Bleak, uncompromising amongst others are descriptions that are trotted out with increasing frequency when waxing lyrical about a new release. As you may have guessed, it’s not always a correct description and in a lot of cases its there just to grab your attention. With Windswept, the term uncompromising is used and in this case, I believe it is fully justified.
This is a collection of black metal that looks to the movements beginnings for the blueprint from which to carve out their sound. Windswept, the Ukrainian trio headed up by Roman Sayenko have crafted an album that can sit alongside those releases from the early 90’s whilst being unique to themselves. It is a brutal album that comes at you on two fronts; The vocals by Roman, are beyond the normal.
Delivered like an anguished scream of rage it borders on the incomprehensible such is its ferocity which stays at a constant level on each track. It’s the sort of vocal performance that could possibly turn off a listener within 30 seconds or so of Infanticide starting off. On the flip side is the actual music.
Its traditional black metal – pounding drums, mad riffing and fantastic tempos and on your first listen you think ‘so what’ but dig into this further and suddenly you get hold of the almost imperceptible rhythm changes on each song that suddenly change how they land with you. Yes, they are brutal tracks but they are also incredibly well thought out at the same time.
Giving you an example of this, The Potion comes flying in like you would expect. Its rapid, the drums are flying and the tempos are up. The key is the way that the guitar lines are put together so that its doing what it is supposed to in being aggressive, exciting and above all not boring.
Giving you an example of this, The Potion comes flying in like you would expect. Its rapid, the drums are flying and the tempos are up. The key is the way that the guitar lines are put together so that its doing what it is supposed to in being aggressive, exciting and above all not boring.
Each member manages to put the little touches on their instruments here and in doing so makes it an engaging song that you can return to. I’ve gone on in the past about bands who confuse song length with quality and who run out of things to say whilst having another 5 minutes of track length to fulfil.
Windswept have managed to avoid that here, each song has a defined path and a message it has to get out. What they do is use that time intelligently but fuelled with emotion. Its not sterile, its organic but still cold. Verdicts is the last track on this, and probably is the key song on here.
If you asked me what the best introduction to this album would be, I would go with this. It is a majestic song, one that gives you every facet of Windswept in one package. It is melodic and savage at the same time whilst being true to how they want to deliver their music.
Its likely that on the first listen, that singing style will put people off but stick with it because there is a belting album here. 8/10
Phantoms Of Future – Forever Dark (Massacre Records) [Spike]
This record is a testament to the belief that the darkest music often glows the brightest. Phantoms Of Future doesn't just play rock; they construct a vast, neon-lit soundscape where Alternative Metal, Gothic Rock, and Cold-Glow Electronics collide. Forever Dark is their manifesto, an uncompromising statement delivered by a veteran band that prefers the hour when everything is illuminated by a sinister, artificial light.
Frontman Sir Hannes Smith (vocals, special instruments & lyrics) and the crew are masters of atmosphere. They utilize keys, loops, and samples to create taut rock architecture, letting the texture of the sound do as much storytelling as the lyrics. The overall mood is organized chaos, a dense, energetic sprawl that makes it genuinely hard to pin down, moving between Dark Wave melancholy and pure Metal aggression.
The journey starts with Werewolf, which, as Smith himself stated, is "the spark that lights the fire." It’s a nocturnal blast of urgency, built on electronic accents and driving guitars that quickly set the tone for surrender to transformation. This moves perfectly into Spirit Of Love, a track that showcases their ability to write captivating, dream-laden rock while still maintaining a sharp, metallic edge.
The album finds its necessary friction when the blend leans heaviest. Devil Inside introduces a doom-like feeling into the mix, providing a grinding menace that ensures the entire album never collapses into simple, commercial rock.
Phantoms Of Future – Forever Dark (Massacre Records) [Spike]
This record is a testament to the belief that the darkest music often glows the brightest. Phantoms Of Future doesn't just play rock; they construct a vast, neon-lit soundscape where Alternative Metal, Gothic Rock, and Cold-Glow Electronics collide. Forever Dark is their manifesto, an uncompromising statement delivered by a veteran band that prefers the hour when everything is illuminated by a sinister, artificial light.
Frontman Sir Hannes Smith (vocals, special instruments & lyrics) and the crew are masters of atmosphere. They utilize keys, loops, and samples to create taut rock architecture, letting the texture of the sound do as much storytelling as the lyrics. The overall mood is organized chaos, a dense, energetic sprawl that makes it genuinely hard to pin down, moving between Dark Wave melancholy and pure Metal aggression.
