Behemoth; probably Poland's most well known - and controversial - black metal export. I Scvlptor is the latest offering from the band and after seeing Nergal's outstanding performance of Sventevith with Myspyrming earlier this year, I was excited to hear this release.
First off is the title track, I Scvlptor and my favourite track out of the 3 reviewed here.
A beautiful orchestral intro starts the track, before the guitars and drums join in, with the strings continuing to add atmosphere in the background. I enjoyed the slow, heavy guitar riffs used throughout the song. Repetitive but effective .
Next up is Lord Ov The Horizons. The juxtaposition between the clean and harsh vocals at the start of the track is nice, the former giving way to the latter as the song builds towards its crescendo.
Next up is Lord Ov The Horizons. The juxtaposition between the clean and harsh vocals at the start of the track is nice, the former giving way to the latter as the song builds towards its crescendo.
Riffs sounding like artillery fire (reminiscent of Metallica's One) pepper the second half of this song and the drums and guitars take centre stage as we reach the end of the track. I enjoyed this one.
Finally, Begotten. I've listened to this track multiple times now and I've struggled with what to say about it. It's not a bad track, there is just nothing that really stands out to me. Except the drums. In my opinion (as a non-drummer I hasten to add!) the drumming on this song is top notch. Everything else.... just is.
All in all, I Scvlptor is an enjoyable listen. But probably not worthy of a spot in my 'favourite albums of 2026' list. 7/10
Finally, Begotten. I've listened to this track multiple times now and I've struggled with what to say about it. It's not a bad track, there is just nothing that really stands out to me. Except the drums. In my opinion (as a non-drummer I hasten to add!) the drumming on this song is top notch. Everything else.... just is.
All in all, I Scvlptor is an enjoyable listen. But probably not worthy of a spot in my 'favourite albums of 2026' list. 7/10
Revel In Flesh- Flesh For The Kult Of Death (War Antjems Records) [Mateusz Stefanow]
Teutonic titans Revel In Flesh are back with an old-school death metal release, replacing their melo-death style to resurrect the sound of their original three albums in their sixth release, Flesh For The Kult Of Death, partly due to the band’s disbanding in 2024, and prompt reassembling.
I’m structuring this review differently to my other ones solely due to the incredible consistency between the tracks; the album is perfect for head-banging to, it has melodic sections, it has spoken word sections and bass solos, with the legendary Jonny Pettersson on bass guitar (ex-Massacre, ROTPIT and Wombbath amongst others).
Teutonic titans Revel In Flesh are back with an old-school death metal release, replacing their melo-death style to resurrect the sound of their original three albums in their sixth release, Flesh For The Kult Of Death, partly due to the band’s disbanding in 2024, and prompt reassembling.
I’m structuring this review differently to my other ones solely due to the incredible consistency between the tracks; the album is perfect for head-banging to, it has melodic sections, it has spoken word sections and bass solos, with the legendary Jonny Pettersson on bass guitar (ex-Massacre, ROTPIT and Wombbath amongst others).
When I mentioned that this album resurrects their former sound, even that Boss HM-2 pedal sound is retained, once again indebted to Pettersson’s hectic guitar playing, and the brutality of the blast beats has your pulse going from the opening notes to the very last.
The album cover is gorgeous with bold blues and reds, calling back to Dismember’s Like An Everflowing Stream, which this album sonically colludes to, they set out to produce an old-school death metal album, and by all hell they’ve done it.
The melo-death period has not been forgotten however, as the few sections of melodic influences peek through at segments of the album, keeping your attention fixed, and with each track being so entertaining, without so much as a weaker song in sight, this is an easy task.
The album ends with All I Had (I Gave), a tribute to Crowbar, which benefits from the HM-2 tone along with Erik Barthold on drums blasting away to ramp up the heaviness on an already heavy song.
This is a very strong contender for my album of the year, so go ahead and join the Kult of Death! 10/10
The band have been calling this record "dystopian theatre rock," and for once, a band-coined tag actually fits the bill. The whole record plays out like a stage show confronting the numbness of modern life, the screen addiction, late-capitalist burnout, and the general feeling that society is slowly rotting from the inside out. But rather than sounding like a dry political lecture, Wellbaum wraps those heavy themes in eccentric metaphors, big riffs, and massive, addictive hooks.
The album opens with Dissolve The Delusion, setting the stage with a solitary, sombre piano piece. It’s an understated, patient intro with no vocals at all, forcing you to slow down and dial into their frequency before the heavy artillery arrives.
Atmospheric occult psych doom with amazing vocals and excellent production. What more does one want? Terra Black brings it with Mirage, and a very worthy contender for your end of year lists. 8/10
This is a very strong contender for my album of the year, so go ahead and join the Kult of Death! 10/10
Slothrust – What They Grow In The Garden (Equal Vision Records) [Spike]
Slothrust have spent over a decade refusing to sit still.
Moving from their gritty, jazz-inflected Boston DIY roots to sharper alternative rock, they've always had a knack for combining quirky, left-field humour with genuinely biting emotional weight. But heading into their sixth studio record, What They Grow In The Garden, the band found themselves at a crossroads, trimming down from a trio to a razor-sharp duo.
