamentations Drowned 4:47
5. You Will Never See Sun Light 12:16

Band members
Agalariept – vocals
Manolo Zaren – guitars, keyboards
Gustavo Rodriguez – bass
Luis M. Guerra – drums