Kalrog Naar/L'alba delle tenebre/Kalrog Records/2026 Full Length Review

  Italy's  solo  project  Kalrog  Naar  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  epic  and  romantic  fantasy  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2025  album  "L'alba  delle  tenebre"  which  was  released  by  Kalrog  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed,  Synths  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  the  clear  singing  also  adding  in  elements  of  gothic  metal  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  dark  metal  style  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  when  the  recording  speed  up.  The  album  also  captures  the  dark  atmosphere  of  black  metal  without  the  use  of  any  harsh  vocals  and  most  of  the  tracks  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.

  On  this  recording  Karog  Naar  focuses  more  on  a  mixture  of  romantic  dark  metal  and  epic  fantasy  metal  as  well  as  cutting  back  on  the  black  metal  elements  of  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  the  writings  of  Fritz  Lieber  and  the  films  of  Maurizio  Zaccaro.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Kalrog  Naar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  epic,  romantic  and  fantast  themed  dark  emtal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "II  talismano"  and  "L'Impero  di  Azad".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/LYFJgeKlQ-k  

     

Aeonik Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album? 

We’ve had a lot on our plate lately, especially with preparing for the release and getting ready for the upcoming shows. Our goal is to make everything as good as possible, both live and around the release itself. At the same time, the mood within the band is better than ever – our singer mentioned that recently as well. We’re highly motivated and just excited to finally bring all of this out.

 2. You have your first full length coming out towards the end of April – musically how does it differ from your previous EP?

 We adjusted the tuning to fit our new vocalist and now play half a step lower. That alone already changed the overall sound quite a bit. The new songs feel more refined, also because of the new voice on the mic. Everything sounds more cohesive and well-rounded than before. 

3. The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album – can you tell us a little bit more about the story you covered with this release?

 Yes, the album follows a conceptual story centered around a figure we call “The Roamer of Heaven and Hell.” He awakens in a world that initially seems perfect, almost like a form of paradise, but this reality gradually begins to fall apart. The ideas of “Heaven” and “Hell” are used as familiar symbols – something people immediately recognize – but within the concept, they represent states of existence rather than literal religious places. As the journey unfolds, the protagonist moves through these shifting layers, confronting illusion, decay, and the search for meaning as everything he once believed in starts to collapse. 

4. In one interview you also mentioned the lyrics have some fantasy and occult inspirations – can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics? 

The protagonist, The Roamer of Heaven and Hell, has been part of my thoughts for years. I’m really drawn to epic themes, and I tried to reflect that musically in combination with the concept. As for the occult side, I’m fascinated by the history of rituals and the idea that humanity has always tried to answer questions about existence, the meaning of life, and reaching higher spiritual states. 

5. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

 The artwork consists of the front cover and the panels inside the CD sleeve. On the front, you see the traveler moving through a triangular portal. There are also several symbolic elements, like the sigil of the universal gateways, “Gate of Death and Rebirth,” the sigil representing the crossing of paths between heaven, earth, and hell, “Grail of Knowledge,” and the sigil of the doorway to paths above and below.

“The Architect’s Eye.”

 These symbols represent the attainment of knowledge and spiritual development

6. Out of all the shows the band has done so far, which one stands out the most? 

As a young band, winning the Wacken Metal Battle Luxembourg contest in 2024 at only our second show was already huge for us. Getting the chance to play at Wacken Open Air right after that is something that really stays with you. Those are experiences you don’t forget. 

7. Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

 We actually already have shows lined up for 2027 and even one for 2028. Of course, we want to play as much as possible and get out there whenever we can.

 8. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

 Overall, the response has been very positive. That being said, we don’t see ourselves as a pure black/death metal band. There are a lot of different influences in our music. I’ve even read comments where people hear rock influences in what we do. So I think our music reaches a broader audience than just black metal fans. It definitely leans in that direction, but because of the melodies and the overall vibe, people outside the genre can connect with it as well and we’ve seen a lot of positive feedback there too. 

9. Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

 I’m actually the only one without a side project at the moment. All the others are involved in different bands for example Scarlet Anger, Ed Hunters, Sublind, Exit Fury and Last Prophecy.

 10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? 

That’s a bit hard to answer because I’m a very emotional player. When I write music, it really depends on my state of mind at the time. That said, the guys and I have talked about wanting to push for some faster tracks in the future, similar to songs like “Eternal Descent” or “Aeonian Lights.” We’ll see how that develops, but that’s definitely a direction we’re interested in exploring. 

