AGELESS GATEWAY - Corruptor of Stars review

AGELESS GATEWAY - Corruptor of Stars

Godz ov War Productions

This is the debut full length by Poland's AGELESS GATEWAY which is a one man Atmospheric Black Metal act. The one man is Apparition who obviously performs everything. Honestly it took me three listens to this release in order to appreciate and respect the quality which this artist put into it. I mean it's 2026 and this style of BM has to be inviting without being generic in order to be liked. 

On this release I'll say it's a hell yeah. Apparition creates soundscapes which are in part brutal (hello he's Polish) with plenty of bestial attitude along with classic riffs which can be icy at times. But in the long run invokes horror. Listening to this is like walking into an old house. The hallway is freaky enough but then you enter a room. The door behind you shuts and then you are overwhelmed by a ghostly / ghastly haunt.

This might be Apparition's first release but damm! The illusions his compositions create are amazing as well as memorable and need to be listened to forever. It's 2026 and you want something which will last? 

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/corruptor-of-stars

 

NECROMORBID - Ceremonial Demonslaught review

 

NECROMORBID - Ceremonial Demonslaught

Godz ov War Productions

So to all of you who read this blog (and frankly who doesn't). You know of late I've been pissing on modern day Blackened Death Metal because it's become generic. Certain labels just put out a new band's release which just sounds like an album I bought a year before. Now without trashing the whole sub-genre it's made me look for bands who forgo the generic sound and maybe push the intensity to another better level. 

So far this year I've found one Blackened Death Metal act who has risen to my expectations. This new one by NECROMORBID joins the ranks as well. Now forget the opening intro cut because it sucks. The second cut "Perverted Abhorrence Domain" really introduces what this band is all about. I mean let's check the fuckin boxes. 

You've got cavern style bestial vocals which grow on a hot take on later cuts. Amazing dive bomb guitar solos abound throughout. The drum work is a diabolical punishing style which I just love. The song structure riffs are in the backdrop and are like the belly of the beast. 

In the end who would've thought that Italy's NECROMORBID, with their third full length since starting out in 2015, would be monsters of Blackened Death Metal in 2026. Let this be a lesson which will put a sadistic smile on your face.   

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ceremonial-demonslaught

SZNUR - Cwel review

 

SZNUR - Cwel

Godz ov War Productions

I first got into this Polish band back in 2021 with their third full length Dom człowieka. Back then I called em misanthropic Black Metal with talent. Yeah I know that some misanthropic BM fans probably took it the wrong way but come on be honest. Be that as it may SZNUR already have a bad reputation to say the least. Here's their logo which some weak people will find offensive but not me.

Then there's this band photo of three members which looks like a Polish Black Metal version of The MENTORS. Once again it's no problem with me.

As far as this new album goes SZNUR have taken their early brutal BM style and added a huge touch of progressive atmospheric BM. But it's a rip roaring balance of the two. The song structures deliver a great amount of brutality via Polish anger with added melodic touches which I find cool as fuck.The diabolic lead guitar soloing is killer as fuck. 

In the end SZNUR's latest full length is beyond a winner in my not so humble opinion. This is Polish Black Metal in 2026 to get your hands onto. It's an amazing release.  

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

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

GRAVEIR - The Festering Triad review

 

GRAVEIR - The Festering Triad

Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings

A few years back I had written a review in which I described the band as great modern day Black Metal. I sent it off to the label rep. He responded with the question "What's modern day Black Metal?" So I sent an email back explaining to him that modern day Black Metal in my opinion is not old school sounding and it's not hipster shit which is non metal but uses certain BM elements to fake it.

Modern Black Metal keeps the essential genre elements while also incorporating a variety of other extreme or prog Metal influences. The end result is a sound that not only is interesting but compelling to hear as if your life depended on it. His reply to that was "I like that!" Speaking of which here's a release by a band that falls into everything I've just said. 

GRAVEIR is a five piece Black Metal act hailing from Brisbane, Australia. In all honesty 99.9% of Black Metal from Australia is gonna be a winner with me as far as my history goes. This band started out in 2014 and this release here is their third full length so far. I've blasted this one for a week straight and found it to be a unique piece of work. Just thinking of it musically you're gonna hear violent attacks, morose atmosphere, prog like melodies and down right pain. 

Vocalist Gloom sings as if he's being lowered into a boiling cauldron of oil at certain times. Other instances he's screaming as if wanting to kill you and dance on your corpse. The guitar work by Snjor (aka: Dane Perry) and VVoid (aka: Chris Jackson) is over the top exciting, I mean whether it's the intense riffs, the few diabolic solos, the headbanging riffage or the almost symphonic song structures. These two guys combine to make an awesome sound.

