This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Big|Brave, The Chronicles Of Manimal And Samara, Defiled, Fires In The Distance, Fleshcrawl, Genghis Tron, Goetia, Joseph Tholl, Khemmis, Lockhart, Make, Nuclear Tomb, Scatter, Stormkeep and Tarja.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Big|Brave – In Grief Or In Hope (Thrill Jockey)
Canadian experimentalists Big|Brave took a different approach to the composition of their latest album In Grief Or In Hope. Touring bassist Liam Andrews joined the group in the studio for the first time. Ten albums in, the band continues to push boundaries and explore new directions.
This time around, guitars are more prominent, adding heft to the atmospheric drone and affected vocals. The album gets off to a deliberate start with its longest track, the 7-plus minute “What May Be The Kindest Way To Leave.” The pace throughout the record is slow, with avant-garde songs like “Verdure” contrasting with mellower and more straightforward numbers such as “Skin Ripper.” Like all Big|Brave records, In Grief Or In Hope challenges the listener, with patience required to fully absorb their creativity.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
The Chronicles Of Manimal And Samara – Misantropi (Self)
The London progressive duo The Chronicles Of Manimal And Samara, consisting of Daphne Ang and Andrea Papi, are issuing their fourth studio album Misantropi. It’s the follow-up to 2024’s Origins.
Their use of poetry and classic heavy metal riffs produce a mixed bag of results. Tracks like “Inside” manage to make it feel natural and a part of the song. Contrasted with tracks like “Girotondo” it feels jarring and almost takes away from the song. The duo describe Misantropi as being “human made,” and in an era of music that is ever threatened by A.I it certainly does feel like this was human made.
Rating: 3
(Dalton Husher)
Defiled – Altered State (Season Of Mist
The Japanese death metal band Defiled have been around since the early ’90s, and releasing albums for more than a quarter century. Their ninth full-length is Altered State, featuring a lineup that’s been in place since 2019, with guitarist Yakuke Sumita the lone original member.
While there are plenty of old school influences, Defiled continue to move forward. They write dynamic songs, speeding up and slowing down with changes in intensity. They smoothly shift from dense, thrashy parts to more deliberate, groovy sections and even some progressive moments. Their musicianship is technical and impressive without neglecting catchy riffs. That makes Altered State a varied and compelling dose of death metal.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise (Prosthetic)
A shakeup in the lineup for Fires In The Distance doesn’t rattle the group on Circadian Promise. Brendan Hayter (Obsidian Tongue/Thrawsunblat) takes over for former vocalist/guitarist Kristian Grimaldi with an immediate impression. Hayter introduces singing for the first time in the group’s career, a move that solidifies the album’s substantial emotional weight.
This weight is reinforced by lush keyboards and orchestral flourishes, fitting in without making the music overwrought. A listener aware of Fires In The Distance’s last two albums, Echoes From Deep November and Air Not Meant For Us, will find Circadian Promise to be an excellent continuation of their well-rounded melodic doom/death metal.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Fleshcrawl – Epitome Of Carnage (Distortion)
Like Defiled, reviewed above, Fleshcrawl are a death metal band dating back to the early ’90s. The Germans were prolific in their early days, but the pace of releases has slowed dramatically. There was a dozen year span between Structures Of Death and 2019’s Into The Catacombs Of Flesh. Another seven years has elapsed between that one and their newest album, Epitome Of Carnage.
It’s an apt title, with songs that are crushing, whether they are deliberate like “Chapel Of Guts” or uptempo such as “Reign Forever.” The intensity rarely wanes, with the interlude “Chronicles Of Bloodshed” a brief respite before the barrage resumes. Epitome Of Carnage doesn’t break much new ground, but Fleshcrawl’s execution is on point, making for an album that old school death metal fans can appreciate.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Genghis Tron – Signal Fire (Relapse)
For their fourth album Signal Fire, Genghis Tron bring back the electronics that get mixed with metal and hardcore elements. Opener “I Am All” is a danceable synth-driven salvo that could well be a mid ‘80s styled drum machine, new wave track before devolving into a sludge-like ending, all while the vocals continue to be transcendent and otherworldly, then become shouted and painful as the song ends.
