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Album Review – Hellfox / The Spectrum of Human Gravity (2025)

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These four-piece melodeath outfit from Italy is back with their sophomore album, a conceptual journey into the depths of the human psyche, exploring difficult yet universal emotions such as loneliness, self-doubt, and alienation.

Combining heavy and melodic Death Metal foundations with modern textures and acidic synths, Bergamo, Italy-based all-female Gothic/Melodic Death Metal outfit Hellfox is unleashing their sophomore opus, beautifully entitled The Spectrum of Human Gravity, following up on their 2022 debut The Call. Recorded by Alessio Lucatti at Eden Studio, mixed and Mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio, and showcasing a very stylish cover art by Eva Marabotti, the new album by Greta Hammonia Antico on vocals, Gloria Naflekt Kaps on the guitars, Priscilla Poe Foresti on bass and vocals, and Federica Fedi Piscopo on drums is a conceptual journey into the depths of the human psyche, exploring difficult yet universal emotions such as loneliness, self-doubt, and alienation through allegorical storytelling and striking visual metaphors, with each song giving voice to a different “face of the self,” capturing the chaos and coherence that define our inner worlds.

Acoustic, serene guitar lines permeate the air in Nautilus before we’re treated to the epic feast titled Seaweed Braids, where their clash of harsh growls and clean vocals works well amidst a Doom Metal-infused sonority; and the metallic bass by Priscilla ignites the also melodic Empty, gradually joined by the pounding drums by Federica and the sharp guitars by Gloria, presenting a good dosage of Alternative Metal added to its core. Water On The Ceiling also presents a spot-on fusion of Gothic and Melodic Metal led by the classic beats by Federica while Priscilla keeps roaring like a she-demon in contrast with the angelic vocals by Greta, whereas Greta keeps embellishing the airwaves with her charming vocals in Pareidolia while Gloria extracts sheer heaviness from her dark riffage.

Then what seems to be a heavy ballad quickly explodes into a feast of Melodic and Alternative Metal titled Atlas, offering more of the band’s trademark paradox of darkness and light represented by the respective vocals by Priscilla and Greta, followed by Six Times Lighter, another song with strong and rumbling bass lines by Priscilla, accompanied by the hammering beats by Federica while at the same time sounding gentle and whimsical. A very modern start ignites the absolutely headbanging The Centipede, where the stringed axes by Gloria and Priscilla will make your head tremble, followed by The Warrior, The Child, The Healer, most definitely the song with the coolest or most poetic name, kicking off with the harmonious riffs by Gloria and being quickly joined by the penetrating vocals by Greta. And lastly, the quartet brings forward the embracing Voices, a decent outro with cinematic vocalizations, but that’s it.

In a nutshell, the music found in The Spectrum of Human Gravity thrives on contrast, with their dual melodic and growled female vocals, distorted layers, and atmospheric electronics merging into an emotional and immersive sound, with influences ranging from Amorphis and In Flames to Dark Tranquillity, embracing vulnerability, rage, beauty, and discomfort in equal measure. If you want to experience all that contrast proposed by the girls from Hellfox, you can find them on Facebook and on Instagram, including their tour dates (currently mainly in Italy, but I’m sure we’ll soon see them spread their wings over other parts of Europe and of the entire world), stream their music on Spotify or on any other streaming service, and of course purchase a copy of their excellent new album from the Rockshots Records webstore. You can also click HERE for all things Hellfox, letting the melodious yet visceral sonic duality from their new album reach deep inside your heart and soul and, consequently, firing them up for more first-class albums in a not-so-distant future.

Best moments of the album: Water On The Ceiling, Atlas and The Warrior, The Child, The Healer.

Worst moments of the album: Voices.

Released in 2025 Rockshots Records

Track listing
1. Nautilus – Seaweed Braids 4:33
2. Empty 3:44
3. Water On The Ceiling 3:50
4. Pareidolia 4:41
5. Atlas 3:53
6. Six Times Lighter 4:13
7. The Centipede 4:19
8. The Warrior, The Child, The Healer 4:34
9. Voices 1:19

Band members
Greta Hammonia Antico – clean vocals
Gloria Naflekt Kaps – guitars
Priscilla Poe Foresti – bass, harsh vocals
Federica Fedi Piscopo – drums

Album Review – Xenos A.D. / Reqviem For The Oppressor (2025)

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These ruthless Italians are back in action with their violent third album, a neck-breaking Thrash Metal assault that is inextricably linked to war and its horrors.

