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Album Review – Unsouling / Outward Streams of Devotional Woe (2025)

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This Minneapolis, Minnesota-based one-man project returns with his excellent sophomore opus based on loss, grief, and a longing to bring back connection via spiritual or even metaphysical reach.

After the dissolution of Feral Light, Minneapolis, Minnesota-based frontman and songwriter A.S. (aka Andy Schoengrund) wasted no time in channeling his artistic flair into a new project, the Experimental Black/Death Metal creature known as Unsouling. The project’s 2024 debut, Vampiric Spiritual Drain, laid the foundation for a new stylistic approach that is now fully realized on Outward Streams of Devotional Woe, its sophomore release. Conceived and recorded by A.S. at The Crypt, mixed by Sanford Parker at Hypercube Studios, mastered by Adam Tucker at Signaturetone Recording, and displaying an eerie artwork by Luciana Nedelea (with layout by Francesco Gemelli, known as Unexpected Specter), Outward Streams Of Devotional Woe is based on loss, grief, and a longing to bring back connection via spiritual or even metaphysical reach, and how this can bring great comfort.

The album starts with the cryptic, obscure Immaterial Entrance, where A.S. delivers minimalist riffs, bass lines and beats before morphing into an Atmospheric Black Metal beast, with its second half turning into sheer chaos and violence. Then investing in a more Doom Metal-inspired sonority it’s time for Your Momentary Passing, showcasing his harsh, anguished roars and sluggish drums, as well as a wall of experimentations. And presenting nuances of the Melodic Death Metal played by bands like Insomnium we have To Come Unbound, sounding utterly chilling and obscure until the end; whereas Grief Reconfigured is a lecture in Black Metal where A.S. puts the pedal to the metal and delivers his heaviest and most demonic side while also bringing forward pensive and visceral Blackened Doom moments. His metallic bass sets the tone in Towering Black Wave, another hybrid of Doom Metal with atmospheric and melodic passages, and it’s then time for the two-minute introspective interlude Passages, where his stylish sounds permeate the air until all comes to an end with Dissolved in Spiritus, crushing our minds and souls to A.S.’s vile gnarls and Post-Black Metal riffs, with its countless layers and tempo changes giving the whole song a hypnotizing vibe.

“The album differs from its predecessor in that the meandering exploration of Vampiric Spiritual Drain has been replaced with a more sure-footed and focused journey,” explained A.S. “The anchor of black metal with its bleed into gothic, dark wave, and death metal influences is still very much present, but it is more reigned in and pointed.” In terms of the themes covered, Unsouling remain faithful to the poetics of its debut, but, if possible, accentuate its existentialist vein, being therefore highly recommended for admirers of Sacramentum, Grave, Morgion, and Feral Light, just to name a few. You can also connect with A.S. and his Unsouling via Instagram, stream his unique music on Spotify, and above all that, grab a copy of Outward Streams of Devotional Woe from the project’s own BandCamp, from the I, Voidhanger Records’ BandCamp, or from Metal Odissey (in the US or in the EU/UK), or simply click HERE for all thing Unsouling. In the end, loss and grief are always extremely difficult to process inside our minds and hearts, and the music blasted by Unsouling in Outward Streams of Devotional Woe perfectly depicts that excruciating challenge, always supported by the dark beauty of extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Immaterial Entrance and Dissolved in Spiritus.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 I, Voidhanger Records

Track listing
1. Immaterial Entrance 6:02
2. Your Momentary Passing 4:58
3. To Come Unbound 5:22
4. Grief Reconfigured 5:18
5. Towering Black Wave 6:23
6. Passages 2:04
7. Dissolved in Spiritus 5:35

Band members
A.S. – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Feral Light / Life Vapor (2020)

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An infernal American duo is back with more of their sonic madness in their vicious new opus, instantly pulling you in with its killer mix of melodic and dissonant riffing.

Formed in 2015 in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States by vocalist and guitarist Andy Schoengrund (Coagulate, Empires, Wolvhammer) together with drummer Andrew Reesen (Censer), Feral Light are a mysterious enigma playing grim and sorrowful Black Metal entwined with savage and unyielding Crust Punk, resulting in what can be labeled as “Blackened Post-Metal”. After a demo, an EP and two full-length albums, this unyielding force of darkness returns in 2020 with their third full-length installment titled Life Vapor, building up on the foundations of its predecessor while increasing the intensity of the music displayed. Recorded and mixed by Kyle Kaliszewski, mastered by James Plotkin (Plotkinworks), and featuring a minimalist and obscure artwork by Unexpected Specter, Life Vapor instantly pulls you in with its killer mix of melodic and dissonant riffing, combining and incorporating various styles including elements of Post-Metal, Black N’ Roll, Doom Metal and Second-Wave Black Metal, materializing as a downcast howl of war-torn vocals funneled through a lyrical content dealing with mysticism and inner struggle.

Experimental and futuristic sounds kick off the scorching opening tune Blood in Sand, with Andrew blasting his drums with tons of rage and precision while Andy barks the song’s grim, austere lyrics rabidly (“A way forward scrawled on obscure hands / Scorched by the touch of the expanse / Grasp past the sun, tethers unravel / Pull from the dark and carry forth”). Then leaning towards classic Norwegian Black Metal we have the massive Assuage, with Andy not only vociferating like a demonic entity but also firing sharp and acid riffs accompanied by Andrew’s infernal drums, also bringing forward an amazing balance between Andy’s strident guitar and his low-tuned bass; and displaying a huge dosage of Doom Metal added to the band’s core sonority, we’re treated to the ominous and heavy-as-hell Walking Tomb, alternating between otherworldly, lugubrious moments and sheer savagery, with Andy’s guitar riffs once again cutting our skin deep without a single drop of mercy.

