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Album Review – Blood Countess / Imperatrix Sanguinis (2026)

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It’s time to summon the dark legend of the Blood Countess, and drown quickly in the blood red waters of their scorching sophomore opus.

For nearly a decade now, UK’s own Black Metal beast Blood Countess has waged a war on weakness and mediocrity with a blackened sound strikingly authentic, nothing but the coldest, most merciless of the mid-to-late 90’s the likes of classic Enthroned, Lord Belial, and Thy Primordial. Four years after their critically acclaimed debut Occulta Tenebris, the ruthless frontwoman Nina “The Cuntess” Blackwood and her henchmen István and Átok on the guitars, Darianth on bass, and Michael Robinson on drums return from the underworld with their sophomore spawn, entitled Imperatrix Sanguinis, a Latin phrase that translates directly to “Empress of Blood,” surging forth with a savagery that’s merciless, punishing, and perversely addicting, perfect for those with a staunch, depraved constitution.

Get ready to have all your blood fully drained by The Cuntess in Chains of Misdeed, growling and screaming like a true vampiric entity while Darianth and Michael deliver infernal Black Metal sounds for our total delight, whereas Sadistic Marchioness is even more infuriated and demonic thanks to the ruthless riffage blasted by István and Átok, while Michael continues to hammer his drums without mercy. A Humiliating Plea for the Glorification of Erotic Suffering carries the most poetic name of all songs, and the music is just as infernal and obscure, with The Cuntess continuing to gnarl rabidly for our vulgar delectation; and the band then speed things up and melt our faces with their vile Black Metal magic in The Scavenger’s Daughter, led by Michael’s pulverizing beats and fills.

After the Cradle of Filth-like interlude Shakals of Sin, such a violent UK horde is out for blood again in Purge of Trencin, as demented and grim as its predecessors, with The Cuntess roaring flawlessly supported by the striking riffs by István and Átok, being therefore perfect for enjoying a blood-soaked circle pit during their live shows. Schadenfreude, or the pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune, sees Blood Countess turn that distinguished concept into another feast of raw Black Metal, with Darianth and Michael once again presenting their devilish kitchen from hell; whereas lastly we face Anna Nádasdy, the daughter of the infamous Countess Elizabeth Báthory of Ecsed, with The Cuntess impersonating Anna in great fashion with her desperate, anguished screams, sounding utterly visceral, hypnotizing and disturbing from start to finish.

In a nutshell, Nina “The Cuntess” Blackwood and her Blood Countess remain true to their moniker in Imperatrix Sanguinis, spilling tales of Elizabeth Bathory’s reign of blood-soaked tyranny – obsession, sex, and perversion entwined with madness and hatred for humankind – all led by her invective throat. It’s indeed one of the strongest Black Metal albums of the year, and if you want to join The Cuntess in her quest for blood you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their caustic, impious creations on Spotify, and of course put your blood-soaked hands on the breathtaking Imperatrix Sanguinis by purchasing it from Dominance of Darkness Records’ BandCamp or webstore. In other words, it’s time to summon the dark legend of the Blood Countess, and drown quickly in the blood red waters of the mighty Imperatrix Sanguinis.

Best moments of the album: Chains of Misdeed, The Scavenger’s Daughter and Anna Nádasdy.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Dominance of Darkness Records

Track listing
1. Chains of Misdeed 5:28
2. Sadistic Marchioness 5:03
3. A Humiliating Plea for the Glorification of Erotic Suffering 5:14
4. The Scavenger’s Daughter 3:57
5. Shakals of Sin 2:05
6. Purge of Trencin 6:30
7. Schadenfreude 4:32
8. Anna Nádasdy 5:53

Band members
Nina “The Cuntess” Blackwood – vocals
István – guitars
Átok – guitars
Darianth – bass
Michael Robinson – drums

Album Review – The Human Race Is Filth / Cognitive Dissonance (2023)

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A filthy trio hailing from Pennsylvania will attack our senses with their debut full-length album, churning out a new slab of death-grinding disorientation.

