• MASSIVE REVIEWING CAPACITY • is our latest short review column focusing on stray quality releases a few times a month, or, roughly every two weeks depending on the current month’s release schedule. In an attempt to be more conversational these are easygoing and casual thoughts for the most part, so relax and think for yourself as I attempt to find something, anything to say about multitudes of new releases relevant to my interests. — If you find a record you dig go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase. If you’d like your music reviewed, read the FAQ and send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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Stavanger, Norway-based stoner-doomed and heavy rocking troupe KAL-EL have been on a roll for the last four (of seven) full-lengths they’ve put out but it was ‘Astral Voyager Vol. I‘ (2025) that’d caught the most ears, earning some of the biggest praise for their headspace last year. I’ll be frank here in suggesting that “Part deux” of most themed/concept album series almost always sucks harder than the first… but in this case I think ‘Astral Voyager Vol. II‘ might be the best album from these folks to date. Beyond keeping the Sabbath groove alive throughout the 90’s stoner/alt-rock vibe here should remind folks of newer Dozer but from a more doomed place and resembles a bit of Wolftooth‘s bluesier edge, making for an infectious trod through the first three or so pieces. Ståle Rodvelt soars through these songs thanks to a wild suite of vocal effects applied lending a clear character to Kal-El‘s work but it is the guitar tones, the ruddy and bluesy turns taken which provides the best moments here. I’d greatly appreciated the band carrying a coherent narrative through their work as their tale of a defiant bounty hunter speaks to strident individuality in theme. Could use at least one uptempo piece here to break up the doomed stretch of it all (especially around the time “Pan” hits) but overall another higher-level get from these folks.

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A collective forged within the boot upon the neck of the Mediterranean sea MIDRYASI’S KULT features a core group of DoomSword‘s past-and-present daemon at advent but more broadly features a dozen contributing fellowes. Their aptly titled debut full-length album, ‘Italian Dark Sound‘, brings the horrified theatre of Death SS and Pentagram (see: “Hypnopriest” esp.) to its own Hammond-buzzing headspace, a ranting progressive rock tippled psychosis intent on creating anthems from bopping heavy metal/hard rock informed pulse. There is a kicking sort of garage punk step applied to several of these songs (see: “Mountain Devil”) which brings vital movement and energy beyond what I’d expected going in, some manner of necro-doom. The level of personality here is admirable, a Bobby Liebling level of weird-ass swagger, and this ensures most every song here is infectious.

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German high fantasy/grimdark bestial death metal duo BARBARIC OATH completely smoke the realm out of existence within the course of this ~20 minute debut EP. Created between folks known for killing all onlookers within groups like Into Coffin and Putridarium this project manages to bring punishing riffs to what I’d describe as a high intensity war metallic siege, hammering through their work with hardly a breath and maybe one sample inserted for effect. No stupid fuzzy bass tone, no pitch shifting, no hardcore beats. While I love their version of this sound, and they’ve done an exceptional job of it here, the only piece which truly stands out for my taste comes via the earlier Bolzer-esque nods found on “For Victory… (The Warrior Path)”. Endless praise for anyone who can attack black/death metal in this style with such conviction and still ensure a coherent result.

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Wemmel, Belgium-based atmospheric black metal project AERDRYK comes from prolific musician C.V.B. who is a founding member of Cult of Erinyes, Wolvennest and more recent featured in recent project Erbeet Azhak. For this second full-length album, ‘Onzuiver‘, their intent is to bring a darker vitriolic presence to otherwise wandering, oft melodic surrealistic drift. However that sounds on paper the actual practicum is inspired, a watery almost psychedelic form of atmospheric black metal which uses mushy keyboards and brilliantly crafted basslines to weave through the murk created. It doesn’t necessarily sound like auld Ancient outright but there are shades of Drudkh and even early 2000’s Enslaved which enliven the experience with interest throughout. I particularly love the way that Side A plays out, the walk toward the humming wrath of the title track, and how the album generally sounds more laid back than the previous one yet is all the more harshened in performance. It is an exceptional follow-up which has me kicking myself not taking the time for a longform review. Maybe some of my favorite basslines in black metal since last year.

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Amidst a flood of quality releases from Awakening Records releasing on the 20th of this month we find Calgary, Alberta-based ‘old school’ death metal trio CULTIST is once again the underdog with this esoteric, at-times odd angled record themed around the occult. ‘Spiritual Atrophy‘ once again reflects the band’s interest in the the unusual side of early 90’s progressive/technical death metal and not the ‘Unquestionable Presence‘ type as much as earlier Atrocity (Germany) and this comes with some interest in dissonant riffs strung up by their angular cuts and bow-legged basslines, all of it performed and rendered to the old standard in an otherwise hi-fi state. Tons to like here, definitely a riff-after-riff sort of album which I was happy to sit with on repeat for hours, but I couldn’t hang with the cover art and found the whole deal about one song too short.

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Indonesian trio MULTIWOMB present a solid standard for brutal death metal on this grotesquely disturbed debut full-length album, pushing their sound to just the right point of abrasion and focusing in on the percussive throttle of it. If you recall Anthropophagus Depravity‘s wild-ass album from 2024 you’ll note that drummer Sahrul Ramadhan also performs here bringing the exact right level of obnoxious hammer to brutal death which is unflinching in its depravity. Some of my favorite riffs hit within “Labia Dismemberment” and despite the slamming edge of the song. “Enema of Boiling Gore” was probably the strangest piece here where they just kinda riff and slam over horrifying tortured screams for the bulk of the song, the longest one on the record, but it only adds more spectacle to an album which is meant to be over the top. Probably the type of record meant squarely for brutal death heads but I’d enjoyed it.

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This debut EP from Bayonne, France-based quartet HORION is a curious anomaly which purports a black metal core but serves an unconventional result, a type of groove-built and sludgy doom which takes mild notes from death and folk metal. Though the vocals are ungainly loud and lack nuance beyond their growled and snarled states this is enough of a dynamic served their otherwise cello accompanied form of of brawl. The raw ugliness of the vocal and chug-heavy guitar performances is in striking juxtaposition to the steady trample of the drums and the gloom-hounded movement of the cellist. It sounds like an obscure blackened arte-sludge band to me and largely because they’ve insisted upon choppy, chunkier hits and dryly loud production values yet I still appreciate the strange way that these elements comingle.

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Originally released on cassette tape back in January of this year this debut EP from Canadian funeral death/doom metal duo FUNELORE is set to mesmerize all within the hypnotic abyss its ~18 minute span conjures as the good folks over at Me Saco Un Ojo present the 12″ vinyl version. Pulled from the realm of nothingness and featuring the founder of the brilliant Sedimentum this first release from the band brings an enormous decaying empyreal sound as “Tides in Agony” explores the psychedelia-imbued swarm of Disembowelment within sombre muse, akin to earlier keys-blasted stuff from Evoken (see: ‘Quietus‘). The title track is a whole ‘nother colossus even more surreal and aggressive than the first as they drag their way up the hill, a piece which reflects an idealized vision of funeral death doom which is divorce from neither doom nor death as its pummels and crepitates through. I only wish I’d heard this one back in January because it is a true nuke upon my brain how well they’ve captured the essence of early funeral doom colliding with death/doom while finding their own surreal exaggeration of that sound. A must have for fans of the niche.

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