Omg The Night Eternal was so good!! 🥹 have to grab all their stuff from #bandcamp now XD
Want to see them again.

The other bands, Wucan and Aptera, were also insane!

#heavymetal #metal #berlin
#TheNightEternal #Wucan #Aptera

The Night Eternal
31.10.2025 Monheim / Sojus 7

#Monheim #Sojus7 #TheNightEternal #SteelFeed

Bas Rotten
04.07.2025 Herford / Fla Fla

MakeWar
30.07.2025 Marl / JuKuz Hagenbusch

The Night Eternal
30.10.2025 Uelsen / Schulzentrum

#BasRotten #FlaFla #Herford #JuKuzHagenbusch #MakeWar #Marl #Schulzentrum #TheNightEternal #Uelsen #SteelFeed

D.I.
29.07.2025 Wiesbaden / Schlachthof

El Zzorro
25.10.2025 Weiterstadt / Kulturbahnhof

Mallet
12.10.2025 Weiterstadt / Kulturbahnhof

The Night Eternal
24.10.2025 Aschaffenburg / Colos-Saal

#Aschaffenburg #ColosSaal #DI #ElZzorro #Kulturbahnhof #Mallet #Schlachthof #TheNightEternal #Weiterstadt #Wiesbaden #SteelFeed

Nite – Cult of the Serpent Sun Review

By Steel Druhm

The wise and worldly Don Dokken taught me long ago that one should never unchain the night. Growing up, I’ve done my best to live this crucial truth. Unfortunately, no one ever told me what to do about Nite, the odd heavy metal project birthed by members of Dawnbringer, High Spirits, and Satan’s Wrath. Their 2020 Darkness Silence Mirror Flame debut was an intriguing mash-up of classic 80s and trve metal with a decidedly blackened edge courtesy of vocalist Van Labrakis (Satan’s Wrath). Their enthusiastically retro sound borrowed heavily from Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden, and of course, Dawnbringer, but sometimes the fit between the music and the vocals didn’t work. They smoothed things out somewhat for 2022s Voices of the Kronian Moon, but nagging issues still held them back. Now third platter Cult of the Serpent Sun is upon us, and they haven’t tweaked their sound so much as honed it into a more imposing weapon. Does that portend good things for those who dwell in the Niteside eclipse?

I’ll say this for Nite: they’re determined to stick to their original concept and find ways to make you love it. While I’ve always enjoyed the core of what they do, the extraordinarily one-note black metal rasps by Van Labrakis were a huge drag on the material. The vocals haven’t changed on Cult of the Serpent Sun, but Nite’s ability to write compelling song with a fuck ton of excellent guitar parts has finally allowed them to overcome the vocal shortcomings. The album plays out like a collaborative jam session between Mercyful Fate, The Night Eternal, Grand Magus, and Dawnbringer, and the guitar work is lusty, mighty, and glorious from start to finish. Cuts like “Skull” throw so much Grand Magus-esque guitar splendor at the wall that you can’t resist gobbling up everything that sticks, and Labrakis’ rasps now add character instead of sounding out of place. “Crow (Fear the Night)” is an impossible song to dislike. The stellar guitar work from Scott Hoffman (Dawnbringer) and Labrakis is out of this world and exactly what makes metal so damn intoxicating. Just listen to all the cool, badass shit they do throughout the song and feel your back hair grow in appreciation.

Elsewhere, “The Last Blade” manages to blend the hard rocking energy of early 80s act like Keel and Y&T with trve vintages like Dawnbringer and Grand Magus for a wild ride into nostalgia. “Carry On” sounds like The Night Flight Orchestra showed up to help In Solitude and/or The Night Eternal add 80s radio rock energy to their typically Mercyful Fate-worshipping material. It’s just an uber-cool tune that gets you fist-pumping and air-guitaring in equal doses as Manowar look down upon you approvingly from their Airbnb at Crom’s Mountain of Steel. The high point is the ginormously epic closer “Winds of Sokar,” where all the honor and valor of Bathory’s Viking era bleeds forth over you in a red geyser of grandeur. You WILL love this song or be judged harshly at the gates of Valhalla by me or some other ape-like security goon. So what are the downsides? A few songs go for mood over hard rocking, and though nothing is skippable, “The Mystic” plays out like a lost piece to the soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian, and it’s too restrained despite its ample machismo. “Tarmut” suffers a similar handicap, with atmosphere superceding badasserey. At a very lean 36 minutes, Cult is a quick, vital listen, though it may take 2-3 spins to fully implant its hooks. Once it does, though, there’s no going back.

Cult is a guitar-lovers wet dream. Hoffman and Labrakis hold nothing back and go deep into the heart of classic metal for an endless series of cutting riffs and shining harmonies. The riffage ranges from edgy, to melodic to heroic, and you will hunger for more, no matter how high they stack the fretboard buffet. Nearly every song features exceptional guitar work and memorable pieces, and the spirit of metal’s golden age lives loudly in the writing. Oh, the sweet, sweet jammage! Van Labrakis’ vocals are the same monotone snarl as before, but somehow, he seems less of an impediment and injects the right amount of oomph to the songs. Would Nite be better with an actual singer? Yes, but three albums in, this is the Nite show, and it’s improving with every release. An additional hats off to the slick drumming by Patrick Crawford, who drives the songs right through your fucking head with propulsive kit thumps.

