While many bands in the black metal bands often lean into the occult, the pastoral, the natural world, magic and mysticism, Unmother have an affinity with the city, showing that concrete architecture, abandoned areas and being just a number in vast hollow cityscape can be just as terrifying and isolating as environmental disaster, the witchcraft and Lovecraftian visions.
Having formed in 2019 and featuring veteran members of the UK underground scene, Unmother’s debut, Lay Down The Sun was a record where black metal ferocity merged with post metal dissonance. Their music isn’t written and performed to make you feel safe and warm, it’s in your face, shouting the odds from moment one with very little slowing it down or dulling it.
Unmother play a punk rock iteration of black metal, spitting venom and bile to make the listener as uncomfortable as possible, proudly anti-fascist something that is becoming more resonant in music today. They create a feeling of disassociation and an atmosphere of fear that comes from the vast, lifeless cityscapes they were raised in.
Unmother play a punk rock iteration of black metal, spitting venom and bile to make the listener as uncomfortable as possible, proudly anti-fascist something that is becoming more resonant in music today. They create a feeling of disassociation and an atmosphere of fear that comes from the vast, lifeless cityscapes they were raised in.
Their debut was highly regarded here and so when their follow up State Dependent Memory landed I wanted to see where they would take their unwavering aggression and commitment to progression and experimentalism. Because Unmother are a band that don’t hide away from breaking some rules, they want to make their albums uneasy, want you to be in a heightened state of awareness, unsure of what is next, the crushing weight of your own existence enclosing around you as they provide the soundtrack to your insanity.
On their debut they snuck in a Siouxie And The Banshees cover, here it’s Greek synthwave act ΟΔΟΣ 55 (at least two members of the band are Greek), who get the treatment as Attiki Victoria is brought into the volatile sound. Another difference between the debut and here is that on State Dependent Memory, Unmother christen a new vocalist.
On their debut they snuck in a Siouxie And The Banshees cover, here it’s Greek synthwave act ΟΔΟΣ 55 (at least two members of the band are Greek), who get the treatment as Attiki Victoria is brought into the volatile sound. Another difference between the debut and here is that on State Dependent Memory, Unmother christen a new vocalist.
VOAK brings fewer unhinged screams than his predecessor, opting for bloodcurdling growls from the post-black and blackgaze style, to continue the evolution of the band, the band embracing fuller production and sound design to add industrial elements on the hallucinogenic Modern Dystopia, Unmother flexing their musical muscles into realms as yet untested but nestled in that influence of urban desolation and ominous dread, they carry with them.
A redirection rather than total reinvention, Unmother are just as visceral as they were on their debut but with State Dependant Memory, they find new and interesting ways to consume you with their disenfranchised extreme assault. 9/10
Mortal Blood– Vigil For A Hollowed Earth (Independent) [Spike]
If you’re going to name your album Vigil For A Hollowed Earth, you’re not exactly inviting the listener to a summer barbecue. This self-released debut from Mortal Blood is a sprawling, ten-track study in atmospheric weight, a record that refuses to be pinned down by a single genre tag.
A redirection rather than total reinvention, Unmother are just as visceral as they were on their debut but with State Dependant Memory, they find new and interesting ways to consume you with their disenfranchised extreme assault. 9/10
Mortal Blood– Vigil For A Hollowed Earth (Independent) [Spike]
If you’re going to name your album Vigil For A Hollowed Earth, you’re not exactly inviting the listener to a summer barbecue. This self-released debut from Mortal Blood is a sprawling, ten-track study in atmospheric weight, a record that refuses to be pinned down by a single genre tag.
Instead, it pulls from the darker corners of doom, gothic, black, and death metal to create something that feels like a physical manifestation of grief. It’s an album that understands that true heaviness doesn't always come from a high BPM; sometimes, it’s the silence between the notes that crushes you.
The record opens with Crow's Sweet Caress, and immediately, the band’s evolution is evident. What starts as a sorrow-laden soundscape quickly descends into a dense, oppressive arrangement where the death-doom vocals cut through the fog like a serrated blade. It sets a precedent for the rest of the album: a constant, shifting tension between clean, gothic vocal passages and the visceral force of extreme metal.
The transition through Shuvah and Mask Of Gilded Skin highlights a mastery of pacing that’s rare for a debut. This isn't just "slow for the sake of it" doom; it’s a calculated, layered crawl that allows the melodies to breathe before they are inevitably smothered by the distortion. There is a "suffocating intensity" here that feels deeply human, avoiding the fantasy tropes of the genre in favour of something much more grounded and emotionally taxing.
As the record descends further into the dark, Speak In Silence and Decay And Burn act as a claustrophobic anchor for the album’s central metaphor. It’s here that the "Hollowed Earth" concept stops being a title and starts feeling like a physical environment, particularly on the seven-minute monolith of Sanctum Of Nightmares. This track moves through peaks of blackened aggression and valleys of melancholic, gothic drifting, captured with a gravity that perfectly embodies the "mood over excess" ethos the band describes. It sounds like it was recorded in a space where the air is too thin to breathe.
