CALLIGRAM – Position | Momentum

London-based misery merchants CALLIGRAM have returned with their blistering new album Position / Momentum – and it is an abysmal delight for any fan of blackened punishment. Like black metal? You’ll love the desperate howls of vocalist Matteo Rizzardo and the chilling atmosphere. Is post-metal more your jam? Look no further than the blackened riffs and monstrous soundscapes conjured on this album. How about blackened hardcore? You’re gonna love the ferocious pace and raw textures.

CALLIGRAM kick off with the relentless bludgeoning of Sul Dolore, which is followed by the urgent intensity of Frantumi In Itinere. Eschilo is an ambitious slab of rich, textured metal, while Tebe quickens the pace with its metallic tones and triumphant riffs. So far, CALLIGRAM have proven their blackened savagery, but they flex their diverse muscles in the acoustic and brass fuelled interlude of Per Jamie. The band switch it up once again in the storming black metal romp, Ostranenie which is easily a standout track with its dives into metal extremities and contrasting instrumental breaks.

Penultimate track Ex-Sistere doesn’t hold back with its fervent blackened delivery, but closing track Seminario Dieci is a brooding masterpiece which indulges the listener with waves of nostalgic post-metal twists and turns of chaotic black metal. CALLIGRAM have well and truly thrown their hat in the ring with this effort to become extreme metal’s new darlings. Absolutely superb.

BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS – Rejecting Obliteration

New Zealand tech death metallers BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS dazzled death metal fans with their last album Nightmare Withdrawals back in 2021 with its relentless savagery. This year, they’ve returned stronger than ever with fourth album, Rejecting Obliteration with new label, Prosthetic Records. With this album, the band are set to launch themselves into the greater collective conscience of metal. Their unforgiving brutality, innovative riffs and blackened tones make for an absolutely gripping experience.

The band wear their NIGHTMARER influence on their sleeve in opening track Monolith, but with an extra cutting edge thanks to the metallic guitars and the progressive flair. Second track Methlelem sets the bar high with its infectious grooves, disorientating riffs and Stace Fifield’s punishing vocals. Hallucinative Terror doesn’t hold back with its subject matter or intense execution. This is the definition of present day BALTTW; unafraid, ambitious, ferocious and progressively extreme.

The band completely side-swipe you with the blackened masterpiece Wraith, before taking a dissonant dive into Cicada. The technical madness continues through the album, including the jarring riffs of penultimate track, Hands of Contrition before Caustic Burns closes the album with an absolute masterclass in dissonance. BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS have finally tapped into their full potential with Rejecting Obliteration, but with the levels of talent and commitment on display, it’s clear the band still have so much to offer.

FIRES IN THE DISTANCE – Air Not Meant For Us

It is absolutely staggering Air Not Meant For Us is only FIRES IN THE DISTANCE’s second album, as the delivery of the melodic death doom is executed with such flare and brilliance you could easily believe you’re listening to a band decades into the game. This album is nothing short of stunning.

The Connecticut melo-death-doomsters begin the album with the epic Harbingers which is a ten minute masterpiece of live orchestration, warm distortion and spellbinding riffs and lyrics. The organic piano and strings add to the honesty of FIRES IN THE DISTANCE‘s music and takes their sound to the next level. The depth and textures throughout the album are so rich and rewarding, Air Not Meant For Us is truly an enthralling listen.

The melodic death metal influences shine through on Wisdom of Falling Leaves with the colossal vocals, rumbling basslines and flurries of atmospheric piano, while doom reigns supreme on the lusciously paced Crumbling Pillars of a Tranquil Mind.

The surprise standout track comes in the form of Adrift, Beneath the Listless Waves which provides an utterly spectacular instrumental break featuring dynamic guitars twinned with other-worldly piano melodies. The instrumentation tells the tale of this track and it will stay with you for a long time to come. Idiopathic Despair, with its hybrid sound of doom and melo death, provides the perfect finale for an almost perfect album. Utterly superb.

DAWN OF OUROBOROS – Velvet Incandescence

Velvet Incandescence – the second album by progressive metallers DAWN OF OUROBOROS, is one of those rewarding albums which clicks with you after a few listens. At first, it may seem a lot to digest, but after a little investment, it all becomes a seamless melting pot of blackened prog.

Opening track Healing Grounds showcases the diverse vocals of front woman Chelsea Murphy; from soulful melodies to passionate harsh vocals, Murphy proves she’s one to watch in the progressive scene. Thankfully, the instrumentation is on par with the vocals throughout the album. Second track Testudines is evidence of this with the impressively tight drumming, groovy basslines and utterly delicious metallic riffs. This track is a real treat.

