This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Baratro, Black Sea Of Trees, Black Veil Brides, Electric Sun Defence, High Fade, Ingested, Kurt Deimer, The Quill, Rexoria, Sins Of Shadows, Teloch Vovin, Telomyras, Teramaze, Trip Villain, Voidthrone and Yoth Iria.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Baratro – No Comply (Supernatural Cat)
No Comply opens to the sounds of a cello on “Dawn,” making it clear that this record is more than the skater on the cover of this album. Baratro are the brainchild of Federico Hartridge (Council of Rats), Dave Curran (Unsane) and cellist Luca Antonozzi which makes for a noisy package that helps build chaotic atmosphere much like more artistic and experimental noise bands have done in the past. That’s evidenced by the first proper cut “Hold Fast.”
Unsane’s Vincent Signorelli provides additional percussion on “Not All There,” giving the track added complexity without sacrificing this album’s modus operandi. Oxbow frontman Eugene Robinson shows up during “120 on 280” with his unmistakable and soulful croon. There are elements on this song reminiscent of the intricacies of anything from The Jesus Lizard to Neurosis, allowing to experience this song and others in a different way each time you spin it. Baratro are a solid escape with tons of input from guest musicians and the band itself. No Comply is a varied beast.
Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)
Black Sea Of Trees – Cult Of The Sun (Self)
The Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten is given the concept album treatment thanks to Black Sea Of Trees and their sophomore effort, Cult Of The Sun. Akhenaten caused a ton of upheaval during his time in power, even going so far as to create his own religion centered around the sun itself. Though the sun can be a beacon of spirit and joy to many, the band dwell into the shadiness of Akhenaten’s reign.
Cult Of The Sun in general is a step up from their bloated The Spiritual Beast debut, trimming down their excessive aspects without simplifying their progressive metal. The record ends on a bleak, yet appropriate, note with the sounds of an actual black hole and screaming in “Eclipse.”
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Black Veil Brides – Vindicate (Spinefarm)
Certain bands find you at exactly the right moment in your life. Black Veil Brides found me at 16, and getting to write about Vindicate has been a full-circle moment I didn’t know I needed. The album is a statement of intent from start to finish. “Invocation To The Muse” sets the stage beautifully before the title track hits with the anthemic punch the band built their name on.
“Bleeders” proved Black Veil Brides can dominate rock radio without sacrificing an ounce of identity, and “Hallelujah,” my personal favorite, finds joy where others would only reach darkness. The Robb Flynn-featured “Revenger” is a ferocious highlight, while “Sorrow” and “Ave Maria” showcase a band unafraid to be cinematic and ambitious. “Eschaton” closes everything with genuine finality. Vindicate is the sound of a band fully inhabiting their legacy. For the 16-year-old version of me who needed this band, this one is for you. The doors were never really closed.
Rating: 4
(Jeanetta Briski)
Electric Sun Defence – Estuary (Road To Masochist)
Formed from half of The Massacre Cave, Scottish multi-instrumentalist Joe Cormack and drummer Pete Colquhoun have stuck together to form their new progressive metal project Electric Sun Defence and their debut album Estuary. From the two part opener of “Shimmer” and “Estuary,” Electric Sun Defence manage to ride the fine line between brutal breakdowns and a hard rock vibe and make it all feel natural and purposeful.
With famed audio engineer Alan Douches of Cannibal Corpse and Mastodon fame contributing his skills, it makes the album sound all the more impactful and makes every tiny detail stand out even brighter as shown in tracks like “His Will.” With a sound that could possibly be described as Mastodon with sprinkles of Nirvana, Electric Sun Defence are another good example that sometimes the ending of one project can lead to something greater.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
High Fade – Twice As Nice (RPN)
Trying to pigeonhole the Scottish trio High Fade into a single genre is impossible. On their sophomore full-length Twice As Nice they explore everything from hard rock to funk to punk to metal to disco and a few other styles.
They shift smoothly from the hard rock/funk of tracks like “Swamp” to more laid-back numbers such as “Retro Inferno” and even throw in a few curveballs like the proggy instrumental “The Fly.” They drift into metal territory on “Sick Of Myself” before bringing the funk and soul on “Room 634.” High Fade’s influences encompass everyone from Living Colour to Red Hot Chili Peppers, with Twice As Nice providing ample variety and plenty of surprises.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Ingested – Denigration (Metal Blade)
Nearly two decades in, Manchester’s Ingested aren’t slowing down; they’re reinventing. Denigration is the sound of a band tearing themselves apart and reassembling into something more dangerous, a record that pushes the walls of extreme metal outward rather than simply occupying the space within them. They deliver the band’s most dynamic and commanding work to date precision brutality deployed with sharper intentionality and a genuine command of dynamics that makes these songs breathe differently than anything before them.
