Preview | Static Abyss - The Dying Hunt (Death/Doom - USA)

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Do you like death/doom? Do you like death/doom but sometimes you are reluctant on hearing new stuff because you are kind tired of the genre kinda sounding all the same and you are satisfied with the stuff you already hear? This is for you!!!
 

Static Abyss is a death metal band consisting of Autopsy’s Greg Wilkinson & Chris Reifert, joined by Necrot’s Chad Gailey on drums.Their sound is a great sounding blend of death with doom and punk rampage that twists you and makes you begging for more. Monomoty is not a word to be used here because it seems that new elements/genres keep showing in their sound, sometimes it gives me some hardcore and black n roll vibes like early Kvelertak. 

This is the third full length of the band, named The Dying Hunt, will be released by Peaceville Records on next 28 August on CD, Vinyl and digitally and I have good expectations on this one.

 

CCOFTW | Bloedmaan - Circle of the Moon (2026)

Cool Cover Of The Week

 

Such a nice cool artwork for the next Bloedman release, it gives me a lot of Castlevania vibes!!

Cool Cover Of The Week (CCOFTW) will be a weekly section dedicated to cool and interesting cover artwork. Nothing deep, no lengthy context, just a great cover and a little bit of information about it.

IMT | Ginnungagap (Portugal) - Primordial Celestial Light

Demo Cover

 

I Missed This... 

The Portuguese underground is full of obscure projects yet to be unveiled, most of them being raw, anonymous, or obscure black metal. There's even the Aldebaran Circle (I can dedicate a post to the circle later), where Ginnungagap belongs. There are some quality and emerging bands coming from it, with the most well-known being Black Cilice.

Ginnungagap is an obscure and anonymous project that released a demo last January. The project already has an LP, an EP, and a first demo under its belt, and Primordial Celestial Light was released via Harvest Of Death as a limited edition of only 50 cassette copies.

Unlike the previous release from Ginnungagap, this one focuses more on atmosphere and less on “aggressiveness”. This is a work of ambient black metal, where the keyboards take the lead, creating an ethereal and foggy soundscape of whispering voices and forgotten chants. The drums are secondary and only appear very shyly from time to time.

This subgenre of black metal is certainly niche, but if you approach it with an open mind, you may actually enjoy it as a relaxing form of black metal, one that whispers delicious heretical stories into your ears.

Give it a try!

Cvinger | Rites ov Flesh (Black Metal - SVN)

 

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The Slovenians Cvinger are back with their fourth album, released yesterday, 20 August, via Void Wanderer Productions, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Rites Ov Flesh is its name, and it is composed of 10 rites (tracks).

This new work has everything it takes to be a good album, but when you pay closer attention to it, there are some downsides that don't compromise the album as a whole.

The second track, “The Temple of Nine Gate”, was the one that caught my attention and made me write this post. It's a classic black metal track with a clean-vocal chorus that sounds really cool. The solo comes in at just the right moment, the drums are on point, and everything works really well.

From there, I think the band got a little too excited about trying to produce something different. While attempting to keep their black metal tied to its roots, they made some decisions that perhaps didn't achieve what they were aiming for, which, in my opinion, was to add more personality. There is some death metal blended in here and there, but the album progressively loses some of its flavour, although, as I've said, it still has quality.

So, if you like black metal, this is good company for a few listens. If you're a black metal FAN, give it a try, but don't expect anything particularly groundbreaking.

 

 

Release | Sepulcrum - Lacerator

 

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I've been saying that bands whose names end in “-um” are, almost 80% of the time, a seal of quality. Sepulcrum certainly support this theory!

It's also a fact that the South American metal underground scene is full of gems that, most of the time, don't make it to Europe. But it seems that, slowly, this is changing, much to our satisfaction. Fossilization immediately comes to mind (and don't forget, I'm referring to the more underground and extreme bands).