While the title track and “Nothing Blooms In The Hollow” are more straightforward in the Genghis Tron electronic/metal hybrid, “Future Worship” has its wobbly synths, acting as the foundation for Tony Wolski’s ethereal delivery while the guitar lines still feel as though they were written at the tail end of the aughts. Genghis Tron prove they still have something unique going for them, whether that be dreamy soundscapes, new wave drum machines, rocking guitar sections or even shouted vocals, they seem to meld this all together very well. This new album may not be the genre breaking album that Board Up The House was, but it is seemingly more aggressive than Dream Weapon. Signal Fire has Genghis Tron sounding more like a “real band” than ever before.
Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)
Goetia – Mortuary Cult (Carbonized)
A cemetery hides forgotten stories lost to the dirt, so Goetia dig up a few of them for their debut album, Mortuary Cult. Following a trio of EPs released in consecutive years between 2023 and 2025, this record fortifies the band’s uncaged death metal. It takes a minute of noise in opening instrumental “At Eternity’s Gate” to get to the good bits, but “Lanterns Of The Dead” makes the wait worth it with its unhinged guitar solos.
Along the way through these 10 songs, they desecrate hollowed grounds in pursuit of tortured souls. From the grindy “Posthumous Execution” to the calculated tempos in the first half of “Corpse Candle,” Goetia can handle all angles of death metal. Mortuary Cult spills the secrets of the dead with an emphasis on the gruesome details.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Joseph Tholl – It Might Be Art (High Roller)
There’s something refreshingly unguarded about Joseph Tholl‘s second solo album It Might Be Art. The Swedish multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Enforcer along with being the current Tribulation guitarist has spent the six years since his debut Devil’s Drum juggling new band commitments, prolific side project work, along with fatherhood, and all of that lived experience seeps directly into this record. The result is his most emotionally ambitious statement yet. Most of the writing came together in early 2025, though closer “The Burial” dates all the way back to 2019, and that patience shows as these songs feel genuinely lived with rather than rushed.
Tholl handles nearly all the instrumentation himself, with a tight circle of guests from Tribulation, Tyrann, and beyond adding texture without crowding the arrangements. Opener “New Dawn” sets the tone immediately with big melodic choruses and emotional directness, while “Invocation Of The Evening Star” builds atmosphere without losing momentum. The title track places keyboards front and center in a way no other song on the record does, and “I’m In A Darkness” delivers some of the album’s heaviest emotional weight. It Might Be Art is melodic rock made with real honesty, true craftsmanship and every track earns its place.
Rating: 4
(Jeanetta Briski)
Khemmis – Khemmis (Nuclear Blast)
Khemmis deliver a bombastic yet emotionally charged self-titled album that balances heavy riffs with melodic depth. While not particularly slow by doom standards, the music incorporates elements of classic heavy metal alongside the band’s characteristic dense distortion and melancholic atmosphere. The songwriting is consistent throughout, offering memorable moments that blend power with restraint.
The album follows a familiar formula with limited stylistic variation, and the band’s previous high standards invite inevitable comparisons to earlier releases. Nevertheless, the material remains engaging from start to end, making it accessible to both longtime followers and new listeners. Khemmis serves as a solid entry point for those unfamiliar with the band’s catalog.
Rating: 4
(Carlos Tirado)
Lockhart – City Pulse (High Roller)
Canada’s Lockhart waste no time announcing themselves on their debut full-length City Pulse. The trio of Devon Kerr (vocals, guitars, synthesizers, grand piano), Jason Junop (bass, vocals) and Fabio Alessandrini (drums, percussion and a veteran of Bonfire, Enforcer as well as Annihilator) have crafted something that punches well above its weight, sounding far grander and more expansive than three people have any right to.
Rooted in the golden era of American arena rock: Journey, Boston, Toto, and Foreigner but drawing equally on choral music, Brian Wilson-style harmonics and the ghost of fifties doo-wop, City Pulse is richer and more layered than its AOR tag might suggest. From the cinematic opener “City Pulse” and the swagger of “Can’t Shake It” through the brooding darkness of “The Dose That Made You Poison,” the anthemic “Together as None” and “Under Fire”, the breezy “Just Can’t Wait”, the electric “You Wouldn’t Know Love,” the reflective “Before The Fall” and the rousing closer “No Chance in Heaven” there is not a weak moment to be found. Nine tracks, zero filler and a remarkable debut.
Rating: 3
(Jeanetta Briski)
Make – Exegesis At The End Of Time (Accident Prone)
A decade between albums has not shaken Make’s foundational sludge metal on their fourth album, Exegesis At The End Of Time. After a fruitful few years in the early 2010s, the band went silent after 2016’s Pilgrimage Of Loathing until now. Their enlightened atmospheric ways have remained, even with new musicians alongside original members Scott Endres and Spencer Lee.