That sense of exhaustion carries into the desolation of Where Hope Has Fled and Stench Of Borrowed Truth, tracks that refuse to offer any easy resolution. The themes of "borrowed truth" and "void" aren't just lyrical window dressing; they are baked into the very structure of the music, leading the listener toward the final, lightless threshold of Voices Of The Void.
The experience is anchored by the closing titan, Clay Born Titan. It’s a fitting finale, a mid-paced, crushing weight that feels like something massive finally coming to rest. It’s a final melodic sigh before the lights go out.
You don't simply "listen" to a record like this; you inhabit it. Vigil For A Hollowed Earth is an album for the long nights, for when the world feels too hollow and the ground feels too far away. Mortal Blood haven't just made a doom record; they’ve created a cinematic account of survival in a hardening world. It’s honest, it’s expansive, and it stands as one of the most immersive independent releases to hit the desk this year, a grim, necessary document for a world that has forgotten how to mourn.
The record opens with Crow's Sweet Caress, and immediately, the band’s evolution is evident. What starts as a sorrow-laden soundscape quickly descends into a dense, oppressive arrangement where the death-doom vocals cut through the fog like a serrated blade. It sets a precedent for the rest of the album: a constant, shifting tension between clean, gothic vocal passages and the visceral force of extreme metal.
The transition through Shuvah and Mask Of Gilded Skin highlights a mastery of pacing that’s rare for a debut. This isn't just "slow for the sake of it" doom; it’s a calculated, layered crawl that allows the melodies to breathe before they are inevitably smothered by the distortion. There is a "suffocating intensity" here that feels deeply human, avoiding the fantasy tropes of the genre in favour of something much more grounded and emotionally taxing.
As the record descends further into the dark, Speak In Silence and Decay And Burn act as a claustrophobic anchor for the album’s central metaphor. It’s here that the "Hollowed Earth" concept stops being a title and starts feeling like a physical environment, particularly on the seven-minute monolith of Sanctum Of Nightmares. This track moves through peaks of blackened aggression and valleys of melancholic, gothic drifting, captured with a gravity that perfectly embodies the "mood over excess" ethos the band describes. It sounds like it was recorded in a space where the air is too thin to breathe.
That sense of exhaustion carries into the desolation of Where Hope Has Fled and Stench Of Borrowed Truth, tracks that refuse to offer any easy resolution. The themes of "borrowed truth" and "void" aren't just lyrical window dressing; they are baked into the very structure of the music, leading the listener toward the final, lightless threshold of Voices Of The Void.
The experience is anchored by the closing titan, Clay Born Titan. It’s a fitting finale, a mid-paced, crushing weight that feels like something massive finally coming to rest. It’s a final melodic sigh before the lights go out.
You don't simply "listen" to a record like this; you inhabit it. Vigil For A Hollowed Earth is an album for the long nights, for when the world feels too hollow and the ground feels too far away. Mortal Blood haven't just made a doom record; they’ve created a cinematic account of survival in a hardening world. It’s honest, it’s expansive, and it stands as one of the most immersive independent releases to hit the desk this year, a grim, necessary document for a world that has forgotten how to mourn.
From a very personal point of view I needed this soundtrack. 9/10
Struck/Down - Queue For The Cure (Self Released) [Mark Young]
A change of pace for Mr Young with Struck/Down, who provide a satisfying alternative to the steady fare of death and thrash metal. It has to be said that on balance that generally it’s not something I would go out of my way to listen to, but as they say variety is the spice of life so with that in mind, I’ve dove straight in.
On balance, it’s a pretty decent slab of metal that succeeds on a number of levels and is not rigid to stay within one formula or approach that works in their favour. That attention to thudding groove, densely woven riffs is repeated time after time, but only after we get past album opener One Last Drag. It’s a kind of hybrid that sees them adopt a grittier vocal style that I didn’t like at all. It seemed ill fitting to me, so when that powerful clean drops in amongst the unhinged arrangement of Keep Your Chin Held Why which possesses a face-melter of a solo, well its all change.
Struck/Down - Queue For The Cure (Self Released) [Mark Young]
A change of pace for Mr Young with Struck/Down, who provide a satisfying alternative to the steady fare of death and thrash metal. It has to be said that on balance that generally it’s not something I would go out of my way to listen to, but as they say variety is the spice of life so with that in mind, I’ve dove straight in.
On balance, it’s a pretty decent slab of metal that succeeds on a number of levels and is not rigid to stay within one formula or approach that works in their favour. That attention to thudding groove, densely woven riffs is repeated time after time, but only after we get past album opener One Last Drag. It’s a kind of hybrid that sees them adopt a grittier vocal style that I didn’t like at all. It seemed ill fitting to me, so when that powerful clean drops in amongst the unhinged arrangement of Keep Your Chin Held Why which possesses a face-melter of a solo, well its all change.
The cleaner approach from Linden Twyman sits so much better, supporting the melodic moments when they come in as well as providing a lighter shade when held against those super heavy riffs. Like I said, its not my normal bag but when it’s a collection of well-built material that is played with energy and talent, you can’t help but be swept along with it.
