This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Amber Asylum, Avulsed, The Baptized, Christian Mistress, Cryptosis, Dawn Of Ouroboros, Destruction, Edge Of Paradise, Frogg, Grey Mountain, Maltuka, Raging Speedhorn, This Gift Is A Curse, Whitechapel and The Wildhearts.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Amber Asylum – Ruby Red (Prophecy)
Apart from its underground spirit, Ruby Red is far detached from metal. Of course that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The album contains seven neoclassical dark ambient compositions with no guitars but with cellos, violins and violas (amongst other acoustic instruments). Furthermore, Amber Asylum seem to have a minimalist approach to music where with each track a few notes are stretched over a few minutes and wrought for all their emotional intensity.
For example, “Secrets” is an instrumental with a spooky intro that builds up to a pulsating rhythm and them slips into a hypnotic mood before slightly picking up pace. With its haunting vocals, “Azure” feels like the soundtrack of a dark horror film. I have to say, I did enjoy this album but it lies within quite a small niche, where there are also bands such as Virgin Black, Autumn Tears, Tryst Arcane, Darkher and Ataraxia. If those names mean anything to you then grab a copy of Ruby Red without delay.
Rating: 4
(Chris Galea)
Avulsed – Phoenix Cryptobiosis (Xtreem)
The legendary Spanish death metal band Avulsed have been around since the early ’90s. It has been more than a decade since their last full-length of original material, and they’ve had an almost complete lineup turnover since Ritual Zombi. Vocalist Dave Rotten is the lone remaining member from that release to appear on their new album Phoenix Cryptobiosis.
Even with all the new members, Avulsed’s style remains true to their origins. They blend crushingly heavy riffs with moments of melody and catchiness, topped with Rotten’s potent growls. They change things up enough to avoid monotony, with tracks like “Blood Monolith” and “Dismembered” moving at a rapid pace, while songs such as the title track a bit more deliberate. The return of Avulsed is a welcome one, with Phoenix Cryptobiosis picking right up where they left off.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
The Baptized – Exilion (Atypeek)
Not many bands can claim to be a family business, and newly formed French rockers The Baptized can do just that with their debut album Exilion. A passion project blends the best elements of psychedelic rock, stoner rock and a dash of post-punk all together to form this unique sound.
The album feels like an auditory equivalent of a Rorchach test all while managing to craft a narrative in the background. From the retro sci-fi feel of “Jerry’s Escape” to the more traditional hard rock feeling of “La Malterie,” each track provides a unique feeling and atmosphere. The Baptized are definitely on the right path in terms of debut albums, should they continue this energy it would add a nice twist into the scene.
Rating: 4
(Dalton Husher)
Christian Mistress – Children Of The Earth (Cruz Del Sur)
With their first album in ten years, Christian Mistress pick up right where they left off on Children Of The Earth. Powerful frontwoman Christine Davis’s husky vocals help add an edge to the heavy guitar arrangements on “City Of Gold”. The song ebbs and flows in a rocking manner with plenty of flash and flourish giving layers to this opener, setting the stage for what is yet to come. “Demon’s Night” chugs along while the guitar lines bounce in and out of the forefront as Davis continues to bellow beautifully, helping to lift this song up higher and higher.
“Lake of Memory” showcases more melody and dark arrangements as it sinks deeper and deeper in the musical abyss. This allows for the band to continue to soar at what they do; rocking tunes with ample subtlety. They do so without having to give into Satanic heavy metal tropes; Christian Mistress explore the dark side of life. Children Of The Earth is as solid as it gets for hard rock/heavy metal.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Cryptosis – Celestial Death (Century Media)
With Celestial Death, Cryptosis aren’t looking to repeat their debut album, Bionic Swarm. 2023’s The Silent Call EP proved they were growing out of the parameters they originally set up. Celestial Death lives up to their more progressive inclinations, with a noted increase in synths/mellotron from bassist Frank te Riet.