After the successful releases of their 2020 debut Filthgrinder and their 2021 sophomore album The Dawn of Ares, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy-based Thrash Metal bulldozer Xenos A.D.  is back into the battlefield with their third full-length installment, entitled Reqviem for the Oppressor. Mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studios and displaying a sinister artwork by Ivan Stan, the new album by Ignazio Nicastro on lead vocals and bass, Giuseppe “Tiyris” Taormina on the guitars and harsh vocals, and Danilo Ficicchia on drums is inextricably linked to war and its horrors expressed through its nine tracks of pure violence, resulting in a neck-breaking Thrash Metal assault that pays homage to thrashing titans such as Slayer, Megadeth, Kreator, Exodus and Testament, as well as to the melodies and progressive tendencies of Metal Church and Death Angel.

The epic, cinematic intro 1986 sets the stage for Xenos A.D. to attack us like rabid wolves in the infuriated Dogma of War, a classic thrashing beast led by the pulverizing beats and fills by Danilo, inviting us all to join them in war (aka slam into the mosh pit). Then the Stygian bass by Ignazio and the acoustic guitar by Giuseppe ignite the ruthless Tears on the Face of God, presenting tons of progressiveness, rage and heaviness; and the trio speeds things up and kicks us all in the ass with Crown of Separation, offering an overdose of harsh vocals, Thrash Metal riffs and pounding drums. After such a hurricane of heaviness, Giuseppe shreds his axe mercilessly in Welcome the Destroyer, while also firing a sick guitar solo in the name of old school Thrash Metal.

Children of the Atomic Sun is another frantic creation by Xenos A.D. that will surely provide their fans with a very good reason to go mental inside the circle pit, with Ignazio’s vocals sounding utterly caustic; whereas the band then fires their most insane, relentless sounds in The Bleeding Hands of Faith, with Danilo hammering his drums nonstop inspired by thrashing giants the likes of Exodus and Anthrax. The title-track Reqviem for the Oppressor sounds absolutely inspired by Megadeth, in special due to the Hangar 18-like riffs blasted by Giuseppe, offering our avid ears an overdose of violence, metallic sounds and endless fury, ending with the post-war outro Dance of the Gods, where Giuseppe offers one final blast of his striking guitar lines.

Violent and technical from start to finish, Reqviem For The Oppressor, which can be purchased by clicking HERE, sends an aggressive message to the unbelievers, proving why Thrash Metal will forever represent all the violence, hatred and every other nasty thing that’s gradually consuming our society and, therefore, leading us to our inevitable and horrid end. You can also show your support to the guys from Xenos A.D. by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, and stream their austere creations on Spotify, getting ready for some sick mosh pits anytime they take your city by storm. Xenos A.D. will keep on thrashing as long as the human race continues to spread evil across the world (which will basically happen forever and ever), delivering albums like Reqviem For The Oppressor to make our everyday lives less stressful as we relax inside a nice and frantic mosh pit.

Best moments of the album: Dogma of War, The Bleeding Hands of Faith and Reqviem for the Oppressor.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 My Kingdom Music

Track listing
1. 1986 1:37
2. Dogma of War 4:10
3. Tears on the Face of God 5:35
4. Crown of Separation 4:59
5. Welcome the Destroyer 4:52
6. Children of the Atomic Sun 5:24
7. The Bleeding Hands of Faith 4:40
8. Reqviem for the Oppressor 7:08
9. Dance of the Gods 3:57

Band members
Ignazio Nicastro – lead vocals, bass
Giuseppe “Tiyris” Taormina – guitars, harsh vocals
Danilo Ficicchia – drums

Album Review – Obscura Qalma / Apotheosis (2021)

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Exploring human existence in an epistemological solipsistic view, the debut album by this Stygian Italian horde is a lecture in epic and dark Death Metal that exists in its own philosophically inspired realm.