Sepulcrum hit me in 2023 with their debut LP, Lamentation of Immolated Souls, which immediately caught my attention. But I must confess that, at the time, I didn't really get into them and, for some reason, I kept the idea that Sepulcrum were from somewhere in Eastern Europe. SHAME!

Focusing now on Lacerator, released by Chaos Records last July, the band chose a damn good album title because it really does lacerate! If you need some fresh, gory, old-school death metal, this record is for you.

High-quality rotten death metal hits you hard, with hints of Death and Obituary. It rips you apart as crushing guitar riffs shred their way through the tracks, while the raw vocals make it feel like you're being lacerated in some unspeakable way.

I highly recommend this album to any OSDM fan. It features 10 dirty and solid tracks, although there are some calmer moments here and there that let us catch our breath before the carnage starts again.

 

 

Announcement | Enslaved - Mið

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Norwegian prog black/viking metal veterans Enslaved have just announced a new LP.

Mið is its name and will be released on 30 October this year via Nuclear Blast. The album will feature eight tracks, with a single titled “Solar Will” already released.

The band stated:
"On “Mið” (English: “mith”), the Old Norse word for “the center”, “the middle”, we are reaching for the center of ourselves, a journey in all directions." 

Single | Master - Twas Always A Plan

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Legendary US death/thrashers Master are back with a new album in 2026. Released by Hammerheart Records, this new work will see the light of day on 16 October.

The cover has already been revealed, along with the tracklist, which will feature nine songs. In the meantime, they have unveiled the single “Twas Always A Plan”, a furious track that proves to us (as if they need to prove anything... ) that Speckmann and company are in perfect shape.

Check it out!

Preview | Ninth Realm - Damnation's Veil (Death/Thrash - USA)

Album Cover

 

I stumbled across these dudes almost by accident. I'd never heard of them until, like... half an hour ago, while checking out what's coming out in the next few days. The album cover caught my attention, so I decided to give them a try and... whoo whooo hoo!!!

Let's make the introductions first. These guys are Ninth Realm. Formed in Maryland, USA, in 2018, they have released several EPs, splits, and a 2022 LP called A Fate Unbroken. Now they're getting ready to unleash their second full-length, Damnation's Veil, through Transcending Obscurity on 28 August, on CD, vinyl, and, of course, digitally.

Ninth Realm

 

What should you expect from them? At least judging from the advance tracks I've heard from the new album, it's an amazing, mature and violent discharge of deathened thrash metal, very well executed!

Two guitars lead the way through thrashy and death metal riffs, sometimes sounding like old-school death metal, while at other moments they take me straight back to classic thrash metal. The vocals are harsh and aggressive, but don't sound like those of a traditional thrash metal vocalist.

The result has a distinct personality and leaves me craving for more.

Definitely a band to keep an eye on!

 

Release | Rotten Tomb - Vestiges of Tortured Souls

Rotten Tomb

 

Rotten Tomb released their third LP, Vestiges Of Tortured Souls, on 6 June via Nuclear Winter Records. This new release is available on CD, cassette, vinyl and, of course, digitally.

There's a major improvement in Rotten Tomb's music compared to their previous works. Dense death metal, great guitar solos, furious drumming and a raging vocal performance make this album damn aggressive and a great piece of old-school death metal, with some doomy vibes at certain moments and even a blackened aura.

The mastering and production are near perfection, with everything sitting exactly where it should be.

I wouldn't hesitate to say that Vestiges Of Tortured Souls is a strong contender for AOTY in the Death Metal category. If it doesn't take the top spot, I'm sure it will appear on many critics' year-end lists.

Rotten Tomb are a Chilean band formed around 2016 after the disbanding of Hades, where C. and Deathbringer played guitar. They are also the guitarists of the Death/Thrash band Atomicide.

 

Release | Hulder - Verbolgen

Hulder

 

I've been following Hulder since her first steps as a one-woman band. The first time I heard her music, I immediately became a fan, enthusiastic about the way she created black metal, paying respect to the genre while blending it with nuances of folklore.