There’s always been a sci-fi slant to their music, but it’s even more pronounced on this album. The cinematic bent of “Coda – Wander Into The Light” and “Absent Presence” gives extra importance to Celestial Death, elevating it to the status of a real gem and already an easy contender for sleeper hit of 2025.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Dawn Of Ouroboros – Bioluminescence (Prosthetic)
Dawn Of Ouroboros continue to look into the depths of the ample oceans for inspiration on their third album, Bioluminescence. What they find down there is a world with streaks of color amidst the frothy waves. Their persistent black metal is given a jazzy swing on “Slipping Burgundy” and “Mournful Ambience,” the latter of which is a showcase for bassist Ian Baker’s quaint piano work and vocalist Chelsea Murphy’s phenomenal range.
Dawn Of Ouroboros manage to be assertive while still being inviting, not ashamed to indulge in melodic versatility. This is still black metal at its core, so a level of comfort with the genre is needed to fully engage in an album like Bioluminescence. The group have never sat comfortably in one place tonally, which gives this record a sense of danger that isn’t self-destructive.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Destruction – Birth Of Malice (Napalm)
Birth Of Malice marks the 18th album from seminal Teutonic thrashers Destruction, their first in three years that continues their consistent and long 40-plus year career. Amazingly it took this long to come up with a self-titled track complete with trademark Schmier screams and a blizzard of riffs; exactly what you would want from these Deutsch destroyers. Martin Furia and Damir Eskic are an insane guitar section that is properly buoyed by drummer Randy Black and Schmier allowing this crushing quartet to add variety to this well-oiled sound.
“No Kings – No Masters” is a proper protest song about abuse of power and hatred, something felt strongly in 2025. It’s a song that pushes old school punk ethos with thrashing intensity. Things slow down a bit on “A.N.G.S.T.,” making for a more fist-pumping friendly track that always seems to feel uniquely European, chugging along to digits clenched tightly in the air, before giving way to speedier sections about halfway through. Birth Of Malice shows that Destruction’s onslaught is nowhere near its conclusion.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Edge Of Paradise – Prophecy (Napalm)
L.A. hard rockers Edge Of Paradise having been doing their thing for nearly 15 years now. For their sixth studio album Prophecy they have signed with Napalm Records. The album’s lyrics explore the standoff between the human spirit and artificial intelligence.
The songs are modern sounding and accessible, with the use of 8-string guitar adding even more depth and heaviness. There are some industrial moments on “Prophecy Unbound,” while they slow down the pace on “Sad Life Of A Rose.” There are plenty of potential singles such as “Rogue (Aim For The Kill)” and “Death Note.” This could be Margarita Monet’s strongest vocal performance to-date, shifting seamlessly from quiet crooning to belting it out. She displays both power and emotion throughout the album. Prophecy is streamlined, with minimal filler and maximum hooks.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Frogg – Eclipse (Self)
“Omni Trigger,” the closer to Frogg’s Eclipse, pictures the collapse of a galaxy with four minutes of demanding technical death metal. The rest of their debut album could’ve been about the same topic with how tumultuous the record gets. Frogg are capable of much more though, using world instruments on “Sun Stealer” and bringing in session keyboardist Emma Rae to sing a few verses on “Wake Up” along with snappy piano on “Walpurgisnacht.”
There’s a progressive/fusion slant to the guitars, prevalent within the daunting lead work. Though their name and cover art of a frog ruling over planet Earth may be the catalyst to getting noticed, Frogg have the instrumental chops to find a dominant place in this style of music.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Grey Mountain – Grey Mountain (Eat Lead And Die)
Grey Mountain are a new project featuring members of Black Harvest, Monsterworks and Bull Elephant, and their self-titled debut album is a multifaceted take on death/doom metal. They aren’t as grim as expected, functioning in a state of euphoric release at times. Though there’s the usual assortment of growls and pushy rhythms, the lead guitars can appear to levitate into a psychedelic state.
The band knows how to end a song well, each having something different going on. It could be a trace amount of piano and acoustic guitars, or wailing on their instruments until they seem ready to fall apart. Grey Mountain have immense possibilities ahead judging by their encouraging first record.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Maltuka – Black Rite (High Roller)
Maltuka render themselves from the ashes of Norwegian thrash metal band Psykopath, which released a few EPs between 2018 and 2020. Two members of that group, vocalist/guitarist Viljar Brunvoll and drummer Mats Hovden, return with a revamped lineup and an EP in Black Rite that sticks close to the previous band’s worship of the big names from 1980’s thrash. It’s not hard to hear their admiration for Slayer or Megadeth in these nuclear riffs and rattling feedback.
