This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Anfauglir, Heaven Shall Burn, Lenax, Lord Belial, Margantha, Niklas Sonne, Noumenia, Putridity, Ready For Death, Sodom and Venom.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Anfauglir – Akallabêth (Debemur Morti)
The American symphonic black metal duo Anfauglir issued their debut album in 2008 and broke up a couple years later. After a 14-year span, Griss and Lord Bauglir resumed their Tolkien-inspired collaboration for Akallabêth.
It’s a concept album based on Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. They approached the writing like a classic symphony instead of a traditional black metal song. The four songs are lengthy, with two clocking in at over 20 minutes, and album stretches past 70. There are plenty of ebbs and flows in tempo and intensity, ranging from quiet piano to fierce black metal to symphonic bombast. While there are some lulls, Anfauglir are able to maintain interest throughout, with Akallabêth an intricate and varied symphonic black metal experience.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Heaven Shall Burn – Heimat (Century Media)
After reaching number one on the German album charts with their previous release Of Truth And Sacrifice, melodic death metallers Heaven Shall Burn took the past five years to cook up their latest release Heimat.
For starters, “Ad Arma” is the best way to open a metal album, the hauntingly beautiful orchestral tone followed by a fade into the following track “War Is The Father of All” helps set the stage for the rest of the high energy the album has. Marcus Bischoff’s powerhouse vocals paired with the riffs of Maik Weichert make this album feel like a mix of Devin Townsend Project and Gojira blended together to make their own sound. Much like the first track was a somber way to start the album, the last track “Inter Arma” complements it by drawing the album to a nice close.
Rating: 4
(Dalton Husher)
Lenax – Infection (Self)
Lenax’s black metal on Infection could’ve been uncovered from an underground cave at the base of a snowy mountain. Instead, the group hails from Nashville, Tennessee, a pivotal spot for country music. There’s nothing twangy about their debut album, which leaves a chill behind with every raspy word spinning with anti-religious turmoil. Lengthy melodic guitar solos angle their way into every song.
“We Are Legion” has a chorus more fit for a stadium rock act, which is not the typical modus operandi for black metal. Neither is the prevalent bass guitar on instrumental “Overdrive,” capped off by a bass solo that goes nearly a minute. Lenax bring grim energy to the home of Grand Ole Opry with Infection.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Lord Belial – Unholy Trinity (Hammerheart)
After a nearly 15-year span between albums, Swedish black metal legends Lord Belial made a triumphant return in 2022 with Rapture. They try to keep the momentum going with Unholy Trinity, their tenth full-length, once again working with producer Andy LaRocque (King Diamond, Death).
The trio’s penchant for writing songs that are brutal and extreme, but also injected with melodies, is fully intact. Crushing riffs and furious blastbeats give way to catchy moments on tracks like the epic “Glory To Darkness” and more streamlined “Blasphemy.” “Serpent’s Feast” bring a symphonic approach, while “Scornful Vengeance” amps up the intensity. Unholy Trinity showcases Lord Belial’s ability to write songs that are not just dynamic, but that are also memorable.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
Margantha – Blood Moon Sacrifice (Rockshots)
In the span of the 20 minutes within Margantha’s Blood Moon Sacrifice, a man is bitten by a werewolf, is cursed to become one himself and goes on a bloody rampage. There’s a lot going on, yet the mysterious trio (known only by the names Nocturnus I, Nocturnus II and Nocturnus III) have their storytelling down pat.
The theatrics of King Diamond are crossed with the amped-up hostility of black metal. The former comes into play with well-renowned producer/guitarist Andy LaRocque, who has his hands all over Blood Moon Sacrifice, mixing and mastering the release and providing a guitar solo to “Miriam And The Endless Night.” This is a solid debut EP for Margantha, though the seven minutes “Curse Of The Full Moon” embarks on is too far of a stretch for them.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Niklas Sonne – Electric Dreams (Frontiers)
Danish multi-instrumentalist Niklas Sonne is a current of past member of numerous bands such as Defecto, Aries Descendant, Evil Masquerade, Wasted and Section A. Electric Dreams is his second solo effort, with Sonne also handling the production duties.