I expected to be whelmed by Cult of the Serpent Sun and report that I loved the music but not the vocals. I do love the music, and now the vocals don’t bother me as much. This is a very entertaining slab of retro metal that spans multiple genres, and it has truly great moments that I’ll be spinning for a long time. It also exudes a level of coolness that’s hard to resist. Maybe it’s okay to unchain the Nite? I better ask Donny first, though.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: nitemetal.com | nitemetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/nitemetal
Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AmericanMetal #CultOfTheSerpentSun #DarknessSilenceMirrorFlame #Dawnbringer #GrandMagus #HeavyMetal #HighSpirits #Mar25 #MercyfulFate #Nite #Review #Reviews #SatanSWrath #SeasonOfMistRecords #TheNightEternal #TheNightFlightOrchestra #VoicesOfTheKronianMoon

Die Legende von Nord
14.03.2025 Göttingen / Exil

Elfmorgen
09.05.2025 Göttingen / Exil

Kontraire
15.03.2025 Halle / Rockpool

Maelføy
27.03.2025 Göttingen / Exil

Men Without Hats
31.08.2025 Göttingen / Exil

Midhaven
12.03.2025 Hildesheim / Kulturfabrik Löseke

Ost+Front
27.09.2025 Osterode am Harz / DGH Dorste

The Night Eternal
26.02.2025 Kassel / Goldgrube

The Sickness
28.03.2025 Duingen / CheckPoint

Wisecräcker
02.05.2025 Göttingen / Exil

#CheckPoint #DGHDorste #DieLegendeVonNord #Duingen #Elfmorgen #Exil #Goldgrube #Gottingen #Halle #Hildesheim #Kassel #Kontraire #KulturfabrikLoseke #Maelfoy #MenWithoutHats #Midhaven #OstFront #OsterodeAmHarz #Rockpool #TheNightEternal #TheSickness #Wisecracker #SteelFeed

Black Ends
01.05.2025 Berlin / Urban Spree

Bloodred Hourglass
09.10.2025 Berlin / Cassiopeia

Schotter
12.04.2025 Berlin / Jugendfunkhaus

The Night Eternal
27.02.2025 Berlin / Reset

Yellowcard
24.06.2025 Berlin / Huxleys

#Berlin #BlackEnds #BloodredHourglass #Cassiopeia #Huxleys #Jugendfunkhaus #Reset #Schotter #TheNightEternal #UrbanSpree #Yellowcard #SteelFeed

Morax – The Amulet Review

By Steel Druhm

Way back in 2019 we reviewed the Norwegian thrash act Inculter and lavished much praise upon their Fatal Visions album. We then somehow slept on 2023s Morbid Origin completely because mistakes were made. Now we get the solo project by Inculter guitarist/vocalist Remi Andrè Nygård and it’s an altered beast of a different color. Rather than another crazy thrash attack, Morax is Remi’s one-man, do-it-all-yourself vehicle for exploring his love of classic 80s heavy metal sounds. In particular, that sweet spot where Mercyful Fate rubbed up on NWoBHM and style. Throughout The Amulet you’ll be transported back to 1983-84 and reminded of a variety of early metal acts, but it’s those Fate albums that get the bulk of the hat tips as gloriously catchy old-timey riffs fly left and right. With these caveats, you should know what to expect here. Riffs, and MOAR riffs, all from the golden age of metal.

After a very table setting, 80s-centric intro piece, the real fun begins on “Belial Rising” which is 5-plus minutes of 80s-soaked guitar heroics forced together into an epic song. The riffs here are aces, with one sharp, hooky lead after another as Remi threads the needle between various 80s acts with a rowdy, raucous Mötörhead-adjacent energy bouncing off classy, smooth NWoBHM leads and solos that reek of Satan. It’s a wild ride with so many cool, vintage guitar moments that it’s impossible not to enjoy for seasoned geezers like me. The segment from 3:17 to the end is easily my favorite piece of music this year and it keeps me coming back for more. “A Thousand Names” is also first-rate, full of badass riffs and harmonies as Remi warbles and raves as best he can. You could easily imagine this coming out in the early 80s and it comes from a sincere love for the time period.

Unfortunately, the songcraft is a bit inconsistent as The Amulet plays out. There are a ton of good ideas and slick, memorable Mercyful Fate-esque moments in the 8 minutes of “Seven Pierced Hearts” but it definitely runs too long. Cuts like “The Snake” and “Phantom Sleeper” are good with great moments but can’t rise to the level of the album’s first few cuts. Things improve for the epic denouement “The Descent” which feels like a flight through the In Solitude and The Night Eternal catalogs (i.e. new takes on Mercyful Fate’s classic style). If the writing was just a little more consistently strong, this thing would be a contestant on Steel‘s Best of 2025 Hunger Games Elimination Derby. As it stands, it’s an enjoyable nostalgia bomb with several totally killer tracks. At a concise 40 minutes, The Amulet plays out briskly, with only “Seven Pierced Hearts” bogging things down slightly. Remi’s production is 100% authentic to the era it’s inspired by, and he couldn’t have made it sound any more like a product of the past short of releasing it on 8-track.

Remi handles everything here, from guitars to bass to drums, and does a pretty damn impressive job. His guitar work is the star, of course, and he shows himself to be a true lover of 80s metal, crafting so many smoking riffs I can imagine rocking out to in my bedroom back in 83-84. This is one of those albums worth hearing for the riffs alone, even if they don’t always translate into great songs. He does a lot to invoke the Sherman/Denner dynasty of amazing dual axe warfare but incorporates enough outside influences to keep things a little unpredictable. His vocals are raw and unpolished but mostly get the job done, though he’s limited in his range and ability. He almost sounds like a mix of Brian Ross of Satan / Blitzkrieg and Schmier of Destruction which is a unique spot to land in.

