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Album Review – Wrath of Belial / Embers of Dead Empires (2025)

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Danish Death Metal juggernauts return with fire and fury on their sophomore full-length opus, casting a harsh light on human cruelty and societal decay.

Pulling inspiration from Death Metal legends the likes of Aborted, Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, and even the progressive might of Mastodon, Aarhus, Denmark-based Death Metal juggernaut Wrath of Belial returns with fire and fury on their sophomore full-length opus, entitled Embers of Dead Empires, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2017 debut Bloodstained Rebellion. Mixed and mastered by Mendel bij de Leij (Aborted, Severe Torture, Cytotoxin), with drums recorded under the skilled engineering of Jacob Bredahl at Dead Rat Studios, and featuring a brutally futuristic artwork by world renowned illustrator Daemorph, the new album by Kasper B. Hornstrup on vocals, Jonas L. Thomsen on the guitars, and Anders F.S. Mikkelsen on bass, with support from session musicians Alex Bossen (of OXX) on lead guitars, and Bastian Thusgaard (of Soilwork, Dawn of Demise, and The Arcane Order) on drums, while the live lineup now includes Richardt Olsen on the guitars and Bent Bisballe Nyeng on drums, is a savage, refined, and punishingly tight release that casts a harsh light on human cruelty and societal decay, featuring ten meticulously crafted tracks of  Brutal and Melodic Death Metal packed with razor-sharp riffs, breakneck drumming, and searing vocals.

Dismantling Logos is absolutely insane from the very first second, with guest drummer Robin Stone (of Ashen Horde and Norse) crushing his drums manically while Kasper roars like a demonic entity. In other words, the album couldn’t have started in a more ferocious and exciting way; and Alex and Jonas shred their axes without a single drop of mercy in Mask of Commiseration, offering more of the band’s demented blend of Brutal and Technical Death Metal, followed by The Secular and the Divine, a lecture in Technical Death Metal with the infuriated growls by Kasper walking hand in hand with the inhumane beats and fills by Bastian. The stringed weapons by Alex, Jonas and Anders keep breathing fire and violence in Embers, showcasing the band’s trademark fusion of intricacy and darkness, whereas the metallic, rumbling bass by Anders adds tons of groove to their sound in Visions of the Annointed, being more than perfect for some hard hitting action inside the circle pit.

Bastian shows no mercy for our damned necks an bodies in Atonement, hammering his drums nonstop in the name of classic Death Metal, therefore keeping the album at a humongous level of animosity; followed by The Devouring Mother, one of the heaviest, most infernal of all songs, led by the brutal guttural by Kasper while the band’s guitarists shred their instruments in the name of sheer aggression. There’s absolutely no time to breath to the sound of The Marble and the Sculptor, a no shenanigans, in-your-face Death Metal attack by Wrath of Belial that should work majestically if played live; and the band then sounds even more infuriated in The Stench, a visceral lesson in extreme music where Bastian steals the spotlight with his ruthless and precise drumming. Lastly, the band’s final attack, titled Weight of the Transcendent, offers more of Kasper’s demented screeches while Alex and Jonas keep firing their trademark hellish riffage nonstop.

Fans of bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Aborted, and high-speed Death Metal with a razor-sharp melodic edge will have a great time listening to Embers of Dead Empires, which in the end is more than just a record, but a sharpened spear aimed at the heart of apathy and decay. Hence, as Wrath of Belial ignite the underground once again, you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on, stream their music on any platform such as Spotify, get more details about the band from CDN Records or by clicking HERE, and of course grab your copy of their ruthless new album from the CDN Records webstore. Danish Death Metal has never sounded stronger than now with Wrath of Belial, and if you think you have what it takes to face Embers of Dead Empires, I’m sure you won’t regret getting pulverized by the music found in the band’s newborn beast.