It’s a hard rock/traditional metal album exploring some different styles. “Route 65” is a smooth, melodic track, while “Shadows In Between” is beefier and edgier. “Epic Song” is one of the record’s catchiest numbers, while “Helldivers Anthem” amps up the heaviness and the tempo. Sonne injects plenty of guitar solos into his songwriting, and even wraps up the album with the shreddy instrumental “Overload.” Electric Dreams is a well-rounded album that showcases Sonne’s many talents.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Noumenia – Echoes (Eclipse)
Following the trend of recent years, Noumenia comes with a serious dose of nu-metal and post-groove metal that will make you think of the old days of the style, but with a few twists and turns that shows Echoes is trying to do more than just copying the famous formula. There are dense riffs, catchy choruses and electronic experimentation, but with less commercial appeal than many other projects in the subgenre.
That’s actually something positive that gives Noumenia its own voice, but you still can expect all the common tropes that you love or hate in nu-metal. In that sense, this album isn’t going to convert any new believers. So, keep your expectations realistic.
Rating: 3
(Carlos Tirado)
Putridity – Morbid Ataraxia (Willowtip)
It has been a decade since the Italian brutal death metal band Putridity issued a full-length album, though there was the Greed Gory Gluttony EP in 2023. They mark their 20th anniversary as a band with their fourth full-length Morbid Ataraxia.
Guitarist Putrid Ciccio is the band’s lone remaining original member, with three people joining in 2022. Even with the new blood, Putridity retain their classic brutal death style. The songs are dense and intense and generally moving at a brisk pace. They write tracks that are focused and straightforward and generally relatively brief. Closer “Immersed In The Spell Of Death” goes against the grain, clocking in at over 12 minutes. It starts with their typical brutality, but eases into an ambient section before the intensity resumes. It’s the only respite in the nonstop pummeling Morbid Ataraxia delivers.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Ready For Death – Pay With Your Face (Translation Loss)
If a band like Ready For Death want some attention for their second album Pay With Your Face, having artist Ed Repka create the cover art is the way to go. Rats ripping the flesh off a cybernetic figure are given a vivid makeover, which encapsulates the group’s combative death/thrash metal. They deepen their sound by tampering down the berserker tempos of their self-titled debut album.
This is a mixed blessing, as while it gives us spirited anthems like “Utopia Of War,” only the title track and “Doomsday Everyday” really cut loose. Their relentless drive is such a striking turn that when they get away from it, it feels like a missed opportunity. Ready For Death didn’t want to just repeat their first record, but the unrelenting spark of that release is missed here.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Sodom – The Arsonist (Steamhammer)
Long time German thrashers Sodom awaken from a five year slumber to release their 17th album The Arsonist, which aims to keep their furious flame lit for another foray into battle. On “Battle of Harvest Moon” the band is able to dig deep on their long-established dark sound, one that hearkens back to Persecution Mania and Agent Orange. Tom Angelripper sounds as vile as ever and Frank Blackfire’s riffs are part of the Sodom experience, making for even more memorable madness.
“The Spirits That I Called” has a fun opening bit almost as if you were awakened on a battlefield, bloodied. You get up, vision blurry readying yourself for the next volley. “Witchhunter” has a tremendous solo as do the duo of armament themed songs “Trigger Discipline” and “Gun Without Groom.” Ample riffs are the expectation with Sodom and you’ll have more than your fill here. With The Arsonist, Sodom have arguably released their best album since 2001’s M-16, which is high praise considering where fans view that album. Over 40 years into their storied career, Sodom still slaughter.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Venom – Blackened Priests (Dissonance)
Venom have been one of metal’s most influential bands, with countless musicians taking inspiration from their music, especially their early albums Welcome To Hell and Black Metal. The band’s classic lineup split in 1986, with Cronos being replaced by Tony “The Demolition Man” Dolan. The three-album collection Blackened Priests showcases the Dolan era.
There the 1989 album Prime Evil, with bonus tracks from the 1990 EP Tear Your Soul Apart. Disc two is 1991’s Temples Of Ice, with 1992’s The Waste Lands rounding out the compilation. Prime Evil is the strongest of the Dolan-era albums, but the other two have their merits as well. Dolan’s Venom Inc. has kept his era of the band alive along with issuing a couple of albums of new material. For those who want to revisit that time period of Venom’s catalog, Blackened Priests fits the bill nicely.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