As a veteran of the 80s metal wars, I can’t resist albums like this and I had to fight my worser angels who wanted me to overrate The Amulet just because it was so damn vintage. There are some very good to almost great moments here, but the overall package is just shy of a higher mark. I’ll be returning to this in the future though and those high moments make it a rewarding spin. Morax is onto something cool and I hope this isn’t a one-and-done for Remi. If you want to marinate in the sounds of the past and attend a few dangerous meetings, Morax has the Melissa biscuits you need.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: High Roller
Websites: morax.bandcamp.com/album/the-amulet | facebook.com/morax6669 | instagram.com/moraxmoraxmorax
Releases Worldwide: February 21st, 2025

#2025 #30 #Feb25 #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #InSolitude #Inculter #MercyfulFate #Morax #NorweiganMetal #Review #Reviews #Satan #TheAmulet #TheNightEternal

#TheNightEternal waren heute unser erstes Konzert. Boah waren die super. Volle Empfehlung. 🤘🏻
#Rockharz #rockharz2024

#TheNightEternal
- De Helling
- 6-2-2024
- Photography by: #Sethpicturesmusic - #SethAbrikoos

Band line-up:

Aleister Präkelt
Rob Richter
Henry Käseberg
Ricardo Baummord

#TheNightEternal

Höre gerade eher zufällig das Album Fatale von #TheNightEternal und es geht richtig ab. 🤘🏻

https://album.link/i/1689417635

Dr. A.N. Grier’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Dr. A.N. Grier

Another year, another top-ten list from ole Grier. Unfortunately, this was a difficult year to make my selections. Typically, I have to narrow my list from twenty to thirty albums, but this year pretty much narrowed down itself. But it wasn’t only because I was too goddamn busy to listen to music and write reviews, it also wasn’t the best year for metal. Of the hundreds of albums I forced myself to listen to this year, even my honorable mentions are pretty fucking slim. I know many will argue that this was a fantastic year for metal, but I don’t like prog or doom enough to enjoy the stupid number of releases in those genres. And you’re all terrible for encouraging this shit to happen. Hopefully, King Diamond and Mercyful Fate will release albums in 2024 so we can get some real music.

But for all the work that’s taken me away from writing reviews (which is pretty much the only thing I live for these days), it’s been a good year for insulting and making fun of everyone. If I can’t have droves of amazing records, at least I have a bunch of idiots with bad taste to rip on. The number of 4.5s that everyone whored out on this site is an abomination. And, again, this is all your fault for encouraging scores twice what they should be! Idiots. But, besides all the incorrect scores, this is a pretty good crew. While I can’t help but glare (my mom says that’s just how my face is), the Zoom calls are fun, the daily bickering is therapeutic, and the horrible Doom_et_Al hot takes make me feel better about myself. Without Steel, Madam X, and Sentynel, this place would never exist. No matter how much I try to derail it. While the mighty AMG is busy as fuck and isn’t always around, we also wouldn’t be here without him. I also have to give a shout-out to olde and new editors, like Holdeneye, Wvrm, Kenny, Dolph, and Maddog for all the hard work, bringing back old AMG specials, and helping the newbies onboard. It’s very much appreciated. As for the readers… you know what I’m going to say/call you.

Now for the best list of the bunch and pretty much the only one you should read. You’ll find many records you forgot about here, or you hated to begin with which makes you an idiot.

#ish. Blackbraid // Blackbraid II – I hate that I agree with Doom that an album is good. Honestly, it physically and emotionally hurts me. But there’s not much to be done about Blackbraid’s Blackbraid II because I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since it came out. I can’t say it’s my perfect style of black metal, but the emotion is there, and it’s quite convincing. In particular, “Sadness and the Passage of Time and Memory” is a heart-wrenching piece of staggering beauty. While many complain it’s far too long, it’s only because you expected the follow-up to Blackbraid I to be another measly thirty-five minutes. That isn’t Blackbraid II’s fault. That’s your fault. And please don’t get me started with your opinions on the man’s heritage and if he’s insulting rather than honoring that heritage. Instead, let the soothing acoustic interludes guide you to the engulfing nature of “The Spirit Returns” and “A Song of Death on Winds of Dawn” before “Twilight Hymn of Ancient Blood” tears you a new asshole with its crushing, trashing interlude. Blackbraid II is one of the better atmoblack releases of the year and you gotta get over it and accept it.

#10. Mutoid Man // Mutants – Oh, Mutoid Man, you shifty, unpredictable bastard. How you managed to suck me into War Moans is beyond me because, to be frank, this is not typically the type of metal I like. I mean, not that Mutoid Man has ever solidified themselves into a genre. More like ten of them. But the chaos of the songwriting is typically too much for me. However, these purveyors of the perverse can somehow keep the craziness at bay and wrangle everything into a memorable song. That said, Mutants is rather different than its predecessor. While the insanity and wackiness remain, Mutants shortens the leash and keeps them from roaming too far into the street. The result is something a touch more melodic and less thrashy. That said, there are some fucking heavy songs on this record, like “Broken Glass Ceiling” and “Unborn.” But, in the end, this new release is full of feel-good energy that has you smiling far more than pit stomping. Again, something I’d never see myself enjoying but it’s too much fun to ignore. Each spin reveals even more in its construction, inevitably sucking me further into the silly minds of its creators. I do wish for a better master, but it doesn’t stop me from returning again and again.

