CD

Finally, one of the most melancholic and intriguing albums of the Finnish '90s scene is available again on CD !

Languid sensations of searing nostalgia pierce the hearts of lost souls, drifting among the blurred glimmers of impalpable horizons. Dead leaves sink into the muddy paths of wooded lands, distant and forever forgotten. Like tears of radiant melancholy, silent tributaries flow into the river of betrayed passion, of emotions burning in the crackling hearth that illuminates the darkest nights.

If lament has a meaning, it explodes in an orgasm of sounds, echoes faded by a love sadly lost. A love clung to with the fragile strength of nails broken by the most lacerating anguish, screaming despair to the winds of silence, to the currents of abandonment. And no one listens, because among the branches of oblivion, the goddess of pain bestows eternal torment, an irrevocable exile to the lands of unhappiness, where the roars of deformed ogres erase the memory of sweet feminine choirs. There are few words left to describe the dazzling splendor of this work, tormented by the solemn progression of slow notes drowning in the deepest dismay. Ivory keys embrace the delicate six-string, at times "electrically" agitated, at times soft and acoustic; Gregorian chants virtuously duet with the seductive femininity of a weeping maiden, while drowsy rhythms lazily support the eleven hymns to decadence presented here.

Classical music infused with virtuosic pianos, dreamy synths, and guitar echoes suspended between the darkest doom and Floydian solos give birth to a unique monolithic blend where melody reigns supreme. No space for metallic accelerations, no sign of life in the motionless drumming—only a bleak sense of burning defeat emphasized by the slowness of tracks that celebrate the funeral of hope. This, without the need for screams or shrieks, using harmonies of torturous sweetness that push the listener to the limits of sonic endurance, generating a chant of pure and profound gothic essence.

A well-deserved tribute goes to the individual, talented musicians, particularly to the penetrating Gregorian voice of Jukka Vuorinen (skilled in weaving highly emotional riffing) and to the crystalline warbles of guest Sini Koivuniemi, capable of conveying both delicate and tempestuous emotions. For an hour, surrender to the desolate caresses of this dark oblivion.

Emptiness you will all sink in.

Spanish blackened death metal quartet Akouphenom is about to release their new EP, Connections To The Erebus, through Avantgarde Music’s death metal division, Unorthodox Emanations. This release marks a significant addition to the band's discography, following their 2023 debut album, Death·Chaos·Void. Formed in 2014 in A Coruña, Spain, Akouphenom is known for their fusion of blackened death metal with elements of doom and noise, aiming to reflect absolute evil in their creations

Marking 35 years of Sigh, a 2025 fully re-recorded edition of the band’s classic 2007 opus, Hangman’s Hymn (the band’s first concept album).

The resulting work is by far the fiercest, most brutal, and most symphonic Sigh album to date.

Blackened Thrash meets Classical music.

SHINING announces a new EP that will include unreleased tracks (both original and cover-songs) with B-sides recorded during their last studio-session. Revering tradition, long-time producer Andy La Rocque have again mixed, mastered and produced, while French painter Maxime Taccardi have also once more contributed with artwork.

DIVIDED YOU’LL STAND AND UNITED YOU’LL FALL marks the end of what at first seemed like a promising era for the band, but one that also ended abruptly. Founder and sole remaining original member Niklas Kvarforth comments: “We are releasing these songs so that we can get the last three years out of our systems, which is a necessity for us to have fully dealt with before its time to record our next album”.