Since then, Hulder has evolved into a full band and has released her third full-length album, Verbolgen, which might well be her magnum opus.

Verbolgen was co-released by 20 Buck Spin and Season Of Mist, and perhaps because of that, it has a better production and a more mature sound. The folk influence is still present, creating a dark folk atmosphere throughout the whole album. Solid choruses immediately grab the listener's attention and transport them to the snowy mountains of the North.

Verbolgen consists of nine tracks, ranging from slow, atmospheric passages to fast and furious, dense black metal. The old-school feeling is very much present, but polished. Fans looking for something rawer might not be entirely satisfied with this release and may prefer the previous album, Verses in Oath.

For me, this is their best album so far. The evolution is noticeable and makes me genuinely curious about what the band (or Hulder herself) can deliver in the future.

 

 

Single | Bocc - Demolarium singles

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Spanish death/doom band Bocc are preparing to release their second full-length album, Demolarium, on 11 September via Night Terror Records, on CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital formats.

The trio, formed in 2019, have already released the album's first singles, two tracks of horrid, dirty death metal with decaying doom and haunting sludge. The new album will feature six tracks, with the artwork created by Narcís Boter.

 

Live | Drums Of War Festival

Full lneup

 

In Barcelona, Spain, there's a new festival: Drums Of War Festival, promoted by the Mangual.es association, taking place from 27–29 August.

For a first edition, it has an incredible lineup, with a three-day pass costing around €220, while daily tickets cost €100 for the first and second days, and €110 for the third day.

Regarding the lineup... where should I start? Thirty-one bands are going to play. Take a closer look:

• Attic
• Deiphago
• Massacra
• Lik
• Zemial
• Impiety
• In The Woods
• Messiah
• Nargaroth
• A Canorous Quintet
• Spectre
• The Night Eternal
• Deathhammer
• Negative Plane
• Pestilence
• Kampfar
• Vinterland
• Tormentor
• Grave
• Onslaught
• Unbounded Terror
• Nocturnal
• Gates Of Ishtar
• Hellbutcher
• Impaled Nazarene
• 1349
• Unleashed
• Destruction
• Aeternus
• Orthodoxy
• Funebre Devastation 

It's almost unbelievable! I'm looking forward to hearing some feedback after the festival.

Single | Archgoat - The Dawn to Armageddon

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Archgoat are back with their sixth full-length album in an almost four-decade-long career. The Finnish black metal band are set to release Nightbringer, Lightbringer via Debemur Morti Productions on 11 September, on CD, vinyl, and digital formats.

 It is described as:

"Now in their 37th year of blasphemous brutality, Finnish Black Metal iconoclasts ARCHGOAT remain one of the most single-minded and relentlessly visceral bands in extreme music.

New album "Nightbringer, Lightbringer" once again taps into the guts of ancient evil to unearth a noxious stench of horror. Undiminished and eternal, the band's patented synthesis of mystical first wave Black/Death Metal, Punk hostility, primal Thrash and bestial Grindcore is destructive as ever in its magickal raw power.

This time around a slightly less-dank production ensures each putrid note is assimilated and felt. Mind-altering atmospherics and cryptic synth embellishments remain a feature, with some grandly melodic leads and – gasp – lower gain arpeggios in place for fleeting relief before the returning waves of pummelling satanic violence." 

The band had already released the album's title track as a single and recently released “The Dawn to Armageddon”, which you can listen to below.

Live | Inferno das Febras

Full lneup

 

The 2026 edition of Inferno das Febras is almost here, and I need to mention it, not only because it takes place in my home country, but also because I've been following the evolution of the festival almost since its first edition. They have always had great taste when it comes to lineups, featuring some excellent underground acts, and from what I've heard, its atmosphere is very unique and flooded with underground vibes.