#9. Omnicidal // The Omnicidalist – Guitarist/vocalist Sebastian Svedlund is one hell of a talented dude. Not only has he been fronting and playing guitar for the stellar Rimfrost, but he’s now formed a new group that is every bit as exceptional as his black metal counterpart. The main difference is that Svedlund flexes his death and thrash metal chops with Omnicidal’s debut record, The Omnicidalist. In a mere forty-one minutes, The Omnicidalist is an entertaining beast of a record. Right out of the gates, “By Knife” cuts you to ribbons and slowly, yet methodically pulls your large intestine from your body. But what makes The Omnicidalist work are the melodic flavorings spattered between their death-thrash attitude. But even that can’t describe the diversity of the record when you run headfirst into the Amon Amarth, melodeath character of “The Passenger” and old-school, Swethrash of the At the Gates-ish “Cemetery Scream.” And like Rimfrost, Omnicidal chose to produce a warm, open, well-rounded master that lets you enjoy every nook and cranny of the band’s performances.

#8. The Night Eternal // Fatale – How Steel caught this at the end of the year before it slipped by, I’ll never know. But, goddamn, am I glad he did. Sending me a private message of its existence, we spent the next 15 minutes in a Mercyful Fate orgasm. Which is a lot, considering that’s the longest I’ve been able to hold my load. Though not exactly a Mercyful Fate copycat, there are plenty of references that can be made to Fatale. In reality, The Night Eternal reminds me of those recent explorers of the sound created by King Diamond and co. Bands like Attic and In Solitude come to mind as those bands, as well as this one, take the foundation and build their own house on top of it. Steel described Fatale best when he stated that with each new track, you’re pulled deeper and deeper into the album. The two that got me on the first listen were the back-to-back “Prince of Darkness” and “We Praise Death.” With other great songs coming down the line, like “Run with the Wolves” and “Between the Worlds,” my love for the songwriting only strengthened. And it’s been strengthening ever since with each subsequent listen. Let the “Old Man Metal” moniker be damned. This is way better than all your fucking deathgrind cock-core.

#7. Ars Moriendi // Lorsque Les Coeurs S’assèchent – As I write this blurb, I realize my lists are starting to become predictable. Most Grier lists seem to include Second to Sun, Malokarpatan, and Ars Moriendi. But that isn’t my fault. All are prolific and consistent, releasing, if not their best album with each new release, something pretty damn close. Each is also unique in its brand of black metal. The one-person French outfit, Ars Moriendi, is one whose albums are albums in the truest sense. Never have I ever skipped a song or listened to a track without all the others. Like I said in the review for Lorsque Les Coeurs S’assèchent, it’s a journey. Clocking in at fifty-five minutes, these six songs are overlapping nightmares of ambient, progressive black metal. Never settling too long on one idea, each song is packed to the brim with riffs, orchestral atmospheres, organ interludes, and mind-fucking musical landscapes. Still not as popular as they should be, the songwriting coming out of this guy’s fingers, voice, and drumsticks is mind-boggling and surprisingly beautiful. Like previous years, Lorsque Les Coeurs S’assèchent has secured a safe place on Doktor Grier‘s EOY list.

#6. Bizzarekult // Den Tapte Krigen – Bizzarekult is one of the greatest treasures to ever grace us with its presence. Not only is this brand of black metal my thing, but the man behind it is a better AMG commenter than you. Be less you. Be more Bizarre. After the wonderfully moosey Vi overlevde, Den Tapte Krigen bugs out in a serious way. Everything you ever hoped for on this record is there, and more. This time, the progressive elements have greater direction, the riffs hit harder, and the vocal diversity is far superior to the debut album. For example, consider the gorgeous, Green Carnation-like clean vocals of “Du Lovet Meg.” Or, the crushing Carpathian Forest-esque character of “Midt i Stormen.” Not to mention the six-and-a-half-minute closer, “Himmelen er Utilgjengelig,” is one of the band’s most epic pieces. It ebbs and flows through magnificent Enslaved-esque progressiveness, encapsulating every facet of Den Tapte Krigen. But it also hints at more to come. If there’s anything for sure about the band’s wild songwriting approach is that we haven’t heard it all. With each new release, the bizarre factor increases while maintaining a balance of fantastic songs.

#5. Onheil // In Black Ashes – No band this year has incorporated as many influences into their music (and made it work) as this Dutch quintet. Onheil has been absent for nearly a decade, quietly crafting a new record that explores all they’ve done before and pushes further than ever before. Ditching some of the predictable catchiness of 2014’s Storm Is Coming, In Black Ashes shows the band improving their technicality. The performances are a good two rungs higher on the Onheil ladder than the previous record, from the guitars to the bass to the drums. While much of the Amon Amarthian sound of previous releases is gone, they haven’t abandoned those melodeath vibes. Instead, using their Iron Maiden-meets-black/death approach, the result comes out much in the same vein as Mors Principium Est. Vicious, technical, and with headbangable frenzy, In Black Ashes is the band’s clear statement that they aren’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. And why not? Onheil is one of the few bands that can produce music of this caliber without it becoming a wank fest or—even worse—a jumbled mess of influences that cripples each song and implodes an album. I just hope we hear from them again sooner rather than later.