Sonic violence abounds, as Pennsylvania, United States-based Death Metal/Grindcore rabble The Human Race Is Filth churns out a new slab of death-grinding disorientation entitled Cognitive Dissonance, their first full-length album and the follow-up to their 2022 EP Echo Chambers. Recorded at The Kaleidoscope, mixed and engineered by Ben Roth, mastered by Joel Grind, displaying a demented artwork by All4Band Design, and featuring a noise track recorded on every song throughout the entire recording, sometimes prominent in mix, sometimes faint, Cognitive Dissonance is a inhumane album carefully brought into being by Kasey Harrison (Police State, Bittered) on vocals and bass, Paul Folk (Exterminance, Police State, Bittered) on the guitars and noises, and Brett Rebman (Punctual, Phlegm, Gangrenous Flesh Consumption) on drums, dealing with topics like mental health, socioeconomic injustice, technology, personal struggle and privilege throughout the album’s intense 25 minutes of music.

Kasey had his toddler son speak the name of the band in the beginning of the intro Life Of Tyrants, followed by tribalistic, primeval beats and vociferations, setting the stage for the trio to kick some ass in Apes With Christ, with Brett showing no mercy for his drums and obviously for our necks while Kasey barks like a rabid beast throughout the entire song in an awesome fusion of Death Metal and Grindcore. Then we have Electronic Caterpillars, just as infernal and neckbreaking as its predecessor, showcasing dirty riffs by Paul that together with the rumbling bass by Kasey will penetrate deep inside your psyche; and the menacing bass by Kasey ignites the grim and groovy Bastardized before exploding into a demolishing Death and Sludge Metal onrush spearheaded by Kasey’s bestial roars, with the song’s heaviness going through the freakin’ roof. There’s no sign of the band slowing things down or delivering anything light; quite the contrary, their vicious, sludgy attack goes on in Cloaked In Shame, with Paul’s riffs and noises bringing an extra dosage of filth to their sound.

The Human Race Is Filth need less than two minutes to pulverize our senses in Hopes Wavered, a lesson in brutality, heaviness and darkness by the trio where Paul has a fantastic performance armed with his axe, and they keep hammering their sonic weapons in Propagating Technology, with Brett alternating between groovier moments and sheer violence. The album’s second to last song, beautifully titled Vomiting Strings Of Human Decay, is the perfect depiction of the band’s music, blending the savagery of Death Metal and Grindcore with sluggish, somber elements, being therefore ideal for slamming into the pit while drinking a cold beer, whereas Tribal Injections Of Division is solid and heavy from start to finish, albeit the band has a much stronger performance when investing into shorter songs. Nothing that hurts the overall quality of the album, of course, as it’s still very enjoyable.

“We wrote this album from August to November 2021 and were really going for straight out Death Grind with a touch of d-beat and Hardcore mixed in. We wanted dirtier guitar and bass tones, more aggressive drums, and more extreme vocals compared to the first three releases and we believe we accomplished those things on this release,” commented the band about their newborn beast, and if you want to know more about them, their tour dates and plans for the future, you can check what they’re up to on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel, stream all of their creations on Spotify, and grab your copy of Cognitive Dissonance from their own BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. Cognitive Dissonance is heavy, noisy, evil, disturbing, and everything else we love in extreme music, proving that as long as the human race continues to be filth like the name of the band states, those three metallers will keep piercing our ears with their venomous music.

Best moments of the album: Apes With Christ, Bastardized and Vomiting Strings Of Human Decay.

Worst moments of the album: Tribal Injections Of Division.

Released in 2023 Independent

Track listing
1. Life Of Tyrants 1:22
2. Apes With Christ 3:23
3. Electronic Caterpillars 3:54
4. Bastardized 4:24
5. Cloaked In Shame 2:31
6. Hopes Wavered 1:42
7. Propagating Technology 2:04
8. Vomiting Strings Of Human Decay 1:59
9. Tribal Injections Of Division 4:04

Band members
Kasey Harrison – vocals, bass
Paul Folk – guitar, noise
Brett Rebman – drums

Guest musician
Ben Roth – guitars on “Bastardized”