CATTLE HAMMER – Dark Thoughts With Lights Out EP review

 

CATTLE HAMMER – Dark Thoughts With Lights Out EP

Road To Masochist

Who was the motherfucker that came up with the phrase "The more things change. The more they stay the same"? I wanna know because that is my opinion of Extreme Metal over the past decade. I need to do an Op/Ed on that. But with that said here we have another cool sounding band that falls into that trap known as "For Fans Of" which they don't deserve but will be pigeon-holed into by others anyway. 

CATTLE HAMMER, ah yeah that's a cool band name and I do know what it means. This English Sludge/Drone band started out in 2023. Their mainman is guitarist / vocalist Duncan Wilkins who's mostly known by me as being in the Blackened Grindcore band FUKPIG. Since starting out a few years back they've put out a few short form releases. A two song full length titled Cattle Hammer's Methlehem came out early last year. They also put out a compilation of the 2023 demos last year.

So now we have their four song EP. It should also be noted that along with Duncan Wilkins on guitar and vocals there's second guitarist Wyles, J (?) along with the rhythm section of bassist Darren Donovan and drummer Issac Cartwright. This four piece is involved in creating some cool sounding, albeit familiar, sludgey drone. I mean sure listening to this is reminiscent of sounds I heard in the past. I'm talking about slightly blackened snail paced sludgy drone doom which was great for a late night blasting party of drinking and debauchery. It's not that boring crap that slips into the genre by hiptards.

In the end, and after a bunch of plays, I like this short form release a lot.CATTLE HAMMER are the epitome of great sounding Sludgy Drone in 2026. This is a cool late night volume up blast. You know who this is really "for fans of"? Extreme Metal fans who go about their day. Blasting something like this either before or after they go to work, or party, or whatever.  

https://roadtomasochist.co.uk/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVRItOA_K_o

HYPERION - Cybergenesis review

 HYPERION - Cybergenesis

Fighter Records

Just for the record back in 2020 this Italian Power Metal band put out a killer album titled Into the Maelstrom which I liked a lot. And like I always state honestly I'm not a Power Metal fan. But I like good music. So here we are six years later and HYPERION has just released the best album of their career as well as being a contending powerhouse to their German Power Metal peers. 

First off a lot of things have changed in this band in the years. Starting with new vocalist Max Morelli who joined in 2023. This guy has a better vocal style than his predecessor. He's a great Power Metal vocalist minus the heavy metal screams. Next up you've got new guitarist Francis Di Pasquale who is responsible for the exceptional lead work which runs throughout this album. I mean this guy can shred, create melodic leads and is also into guitar pyrotechnics like a English Power Metal band that I'm not very fond of to say the least. 

Anyways this eight song release should be manna from a Power Metal heaven for fans. I've gotta say "Yet We Still Fight" is my favorite cut on here. There's others like "The Shackles of Chronitus" which is Max Morelli's best vocal performance on this album. Mainman, guitarist and original member Davide Cotti is keeping this band alive and over the past few years has done well. If his vision was to create an amazing sounding Power Metal band that had an old school touch along with a tech sense on the guitars then he did it.

Don't be surprised to see this one in my end of year favorites.

http://www.fighter-records.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hyperionbandheavy.bandcamp.com/album/cybergenesis

MOONCHAPEL - Three Faced Trinity For A Two-Faced World review

 

MOONCHAPEL - Three Faced Trinity For A Two-Faced World 

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

This is the third full length release by Maryland's MOONCHAPEL who are also a one man act. The one man being Kyle Shuman who obviously performs all instruments along with vocals. He's also the mainman behind the band EMBERS OF OUROBOROS. That act had an album out also on this label last year titled The Autumnal Decline and Hermetic Maturation. 

This is my introduction to MOONCHAPEL and in all honesty musically this is nothing I haven't heard before. But that doesn't mean it's not intriguing. The genre tagline is Blackened Death Metal and yeah it has that going for it. Then again this release has a certain strong cryptic Black Metal quality. I like the subdued vocals as if they're coming out from walls by hidden faces all while the music is blasting a relentless assault. 

There's that old school raw quality in the overall sound which a lot of modern bands just don't do anymore. This is brutal horror that anyone into H.P. Lovecraft or Edgar Allan Poe will enjoy. This is an eight cut album and the first seven cuts convey an intense suspenseful agony that wants the listener to be in fear as well as hopelessness. The final and title cut comes across as a meaningful yet welcome to hell type of situation. 

Like I said earlier I've heard music like this before. MOONCHAPEL, on this release, definitely provide a far more believable evil atmosphere than what I've been hearing of late. To me this is Black Metal and it's only January. This release is something you need to play in October during Halloween. Fuck the pumpkins! Fuck the candy! Just blast this one because it's really fuckin scary. 