Exhaling progressiveness, obscurity and harmony, the duo jams in the lands of doom in Last Gasp Invocation, generating an enfolding atmosphere before all hell breaks loose, with the music gradually morphing into a visceral Black Metal onslaught, whereas modern-day Black Metal sounds and tones permeate the air in Hex of Inverses, where both Andy and Andrew sound at the same time venomous and very melodic with their respective weapons. Needless to say, their music will mercilessly penetrate deep inside your psyche and make your skull tremble. And finally, Andy’s slashing riffage and Andrew’s vicious beats will invite you to slam into the pit in the closing tune In Summation, presenting a sulfurous hybrid of old school Black Metal with more contemporary stiles the likes of Post-Metal and Melodic Black Metal, ending the album on a high and Stygian note.

If you want to give Life Vapor a shot, you can enjoy the album in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but as usual in order to truly support underground metal music I highly recommend you purchase a copy of the album from the band’s official BandCamp page, from the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp page or webstore (in regular CD format or as a fantastic bundle including the CD, an exclusive T-shirt, a patch and a sticker), as well as from Apple Music and from Amazon. The infernal Minneapolis-based duo known as Feral Light, who are also waiting for you on Facebook, are definitely paving a very interesting path ahead of them with the constant evolution found in their music, with Life Vapor being undoubtedly their most cohesive and multi-layered work to date. Having said that, you might be asking yourself “what’s next for Feral Light?” Well, only darkness will tell.

Best moments of the album: Assuage and Last Gasp Invocation.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Blood in Sand 7:32
2. Assuage 6:36
3. Walking Tomb 7:18
4. Last Gasp Invocation 7:26
5. Hex of Inverses 5:30
6. In Summation 5:03

Band members
Andy Schoengrund – vocals, guitars, bass
Andrew Reesen – drums

Album Review – Sophist / Betrothal To The Stone: Conception of Mephisto (2019)

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Inspired by some of the greatest names of the Black Metal and Grindcore scene, this Canadian duo is ready to disturb our peace of mind with their unholy and blistering fast creations.

soph·ist·ry
/ˈsäfəstrē/
noun
the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving.

Conjured in June of 2019 in the city of Edmonton, capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, Black Metal/Grindcore duo Sophist has put their blackened hearts and souls into the making of their debut EP entitled Betrothal To The Stone: Conception of Mephisto, a frantic blend of extreme styles inspired by bands such as Anaal Nathrakh, Mayhem and Napalm Death in order to create a sound that is unholy as it is blistering fast. Both veterans in the local music scene, Michael Sparks (bass, guitars) and Davis Hay (vocals, programming) kept the writing process fairly simple, with Davis defining the drums and song structure followed by Michael’s overlay of bass and guitar. Engineered, mixed and mastered by Davis himself, and featuring an obscure artwork by Unexpected Specter, Betrothal To The Stone: Conception of Mephisto deals with the esoteric and the occult, with much of the inspiration for the lyrics on the album coming from an alchemical text called Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon (which you can find available in full HERE).

Musically speaking, Betrothal To The Stone: Conception of Mephisto is a feast of violent and blasphemous sounds, as already mentioned, with the title-track Betrothal to the Stone: Conception of Mephisto​ exploding into raw, obscure Black Metal after a short and creepy intro. Moreover, Davis roars and gnarls manically while Michael shreds his guitar chords nonstop in this lesson in bestiality, reminding me of truly old school Mayhem. Faster and more demented, Choke on Your Own Bile is infused with Grindcore and Hardcore elements, with Davis and Michael extracting pure hatred from their instruments. Not only that, albeit the drums are programmed, they do sound really organic, bringing even more ferocity to the music. Then get ready for total anarchy in the form of visceral Black Metal blasted by the Canadian duo in A Captive of Saturn’s Scythe, where the insanity flowing from their riffs and beats is perfect for Davis to keep vociferating like a demon, inviting us all to slam into the circle pit with them. And as a beyond special and interesting bonus, the duo offers us the instrumental versions of all three songs of the EP, showcasing the same rage and heaviness but obviously without Davis’ demonic growls.

If you enjoy exploring the darkest pits of extreme music and are addicted to the most visceral and unholy forms of Black Metal available out there, then Betrothal To The Stone: Conception of Mephisto will undoubtedly satisfy your cravings. Hence, go show your support to Sophist and to underground Black Metal in general by following the duo on Facebook, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, and by purchasing their flammable debut EP from their own BandCamp page or from other locations like Apple Music. And, of course, this is just the beginning for Sophist, as I’m pretty sure Davis and Michael will return with more of their razor-edged, blasphemous creations in a not-so-distant future, carving their names even deeper onto the darkened walls of Canadian extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Choke on Your Own Bile.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2019 Independent

Track listing
1. Betrothal to the Stone: Conception of Mephisto​ 3:16
2. Choke on Your Own Bile 5:10
3. A Captive of Saturn’s Scythe 2:53

Bonus tracks
4. Betrothal to the Stone: Conception of Mephisto​ (Instrumental version) 3:16
5. Choke on Your Own Bile (Instrumental version) 5:10
6. A Captive of Saturn’s Scythe (Instrumental version) 2:53

Band members
Davis Hay – vocals, programming
Michael Sparks – bass, guitars