Doomed For Metal Reviews

Fane is a doom/sludge band from Louisiana who hit the scene in 2024 with their EP Gallant Shroud ."  Now they have returned with their debut full-length, " Armageddon Scars ."  This album is a total banger. I love how balanced it is. “ Armageddon Scars ,” balances doom and sludge perfectly. It's low and slow without being plodding and languishing around trapped in its own sound—this darkness is always moving forward. The riffs are thick as hell, a sonic density that is unbreakable.  That's how doom should be. Period. But the tone is nasty and abrasive just like sludge to me. It's melodic in the right places and takes this path with a subtle approach—a slow loving glacier that edges its way through with singular purpose. The vocals are fantastic too. They sit somewhere between death growls and a Crowbar style rough shout. If that doesn't appeal to you then I guess you don't like good things. Nerd. The pacing is on target too.  With just five songs an...

Thorns of Ruins is a Norwegian extreme metal band, who hit the scene in either 2019 or 2024 with their demo that was titled “ Demosongs 2019” that, at least according to Metallum, didn’t release until 2024.  Confusion aside, in 2026, they have now released their second full-length album, “ Stellar Reverence .”  Actually, I should talk about ‘them’ in the singular because it’s a one-man band from musician Thomas Aamodt ( Ildfar , Sincera , and Wither ).  Oh, Ildar have a solid album out too this year, please check it out as well! This album is my first experience with the band and what I’m hearing is something that is a breath of fresh air.  I haven’t heard anyone who sounds like this band.  Of course, their combination of black, death, and doom is a formula that countless bands have tried but Thorns of Ruin have their own way of doing things.  This is a raw (ish) album that is one of the more abrasive ones I’ve heard this month.  The vocals in partic...

Ninth Realm is a thrash metal band from Baltimore, Maryland who formed in 2018.  Their latest release, “ Damnation’s Veil ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released three EPs, two demos and two splits. I like thrash but I don’t keep up with it as much as I would like mostly because 99% of what I hear is straight up garbage.  But every now and then a band/album comes around that makes me realize I'm stupid.  Enter Ninth Realm ’s “ Damnation’s Veil .”  Simply put, this album smokes from start to finish.   It doesn’t sound like some old school revival band made up of over the hill alcoholics whose last days of glory were raw dogging their prom date in 1982.  Ninth Realm takes a different path, one that isn’t stuck in the past with the ability to walk across those confines but actually more modern and extreme.   I like that “ Damnation’s Veil ,” doesn’t have any fancy bells and whistles.  It’s an album that embraces its ...

Illwind is a doom metal band from Peru, who formed in 2022; “ The Unfolding at the End of Light ,” is their full-length debut album. Although the members of Illwind are in other such acts like Argul , Arcada , and Death Invoker , the band itself has stunned me with the dropping of this full-length.  No demos, no EPs; they just hit the scene, dropped this sledgehammer of an album down and said, “Here.  Deal with this.”  I love traditional doom as much as the next doomer, but rarely have I heard it so abrasive and dark.  The vocals may be clean, but the music is hellish and matches the cover.  Speaking of those vocals:  absolutely stunning.  Loud and emotional but with a deeper tone to them rather than a total falsetto.  If anything, they are more operatic and theatrical but without the corny texture.  The bass is fantastic—a punishing low end that is dynamic enough to bring the pain when needed but also doesn’t have any issues going a more me...

Tårfödd is a one-man black metal band from Sweden, the mastermind behind it being Simon Lindgren (also of Grimveil , who just released a great album too that I reviewed).  This latest album, “ Mörker täcker livets ljus ,” is the project/band’s sixth full-length album, in addition to several EPs and a compilation.   Although Tårfödd’s music certainly embraces many traditional aspects of black metal, their sound contains many variations of the genre.  Post, DSBM, atmospheric, and even some prog all finds their way into the sound.  “ Mörker täcker livets ljus ,” embraces these different dynamics and approaches while still retaining a sound that is firmly archaic and dark. But this darkness has an incredible depth to it and each song offers a world to get lost in.  Its abrasiveness doesn’t change the fact the album is very moving and grandiose in a way that only Tårfödd can do.  There really isn’t a band that sounds like them and this album further ceme...

Fog Wall is a death metal band from Reno, Nevada who have hit the scene with this rock-solid debut full-length album, “ Gloomweaver .”  The band is composed of Zax Brady (vocals) and Alex Malmquist (vocals, bass), also from the band SandVVitch .  Guest/session musicians are Shagrat " Quincy " Gorbag (guitars) Logan Griggs (drums) and Loretta Hewitt (Synthesizer). Lyrically, this album centers around fantasy worlds from Tolkien and From Software’s video game lineup.  Nerd death metal?  Hell yeah!   But this isn’t mere goofball video game music—this is a deadly serious album with impressive musicianship and brutal (but clever) songwriting.  Production wise, it sounds modern without being too glossy and shiny.  I like the mix a lot especially because the bass can be heard easily–which is good because this is a very bass centered album.  Bass is probably what I would say is the most important element in any rock/metal-based genre and it’s straight up...