Best moments of the album: Dismantling Logos, The Secular and the Divine, The Devouring Mother and The Stench.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 CDN Records

Track listing
1. Dismantling Logos 4:49
2. Mask of Commiseration 4:23
3. The Secular and the Divine 3:49
4. Embers 5:19
5. Visions of the Annointed 4:05
6. Atonement 4:14
7. The Devouring Mother 4:07
8. The Marble and the Sculptor 3:30
9. The Stench 4:11
10. Weight of the Transcendent 4:42

Band members
Kasper B. Hornstrup – vocals
Jonas L. Thomsen – guitars
Anders F.S. Mikkelsen – bass

Guest musicians
Alex Bossen – lead guitars (session)
Bastian Thusgaard – drums (session)
Robin Stone – drums on “Dismantling Logos”
Richardt Olsen – guitars (live)
Bent Bisballe Nyeng – drums (live)

Album Review – Felgrave / Otherlike Darknesses (2025)

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This one-man project from Norway breaks the mould and offers three lengthy tracks that flow in an intuitive, undulating, almost whimsical manner, touching upon several styles and effortlessly shape shifting through them all.

After dropping its well-received debut album A Waning Light back in 2020, Viken, Norway-based entity Felgrave has crafted an ingenious album melding influences of Avantgarde Black, Death and Doom Metal in a way rarely done before, entitled Otherlike Darknesses, breaking the mould and offering three lengthy tracks that flow in an intuitive, undulating, almost whimsical manner, touching upon several styles and effortlessly shape shifting through them all. Mixed by the project’s mastermind, vocalist, guitarist, bassist and keyboardist M. L. Jupe, mastered by Brendan Sloan, featuring session drummer Robin Stone (Evilyn, Norse), and displaying another beautiful artwork by Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration, Otherlike Darknesses is a multi-faceted opus and yet has a fairly cohesive sound with exceptional song writing, always engaging while also being unpredictable.

M. L. Jupe ignites his blackened machine armed with his scorching riffs and a menacing atmosphere in Winds Batter My Keep, sounding disturbing, avantgarde and addictive all at once, with the puissant drums by Robin adding an extra dosage of heaviness to the music, resulting in a sonic creature arising from the underworld ready to consume us all. After such a bludgeoning beast we face Pale Flowers Under an Empty Sky, the “shortest” song of the album (which still surpasses the 12-minute mark), beginning in a sinister manner until all morphs into an experimental, dissonant display of Black and Death Metal led by M. L. Jupe’s visceral growls and infernal riffage, also showcasing ethereal, soothing passages; building an instant bridge with the colossal title-track Otherlike Darknesses, offering us all mere mortals 18 minutes of grandiose Avantgarde Black and Death Metal. Futhermore, M. L. Jupe and Robin are on fire during the entire song, demolishing our senses and piercing our minds with their wicked vociferations, incendiary riffs and pulverizing drums, while also bringing forward so many breaks, variations and cryptic moments it feels like countless songs in one in the end.

“I’m super glad to have found a label so excited to release Otherlike Darknesses, an album of experimental, avantgarde extreme metal with many diverse influences, namely 20th century classical music, 70s symphonic prog rock, and the weirder side of 90s black and death metal. The music herein is a meticulously crafted dark yet colourful tapestry that goes far beyond anything I’ve done before, and will reward diligent and attentive enjoyers of unique extreme metal for countless repeats,” commented M. L. Jupe about his newborn spawn and his partnership with the always amazing Transcending Obscurity Records, and you can put your damned hands on such a unique album of extreme music by purchasing it from the label’s Bandcamp, main store, Europe store, or US store, keeping in mind it comes as a hand-numbered eight-panel digipak with full color printing and a metallic effect throughout, in addition to gloss raised UV lamination done on parts of the artwork, a download code and transparent logo stickers. Don’t forget to also see what M. L. Jupe and his Felgrave are up to on Facebook while listening to his new album, embarking on a multi-layered, classy and embracing journey across an array of music styles, all masterfully brought into being by a Norwegian lone wolf that definitely knowns how to turn music into a work of art.

Best moments of the album: Otherlike Darknesses.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Winds Batter My Keep 18:09
2. Pale Flowers Under an Empty Sky 12:29
3. Otherlike Darknesses 18:00

Band members
M. L. Jupe – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, programming

Guest musicians
Robin Stone – drums (session)

Album Review – Colosso / Apocalypse EP (2020)

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Pestilence, War, Death and Famine masterfully turned into brutal and obscure Death Metal by a heavier-than-hell unity hailing from Portugal.

