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Album Review – Ofermod / Drakosophia (2025)

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This uncanny Swedish Blackened Death Metal creature returns with its fifth studio offering, a vessel for Theistic Satanism and left-hand-path esotericism in sonic form.

Lepaca Nox Draconis! Ho Drakon Ho Megas!

Steered by guitarist Belfagor (aka Mika Hakola) since 1996, having sewn influence and infamy in equal measure, the uncanny Swedish Blackened Death Metal creature Ofermod, whose name was taken from a 1953 Tolkien essay, used to describe a state of mind characterized by excessive pride, is unleashing upon humanity its highly anticipated new opus, titled Drakosophia. Recorded and produced by Swedish bassist Devo Andersson (Overflash, Marduk) at Endarker Studio, and displaying a sinister artwork by John Albin Hampus Ekberg of Mark of Cain Tattoo, the follow-up to their 2021 album Mysterium Iniquitatis offers an overdose of “Qliphotic Black Metal Magick”, a genuine Orthodox Black Metal album representing a vessel for Theistic Satanism and left-hand-path esotericism in sonic form, all carefully brought into being by Belfagor on the guitars alongside North American vocalist Adeptus, Austrian session drummer Florian Musil (Agrypnie, The Negative Bias, Theotoxin), and the aforementioned Devo Andersson on bass.

It’s a pulverizing feast of scathing Black Metal in the opening tune Aicha Kandisha, with the gnarling vocals by Adeptus transpiring evil accompanied by the ruthless drumming by Florian, whereas Devo and Florian deliver a beyond demonic kitchen in Vineyards of Gomorrah while the Stygian riffage by Belfagor summons all creatures of darkness. Then the title-track Drakosophia brings to our devilish ears a cryptic atmosphere boosted by the song’s background choirs while Adeptus continues to gnarl like a true demon, and Florian hammers his drums mercilessly while Belfagor delivers pure Black Metal from his axe in Malat Atat. After that we face the unique Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zazas, where the music is as insane and complex as its name, and that’s simply majestic, resulting in one of their best creations to date led by the venomous gnarls by Adeptus.

Belialistic Gra’al Codex is another song with a very distinct name, where once again we see Belfagor and his horde crushing our damned souls with their infernal wall of sounds, with Florian kicking some serious ass behind his drums, followed by Nox Draconis, the most straightforward, in-your-face Black Metal song of all, with Belfagor extracting sheer malignancy from his guitar and, therefore, living up to the legacy of the style while also sounding fresh. Sinister Acolyte is just an average Black Metal tune by Ofermod, still very enjoyable but not as much as the other songs, while the last song of the album, titled The Painful Movers, is a demolishing beast blasted by the band, with the riffs and bass by Belfagor and Devo complementing each other in great fashion.

Invoked right from the beginning, Drakosophia is both classic Ofermod and a continual unfolding of their unique characteristic sound, dynamically sinister and vigorously menacing. You can find more information about Ofermod and their new opus on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their sulfurous creations on Spotify, and of course grab a copy of the album from the Regain Records’ BandCamp or from the Shadow Records’ webstore. Open your third eye and let Lucifer crush all cosmic illusions of time and space, and become born anew in the LVX of Phosphorus to the sound of Drakosophia; embrace this sonic Left Hand Path sorcery and mysticism, or stay far away from the sinister audial art of Ofermod.

Best moments of the album: Vineyards of Gomorrah, Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zazas and Nox Draconis.

Worst moments of the album: Sinister Acolyte.

Released in 2025 Shadow Records/Regain Records

Track listing
1. Aicha Kandisha 4:03
2. Vineyards of Gomorrah 6:53
3. Drakosophia 3:56
4. Malat Atat 5:54
5. Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zazas 4:30
6. Belialistic Gra’al Codex 5:14
7. Nox Draconis 5:04
8. Sinister Acolyte 4:51
9. The Painful Movers 4:26

Band members
Adeptus – lead vocals
Belfagor – guitars

Guest musicians
Devo Andersson – bass (session)
Florian Musil – drums (session)
Thomas Eriksson & Lars Broddesson – choir vocals

Album Review – Marduk / Memento Mori (2023)

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One of the pillars of Swedish Black Metal is back with a devilish new album encapsulating the raw and unrelenting intensity that has become synonymous with the band’s sound, reminding us that we all must die.