I've never been there because it is held on a difficult date for me for many reasons, but I'm aiming to make it there for the first time this year, although it won't be easy.

Inferno das Febras takes place in Lousada, near Porto, on 28 and 29 August. A two-day pass costs just €25, while daily tickets are €18, that's nothing when you look at the lineup!

On the first day, I need to highlight the mighty Polish stoners Belzebong, bringing their newest release, The End Is High, the Belgian thrashers Arkangel, and the unique British quintet Five The Hierophant. We also have Portuguese bands Equaleft, bringing their thrash/groove attack, and the doom of Lord Of Confusion.

The second day is massive, featuring the legendary death metal band Master, the American crossover/thrash band Fugitive, Danish stoner rockers Rotor, and Portuguese grind/death legends Grog.

Such an amazing lineup for fans of good, underground music! Definitely a festival to consider.

Release | TodoMal - Graveyards of Joy

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If I had a “golden buzzer” that, whenever I pressed it, people were immediately compelled to listen to whatever music I wanted, one of the bands I would use it on would be TodoMal. 

From the very first moment I heard TodoMal (I think my first contact with them was in 2023, and the track was High Time from their second album, A Greater Good), I was hooked! For about two or three weeks, I couldn't listen to anything else but TodoMal.

Saying that their sound is the definition of perfection would be too much, but the truth is that they have everything in the perfect quantities. Not too much doom, not too much progressive or atmospheric, it's almost perfectly balanced. Amazing compositions and an amazing performance make their sound difficult to ever get tired of. The harmony in their music is peacefully enjoyable, and sometimes it almost sounds like late Anathema.

So, I tried to convert as many people as I could to the progressive/atmospheric doom with a little gothic feeling of TodoMal, and I became their disciple (although I missed their live debut in Portugal). Anyway, I'm proud that they have signed with a major label like Season Of Mist and released another masterpiece, Graveyards Of Joy.

This third LP from TodoMal consists of nine tracks and was released on 3 July on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Musically speaking, this feels like a natural maturation, reflecting the band's evolution and the fact that they are now signed to a major label like Season Of Mist. However, it still manages to impress me, still draws me into the atmosphere and depth that their music generates.

Single | Firebreather - Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire

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"Made in Sweden" is, in the most of the times, a label that means good music and Firebreather is no exception. The swedish trio is back with their fourth LP called Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire, to be released in the 16th October via the renowned stoner label Heavy Psych Sounds Records, on CD, Vinyl and digitally.

The stoner band with doom influences, that recently welcomed a new drummer aboard, has advanced the single that gives name to the album, Blood That I Spill Turns To Fire. This track reveals an even more mature Firebreather, a dirty guitar, a sludgy sound and a smashing stoner metal vibe!

 

IMT | Deliverance - The Voyager Golden Banquet

Album Cover

 

I Missed This... 

Released on 22 May this year, this album completely slipped under my radar. The Voyager Golden Banquet is the fourth LP from the French quartet Deliverance, formed in 2013.

The band has forged its own path by blending black metal with sludge, progressive metal, and a touch of psychedelia. The result is a very unique, interesting, and dense atmosphere. The Voyager Golden Banquet does not fail to deliver this sound. It starts smoothly, while already giving us an idea of what the rest of the album has in store.

Haunting vocals, heaviness, and anger run throughout the entire album, pushing us deeper and deeper into a void of emptiness. 

Band photo

Released by the French label Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions, The Voyager Golden Banquet features eight tracks and is available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats.  

Live | Kill-Town Death Fest XI (2026)

Full lneup

 

This is simply glorious! I have to mention Kill-Town Death Fest in Denmark, what an amazing lineup for all lovers of extreme and underground music!

The festival will take place from 3–6 September in Copenhagen, featuring some of the most rotten Death Metal currently hitting the underground scene. From legendary bands like Massacre, Murder Squad, Funebrarum, and Cenotaph, to well-established names from the underground such as Father Befouled, Morbific, Phenocryst, Cryptworm, Fossilization, Rothadás, and many more...

