V/A: Schwarzdorn Label Compilation Pt. I Release year: 2021Label: Schwarzdorn Production It is no mean feat for a label to have been active for 20 years, even if they never rise to become major players in their field. I suppose … Continue reading 20 years of blackened thorns
CARVED IN STONE: Wafts Of Mist & The Forgotten Belief Release year: 2021Label: Schwarzdorn Production A long, long time ago, back when I was working with my first webzine, I received for review a compilation called In Wüsten Lohe by … Continue reading Of mist and a belief carved in stone
BRESTHAFT: Rottenverse Release year: 2021Label: Steinklang Industries You could be forgiven for mistaking Rottenverse for a black metal or death metal album at a quick glance. The logo certainly looks like it could belong to an extreme metal band. And … Continue reading Rotten verses
KAELTE: Lieblingslieder Release year: 2021Label: self-released You can hardly be faulted for asking “Kaelte who?” – this German neofolk act aren’t household names even in the neofolk scene. I don’t have any recollection of how I first discovered them, but … Continue reading Kaelte revitalizing the old
ZWIESPALT: Distanz Release year: 2021Label: self-released Slightly over a year after their debut album (reviewed here), German trio Zwiespalt are back with their second album, Distanz. In what I consider a pretty clever and inventive move, the cover art for … Continue reading Zwiespalt back from the distance
DARKWOOD: Twilight Garden Release year: 2020Label: HeidenVolk There are only a precious few neofolk acts in the world who’ve managed to truly break out from the decidedly esoteric confines of the genre – apart from the old guard of Death … Continue reading Twilight Darkwoods
BLASPHEMOUS PUTREFACTION: Prelude To Perversion Release year: 2020Label: Dunkelheit Produktionen With a name like Blasphemous Putrefaction, you don’t have to do too much guessing to figure out the genre. Yes, death metal is the name of the game. And then, … Continue reading Blasphemous preludes to putrefaction
ZWIESPALT: Ambivalenz Release year: 2020Label: self-released German three-piece Zwiespalt make no attempts to conceal what they’re all about: even the promo text states clearly that these guys are into 90’s black metal and that’s from where they draw inspiration, and … Continue reading Zwiespalt blasting from the past
ENTARTUNG: Maleficae Artes Release year: 2020Label: Dunkelheit Produktionen With almost ten years since their inception, and with several albums to their name, Entartung from Germany are far from newcomers to the field. Yet, they’ve remained firmly locked in the shadows … Continue reading Entartung’s malefic arts
SOUL GRINDER: Chronicles Of Decay Release year: 2020Label: Black Sunset German Soul Grinder have been practising their brand of old school death metal since 2018. In that time, they’ve released one EP and now this, their debut full-length album. Not … Continue reading Chronicles of the soul grinders
Only Death Is Real 