#4. Malokarpatan // Vertumnus Caesar – Here’s another staple to my (and the legendary Dr. Fisting‘s) year-end lists. Black metal with hellashes character and a shit ton of impressive guitar work. Giving absolutely no fucks about the rules of the genre, this Slovakian outfit tinkers with cathedral harpsichords, unsetting praying and chanting, and mixing the songwriting styles of Mercyful Fate and Iron Maiden. The result is a wild mishmash of styles that, somehow, avoid being a dumpster fire of influences and conclude as meaningful, complete songs. Honestly, Vertumnus Caesar should only exist in a strange, metal, bizarro world. But, this isn’t the first time they’ve been successful in spitting our weird-ass shit and making it work. They always make it work. And this new release is no different. However, it’s difficult to compare their catalog and determine if Vertumnus Caesar is better than previous releases. Mostly because they continue to tinker with their style on each release. While similarities exist, each album is completely different from the other. Malokarpatan is a breath of fresh air in the black metal genre, with characteristics (if not style) that enforce the no-fucks attitude.

#3. Vulture Industries // Ghosts from the Past – Coming off the heels of 2017’s Stranger Times, Vulture Industries’ newest opus has a lot to prove if it hopes to uproot its predecessor. While never quite ripping up that final root, Ghosts from the Past is every bit as good as Stranger Times. But it does it without sounding like a copycat. It’s drastically different in pace—driving along without exceeding the speed limit, Ghosts from the Past alternates between foot-tappin’ grooves and mighty builds. The opener, “New Lords of Light,” combines both elements, cruising you along the highway before ascending the hill to come face-to-face with a monstrous chorus. Its bookend, the nine-minute “Tyrants Weep Alone,” provides one of the best vocal performances on the album as it builds and builds to a gorgeous passage that leaves my knees weak. But it’s the Song o’ the Year, “Right Here in the Dark,” that encapsulates everything that makes up Vulture Industries in a fun, yet crushing way. Ghosts from the Past’s accessible, Arcturusian style makes it the most fun I’ve had all year.

#2. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – You knew this was coming. Dr. Sodomisery would not let this list go by without repping these mighty Swedes. After 2020’s mediocre The Great Demise, I didn’t lose faith. I knew there was something to the band’s songwriting approach that would bubble to the top. With Mazzaroth came a new approach, emphasizing the black, death, and melodeath with massive orchestration atmospheres. What makes Mazzaroth work so well is that these atmospherics range across many influences. These include the Dimmu Borgir bigness of “Rebuilding,” the Hypocrisy-esque vocal and guitar work of “Demon in Heaven,” and the Mistur somberness of “Delusion.” While each song stands alone, the depressing theme of mental health pulls them together. And, in the time it takes a high schooler to shower, you’ve already experienced this fantastic album twice in full. It’s a ridiculously tight album for all its content, making it one of my most frequented albums of 2023. Not to mention, the master is slick and dynamic, letting you absorb it through your pores. So, do yourself a favor and get over the band name so you can experience one of the best records of the year.

#1. Mephorash // Krystl-Ah – This one surprised me more than anyone. As I stated in the review of the mighty Krystl-Ah, never in my wildest dreams did I expect Mephorash to top 2019’s Shem Ha Mephorash. But, by god, they did. Krystl-Ah contains all the elements that make Shem Ha Mephorash such a great meloblack record. Huge builds and atmospheres, passionate songwriting, and powerful lyrics and vocal performances. But, Krystl-Ah is a more complete album, transitioning seamlessly from song to song as if it were a single track. Using an approach of long runtimes, the band is completely dependent on pulling off that final climax in each song. But, somehow, they’ve pulled it off even better than they ever have before. Songs like “I Am” and “Mephoriam” add a new dimension that doesn’t so much add layers to the builds, but more like they’re adding band on top of band. There’s no other way to describe the passion and pure massiveness of these songs. Round it out with a dynamic master and Krystl-Ah is the most emotionally demanding record I’ve heard all year.

Honorable Mentions

• The Gauntlet // Dark Steel and Fire – No matter how I try, I can not put this little beauty to bed. Combining thrash with Bathorycore, Dark Steel and Fire hits me below the belt and it has never felt so good to have bruised balls.
• Tsjuder // Helvegr – It would be silly not to include Helvegr on my list. For the style, Tsjuder is one of the best out there. And, amazingly, they can continue to release quality black metal with the same aggression as they had back in 2000.
• Electrocutioner // False Idols – For a rando, False Idols was a fun surprise. Playing rather traditional thrash metal, Electrocutioner delivered an album that acts like a live setlist at your favorite dive bar. In a mere thirty-four minutes, you’ll still be plenty drunk and ordering an Uber to haul your ass home.
• Children of the Reptile // Heavy Is the Head – Not only did Children of the Reptile win the award for best band photo, but Heavy Is the Head’s weird mix of heavy metal and thrash was a hell of a good time. Toss in some ridiculous lyrics and you’ll be slapping pig butt all the way to the fair.

Disappointments o’ the Year

• Metallica // 72 Seasons – That’s too many seasons. Way too many seasons. I enjoyed St. Anger more.
• Immortal // War Against All – Last year it was Abbath’s Dread Reaver. Now this? What the fuck?

Songs o’ the Year

• Vulture Industries – “This Hell Is Mine”

This is pretty much how I feel in the AMG office.

• Vulture Industries – “Right Here in the Dark”

Easily one of the best songs of the year. Hooking as a motherfucker and so much fun to put on repeat.

• Sodomisery – “Delusion”

Lots of Mors Principium Est melodeath thrashiness to make my olde noggin bob.