Iron Whispers borrows some post-metal riffage from NUMENOREAN, while Levitating Pacifics starts as a synth paradise but erupts into a blackened furore. At this point it does seem like the band are trying to cram in all their ideas, but they pull it together with standout track Rise of Disillusion which has brilliant pacing for a song of its length and a more succinct delivery. Things take a darker turn in Castigation and Cephalopodic Void with heavier riffs, harsher vocals and a more ferocious pace.

Album closer Velvet Moon provides a late highlight with its super melodic riffs and uplifting tones – it is an absolute delight from start to finish. DAWN OF OUROBOROS are chock-full of potential, and with a bit of nurturing of their sound they will be utterly unstoppable.

FORETOKEN – Triumphs

Death metal duo FORETOKEN may have their lyrical focus on mythology, but it is their transformation from their debut album to their sophomore which will go down in legend. Debut album Ruin threatened to collapse under the weight of all their ideas, but second album Triumphs is a truly unstoppable force. The duo have teamed up again with Hannes Grossmann (HATE ETERNAL, NECROPHAGIST, TRIPTYKON etc) for drum recording and the organic instrumentation really shines on this album, alongside the orchestration recorded by guitarist Steve Redmond.

Opening track Revenant of Valor perfectly captures the new and improved FORETOKEN, with its epic pacing, rich textures and storming vocals by Dan Cooley. Demon Queller is an early album highlight with its victorious riffs and ethereal orchestration, while The Labors and Serpent King’s Venom feature some genius vocal and guitar hooks.

Devil O’ the Sea provides one of the album’s standout tracks with its huge riffs, polished production and gloriously blackened elements, FORETOKEN certainly pull out all the stops for this one. Penultimate track A Tyrant Rises as Titans Fall could have been a triumphant closer, but FORETOKEN ends Triumphs with their ambitious cover of NAGLFAR’s I Am Vengeance. Top stuff.

Psycroptic – Divine Council

Australian tech death troupe PSYCROPTIC may have been around for a couple of decades but they’re still showing the young ‘uns how it’s done. Eighth album Divine Council still features PSYCROPTIC’s myriad of death metal styles but with a new zest and ventures into more ambitious sounds. Opener Rend Asunder is a blistering riff fest which fans of old-school DECAPITATED will appreciate. The groove superbly contrasts with the outbreaks of metallic goodness, creating an absolute stomper of an introduction.

A Fools Errand is a technical paradise which stumbles into progressive territory with its dissonant motifs, while This Shadowed World dips into a fast-paced fury reminiscent of thrashy metalcore bands like HIMSA. PSYCROPTIC still have their finger firmly on the pulse of tech death and Enslavement is proof the band can execute the big EXOCRINE-esque atmospherics and stay on trend with their own flair.

The vocals on Divine Council are elevated by ORIGIN‘s Jason Keyser supplying additional vocals throughout, but they really stand out on the menancing The Prophets Council. More guest vocals are provided by Amy Wiles on the truly epic tracks A Fragile Existence and album finale Exitus. PSYCROPTIC have something so accessible and special with Divine Council and will still be influencing the tech death scene for many years to come.

Without Waves – Comedian

It’s been five long years since WITHOUT WAVES released their second album Lunar. Their wacky brand of progressive metal is always a joy to behold, mainly thanks to their eclectic approach to songwriting. No two songs sound the same and thankfully the band remain true to their roots on third album, Comedian.

WITHOUT WAVES have always sounded bold and beautiful, but with this new album the band sound more ambitious and confident. Comedian will knock the socks off the casual progressive metal listener and intrigue those who prefer their metal on the quirkier side. Opening track Good Grief blows away the cobwebs after the five year wait and tests the waters with their intensity. Think CAR BOMB mixed with THE HAUNTED and you’re getting close.

After this high-octane opener, WITHOUT WAVES follow up with an absolute frenzy in the form of Animal Kingdom. Featuring the hardcore swagger of EVERY TIME I DIE along with the craziness of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, this sets the bar high for the remainder of the album. Set & Setting adds a menacing air of dissonance to proceedings before it descends into full blown chaos, while Sleep Deep lingers with irresistible CAVE IN vibes. Nothing quite prepares you for the fever dream of Do What Scares You; this is peak WITHOUT WAVES with its unsettling atmospherics, hypnotic melodies and accomplished instrumentation.