The journey starts with Werewolf, which, as Smith himself stated, is "the spark that lights the fire." It’s a nocturnal blast of urgency, built on electronic accents and driving guitars that quickly set the tone for surrender to transformation. This moves perfectly into Spirit Of Love, a track that showcases their ability to write captivating, dream-laden rock while still maintaining a sharp, metallic edge.
The album finds its necessary friction when the blend leans heaviest. Devil Inside introduces a doom-like feeling into the mix, providing a grinding menace that ensures the entire album never collapses into simple, commercial rock.
This track, and the self-aware paranoia of Prisoner, tap into the core thematic elements of estrangement and transformation, delivering the lyrical punch with a well-produced, haunting vocal style.
Where the band takes calculated risks, they are rewarded. Tracks like the title track Forever Dark utilize a unique vocal style that borders on parody of modern singing, a choice that, given the band's political and anti-establishment background, feels entirely deliberate and critical.
Where the band takes calculated risks, they are rewarded. Tracks like the title track Forever Dark utilize a unique vocal style that borders on parody of modern singing, a choice that, given the band's political and anti-establishment background, feels entirely deliberate and critical.
Even the closing tracks like Bloody Tears and the strangely energetic Underground Surfer maintain the dark, kinetic motion. This is an album for those who appreciate a heavy sound that is unpredictable and willing to leverage the theatricality of the genre without losing its teeth.
Phantoms Of Future has delivered a complex, genre-bending record that, while existing in a tight niche, is undeniably electric and alive. They remind us that some bands chase daylight, but the best work is always done when the rest of the world is asleep. 8/10
Doomherre - Plaguelords (Skatbo Records/Majestic Mountain Records) [Rich Piva]
What we have here is doom goodness from Stockholm, Sweden’s Doomherre, a trio who brings the riffs, wrath, serpents, and storms on their latest record, Plaguelords. This is not just plodding doom, this is some very cool doom with some stoner groove to it, great vocals, and lots of unique tempo changes.
Take the first track, Serpent Shrine. This one stops and starts up again a couple of times. Going in a few different directions in the four-plus minutes of its runtime, all of it killer. This slides nicely into Stormfather, which is menacing and has some proto progginess to it as well, going in a couple directions, like track one. There is nothing real straightforward on this one, which is a strength and can be a weakness at times as well.
Phantoms Of Future has delivered a complex, genre-bending record that, while existing in a tight niche, is undeniably electric and alive. They remind us that some bands chase daylight, but the best work is always done when the rest of the world is asleep. 8/10
Doomherre - Plaguelords (Skatbo Records/Majestic Mountain Records) [Rich Piva]
What we have here is doom goodness from Stockholm, Sweden’s Doomherre, a trio who brings the riffs, wrath, serpents, and storms on their latest record, Plaguelords. This is not just plodding doom, this is some very cool doom with some stoner groove to it, great vocals, and lots of unique tempo changes.
Take the first track, Serpent Shrine. This one stops and starts up again a couple of times. Going in a few different directions in the four-plus minutes of its runtime, all of it killer. This slides nicely into Stormfather, which is menacing and has some proto progginess to it as well, going in a couple directions, like track one. There is nothing real straightforward on this one, which is a strength and can be a weakness at times as well.
I really dig the changes in Wrath Of The Mountain Gods but these guys excel with a straight up stoner doom ripper like on Hymn For Helios, which is a track that belongs on any year end playlist, but even that one slows it down in parts, making me say out loud to no one, “just put the petal to the floor and rock out!”
My other favourites are Dark Hand, which brings the proto to the party, and the title track which gives me vibes reminiscent of The Brink, by Solace. There are no bad songs on Plaguelords, so the whole record is certainly worth your time, I just wish sometimes I could straight up headbang without pausing.
I dig Plaguelords, and I wonder if these metal head doom guys are secret prog fans too. A cool record, changes and all, and one worthy of your earholes. 7/10
I dig Plaguelords, and I wonder if these metal head doom guys are secret prog fans too. A cool record, changes and all, and one worthy of your earholes. 7/10
Madness Blues - Shades Of Blue (Self Released)
Positioned as "a cure for joy" and as such perfect for the holiday season, Shades Of Blue from Greek one person entity Madness Blues is there monstrous tracks of funeral doom mixed with drone. The record is bleak, all three tracks are about 12 minutes in length and they have heavily distorted everything, from guitars to vocals there's nothing much to denote a joyous melody, even the piano is introspective and depressing.
Now this is deliberate, so it's not as if they're doing anything bad, the opposite in fact, Shades Of Blue sucks any joy you may have out of you, with nihilistic and suffocating music. Whether you will listen to it is very much informed by if you like that sort of thing. So if you though the best part of a Christmas Carol was being tormented by ghosts maybe you should give this record from Madness Blues a spin. 7/10
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