Formed in 2018 in Venice, Italy from connections built in their local scene while performing within their prior projects, the unrelenting Blackened/Symphonic Death Metal horde known as Obscura Qalma have just released their debut full-length opus, entitled Apotheosis, the follow-up to their 2019 EP From the Sheol to the Apeiron. Mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio and displaying a sinister artwork by Mexican artist Néstor Ávalos (Black Arts), Apotheosis (or “to deify” from Greek) explores human existence in an epistemological solipsistic view inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud, as well as by contemporary figures such as Massimo Recalcati and James Owen Weatherall, while musically speaking the inspiration comes from bands the likes of Dissection, Emperor and Death as well as by classical music and film composers such as Alexandre Desplat, showcasing all the talent and passion for dark music by vocalist and guitarist Sirius (Necrosy, Supremacy), guitarist Sartorius (As Memory Dies), bassist Theo (From the Shores), and drummer Res (Supremacy).

The cinematic and absolutely epic intro Demise Of The Sun sets the stage for Obscura Qalma to crush our souls in Impure Black Enlightenment, a lecture in Symphonic Black Metal with Res smashing his drums manically accompanied by the wicked riffage by Sirius and Sartorius, all spiced up by an imposing atmosphere and the demonic growls by Sirius. Then keeping the ambience as dark and sulfurous as possible the quartet blasts the venomous Gemini, with Theo and his rumbling bass adding a touch of aggressiveness to the overall result, not to mention how infernal the drums sound once again; and their onrush of obscurity goes on in The Forbidden Pantheon, another epic, massive Blackened Death Metal extravaganza led by the hellish vociferations by Sirius, sounding old school but at the same time offering the listener a fresh and modern twist. There’s no time to breathe as the quartet keeps decimating our souls in Transcending The Sefirot, with Res sounding like a three-headed beast behind his drums supported by the whimsical riffs and solos by Sirius and Sartorius.

It can’t get any more symphonic than in Paradise Lost, a dense, multi-layered creation by Obscura Qalma showcasing their trademark fusion of classic Death and Black Metal with movie-inspired scores and wicked sounds, and you better get ready to have your neck broken in half to the sound of Fleshbound, a pulverizing Blackened Death Metal tune where their riffs, bass lines and pounding beats will hammer your head mercilessly until the very last second. Never tired of bringing forward their passion and admiration for the dark side of music, it’s time for Sirius to roar in anger in The Telemachus Complex, a beautiful composition that will leave you completely disoriented, with Res taking the lead with his intricate and furious beats, whereas not a single moment of peace is offered to us all in Imperial Cult, with its background elements creating an interesting paradox with the savagery crafted by all band members. Lastly, we’re treated to Awaken A Shrine To Oblivion, starting in a more alternative and futuristic manner and evolving into their usual sound, albeit not as compelling as its predecessors.

You can enjoy all the obscurity and fury of Apotheosis by streaming the album in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show your utmost support to those talented Italian metallers you should purchase the album from their BandCamp page or Big Cartel, from the Rising Nemesis Records’ BandCamp page or Big Cartel, or simply click HERE for different places where you can buy or stream the album. In addition to all that, don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news and tour dates, and to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their wicked music. “From the nihilistic foundations of European culture and epistemological solipsism to astrophysics and psychoanalysis, Apotheosis dwells on the limits of human knowledge and the impassable boundaries of its own existence,” commented the band about their newborn spawn, creating epic and dark Death Metal that exists in its own philosophically inspired realm and, therefore, paving a promising path ahead of the band in the coming years.

Best moments of the album: Impure Black Enlightenment, Paradise Lost and The Telemachus Complex.

Worst moments of the album: Awaken A Shrine To Oblivion.

Released in 2021 Rising Nemesis Records

Track listing
1. Demise Of The Sun 1:24
2. Impure Black Enlightenment 4:07
3. Gemini 5:17
4. The Forbidden Pantheon 5:01
5. Transcending The Sefirot 4:33
6. Paradise Lost 6:23
7. Fleshbound 4:01
8. The Telemachus Complex 5:28
9. Imperial Cult 4:28
10. Awaken A Shrine To Oblivion 5:57

Band members
Sirius – vocals, guitar
Sartorius – guitar
Theo – bass, backing vocals
Res – drums, additional percussion