• Mephorash – “I Am”

Like Shem Ha Mephorash’s “Sanguinem,” “I Am” is a quintessential listen for all Mephorash fans.

• Mephorash – “Mephoriam”

Easily the most devastating song I’ve heard all year. While it’s incredible, it fucking cripples me.

#2023 #AmonAmarth #Arcturus #ArsMoriendi #AtTheGates #Attic #Bathory #Bizzarekult #Blackbraid #BlogPosts #CarpathianForest #ChildrenOfTheReptile #DimmuBorgir #DrANGrierSTopTenIshOf2023 #Electrocutioner #Eleine #Enslaved #GreenCarnation #Hypocrisy #InSolitude #IronMaiden #KingDiamond #Lists #Listurnalia #Malokarpatan #Mephorash #MercyfulFate #Metallica #Mistur #MorsPrincipiumEst #MutoidMan #Omnicidal #Onheil #Rimfrost #SecondToSun #Sodomisery #TheGuantlet #TheNightEternal #Tsjuder #VultureIndustries

Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Steel Druhm

Well, we made it to the end of another year full of surprises, disappointments, gains, and losses. 2023 saw us add a few new voices to the AMG staff and sadly, it will see a few longtime members of the family stepping back from the day-to-day operations and activities. The much beloved Madam X has moved on from managing our everflowing stream of promos and that grave responsibility will now be handled by yours Steely. Sadly, our main cat man Grymm will also be taking some personal time away from the deadlines and pressures of nonstop blogwork.

Through all the changes we’ve endured over the years, both good and bad, the AMG mission remains the same: to bring you the most honest, insightful, and entertaining reviews possible without bowing to label pressure or outside influences because we earn absolutely nothing for our efforts, We may be truly terrible capitalists, but we love metal as much as you do and we love to talk about it, so the site grinds on year after year. I hope it always does.

A warm, heartfelt thanks to the AMG staff for making this enterprise possible week in and week out. I may talk badly about you 24/7, but you’re mostly an okay lot when not being overrating, underperforming, no-taste slack masters. There’s your positive feedback for the year!

Now let’s all embrace the new year and what it may hold for us. Life is always an adventure and one best shared with people you care about who make you laugh and make you think. If you don’t have those people in your life, WE can be those people. Hop on board with us and into the future we go!

Anywho, here are the things that brought out my inner primate in 2023.

(ish) Blood Oath // Lost in an Eternal Silence – One of the year’s best and most entertaining throwback death metal releases, Lost in an Eternal Silence targets the exact point where early death metal looked to the skies and dreamed of being something more complex. Blood Oath have the raw talent and crazy creativity to recapture the early days of death metal and to replicate that frantic jump from brutality to proggy insanity that the genre toyed with in the late 80s. The album is the perfect blend of nostalgia and insane ambition, melding the past with the present and what may be the future. One of the most inventive and zany death platters of the year.

#10. Tanith // Voyage – Formed by Satan axe-master Russ Tippins, Tanith exist in a space between classic NWoBHM and 70s hard tock with a sheen of folk covering the entire enterprise. On sophomore outing Voyage, they take this retro formula and mine it for every ounce of precious metal, crafting some killer little gems along the way. Songs like “Snow Tiger” and “Olympus by Dawn” have been replayed more times than I can count and there’s something magical and endearingly DIY and indie about this thing. It’s not especially heavy, but the hooks stick so deep, you won’t care much. This is the Charmer o’ the Year for sure.

#9. The Night Eternal // Fatale – I loved the sadly defunct act In Solitude dearly. Their mash-up of NWoBHM, occult metal, and Mercyful Fate was hard to resist and I wanted more, more, MOAR. When I first stumbled on The Night Eternal, it sounded to me as if In Solitude had possessed them, forcing them to pick up where they left off. I’m very okay with this and Fatale plays out like the new In Solitude platter I so desperately wanted. It’s the same sweet, hooky mix of classic Mercyful Fate-isms, chilly occult rock, Goth rock, and early 80s metal. This thing gets into your head deep and demands many replays, and if I had found it earlier, it would have moved up the rankings considerably. Get this and feel The Night’s iron grip.

#8. Oak // Disintegrate – Oak is the project of Gaerea lead guitarist/vocalist, Guilherme Henriques, and instead of creating another black metal act, Henriques steers Oak into the funeral doom universe and what better way to accomplish that than to make Disintegrate one 45-minute-long track? Yes, that makes for a daunting listen but the beauty of what Oak do is just how listenable their ultra-doom, very deathy sound ends up. Heavy as fook riffs intertwine with weepy melancholic trills and beautifully emotive solo work and the listener gets carried along on ephemeral waves. The ebb and flow of the 45 minutes is remarkable and it never feels bogged down or stuck in the mud. This is first-rate writing and execution and the slightly blackened edges add a great spice to the wood flavor. Bring in this wood.

#7. Rotpit // Let There Be Rot – In the time of old school death metal mania, Rotpit is the proudly unevolved monkey. Formed by members of Heads for the Dead, Wombbath, Just Before Dawn, and Revel in Flesh, Rotpit have the rancid pedigree and leverage it to make Let There Be Rot the most over-the-top fun, mindless, dumb, death platter of the year. Cuts like “Slimebreeder,” “Let There Be Rot,” and “Beastfeaster” are Grade A bloody meat with no expiration date, and you will use them as the soundtrack to everything you do in life. This idiotic collection of caveman deathage has been a constant companion to me since it dropped and I’m all the dumber for having its company.