The Slog is a prime example of this. Switching from heavy to uplifting at ease within its 4-minute runtime neither seems out of place within the context of it. Don’t Be Like That throws that approach out for an in-your-face burner, relying heavily on the drum talents of Tommy Rogers to do a ton of heavy lifting with this one. It’s a quality piece and another example of them going with what they know to work.
Its something that they continue with right through, bringing that composed mix of quality riffs and melodic touches to bear on each track. There is this cracking section on This Tall To Ride, about 2 minutes in where they casually switch it around dropping in a building pattern that just changes the whole tone of the song. You really can’t fault it, or the execution of the album as a whole. Its sounds good, and as a debut it’s a strong release that Is worth checking out. 8/10
Defaced - Icon (Massacre Records) [Spike]
Apparently, it’s been a whole decade since Defaced’s last record was released, they used to be called something else, and this is their 3rd album? Not sure why it has taken so long for them to get round to releasing new material but there must be a good reason which I am sure if you’re that interested you can find out, I’m not really fussed about the past as I am here to review new album Icon.
There is no time to waste on opener The Antagonist which is a blast of a track in all the right ways, it has some fantastic guitar work that mixes technical elements with pure brute force death metal and has the sense to also slow some sections down to try and give us different dimensions to the track, Perception takes a bit to get going with a bit of a drawn out spoken word intro going on but its more of the same aggressive death metal with flourishes of technicality thrown in and also there is a groove metal type of flow to some parts of the song which make it a bit more solid structurally.
Its something that they continue with right through, bringing that composed mix of quality riffs and melodic touches to bear on each track. There is this cracking section on This Tall To Ride, about 2 minutes in where they casually switch it around dropping in a building pattern that just changes the whole tone of the song. You really can’t fault it, or the execution of the album as a whole. Its sounds good, and as a debut it’s a strong release that Is worth checking out. 8/10
Defaced - Icon (Massacre Records) [Spike]
Apparently, it’s been a whole decade since Defaced’s last record was released, they used to be called something else, and this is their 3rd album? Not sure why it has taken so long for them to get round to releasing new material but there must be a good reason which I am sure if you’re that interested you can find out, I’m not really fussed about the past as I am here to review new album Icon.
There is no time to waste on opener The Antagonist which is a blast of a track in all the right ways, it has some fantastic guitar work that mixes technical elements with pure brute force death metal and has the sense to also slow some sections down to try and give us different dimensions to the track, Perception takes a bit to get going with a bit of a drawn out spoken word intro going on but its more of the same aggressive death metal with flourishes of technicality thrown in and also there is a groove metal type of flow to some parts of the song which make it a bit more solid structurally.
As My Will Prevails isn’t much different from what you would expect of this record so far, its got the relentless heaviness that is always welcome and there are thrash bits mixed in here and there and while its all very well done, you wonder if there are any tricks up the sleeve to make it a bit more varied? They answer this with a big fat no on The Initiation which does offer more in the way of melody but it just feels liked it’s slightly forced and doesn’t really fit with the rest of the styles, the song thunders and bellows forcefully but lacks a little personality in places, it just feels like it needs something to really push it forward.
Forever Mine unfortunately sound like a nu-metal track when it starts which is not what I meant when I said to change it up and in all honesty from start to finish it feels like it doesn’t know what it wants to be stylistically speaking, and about halfway through it does try and re-establish the all too familiar sound but it never really sits right and just feels like a slightly throw away track.
Anthem Of Vermin feels like more of a statement than anything else has so far it has a set structure and is full of purpose and urgency, the melodic tendencies shine through well and allow the sound to really progress fully, the solos lift everything up and cut through the noise to be a standout part of the track, Sonate is just an interlude with some acoustic guitars noodling and that about it, it serves no purpose and is just an annoyance really.
Icon is another track that feels like it takes an eternity to really get going and when it does, it doesn’t really do very much, it’s more mid-paced and feels like it might be building towards something but never really gets there it just keeps the same tone and pace throughout and barring some excellent drum work feels slightly underwhelming, Culling The Herd does however get thigs firmly back on track with a furious and urgent attack of death metal anger, barring the slight drop in the middle of the track, this hits in all the right places and is short and sweet doesn’t overstay it welcome at all.
Following this with Betrayer feels like a bit of a missed chance to end on a high, there is some nice technicality and plenty of gusto in most parts but it just all sounds so similar to earlier tracks, I understand that some people think that death metal doesn’t need to be varied, but I am not one of those people I need more to keep me interested and this has all just fallen that little bit short.
Icon started well but gradually got increasingly samey, there were a few decent bits here and there but not enough to make this a great record. It needs a bit more personality to really lift it up, it’s a good listen but I’m not sure I will go back to it in a hurry and that says everything you really need to know about it. Good but not great. 6/10
Icon started well but gradually got increasingly samey, there were a few decent bits here and there but not enough to make this a great record. It needs a bit more personality to really lift it up, it’s a good listen but I’m not sure I will go back to it in a hurry and that says everything you really need to know about it. Good but not great. 6/10
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