Skipping past the pointless intro track “Judgement,” is best to quickly jump into a time warp for all thrash fans. The six-and-a-half minute title track closes the EP out with their most expansive performance yet, with bassist Johannes Gade Glesner getting his own solo sections. It’s the first indication that Maltuka have more to them than prototypical thrash tunes.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Raging Speedhorn – Night Wolf (Spinefarm)
On their seventh album Night Wolf, veteran UK metallers Raging Speedhorn have a new guitarist, Daf Williams. Vocalist Dan Cook also was fully integrated in the writing process for the first time. As with their last few albums, it was produced by Russ Russell (Napalm Death, At The Gates, Memoriam).
There’s plenty of sludge with catchy riffs on songs like “Buzz Killa” and “Every Night’s Alright For Fighting,” while they ease back into the groove on tracks such as “The Blood Code.” The heavy guitars are augmented by piano on the catchy “Comin’ In Hard.” Having co-vocalists (Cook and Frank Regan) adds contrast and variety. Night Wolf flies by in just over half an hour, checking all the boxes Raging Speedhorn fans expect and continuing their long legacy of quality albums.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
This Gift Is A Curse – Heir (Season Of Mist)
As time has passed, Swedish extremists This Gift Is A Curse have taken more time between each album. There was a three-year span between I, Gvilt Bearer and All Hail The Swinelord, four years between that and A Throne Of Ash, and a nearly six-year wait for Heir. As on previous releases, there’s a lot of variety and shifting between genres.
The extremity of black metal, the grooves of sludge and the chaos of hardcore are all present. The ample song lengths give TGIAC plenty of time for twists and turns, with four songs exceeding the 8-minute mark. Tracks like “Kingdom” begin the extremity right out of the box, while songs such as “No Sun, Nor Moon” take a little longer for the brutality to be displayed. “Death Maker” is one of the album’s most compact tracks, and also one of its most intense. Constantly shifting tempos, intensities and styles make for an interesting album, and This Gift Is A Curse’s have the ability to make these disparate approaches gel nicely on Heir.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Whitechapel – Hymns In Dissonance (Century Media)
Whitechapel’s Hymns In Dissonance is a brutal, high-speed assault that stays true to the band’s roots while pushing their sound further into unrelenting heaviness. In a scene where many are slowing down, they opt for sheer aggression, delivering a sonic freight train of crushing riffs and vicious vocals. Fans of their earlier work will appreciate the intensity, though at times, it risks becoming overwhelming.
The vocals remain a standout, merging seamlessly with the pummeling instrumentation. However, the production’s relentless wall of sound can feel exhausting. While brief melodic moments offer relief, they are too sparse. A better balance of brutality and melody could have elevated the album beyond pure sonic punishment.
Rating: 3
(Carlos Tirado)
The Wildhearts – Satanic Rites Of The Wildhearts (Snakefarm)
It appears that as long as there’s Ginger, there will be Wildhearts. After the original lineup reunited for 2019’s stellar Renaissance Men, the volatile group promptly imploded after just one more killer record. Disillusioned by the experience, Ginger took a detour into Americana with Ginger and the Sinners, then assembled a new-look version of The Wildhearts. Satanic Rites Of The Wildhearts retains the group’s signature amalgamation of metal riffs, hardcore attitude, and power pop melodicism.
Nowhere is this sound better exemplified than the lead-off track. With an earworm chorus and crushing riffs, “Eventually” throbs like a mash-up of Cheap Trick, Metallica, and NOFX. “Scared Of Glass” continues in a similar vein, while injecting a mid-song disco breakdown and gospel-infused singalong on the outro. Simultaneously all over the place yet satisfyingly coherent, Ginger’s gang still hits the sweet spot for fans of both intense heaviness and memorable hooks.
Rating: 4
(Gino Sigismondi)