#6. Serpent Corpse // Blood Sabbath – Picking the best old school death metal platter of the year was no easy feat in 2023. There was so much good and nasty stuff this year that at times it felt impossible to stay ahead of it and give everything a fair listen. At the end of the race though, it was Serpent Corpse that kept dragging me back for another beating more often than anyone else, though Rotpit came so close! Their toxic blend of Autopsy-core and the scuzziest of Swedeath HM-2 abuse is seasoned with very unexpected but effective doses of melodeath to create a near-perfect cacophony of chaos that feels old but also fresh and plenty evil. This thing slithers, slaps, and grinds in all the ways a deathhead wants and needs. Get it inside your skull.

#5. Prong // State of Emergency – My bingo card for 2023 did NOT include falling in love with a new Prong album and beating it into the ground for 3 months straight. As much as I loved those classic Prong platters in the late 80s and 90s, they went through a long period of uneven releases and in the past few decades I had only been impressed by 2012s Carved in Stone. That’s why State of Emergency hits so damn hard. It’s the best thing Prong’s done in forever and takes you back to the salad days when they were on the cusp of metal’s adventurous edge. This thing is chocked full of the best riffs and harmonies Tommy Victor’s dreamed up in a long time and every song grabs you and smacks you around with NYC attitude. It’s so good to hear these goons back in fighting shape!

#4. Saturnus // The Storm Within – Saturnus have always had a relaxed release schedule, with only 5 albums to show for some 30 years in the business. It took them almost 10 years to drop The Storm Within, but the end product was well worth the wait, ending up one of the most polished and captivating doom albums of the year. Recapturing their classic sound and famed ability to wring emotion from the listener, Saturnus does their doom thing with style and panache all across the album, blending crushing riffs, airy trilling, and mournful melodies to harsh your mellow completely. I’ve heard loose talk about this album being overrated or overhyped. Ignore that noise and tell the spewer to taste the floor! Experience the feelz storm within.

#3. Isole // Anesidora – There weren’t a lot of classic doom releases that blew me away this year, by Isole have my number and once again they used it to knock me flat with their take on the classic Candlemass style on Anesidora. Keeping in line with what they did on 2019s Dystopia, Isole roared back with another mammoth slab of crunching doom leads, haunting vocals, and more weight than can normally found in Holdeneye‘s garage gym. “The Song of the Whales” is doom perfection, and “In Abundance” is a candidate for Song o’ the Year. There are traces of Fvneral Fvkk here that take the already high-quality material to the next level and the album plays so well from start to finish. These guys just get what great doom is all about.

#2. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – No one does what Vanishing Kids do. Their strange witch’s brew of genres and styles is unique and enchanting. It captivated me on 2018s Heavy Dreamer and I was just as susceptible when Miracle of Death hit this year. It’s doom, it’s goth rock, it’s 70s acid rock all wrapped into one enigmatic, ethereal burrito and it’s just so damn haunting and bewitching. The combination of Nikki Drohomyreky’s enchanting vocals and Jason Hartman’s fuzzy, 70s-centric doom-rocking guitar work is tough to resist, and song after song sucks you into their strange dark world. Miracle of Death is the ultimate mood album and you can’t easily get away from it once the hooks set in. These cats are pure magic.

#1. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – The little album that could, Tribunal was the ultimate lucky grab from the promo sump as 2022 gave way to 2023. Utterly unheralded, their Weight of Remembrance debut is a Gothic doom album with the inevitable nods to My Dying Bride, but it’s so much more than that. With heavy doses of classic Candlemass and moments that recall the grim haunts of Fvneral Fvkk, Weight of Remembrance does so many things exceptionally well, it’s hard to believe this is but their debut. Songs like “Initiation” use the classic “beauty and the beast” vocal approach so well, that you almost forget you’ve heard the same thing done a million times before, and “Of Creeping Moss and Crumbling Stone” looms large as one of the best doom songs of this or any other year. There’s nothing I would change or trim on Weight of Remembrance, and if anything, I wish it was a little longer. I don’t feel that way for many albums not named Reign in Blood, so you know this thing really got to me. Doom perfection.

Honorable Mentions

• Overkill // Scorched – The beasts of The Garden State roar back into top form for a timeless dose of ugly thrash grooving.
• By Fire and Sword // Glory – The weirdest, most hilarious novelty album I heard this year, taking organized religion to the cleaners with a smile. Hail Conduit!
• Theocracy // Mosiac – The Lord works in mysterious ways and Theocracy works in epic US power ways. HUZZAH!
• Wytch Hazel // IV: Sacrament – More Lordcore with huge hooks and Jethro Tull flair. Run to the light.
• Vomitory // All Heads Are Gonna Roll – Ugly death metal doing what ugly death should do as it removes your head.
• Disguised Malignance // Entering the Gateways – A shockingly brutal and entertaining death debut by a bunch of snot-nosed kids.
• Dripping Decay // Festering Grotesqueries – If Autopsy, Carcass and Exhumed had a love child, this would be it, and it is FUGLY!
• Wormhole // Almost Human – I didn’t expect to care much for this thing, but its weird charms wormed right under my skin and made me a believer.
• Autopsy // Ashes, Organs, Blood & Crypts – The kings of graveyard gore and the morgue floor return with another scuzz bucket full of gut slop and I’m here for it.
• Sacred Outcry // Towers of Gold – This doesn’t quite resurrect the lost glory of Lost Horizon, but damn does it come close. Daniel Heiman is GOD.