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/three-faced-trinity-for-a-two-faced-world

WOLFBASTARD - Satanic Scum Punks review

 

WOLFBASTARD - Satanic Scum Punks

Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings

WOLFBASTARD are an English Hardcore band who I first heard decade ago. Back then I was thinking this is the type of music punks should be listening to. Yeah was I fucking wrong. But anyways I got their debut self titled full length from 2015 and their third full length, Hammer the Bastards, from 2022. 

As far as this latest one goes to me it's the best one I've heard from em. Yeah the musical term is "Blackened Crust" which everyone who reads this blog (and frankly who doesn't) knows I hate the term "crust". The title of this album says it all and that's what you get. 

This full length is their best because of a few obvious reasons. The production is damm better for starters and the band does not lose a bit of rawness as well as savage in their songs. I think this is Derek Carley's best vocal performance and the guitar riffs are cool as well as part of the blackened package. The rhythm section of bassist Simon Fox and drummer Dave Buchan is solid. 

I mean this is the band at their best which is that they are Satanic Scum Punks. I don't think much of the album's intro or the ending cut but out of eleven cuts you've got nine to go blitz over. Once again I'll say it. If you're into Punk Fuckin Rock or Metal then this is what you should be listening to. Nuff Said!

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.co.uk/

LISTEN HERE:

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.bandcamp.com/album/satanic-scum-punks

SCRUDA - Extreme Speed Violence EP review

 

SCRUDA - Extreme Speed Violence EP

Godz ov War Productions

Bias alert, Poland's SCRUDA are a band that I like a lot. Last year I had their split release with GAROTA as a best of pick. Their full length, Fury Among Ruins, was in my top three best Thrash / Speed Metal releases of 2025. Oh yeah by the way not only were my top Thrash / Speed Metal releases of 2025 all Polish Blackened Thrash bands. They all came out on Godz ov War Productions. 

So with that said here we have a damm good six song EP from these Polish extremists. I don't know if these are throwaway tracks from the last album's recording sessions or new stuff. I really don't give a fuck because it's raw sounding Polish Speed Metal hell. Listening to this I know there's a smile on my face. I can just imagine the slam pit at their shows playing these songs.  

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/extreme-speed-violence

WSTRET - Enlightened Misanthropy EP review

 

WSTRET - Enlightened Misanthropy EP

Godz ov War Productions

Here we have the second EP from Poland's WSTRET. Their debut two song EP, Subhuman Eschatology, came out last year on this label as well. The band is a two piece Blackened Death Metal act. The two architects of this release are Voiceless Tongue who handles the guitar and bass duties. Odivm takes care of the drum work and vocals. Here's a photo of em. They look like nice lads. Why don't you invite em over for Sunday quiche.

Then again you might want to check out this release before making a dinner guest list. Especially since WSTRET in Polish means disgust. Anyways musically this is straight up Blackened Death that has that dark crushing claustrophobic sound with bestial vocals. It's what we fans of come accustomed to for the past twenty plus years. I will give this duo props for not trying to reinvent the recipe. 

Enlightened Misanthropy is a five song release although there's an opening instro intro so it's basically four good cuts. If the label combined their last EP with this one then it would make a decent full length. Yeah this a band to keep an eye on for a future full length. 

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/enlightened-misanthropy

UDREKA - Nieistnienie review

 

UDREKA - Nieistnienie

Godz ov War Productions

This is the debut full length by Poland's UDREKA. They're a four piece act who originally started out in 2023. Prior to this they released a three song EP, Zgnij, in 2023. So the first time I listened to this one I was like wow cool sounding Black Metal is back. Now don't get me wrong. Sure over the past decade there's been some decent BM releases. But they're few and far between when it comes to what this band is doing on this full length. 

Sound-wise UDREKA run the gambit when it comes to blackening Extreme Metal. You'll hear some Thrash, some Death Metal, some Doom and Folk. The cohesive element is a rip your head off attack to the senses throughout these eight tracks. Opener "Do bolu" starts off with horrendous screams and kicks in with a Blackened Thrash attack. The release ends with a punishing almost diabolical Blackened Doom sentence of death. And there's more to that ending track which I won't mention to ruin the excitement. 

UDREKA are the type of Black Metal band that old fuckers like me get excited about. This album is an amazing listening experience as far as fury and full on intensity goes. I'll bet when this band plays a show the crowd goes insane. Maybe because the vocals are powerful screams. The guitar work, whether cool riffs or solos, are slick And of course the rhythm section is busting out in perfection. 

It's obviously early to say but I'm guessing UDREKA's Nieistnienie will be considered one of the best Black Metal releases of 2026. So get it, get it now!

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/nieistnienie