Nargaroth @ SG

Legions of the dark, be informed that the German dark authority known as Nargaroth, will unleash its sonic assault come September 2026. It is hoped that the details captured above would suffice to trigger your latent interest.

Pic: BMS

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I listened to this online & was not expecting to purchase a copy. This acquisition was more of an attempt to supplement the need for grandiose black metal riffing & composition ideas. Saying this upfront because there are (to me) no outstanding numbers in this collection. Songs are mostly unnecessarily lengthy (especially the intros) & patched with orchestration to remind listeners, ardent followers & newbies alike, the Dimmu Borgir identity. However, the staunch listeners would agree that things took a turn in this aspect after Death Cult Armageddon (2003). But this is definitely not a shabby effort. FYI, Grand Serpent Rising is DB's eleventh LP, the first after Galder departed in 2024.

Grand S

Welcoming the weekend in the knowledge that Dimmu Borgir is releasing a new LP today: Grand Serpent Rising. That's 8 years after their last LP & there are only two founding members left in the band. My favourite DB album had always been the re-recorded Stormblast with Hellhammer on drums. The band made it big after Death Cult Armegeddon (2003) which virtually can't be beaten in terms of appeal & musicianship. Along the way, Mustis (keyboards) left & the void in orchestral elements was deafening thereafter. In the mean time, a track off GSR:

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Holiday eve. Me time, music time.

• Panic: Epidemic. A friend introduced me to this band back in school (1991). I was already quite sick of the usual metal bands hogging the magazine's front pages - Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament et al. Nothing special, just a thrash band, a good one. Just couldn't quite come to terms with the '80s distortion sound; brash & semi-unlikable.
• Imperial Triumphant: Goldstar. Not everyone's idea of black metal especially when it includes some very jazzy & prog elements forcing you to shift into intellectual mode instead of getting lost in the drone. This album made it to the top 10 list of black metal releases in 2025. Was a little late to check them out. 

Holiday eve... what's everyone doing?

I am the Black Wizards

 

After years of dwelling in this genre of metal, I have always believed that black metal would sound awesome if orchestrated, played on violin or even piano. An example in mind would be Emperor's I am the Black Wizards, the live rendition is attached above.

I am therefore very glad to have come across this piano cover by Catherine Fearns & you could understand, after watching this clip, what I was talking about. The note choices, arrangement & progression are simply suitable for an orchestrated interpretation. So the next time you come across an opinion saying black metal is trash, it's not music, then you know this is a foolish comment.

Weeping

Mayhem had just released a single from their upcoming album (Liturgy of Death: Feb 2026): Weep for Nothing. Do take a listen if you're interested: CLICK I really hope, it's not gonna be a Daemon Part II.

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I'll be brief with this; it's below expectations. I was expecting a grand return to form but no. The intensity is about the only element that I consider worthy. The music in its entirety is let down by the drums; it reeks of cut & paste, very little human dynamics. Perhaps it's due to the fact that Daemon is the only surviving member here & drums might not be his thing. Have a good week ahead, folks.

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For many bands who had been in the scene for a while, they tend to ebb into compromise. Not Marduk. This release reiterates the band's sole dedication to destruction. A very furious release & rightfully, the standard to beat this year. I especially like the bass production. On that note, the bassist got fired for displaying an offensive salute during a live show. Filling in for this recording, the awesome Devo Andersson whom you recall bid farewell after Marduk's previous outing, Viktoria.

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I do not shy away from listening to the lesser know bands out there. It's not about the band, it's about the music. If it appeals to you, then the band recognition means nothing.

Mefitic: Woes of Mortal Devotion

Not a new release, it's 8-years old this year. It's not easy listening especially when the deep sounding vocals are panned out at the background. Also, those guitars are not the typical black metal tones, they sound crunchy, not crusty. In fact, they are on the verge of sounding great. Production is awesome here, every instrument equally audible in the mix. 

Shezmu: A Travers Les Lambeaux

Yes, it's entirely in French. No, they are Canadian. Not new as well, a 2020 release. This release is predominantly doom-y against a black metal back drop which I appreciate. It goes to show that you can dwell in one genre & include other elements to make it artistic. Not a new formula but difficult to execute tastefully. 

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Received a couple of new music in the mailbox.