The 11-minute “The End Of The Night” doesn’t get explosive until its final third, as Make are content to not go anywhere too quickly. This attitude is expressed again on closer “The Augur,” spending half of its eight minutes in an unhurried state. When those riffs get heavy though, they have a seismic effect that is evidence of how Make’s time away has only strengthened their music.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Nuclear Tomb – Epoch Inhumane (Rotted Life)
Baltimore’s Nuclear Tomb plumb the depths of progressive thrash but don’t mind getting dirty while exploring some death metal on sophomore album Epoch Inhumane. “Falling Out of the World of Lies” draws comparisons to Voivod on the thrash side, but also can sound like classic era Pestilence. When all is going right, that center section of that Venn diagram is doing some heavy lifting. “Broken Promise, Barren Essence” has some wonderful soloing, giving a heavy metal edge to this dense record.
Pure thrashing madness gives life to “Lifeless Transformation” and “Butcher’s Lament” feels like a heavier version of what progressive thrash sounded like a the end of the ‘80s. Nuclear Tomb have made their mark here with a combination of styles coming out of it as a truly blended entity. Epoch Inhumane, while a technically sound record, is as accessible as possible to the extreme ear.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Scatter – Tech Hell Cyber Thrash (Self)
The sound of dial-up Internet firing up begins Scatter’s Tech Hell Cyber Thrash, a throwback to the days when AOL were the kings of cyberspace. It’s a tone that generates both dread and nostalgia for anyone over the age of 40, and this Texas trio embraces the Wild West of the ‘90s digital era. Spies and criminals hide behind computer code, the 0s and 1s leading this EP into unsavory corners of the World Wide Web.
As the EP’s name suggests, this is thrash metal set in a technical hellscape. Bits of speed metal and death metal are installed into the music as well, punctuating the reckless nature. There are some great guitar harmonies going on during “Punching Deck” and “404” that act as proper throwback energy. Tech Hell Cyber Thrash is a breakneck cybernetic trip.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Stormkeep – The Nocturnes Of Iswylm (Vesperian)
The Nocturnes Of Iswylm is the second proper foray for Denver’s Stormkeep, who aim to bring more symphonic black metal grandeur with seven new tracks. Opener “The Taste Of Immortal Blood” gallops along at a tremendous pace while the medieval atmosphere continues to build with the track progressing as the synths take the listener to the edge of a cliff overlooking a dominion of some kind. The guitars sprinkle in excellent melody and the drumming is purely an aural onslaught.
“Imperious Sanguine Eroticism” is a slow starter, yet the synths keep it interesting with some guitar harmonics helping it move along like a transitional track from Sigh’s Imaginary Sonicscape before things get real again. Ending with the epic “Ball of a Fallen Star” which has humble beginnings; slowly strummed guitars create an atmosphere that is sullen but surrounded by the buzz that normally accompanies an orchestra warming up as all the intricate sections of the song ready their attack at the same time, resulting in a fully formed Stormkeep upon its end. The Nocturnes Of Iswylm is the next step in the evolution of symphonic black metal.
Rating: 4.5
(Tom Campagna)
Tarja – Frisson Noir (earMUSIC)
Tarja Turunen exited Nightwish a couple of decades ago, but the Finnish soprano has curated a successful solo career spanning symphonic metal, classical and Christmas music. Frisson Noir is her latest excursion into the heavier end of the spectrum. On her latest endeavor, Turunen’s multi-octave range understandably impresses; her vocal talents are really beyond reproach. That said, at times she’s needed to exhibit more charisma within the hard rock format, which is apparent again.
There’s also some uneven songwriting and a few forgettable riffs. That’s not to suggest the overall results are without merit as the heavy guitars slot alongside the strings and pianos. The title track and “The Trace Outlives” deploy memorable hooks, while 10-minute “At Sea” is appropriately dramatic. Turunen also delves into her contacts list for high-profile collaborations. Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith appears, although Cradle of Filth’s Dani Filth adds little of note to “I Don’t Care.” The pick of the bunch is “Leap of Faith” with Turunen and former Nightwish cohort Marko Hietala trading vocals with a tangible chemistry. Frisson Noir doesn’t always hit the mark, but boasts some of Turunen’s heaviest solo material yet.
Rating: 3.5
(Brendan Crabb)