What if a vicious horde hailing from Portugal decided to turn the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, the Book of Revelation by John of Patmos, into gruesome and raw Death Metal? That’s exactly what a project formed in 2011, currently comprised of Max Tomé on guitars, keyboards and vocals, Alexandre Ribeiro (Grog) on bass and Robin Stone (Norse) on drums, collectively known as Porto, Portugal-based Death Metal unity Colosso, has to offer us all in their brand new EP simply titled Apocalypse, translating into modern and sharp Death Metal all the darkness flowing from the four riders Pestilence, War, Famine and Death.

After years of toiling in the underground, putting out six releases of ever-evolving Death Metal such as their debut full-length opus Peaceful Abrasiveness, in 2012, and more recently Rebirth, in 2018, Colosso seem to have reached their most demonic shape and form in Apocalypse, being highly recommended for fans of the music by Norse, Morbid Angel, Nile, Incantation and Suffocation, among other behemoths of extreme music. Mixed and mastered by Max Tomé himself, and featuring a beyond obscure album art by Phlegeton Art Studio, as well as guest vocals by Guilherme Henriques of Oak and Gaerea, Diogo Santana of Analepsy, and Sérgio Afonso of Bleeding Display, Apocalypse is an undoubtedly breathtaking and refreshingly diverse album, showcasing the myriad aspects of this bold and innovative Death Metal band without compromising on their aggressive, apocalyptic sound.

And pestilence and plague permeate the air in the vicious and heavy-as-hell Pestilence, blending the violence of Death Metal with the grim and infernal sounds of Blackened Doom while guest vocalist Guilherme Henriques barks and roars like a creature from the netherworld. Not only that, Robin smashes his drums mercilessly nonstop, with that disturbing and evil onrush of sounds going on and on until the song’s visceral ending. Then guest Sérgio Afonso lends his guttural vocals to Colosso in the also Stygian tune War, with the sounds of machine guns and explosions making the whole song even more realistic, leaning towards classic Death Metal. Moreover, Alexandre’s bass jabs and Robin’s beats feel like the epitome of evil, resulting in a pulverizing display of extreme music for lovers of the genre.

Max himself is responsible for the vocal duties in Death, a lot more melodic and crisper than its predecessors while still providing the band’s characteristic rawness and darkness. Furthermore, Max is spot-on with his razor-edged riffs accompanied by Robin’s intricate drums and, as a surprise, Max fires clean, ethereal vocals instead of the album’s characteristic putrid gnarls, bringing elements from Atmospheric Black and Doom Metal to Colosso’s core savagery. And last but not least, Diogo Santana provides his share of deep guttural roars to Famine, where the band gets back to their most demented and hellish mode, showcasing all band members in total sync led by Max’s strident riffs, while Robin sounds like a stone crusher on drums and, as a consequence, flirting with Brutal Death Metal at times.

In summary, if you’re an admirer of the meanest and heaviest side of Death Metal you must give these Portuguese metallers a very good try as Max and his henchmen have all it takes to explode your mind and darken your soul with their brand new installment Apocalypse, which by the way will soon be available from the band’s own BandCamp page and from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ webstore in distinct formats such as the awesome T-shirt + CD + Digital Download bundle. Also, don’t forget to show your support to Colosso by following them on Facebook and by listening to more of their somber creations on Spotify. As the four dreadful figures in the Book of Revelation who symbolize the evils to come at the end of the world get closer and closer to us, there’s nothing better than the avalanche of Death Metal roars crafted by Colosso to provide them a warm and friendly welcome, don’t you agree?

Best moments of the album: War and Famine.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Pestilence 8:14
2. War 4:07
3. Death 4:11
4. Famine 4:14

Band members
Max Tomé – guitars, keyboards, vocals on “Death”
Alexandre Ribeiro – bass
Robin Stone – drums

Guest musicians
Guilherme Henriques – vocals on “Pestilence”
Sérgio Afonso – vocals on “War”
Diogo Santana – vocals on “Famine”