Immortal: War Against All

Looking forward to this release actually because Abbath's Dread Reaver was a let down & I ended up not buying that release. So WAA is Immortal reduced to a lone member, Demonaz. WAA is also a close reproduction of Northern Chaos Gods. Conceptually, these releases are similar with WAA re-visiting some At the Heart of Winter moments; you know, those icy, down tempo tunes. So things are kind of predictable after the third track. 

Tulus: Fandens Kall

I was also looking forward to this release because I know Tulus gives me what I want to hear - good black metal with no speed obligations & a standout bass production. So nothing really changed in that aspect just another good Tulus serving. The band sort of stabilized in their music making with Olm Og Bitter arguably the only contentious release that threatened to derail a good following but Tulus proved themselves capable of getting back on track. Also, I hear a more distorted tone here, more distortion saturation to be precise, unlike the previous release where the guitars sounded crunchy almost suggesting someone had forgotten to max out the guitar volume while recording.

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Much anticipated Darkthrone release, at least for me. It's the band's 20th full length release & we know they are not halting production any time soon. Fenriz & Nocturno pretty much live in their own world where live appearances are not obligatory & the type of music they embrace are theirs to define. Are they moving away from metal this time? Absolutely no. They are moving away from playing fast. The overall vibe here is that of a blackened doom serving; thick distortion & impactful all the way. A good example would be Track 2: Impeccable Caverns of Satan. Also, there's a trip down memory lane with sections invoking Under a Funeral Moon & Transilvanian Hunger (eg. closing bits of Track 1: Caravan of Broken Ghosts). If you are new to Darkthrone, be warned that this is introverted music, the partners here don't give a rat's ass about what's trending & true. 

From the guitar end, this is perhaps one of the best produced, much replicating the tones of Eternal Hails but nothing groundbreaking. More importantly, it serves the objective of having dark, cold, in-your-face-music this side of black metal. So it doesn't hurt to get your instruments tuned to pleasantries as long as it serves the greater objective.

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Svartsyn is the 7th Khold release & it's a little tricky as they 'went away' for 8 years. With the line-up in tact, Svartsyn is quite the guessing game for many of us - is it a Til Endes extension or is it something new? But fans will know that Khold had been Khold throughout their releases & this one is no different. It's nothing too different from Til Endes but we hear some drop in tempo for many numbers, more importantly, no drop in intensity. For me, I've been hooked since hearing their debut release, two things: 1) They are the mid-tempo specialists in this genre 2) Their bass is always outstanding (in context). Most memorable track - Odslet Blod.

Goodbye August...

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Dark Funeral's 7th full length release, We Are the Apocalypse, still advocates for the band's brand of intense black metal. This one features new drummer, Jalomaah, whom you might have heard in action in Imperivm.  So this release has slower, heavier numbers but still blast-beat defined - Let the Devil In & When I'm Gone are examples. To me, these are necessary variations to showcase that one's band is capable of steering the music & not bent on speed exclusively. The bass works here are, in my opinion, the best they have ever recorded; present & relevant. The dual guitar works are also varied at certain passages & that's a welcomed change. My only beef would be that opening track- listen to the drum production, it's one of the worst. When the blast beats kicked in, together with the cymbals, everything turned to muck. The same drumming approach was repeated in Track 6 (Beyond the Grave) to no detriment. Production oversight, possibly.

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This is one of those black metal acts that infused other elements into their music & has no obligations to further their primary music indulgences. That said, In Aphelion is 50% Necrophobic & we can hear the twin guitar works here (Ramstedt / Bergeback) but these display lesser speed emphasis. Other elements as aforementioned are strictly metal but not the black variant, doom & heavy metal more like it. I make it a point to listen to side projects just to hear what other creative juices manifest from musicians who are more known for their primary band commitment like these Necrophobic lads. Other interesting examples would be Vltimas & Twilight. All in all, Moribund is a good release, nothing groundbreaking though. Here's a taster:

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A quick look at this quartet would have you think they are another stoner / sludge-core act that would be floating around metaldom trying to hitch a hit. I was of this impression of them when I first saw some promo pics; with the bell-bottoms & baroque tops, these people wouldn't be metal. And then you listen to their music & everything changed. Slaegt had been a better part of obscurity until, arguably, The Wheel debuted in 2018 with that heavy nod towards Dissection in their musical essence. Anyway, Goddess here takes a trip into the heavy realm with slower moments conjuring doom & that epic 11min closer that is Goddess, it's a wholesome trip, I would say. For want of a better reference, this is very close to what Nachtmystium did with Assassins. A worthy purchase.