Disappointment o’ the Year

Restless Spirit // Afterimage – This highly talented stoner sludge doom act from my backyard released an album that should be listed above in my Top Ten(ish) because the songs are there and they hit hard. What hits harder still is the absolute shit show of a production job that crushes the music into sonic pulp, making a great album barely listenable. Afterimage is the ultimate “what could have been” release and a total aural tragedy.

I could have added Metallica here, but why even bother at this point?

Song o’ the Year:

Vanishing Kids // “Spill the Dark” – There were a series of close competitors, but this piece of ethereal witchcraft stuck the deepest in my ape brain in 2023 and it’s still in there rattling around. This is such a beautifully grim, dark piece of music and it embodies everything I love about Vanishing Kids. This is the stuff!

#2023 #Autopsy #BlogPost #BloodOath #DisguisedMalignance #DrippingDecay #Isole #Lists #Listurnalia #Oak #Overkill #Phobocosm #Prong #RestlessSpirit #Rotpit #SacredOutcry #Saturnus #SerpentCorpse #SteelDruhmSTopTenIshOf2023 #Tanith #TheNightEternal #Theocracy #Tribulation #VanishingKids #Vomitory #Wormhole #WytchHazel

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#AngryMetalGuy
The Night Eternal - Fatale [Things You Might Have Missed 2023] | Angry Metal Guy
A look back at Fatale by The Night Eternal, available via Vn Records. Is it possible you might have missed it?

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-night-eternal-fatale-things-you-might-have-missed-2023/

#TheNightEternal
#Fatale

The Night Eternal – Fatale [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By Steel Druhm

Sometimes we get a promo and for whatever reason, it languishes in the sump unloved and unexplored, and later on we find out we missed a real gem and feel collective shame. Other times we just don’t get the promo at all. The latter was the issue with Fatale, the sophomore outing by German goth/heavy/occult metal act The Night Eternal. This was really a shame as it’s easily one of the best metal albums of the year and features an irresistible blend of Mercyful Fate, To Die For, Unto Others, and Ghost. Had we received it, I would have lavished a massive score upon it and spent the rest of the year singing its praises to any and all who would listen. This was not to be, but fortunately, I was able to discover it on my own and give it the attention the album deserves.

If pressed to give a fast and dirty description of what the listener is in for on Fatale, I’d point to the sadly defunct Swedish act In Solitude, as the sound and style here are very similar, and opener “In Tartarus” is a top-notch rocker that recalls them quite intensely. That “Mercyful Fate as Goth rock” sound is just so hooky and engaging, and Ricardo Baum’s vocals are perfect for the style, completely sucking you into the album’s dark mood as the music rocks your socks down to the graveyard. Baum sits at the crossroads of a youthful King Diamond, To Die For’s Jarno Perätalo, and Tomi Joutsen of Amorphis, which is a helluva good place to be. And can the man ever sell a song? “Prince of Darkness” is a first-rate metal anthem that grabs you fast and refuses to let go, and “We Praise Death” is one of the best songs of the year. This one will leave track marks on your grey matter.

There are no weak moments to be found on Fatale and the album as a whole has a great flow and a collection of high-level tracks that will make you hit replay immediately. Just as I manage to escape the thrall of one cut, the next one becomes my new obsession. Getting away from this thing is like trying to extricate yourself from some eldritch tentacle monster that got into a Gorilla Glue factory, and to say this has been on steady rotation in the House ov Steel would be a ridiculous understatement. Try to spin “Run With the Wolves” just once, I dare you. Or try to give short shrift to closer “Between the Worlds” and see how that works out for you.

It’s very easy to focus on Baum’s excellent vocals, but much credit must be given to the guitar work by Rob Richter and Henry Kaseberg. They ground their playing in Goth and trad metal and frequently dot the songs with sweet hooks and slick hooks. They bring a righteous old school charm and flair to every cut, parking the sound in the 80s while somehow making olden tricks sound like fresh dogs. It’s the songwriting that truly brings Fatale home, however. These cats know how to craft a killer tune and punch it directly into your memory centers where it promptly establishes permanent residence. This is a List Killer and it will get to you. You’ve been warned.

Tracks to Check Out: “In Tartarus,” “We Praise Death,” “Between the Worlds”

#2023 #Amorphis #Fatale #Ghost #GothicRock #HeavyMetal #IdleHands #InSolitude #MercyfulFate #TheNightEternal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023 #ToDieFor #UntoOthers #VanRecords

🇬🇧 I'm not that into traditional heavy metal, but sometimes there's a band that peaks my interest. I already discovered Night Demon and Eternal Champion that way. Recently I got to know The Night Eternal, a band from Essen. They just released their second album, 'Fatale'. There's definitely a lot of Maiden, Priest and Diamond Head in their music, but they also remind me of Ghost a bit.

Check out 'Stars Guide My Way': https://thenighteternal.bandcamp.com/track/stars-guide-my-way

#TheNightEternal #DE #Essen #HeavyMetal #Bandcamp

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#TheNightEternal
Moonlit Cross
Deadly as a Scythe

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Night+Eternal+Moonlit+Cross+Deadly+as+a+Scythe

Lyrics:

This album caught me off guard. Amazing heavy metal with a bit of a goth vibe... from a new band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suCxxWXRKn8

I need an outlet for my #heavymetal posting. Is anybody else into this?
#goth #gothicmetal #gothmetal #thenighteternal