I could highlight pretty much any band on this lineup because there is so much good stuff here!

With the full festival pass costing around €140 and daily tickets around €40, this is a festival that should definitely be on the radar of any serious Death Metal fan.

Unfortunately, my debut at the festival won't be happening this time, but it's definitely in my plans to make it there for a future edition.

Single | Ch'ahom - Cult Of Xaman

Album Cover

 

There are few certain things in life... taxes, death and the quality of 20 Buck Spin releases. The german Ch'ahom will release their second full length, named Anthropic Rites of Sublimation, on 18th September and have revealed the first track of this work, Cult Of Xaman. The label describes this new work as:

 

"German black/death cult Ch’ahom offer upon the altar of sacrifice their 2nd album ‘Anthropic Rites of Sublimation’, a concept album set in a fictional world inspired by the rituals, art and architecture of pre-Hispanic cultures. Continuing where their “Ts’ono’ot” EP ended, its story unfolds around a cenote of impossible dimensions whose cosmic call draws the lost and uncertain toward self-sacrifice. Four civilizations rise along its edge, each developing its own rites, hierarchies and monuments to transform the abyss’s fatal summons into a foundation for collective existence.

Ch’ahom gives this imagined world form through cavernous death metal, bestial eruptions and feverishly progressive structures. Savage riffing coils through suffocating chambers of rhythmic conjuration while ancient instrumentation emerges from the tumult like echoes inside a buried temple. ‘Anthropic Rites of Sublimation’ moves like the cenote itself, drawing the listener inward through an ecstatic and ever-deepening sense of the unknown.

Inspired by a deliberately literal interpretation of the death drive and its sublimation, Ch’ahom explores culture as a response to an irresistible desire for self-erasure. Mutilation, vicarious sacrifice, enslavement and willing surrender become the foundations of competing societies awaiting the cenote’s periodic opening. Ch’ahom transforms this dark fiction into an immense ritual of sound, portraying humanity through its terrifying ingenuity: creating faith, beauty and entire civilizations upon the edge of annihilation."

This single is a discharge of blackened death metal on it's finest and dirtiest form at the same time, as the vocals sound like a ritual of sacrifice or something mad from the deepest hole of a cave, the instrumental has different moments, alternating between aggressive discharges of violent death metal and atmospheric moments. 

 

 

Release | Altarage - Cogwheel

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In case you missed it, the new Altarage album is out. Cogwheel was released on 31 July via Sentient Ruin Laboratories, available on CD (Digipak), Cassette, Vinyl and, of course, Digitally.

 

The Basque band have delivered a mind-bending, suffocating piece of extreme darkness, capable of dragging you into the densest and darkest fog. For first listeners, if you don't know the band, Altarage is synonymous with experimentation, atmosphere, and death metal, taking the listener on a journey towards insanity.

 

Despite having been active for only 11 years, Cogwheel is already the seventh full-length album from the Spanish trio, and it is certainly one that will be making its way onto my shelf. 

 

The full album can be heard in youtube.

 

 

 

Single | Street Tombs - Upset The Grave

 

Photo by Lloyd Gray

 

The american Street Tombs have dropped a new single from their upcoming release Existence Is Corruption that is set to be free in the 21st August by Carbonized Records on CD, Vinyl, Cassette and digitally. This second full length from the 4-piece band from New Mexico has 8 tracks of dirty old school death metal.

 

This new track, named Upset the Grave follows the release of the first single Systematic Suffering.

Guitarist/vocalist Jacoby said about the new single:

‘Upset the Grave’ plays into themes of human entrapment and addiction. It culminates at the point in which humans choose to remain complacent in their self destruction. The nature of our pain and suffering differ, but ‘Upset the Grave’ thrashes to something universal, as consuming destructive thoughts collectively contaminate and rip apart our apathetic minds.”