Four years after the release of their warlike opus Viktoria, the renowned, ruthless Swedish Black Metal horde Marduk is ready to haunt our souls once again with Memento Mori, the fifteenth studio album in their undisputed career. Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Magnus “Devo” Andersson at Endarker Studio, with photography by Håkan Sjödin and layout and design by the band’s own Daniel “Mortuus” Rostén at Holy Poison Design, Memento Mori encapsulates the raw and unrelenting intensity that has become synonymous with the band’s sound, showcasing the signature blend of aggressive guitar riffs, thunderous drums and chilling vocals by vocalist Daniel “Mortuus” Rostén, guitarist Morgan “Evil” Steinmeyer Håkansson and drummer Simon Schilling, plus guest bassists Magnus “Devo” Andersson and Joel Lindholm, evoking a sense of darkness and despair and, therefore, once again proving why Marduk will always be one of the pillars of Swedish Black Metal.

A wicked, sinister intro gradually evolves into the infernal title-track Memento Mori, spearheaded by the massive beats by Simon and the always demonic gnarls by Mortuus in a straightforward feast of classic Swedish Black Metal for the masses; and there’s no time to breathe as the band offers another Stygian creation titled Heart of the Funeral, bringing forward all elements we learned to love in their music, with Evil’s riffs sounding truly scorching. Blood of the Funeral, the first single of the album, is an absolute banger, with Mortuus vociferating the song’s devilish lyrics majestically (“High on the flesh / Of the knell and the psalm / Drunk on the blood / Of the funeral / Ridden by lust / And sepulchral thirst / I come dressed in hunger / And the trauma of birth”), flowing into the phantasmagorical, haunting aria Shovel Beats Sceptre, a neck-breaking tune by Marduk where Devo and Simon will crush your skull mercilessly with their hammering kitchen. Then back to their more venomous, demolishing mode, Devo and Simon continue to attack our souls with their rumbling bass and drums in Charlatan, while Evil extracts pure Black Metal magic from his guitar.

Coffin Carol is undoubtedly one of the most infernal and demented of all songs from the album, with Mortuus sounding bestial throughout the entire song while Evil and Devo deliver a flawless Black Metal stringed attack for our total delight. Furthermore, they keep attacking our senses with absolutely no remorse in Marching Bones, where Mortuus keeps roaring and barking in the name of Black Metal while Simon pounds his drums with tons of groove and fury, even presenting the more rebellious elements from the music by bands like The Misfits. The haunting intros found in some of the songs add a nice touch to the entire album, which is also the case in Year of the Maggot, exploding into their classic Black Metal and overflowing darkness and rage, presenting not a single second of peace as expected. Their second to last sonic attack comes in the form of Red Tree of Blood, offering our putrid ears another endless dosage of pure Black Metal led by the hellish roars by Mortuus and the always demented blast beats by Simon; whereas lastly it’s time for a sinister Doom Metal-infused aria titled As We Are, showcasing truly anguished, deep gnarls by Mortuus while his bandmates simply darken our minds with their Stygian sounds.

“Memento Mori is, all at once, a bold leap forward, a calculated sidestep, and a wistful backward glance. Meaning, we have broken new ground without forgetting our legacy or the journey that brought us to this point,” commented the bestial Mortuus about the band’s newborn black mass, and you can put your damned hands on this demonic album by clicking HERE, as well as show your support to those Swedish demons by following them on Facebook and on Instagram to be updated about their tours, their music and plans for the future, and by streaming their venomous creations on YouTube and on Spotify. Marduk’s new album is here to remind us that we all must die, distilling their Black Metal to perfection like they’ve always done, and like they will always do until their very last breath.

Best moments of the album: Heart of the Funeral, Blood of the Funeral, Coffin Carol and Marching Bones.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Century Media

Track listing
1. Memento Mori 3:30
2. Heart of the Funeral 2:23
3. Blood of the Funeral 5:05
4. Shovel Beats Sceptre 5:02
5. Charlatan 4:12
6. Coffin Carol 4:02
7. Marching Bones 4:03
8. Year of the Maggot 4:14
9. Red Tree of Blood 3:50
10. As We Are 5:36

Band members
Daniel “Mortuus” Rostén – vocals, bass, lead guitars on “Blood of the Funeral” and “As We Are”
Morgan “Evil” Steinmeyer Håkansson – guitars
Simon Schilling – drums

Guest musicians
Magnus “Devo” Andersson – bass
Joel Lindholm – bass
LG Petrov – additional vocals on “As We Are”