“Dragged Apart” grabs immediately and doesn’t let go. “Merciless Reflection,” “Watch You Fold” and “Dredge The Dark” weaponize their guest appearances to devastating effect. “Stitch By Stitch” and “We Are All Inherently Evil” hits just as hard without them. “Oaths Betrayed” and “Beaten Beyond The Veil” command the album’s darker middle ground, “Steel Toe Truth” reloads with velocity, and “Cold Sun” closes everything with quiet, crushing finality like the last light going out. Ten tracks. Zero filler. Still burning.
Rating: 4
(Jeanetta Briski)
Kurt Deimer – A Grog Is Born (Bald Man)
Rocker Kurt Deimer didn’t waste any time following up last year’s And So It Begins… He has a lot of irons in the fire with acting and film producing, but is managing to issue A Grog Is Born a year after his debut. Deimer’s vocals have improved from his debut, using more traditional singing and less singsong/spoken word.
The production from the legendary Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Breaking Benjamin) is spot on. There are some guests on the record, including Buckcherry’s Josh Todd on the raucous opener “In Deep.” As on his debut, there are a couple of covers: a by-the-numbers version of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” and a cinematic version of Queensryche’s “Silent Lucidity” that features Geoff Tate. There is some filler, but A Grog Is Born has a lot of strong songs and keeps Deimer moving on an upward trajectory.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
The Quill – Master Of The Skies (Metalville)
Swedish band The Quill have been regularly releasing albums since the late 1980s. The brand new one is Master Of The Skies but it might as well be called Master of Reality because this is stoner doom worshipping at the altar of Ozzy-era Black Sabbath. Even the album artwork seems inspired by “Never Say Die.” Master Of The Skies possesses some very good songwriting and hypnotic riffs that feel heavier than a stampede of mammoths.
You don’t only get riffs, though. For example, “Son Of Light” is simply acoustic guitar and vocals and has hints of vintage Uriah Heep. “You Can Not Kill My Soul” possesses a similar vibe but “Master Of The Skies (Reprise)” is a fleeting but effective album closer. The retro feel of this album can get a bit overbearing after a while but there’s no denying the band’s passion in crafting and delivering these songs.
Rating: 3.5
(Chris Galea)
Rexoria – Fallen Dimension (Black Lodge)
Since forming in Småland in 2016, Rexoria have never seemed uncertain about who they are. Their fourth studio album, Fallen Dimension, is the most complete expression of their self-described Royal Metal identity to date and it makes a strong case for the band stepping well beyond the Swedish melodic metal scene into something far wider. The album moves from the urgent drive of opener “Metallic Rain” to the raw emotional weight of closer “Heart of Sorrow,” featuring Johnny Gioeli, with purpose and confidence throughout.
Vocalist Frida Ohlin remains the band’s defining element, capable of sounding immense without losing intimacy. Centerpiece “Dominion,” a duet with Mike Andersson of Tungsten, is the album’s heaviest and most haunting moment. Choruses on “Dancing On The Ruins,” “Break The Wave,” and “Himalaya” are massive without ever feeling hollow. Fallen Dimension doesn’t ask for your attention; it commands it. From the first note to the last, Rexoria deliver a record that is heavy where it needs to be, melodic where it counts, and emotionally honest throughout. In a genre that too often mistakes loudness for power, this band understands that real impact comes from intention. This is the album that should make the rest of the world take notice.
Rating: 3.5
(Jeanetta Briski)
Sins Of Shadows – The Last Frontier (Self)
There’s a moment in every band’s career where everything clicks. For French heavy metal outfit Sins Of Shadows, The Last Frontier is that moment. Sharper and more urgent than anything they’ve released before, the album trades the philosophical density of its predecessor Imperium for something leaner and more kinetic without sacrificing the melodic intelligence that defines the band’s identity.
Guest vocalist Tasos Lazaris fronts the record with authority and conviction, his voice equally at home soaring over melodic peaks or cutting through the album’s heavier passages. At the heart of it all is Nicolas Jacon’s guitar work with fluid twin harmonies carrying the warmth of classic heavy metal tradition, shot through with the galloping energy of the NWOBHM and the compositional ambition of progressive metal. The rhythm section of Normand and Plachesi underpins everything with locked-in precision, and the self-produced mix is clean, purposeful, and alive. Nine tracks. No filler. Just a band firing on all cylinders, planting a flag somewhere new, and The Last Frontier burns with passion that feels genuinely earned.
Rating: 4
(Jeanetta Briski)
Teloch Vovin – Towards The Inevitable (An Eastern Temple)
Though Towards The Inevitable is Teloch Vovin’s first full-length album in over a decade, they haven’t been sitting idle during that time. From a dozen singles to a few splits to an EP with two versions of a 16-minute track, their black metal has been freely flowing. Some of the tracks from those releases return on this record revamped, including the aforementioned 16-minute “Panzer Fist.”