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

 Raph is more into classic heavy metal, he listens to bands like Iced Earth and Grave Digger. Jeff is a huge Iron Maiden fan. Marc listens to bands like Death and Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, and Tim is more on the doom side with heavily distorted bass sounds. As for me, I listen to a bit of everything from jazz to classical to black metal, pretty much across the board. 

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 

Thanks a lot for the interview. I really enjoyed the questions. That’s honestly not always the case, since a lot of interviews tend to be pretty standard. Here you can really tell that you took the time to dig a bit deeper into what we do. So yeah, I really appreciate that and thanks again for having me. 

https://www.facebook.com/Aeonikofficial

 

Goholor/Locus Damnatorum/Personal Records/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Goholor  are  a  band  from  Slovakia  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Locus  Damnarum"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Personal  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  lot  of  death  metal  growls.  Black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  faster  riffing  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  mixing  in  some  influences  of  the  classic  Swedish  era.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  one  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording.

  Goholor  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  old  school  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  dark  and  demonic  side  of  society.

  In  my  opinion  Goholor  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Demonical  Redemption"  "Last  Groin  Devoured  By  Death"  and  "Nihilistic  Torments".  8  out  of  10.

  http://personal-records.bandcamp.com/album/locus-damnatorum

goholor1.bandcamp.com 

    

  

Ivoire/Uragano/2026 Full length Review

  Ivoire  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2026  album  "Uragano"  which  will  be  released  in  May.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  are  also  added  into  the  slower  parts  of  the  music  along  with  the  recording  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  When  clean  sections  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  also  add  in  touches  of  post  rock  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  album  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  most  of  the  recording  sticks  to  a  slower  direction,  saxophones  are  also  added  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  personal  reflections.

  In  my  opinion  Ivoire  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  mixture  of  post  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vetta"  and  "Sotto  La  Cenere".  8  out  of  10.

https://ivoire.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ivoire.postmetal/

https://www.youtube.com/@IVOIRE-postmetal 

Scythe Of Mephisto/Till Life Do Us Apart/Masked Dead Records/Sulphur Music/2026 EP Review

 

  Scythe  Of  Mephisto  are  a band from  Italy  that  plays  a  Swedish  influenced  form  of melodic  black  metal  with  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  ep  "Till  Life  Do  Us  Apart"  which  will  be  released  in  April  as  a  joint  effort  between  Masked  Dead  Records  and  Sulphur  Music.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  lot  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal s creams.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can b e  heard  along  with  the  recording  being  very  heavily  rooted  in t he  90's  Swedish  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  Clean  playing  is  added  on  a  couple  of  tracks  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  elements  of  thrash  metal, one  track  also  adds  in  clear  vocals  and  synths  are  added  on  the  outro.

  Scythe  of  Mephisto  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  Swedish  melodic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  a  touch  of  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Left  Hand  Path  and  Darkness  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Scythe  of  Mephisto  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black  metal  band  with  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACk  "Moonlight  over  Babylon".  8  out  of  10.

  https://maskedeadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/till-life-do-us-part

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7qRsNbEdZg&feature=youtu.be

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Scytheofmephist 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scytheofmephisto

Vithial/Awakened Ancient Spirits/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Vithial  are  a  solo  project from  Florida  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his self  released  2026  album  "Awakened  Ancient  Spirits"  which  will  be  released  in  June.

  Dark  soundscapes  and  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  atmospheric  touches  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  mixing  in  elements  of  old  school  death  metal,  clean  playing  and  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Vithial  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  and  symphonic  style  of  black  metal  from t he  90's  and  mixes  it  with  Florida  style  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  spirituality,  death,  the  occult,  mythological  and  dark  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vithial  is  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Masquerading  Deception  Of  Tyranny"  and  "Awakened  Ancient  Spirits".  8  out  of  10.

  

Bandcamp: https://vithial.bandcamp.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vithialmetal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vithialmetal/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vithialmetal Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2KHgyf8vLvkWxM2m6VTnzE Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/hu/artist/vithial/1752297075 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vithialmetal

  

Orathania/Echo Of Freedom/Archivist Records/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Orathania  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2026  album  "Echo  of  Freedom"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Archivist  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  which  also  utilizes  black  metal  style  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  clear  pagan  metal  vocals  and  folk  instruments  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Some  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  Orathania  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  captures  the  aggression  of  black  metal  without  the  use  of  any  harsh  vocals.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  ancient  and  mystical  roots  of  Ukraine.

  In  my  opinion  Orathania  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Do  You  Gear,  My  Brother"  "Bring  my  Body"  "Erun"  and  "Those  Spoke  Zarathustra".  8  out  of  10.

  https://youtu.be/QHiySagJiOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biPvUm4Vjn8

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587563716327

https://orathania.bandcamp.com