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I seldom dwell into live stuff. I buy live albums with the intention to check substantiality, not the music because chances are, I've already heard what's on offer. Mayhem's Live in Sarpsborg was performed in 1990 featuring Dead on vocals. The music here is an unpleasant trip in terms of production - was there any to begin with? The drum's crashes & rides are undefined, compounded by the grizzly sounding distorted guitar & bass. I bought this album to check out what's the standard like back then - 1990, the world is about the be hit by the grunge explosion. But beyond the realms of mainstream showcases, Mayhem had already cast their dominance as the flag bearer of black metal. The only mark of excellence here is Hellhammer's drumming, the rest are too murky for consideration. 

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A throwback to 2007, Thorn's Stigma Diabolicum. I'm always eager to listen to music by splinter band members, in this case Emperor. Despite being a compilation album (B-Sides, demos & rehearsals), SD featured a full band line up. Bard Eithun & Snorre Ruch are easily recognizable Emperor affiliates. Thorns hold their own as former Emperor members had no obligations to further their former musical indulgences. As such, SD is a showcase of black noisescape, that's how I hear it & understood it to be. There are some tracks featuring only guitar & bass, some are instrumentals as well. Nobody is in a hurry here so every song is a fatal stab in the chest with the knife slowly turning till death. All in all, this is a depressive adventure, essential listening if you wish to embrace black metal's branched philosophy.

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Slaegt's Goddess won't be released till mid-March but here's a taster from this album. You can say that I'm bracing for an Abbath let down (again) & finding solace in other releases.  Slaegt's previous release, 2018's The Wheel, was impressive. For the initiated, Dissection's overtones were rather obvious but many might be put off by the image of the band; these people dress up like hippies. Nevertheless, deep inside their musical awareness, there's plenty of black metal for consumption. 

Pic: E Metallum

LTD 2022: 7s

Still on single pickup guitars, actually - the LTD Black Metal Series are seeing a couple of 7-string models, this one is one of them; the EX-7.

This is the other; the Phoenix -7. By the way, both are baritones, sporting a 27" scale length. You get stainless steel frets with these guitars. The EX has EMG & the Phoenix, a Fluence, so the intention is clear - all out metal assault, no compromise. Also, these come with form fit cases, so that's value for money for both instruments. These are not high end LTDs, unlike the Deluxes but they are spec'd out well. Due to the single pickup nature, these will be a niche appeal. 
 

Pics: ESP international

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I'm not listening to much new stuff lately. I have my favourite, go-to kind of albums / songs & they still remain relevant for me in terms of appeal. Abbath & Dark Funeral  released a single each from their upcoming new releases & these got my attention.

Abbath is a formidable character in this genre of metal. He has proven his worth since going solo in 2016 & he has good stuff in the self-titled debut album. When Oustrider was released in 2019, the follow-up album, things were not as appealing music-wise not because Abbath has lost his touch but because Ole Farstad happened. That's right, Farstad was the new second guitarist in the band & the lead guitar stuff was under his purview. This guy, he's incredibly talented & telling by the way he plays, he's versed in music. However, his approach to solos with regards to the band's songs, to say the least, is unsuitable. After listening to Dream Cull, the single from the upcoming Dread Reaver, Fastad's unsuitable approach to all things lead guitars are still evident. I have no idea if Abbath realizes this but Fostad needs a telling off, so to speak. Does that mean incredibly talented guitarists have no place in black metal & their versed musicality remains irrelevant to the genre? We then need to listen to Mayhem's Charles Hedger. This is another incredibly talented player but his knowledge & technicality are well crafted to suit the music. Bad Blood from Mayhem's latest offering, Daemon, is the perfect reference. If the rest of Dread Reaver is going to sound like Dream Cull, then it will be another let down for me.

Dark Funeral's Let the Devil In has obvious changes, music-wise. Both the drums & guitars have dropped a notch in terms of tempo. The immediate effect here is an introduction to heaviness. Things still sound relevant here but kult fans would sense a move into the mainstream as things began to be more palatable when it comes to song structure & presentation.

Maybe - just maybe - it's a little far fetched to be judging the entire album based on a song. However, more often than not, the taster is a relevant model for the bigger picture.