Its audacious design puts real orchestral instruments (performed by Thank You Scientist’s Ben Karas) against a battle-hungry mood. Black metal has been using symphonic music for a long time, but Teloch Vovin does it in a way that is wholly unique to the band. It’s the star track on Towards The Inevitable, though not the only reason to give this dynamic album a shot.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Telomyras – Duskfall (Self)
Telomyras take the galloping stampede of heavy metal, the majestic heights of power metal, the influx of energy generated by thrash metal and crams it all into their debut album, Duskfall. There’s a coarseness that was only seen briefly on their 2023 self-titled EP. Vocalist Sammie Gorham is a driver of this with her banshee screams on “Attrition” and “Harbinger (…The Eternal Night).”
Gorham normally uses an operatic range that comes from being classically trained, though they get lost in the mix the faster any song goes. Duskfall could’ve used some tightening (the filler interlude “Despondence,” for example), but Telomyras come out of their first record in a great position.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Teramaze – The Silent Architect (Wells)
The Australian progressive metal/rock band Teramaze have been at this for a while, having formed back in the early ’90s. They’ve been especially prolific over the past several years, issuing eight full-lengths, a couple of live albums and an EP since 2019. The Silent Architect is their latest release.
Starting an album with a lengthy song is nothing new for Teramaze, who do it again this time around with the ten-plus minute title track. It’s complex and progressive, but also packed with hooks and melodies, making for a potent opener. They are equally adept at composing epic numbers like that one and “The Invisible Countdown” as they are with focused, radio-ready ditties such as “Mr Crazy” and “Dust & Bone.” Add The Silent Architect to the lengthy list of impressive albums from one of prog’s more underrated groups.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Trip Villain – Dose (Seeing Red)
Trip Villain start Dose with a heck of a thrasher in “Reign Supreme,” sounding like Slayer funneled through an electronic filter. It sets the expectation for much of the same throughout the rest of their second album, yet the band never return to the trashing until closer “ShitKill.” In between those two tracks are techno-fueled hallucinations, with a turn into the kind of disco metal Static-X became known for during “Villain Maw.”
Thrash metal fans may need some time to warm up to Dose, if they are open-minded enough to do so at all. The programming/synths are a major aspect of Trip Villain’s sound, and it can be assumed that there is an aspiring DJ out there waiting to take snippets of songs like “You Flew A Plane Into My Heart” for their own mixtape.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Twin Serpent – True Norwegian Blackgrass (Svart)
Twin Serpent‘s sophomore record, True Norwegian Blackgrass, is the sound of a band that has found its own strange frequency and decided to live there permanently. Based in Trondheim’s countercultural Svartlamon district, the four-piece collides country, punk, crust, lo-fi black metal, and folk into something that resists classification while remaining viscerally engaging. Think 16 Horsepower meeting The Taxpayers through a distinctly Nordic, faintly occult lens.
Where their 2022 debut drew comparisons to Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Tom Waits, True Norwegian Blackgrass feels less concerned with external measurement. The record throws the throttle forward and trusts the listener to hold on. Twelve tracks careen through love songs, cosmic dread, post-Trump America, depression, conspiracy paranoia, and the bone-deep isolation of a Norwegian winter without sunlight and held together by sheer personality and energy. True Norwegian Blackgrass is weird, rowdy, and entirely its own creation.
Rating: 3
(Jeanetta Briski)
Voidthrone – Dreaming Rat (Self)
Voidthrone’s Dreaming Rat is what authors William S. Burroughs and Mark Z. Danielewski could’ve done with their take on a blackened death metal band. The word “weird” can be described for a lot of metal music, but this album is truly an oddball, from vocals that switch from grunts to raspy wails to distorted spoken word to the inclusion of unusual instruments like jaw harp, didgeridoo and otamatone.
There’s a disjointed revelry to the music, as if Voidthrone love messing with its audience. The album is split into three arcs with three songs in each one. However, with it being out of order and unwieldy, making sense of the whole experience is complicated. Giving Dreaming Rat a rating is almost untenable, as they elicit a response that could change a listener’s opinion on a daily basis.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Yoth Iria – Gone With The Devil (Metal Blade)
An album like Gone With The Devil from Greek band Yoth Iria only comes along once in a blue moon (ironically that’s also the title of one of its songs). The music is essentially black metal but it’s enriched by several disparate elements: doom riffs, gothic vibes, children’s choir, harmony, aggression, clean and harsh vocals and much more. And nothing ever feels out of place. This is definitely a creative, meticulously crafted and well produced album.
The drumming, for example, is not overly technical and yet is powerful and fits the songs perfectly. The growling vocals are some of the most emotionally-laden I’ve ever heard. And whenever you least expect it, the guitars shred like there’s no tomorrow. While there aren’t any filler tracks here, highlights include the stunning “The Blind Eye Of Antichrist” (check out the video on YouTube) and the furious “I, Totem.”
Rating: 4.5
(Chris Galea)