I don't know much about industrial metal other than the big bands like Fear Factory , Ministry , and Mechina . I don't have anything against the genre (although I don't like Ministry at all)--I'm just not familiar with it. So a band like Epta7 and their album " Here Come the Freaks " is quite a bit outside my wheelhouse. With that being said, this is a solid release that's intense enough in places to make a metalhead like me pay attention. The production is super clean with a bright and shiny sheen to it. For this style, I'd say this sound/mix is exactly what is needed. I mean, this isn't black metal or hellish brutal death so I don't see how a more raw approach would benefit this album anyway. Despite being industrialized, the music is surprisingly heavy with the songs leaning towards riff based structures as opposed to random bullshit noises (which I was afraid I would hear). It is of special note that this is one of the most catchy albums I...

Destroy My Brains is one of those bands that is the antithesis to the world itself. They are up there with Primitive Man and Anaal Nathrakh for one of the most extreme and pissed off metal bands of all time. “ Wilt ,” continues that trend—and then some. This album sounds like what nonmetal heads hear when someone plays them extreme metal. For a metalhead like me (and you), all this angry noise is music to the ears. “ Wilt ,” is a filthy, dangerous album that embraces the mentality that metal shouldn't be safe or comfortable. When a boomer or normie says metal music will send you to hell, guess what? They and everyone else is already there. The world we live in is fucking insane and gets worse everyday. Destroy My Brains and “ Wilt ” doesn't turn away from this and instead steers into the skid…and exploding bodies the entire damn time. The band's core sound of “fucking a cinder block raw” remains intact. Doom, sludge, hardcore, death…whatever you want to call this or wha...

Grimveil is a black metal band with international origins, members hailing from both Sweden and Germany.  It’s actually a duo, composed of vocalist Revenant ( Order of Nosferat , Sarkrista , Siechknecht , Velmorth ) and Simon Lindgren ( Tårfödd ), who handles all the instruments. All these bands are kicking ass so I would assume Grimveil would be too–and my assumptions were correct.  This is an atmospheric black metal which represents a sound inspired by nature.  It has a somber, melancholic feel but not one that’s depressing but one born of respect from the natural world around them and a desire to delve into the earth’s manifestations.  The production is pretty much spot on.  The vocals and instruments retain the blackened tone the genre has become known for, but the mix is vibrant enough to capture the clean passages and atmospheric nuances that exist among these mid-paced stories that also feature more than a few moments of whiplash speed.  It’s a beau...

Ad Finem Omnia is a black metal band from Santiago, Chile who formed in 2020.  It’s actually a one-man project now, featuring musician Pablo Vera   Although their demo debut album, “ No Peace- No Dawn ,” featured Ricardo Araya on bass, guitars, and vocals, this second full-length album, “ Senectus Viae ,” finds Pablo handling everything after Ricard’s departure.   He has taken on the responsibilities exceptionally well—everything that made the first album great is still intact and perhaps even better.    This album has such a driving, forward-motion sound to it but also a keen sense of melancholy and atmosphere.  It’s also filled with hooks—this album is catchier that most black metal.  Obviously, I don’t mean that in a ‘pop oriented’ way but the riffs are slick as hell and the rhythms will get your head banging.  Simply put, these songs are quite memorable. The clean vocals are unique and epic, fitting alongside the blackened screams with ea...

Aphonic Threnody is a funeral doom metal band from the United Kingdom, who formed in 2012.  Their latest release, “ Grace My Heart ,” is their seventh full-length album; they have also released an EP, three splits, and an updated version of their debut full-length album, “ When Death Comes .”  I’ve been following this band since I discovered them when I received the album, “ The Great Hatred ,” for review in 2020 when I worked for Metal Temple.  I’m honored and happy to say that I’ve reviewed every album since.  I mention this fact because when I say, “ Grace My Heart ,” might be the band’s best album, I want it to be known how serious of a statement that is.  The musician behind all this doomed out glory is the mastermind Riccardo V , who, as always, surrounds himself with several other amazing musicians to help get this raw display of emotional power out to the world.  “ Grace My Heart ,” is an album that sounds a bit different from Aphonic Threnody ’s ...

Forsmán is a black metal band from Iceland, who formed in 2019.  Their latest release, “ Brenndar rústir & fuðrandi fjörur ,” is their full-length debut; they have also released an EP. This album is pure fire.  That may be ironic considering where they are from but the energy on display here is impressive as hell. Of course, atmospherically speaking, “ Brenndar rústir & fuðrandi fjörur ,” is cold as the frozen North and retains so much of what makes black metal both distant and dangerous.  However, this is more than just your standard black metal.  This album has a lot going on within it; the nearly 45-minute runtime is very busy and chock full of intricate riffs and dissonance.  What is most impressive is that it doesn’t sound convoluted and the mix is on point.  Despite the chaos that never seems to end, the low end and the rhythms just pop out.  The sound of this album is just straight up MASSIVE.  It’s very primal, it’s raw to a degree...