If there's one thing I don't care for on this release is a few times where the drum work has that beating on a box snare sound. Overall the drum work on here is killer as fuck because XI (aka: Kris Wolf) is punishing as well as filling in at precise moments which are key to certain cuts. Sorry to bassist Pandora (aka: Alahna Bassett) but you're not heard in the overall mix. 

Be that as it may this release is the epitome of Black Metal in 2026. It is why I mocked hipster scribes in the past who thought their ilk would define the genre's future. Ah no because it was always going to be people into Metal who would be Black Metal's future. So hey pick up this release and enjoy the hate. It's one of the best hates this year.

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.co.uk/

LISTEN HERE:

https://graveircult.bandcamp.com/album/the-festering-triad-2

RISE OF KRONOS - Slaves Of Time review

 

RISE OF KRONOS - Slaves Of Time

Self-Released

When I saw this was Death Thrash from Germany it peaked my interest. Before I get into this release let me explain a few things. There are two types of Death Thrash. First off you've got the US version which is the cornerstone of the genre because of the early DM bands. Later on you had other acts, my favorite being RIGOR MORTIS, who turned it into a cool Extreme Metal genre. 

Then you've got the European version of Death Thrash which came later and if I'm gonna name drop I would say the very early era of Poland's VADER kicked it off. So here we have the fourth full length by Germany's RISE OF KRONOS. Prior to this the band was on MDD Records in Germany. But this one is a self release. 

Musically there's some cool things to say about this release as well as some bad shit. As far as that goes bassist / vocalist Tom Robinson has a damm good growl vocal style which is in modern tradition. He even squeaks in some venom tipped vocals to boot. The drum work is questionable since there's little organic work being done. Plus Robinson's bass lines are hardly heard. 

The guitar work as far as powerful riffage is decent but the soloing (dive bomb style) is generic. Be that as it may I'm shocked, shocked I say that RISE OF KRONOS are an unsigned band. Where's Metal Blade or Nuclear Blast at? But hey great album cover.

LISTEN TO AND BUY IT HERE:

https://riseofkronos.bandcamp.com/album/slaves-of-time

GROND - The Temple review

 

GROND - The Temple

Xtreem Music

So here we have the third full length by this Russian Death Metal / Death Doom act. Trust me right now I'm thinking of that Fawlty Towers episode where you don't mention the war. Be that as it may the tag line on this is Lovecraftian inspired Death Metal / Death Doom. In all honesty I've heard / seen this tagline starting back a few decades ago. It was originally a hipster tagline. I'm still waiting for a Steven King inspired Death Metal / Death Doom act. 

But hey H.P. Lovecraft, who I read in my mid twenties and scared the crap out of me, is gonna be the influence in modern day Death Metal, again then let's give it a real check out. I mean for two decades Dark Descent Records has been pumping out releases by bands who consider themselves H.P. Lovecraft influenced Death Doom. So here's a fucking shocker. GROND are pretty damm good on this album.  

There are plenty of things which I like about this release. First off is the drum work which is phenomenal. The vocals are of that savage beast wanting to tear your ass apart. The guitar work as far as the dense riffage is diabolic. But the guitar solos are insane. Combined this is a whole package of greatness in hatred. GROND is the band every SOB Extreme Metal nut bag should be listening to right fucking now.   

https://shop.xtreemmusic.com/english.main.index.php

LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-temple

SHEWOLFF - We're All Gonna Fukkin' Die EP

 

SHEWOLFF - We're All Gonna Fukkin' Die EP

Dying Victims Productions

As far as the whole sub genre of Blackened Punk goes I've found myself being a staunch critic of it. Personally I think 90% of it sucks. Most of the bands wish they were Blackened Thrash but don't have the talent. But once in a great while I'll hear a band that fits the whole Blackened Punk sound perfectly. Belgium's SHEWOLFF is one of those bands. 

Starting out a few years ago SHEWOLFF was a solo project by singer / guitarist K. Von Shewolff. Afterwards it became a three-piece band with Jeffrey Andreka on bass and Liam Wyns on drums. So musically this trio are all into a more Punk version of HELLHAMMER meets G.G. ALLIN. Which is a given since the HELLHAMMER demos, the first BATHORY album and of course VENOM were favorites by people who were really into Punk & Hardcore back in the day. And of cause we liked G.G. ALLIN.

On here songs like "Fantastik Fukk", the title cut and opener "Eternal Night" are cool as fuck. But then again this whole six song release is a fucking winner in my book. But I wanna hear more by this band. A great start here is my verdict. 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/were-all-gonna-fukkin-die