A late treat is had with Sleight in Shadows which starts out as an acapella NSYNC would be proud of before erupting into prog rock madness with a killer solo to boot. Closing with the progressive masterpiece Seven, it’s concluded that WITHOUT WAVES have written a career-defining album with Comedian. This is an album well worth more than a few superficial listens.

Pupil Slicer – Mirrors

If the name PUPIL SLICER sounds a bit too graphic for you, then it would be wise to give this band a wide berth. For the more resilient of us, strap yourself in as you’re in for an extreme metal treat. London’s PUPIL SLICER have been spending the last two years channelling their inner demons into their debut album, Mirrors and it is potentially the most frenzied release you’ll hear all year.

The trio mix the calculated precision of mathcore, the rawness and speed of grindcore and the devastation of death metal into a concoction of rage and intensity. It would be too easy to compare vocalist and guitarist Kate Davies to the likes of SVALBARD and EMPLOYED TO SERVE, but the reality is Davies is an entirely different powerhouse. Her visceral screams and manic riffing serve to accompany the hard-hitting lyrics which expose Davies’ experiences of abuse, social anxiety and depression. The claustrophobia and overwhelming aspects of these contributing factors can easily be heard in Mirrors, which rarely allows the listener to stop for breath.

Opening track Martyrs embodies the chaotic atmosphere PUPIL SLICER conjure. It’s hard to liken the track to another band, and that is the strength of the band’s potential. If you rip apart the best parts of CAR BOMB, GENGHIS TRON, LEECHED and CURSED then mash them together into a new, disturbed entity, then you’re getting close to the sheer force of PUPIL SLICER. The ‘quieter’ moments in songs such as L’Appel Du Vide and Wounds Upon My Skin still sound unsettling and surreal, much like the origins of the band’s name. Mirrors sounds terrifying at first, but under the madness is a vulnerability we can all relate to. A truly powerful debut.

Wolf King – The Path of Wrath

If someone asks you what blackened metal sounds like, you might want to give them a copy of WOLF KING’s new album, The Path of Wrath. Their last album Loyal to the Soil was a glorious, blackened hardcore affair, but with The Path of Wrath the band have certainly ramped up the metal. Opening with River of Light, WOLF KING kick off proceedings with a blackened doom instrumental, before crushing you with the mammoth riff of Messenger of Death. The quick pace proves the band have lost none of their hardcore intensity, but they have clearly looked to their Bay Area neighbours for heavy metal inspiration. Tracks such as Wandering Soul and Sanctuary are the perfect marriage between black metal and hardcore, and the results are bold, raw and dark as hell.

The second half of The Path of Wrath is where things get really interesting however, starting with The Oath; an epic and sprawling mass of folky doom which erupts into beastly, blackened goodness. Where The Oath stuns with an ambitious build-up, the title track and Beholder immediately get to business with pummelling riffs and oodles of groove. Nothing quite prepares you for Grief Portrait and WOLF KING’s unique version of melodic, and it pays off massively. Once you reach album closer Eternal Hunger, it becomes clear this track and the opening number act as bookends for The Path of Wrath, as the same doomy riff appears in each but it is taken a step further in the blistering finale. With this album, WOLF KING have become darker, gnarlier and a tad more ambitious. It will be exciting to see where they take blackened metal next.

Sarin – You Can’t Go Back

Post-metallers SARIN have returned with their third album You Can’t Go Back and it is a crushing, vibrant effort. The title is apt as it is their first release on Prosthetic Records, so they can’t go back to obscurity; this album will only project them into the wider conscious of the metal community. Opening with Cold Open, the colossal riffs and thunderous vocals will make you shut up and pay attention. The sludge component of their post-metal is obvious here, and it emphasises the heaviness of their songs. When You Melt is a sprawling eight minute masterpiece which could easily be the love child between KYLESA and PELICAN. The nods to post-rock are to die for.

Reckoner is a ballsy and groovy affair and this continues into the instrumental Thick Mire which has all sorts of psychedelic delights occurring. Otherness is another pure track of sublime soundscapes and unapologetic riffage, while album finale Leave Your Body is as upbeat as post-metal gets. This sums up You Can’t Go Back, underneath the ferocious façade, there are trickles of hope and optimism. The bright riffs of Leave Your Body are an absolute joy. SARIN have achieved an album which seamlessly flits between styles while keeping their unique stamp on proceedings. Utterly superb.