If you thought losing a member would mean thinning out their sound, think again. This is easily the heaviest, punchiest, and most theatrical record Leah Wellbaum and Will Gorin have ever put to tape.
The band have been calling this record "dystopian theatre rock," and for once, a band-coined tag actually fits the bill. The whole record plays out like a stage show confronting the numbness of modern life, the screen addiction, late-capitalist burnout, and the general feeling that society is slowly rotting from the inside out. But rather than sounding like a dry political lecture, Wellbaum wraps those heavy themes in eccentric metaphors, big riffs, and massive, addictive hooks.
The album opens with Dissolve The Delusion, setting the stage with a solitary, sombre piano piece. It’s an understated, patient intro with no vocals at all, forcing you to slow down and dial into their frequency before the heavy artillery arrives.
That restraint immediately shatters when Burn The Deck kicks in with a driving tempo, thick guitar fuzz, and a cynical, sharp-eyed look at the institutions designed to keep us pacified.
One of the standout moments on the record is Ring The Bell. Built around an infectious, twisting guitar riff, it moves like a rollercoaster, dropping into quiet, tension-filled verses before surging into a massive, explosive chorus.
One of the standout moments on the record is Ring The Bell. Built around an infectious, twisting guitar riff, it moves like a rollercoaster, dropping into quiet, tension-filled verses before surging into a massive, explosive chorus.
Lines about "dead doom dopamine" and cutting puppet strings hit with genuine bite, proving that Wellbaum's lyrical wit has only sharpened with age. Gorin’s drumming is relentless throughout, locking the rhythm down with the kind of kinetic force that makes you forget there are only two people in the room.
Elsewhere, the record leans into its stranger narrative impulses. On the lead single Hearst Castle, they frame wealth, isolation, and voyeurism through the lens of Patty Hearst and coastal elephant seals.
Elsewhere, the record leans into its stranger narrative impulses. On the lead single Hearst Castle, they frame wealth, isolation, and voyeurism through the lens of Patty Hearst and coastal elephant seals.
It sounds completely bizarre on paper, but on record, it works like a charm thanks to a towering, arena-ready chorus. Meanwhile, 00101001 dives straight into digital dread with glitched, punchy urgency, and Twisted Paradise pulls back the curtain on their strange, dream-logic sensibilities.
By the time the sprawling, brooding closer Dystopian Cemetery wraps things up, you realize the duo has pulled off a serious balancing act.
By the time the sprawling, brooding closer Dystopian Cemetery wraps things up, you realize the duo has pulled off a serious balancing act.
They've crafted an ambitious concept album that manages to confront modern anxiety head-on while keeping the music fun, unpredictable, and gloriously loud. What They Grow In The Garden is proof that leaning into your weirdest instincts can pay off in spades. 8/10
Terra Black - Mirage (Bonebag Records) [Rich Piva]
Gothenburg, Sweden psych doom is on the menu in the form of Mirage, the new record from Terra Black. Per the Bandcamp description, this record is “Steeped in ancient mystery and crushing atmosphere…”. I can get behind that, especially if it is as good as their earlier work.
Well, no worries there, because Mirage is better than anything this band has done. The opener alone, The Gathering, lives up to that brief description above (and the very long one on their Bandcamp page). Chunky, big riffs, siren song vocals, heavy psych elements, this one is straight up fire (occult fire? Is that a thing? Ritual fire?, I don’t know, but it sure is hot).
Terra Black - Mirage (Bonebag Records) [Rich Piva]
Gothenburg, Sweden psych doom is on the menu in the form of Mirage, the new record from Terra Black. Per the Bandcamp description, this record is “Steeped in ancient mystery and crushing atmosphere…”. I can get behind that, especially if it is as good as their earlier work.
Well, no worries there, because Mirage is better than anything this band has done. The opener alone, The Gathering, lives up to that brief description above (and the very long one on their Bandcamp page). Chunky, big riffs, siren song vocals, heavy psych elements, this one is straight up fire (occult fire? Is that a thing? Ritual fire?, I don’t know, but it sure is hot).
Guayota continues this dark path, with a slow doom vibe but all sorts of middle-of-an-ancient-forest atmosphere to go along with it, which lead vocalist Ezgi provides her beautifully sung incantations with. Pareidolia is the beginning of the black mass, with some mind-bending guitar and a build to something beautifully evil. Slow and heavy with that voice is such a great combination.
I really like Maze, which picks up the pace with a nice gallop and more big riffing, this time with layered vocals that points this song more in the proto/occult side of the darkness than anything else, and whoa boy am I here for it. This one is probably my favorite on the record. Mirage speeds up (a tad) only to really slow down with In Stone, highlighted by some male/female harmonized vocals and some kills atmospheric doom when it really kicks in. Another killer track.
I think the next one is even slower, as Ruins crawls along the forest floor but is anything but more of the same. The most atmospheric psych you get is from the closer, In Stars, which is like evil bluesy occult shoegaze that is just great. While I love the record as a whole, it is a bit long for this style, and a song like Thorn may have done well to be shortened, but I am nitpicking because this record is great.
Atmospheric occult psych doom with amazing vocals and excellent production. What more does one want? Terra Black brings it with Mirage, and a very worthy contender for your end of year lists. 8/10
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