Single Review: Kommunion "Rebel Thing" (Xenomorph Productions) by Dave Wolff

Band: Kommunion

Country: USA

Genre: Experimental

Single: Rebel Thing

Format: Digital

Label: Xenomorph Productions

Release date: July 19, 2025

Kommunion merges a quasi-futuristic goth aesthetic with an arena-sized sound, offering new perspectives on sexuality through music, defying preconceived ideas of what dark music can be.

Their ambitious debut single “Rebel Thing,” created by vocalist Azul Far and musician/producer Sebastian Komor, was designed to be grand. Not only in scope and cross-genre appeal but with massive venues and high attendance in mind, comparable to the likes of Kiss and Rammstein. Their combined experience in The True Union and Komor Kommando, respectively, goes beyond blending styles; it pushes the boundaries of imagination and accessibility.

The guitar-driven electro of the track, adding industrial, EDM, metal, pop, German electro-pop, dancehall, and trip-hop, supports raw, dark vocals with pop diva presence and confidence. Komor remains in the background while Far embodies the visual direction they pursue together. Her future-noir aesthetic, showcased in the cover art, is somewhere between Blade Runner, Hellraiser, and The Fifth Element. However, this visual style makes only a modest statement compared to her contribution to the single.

Her cadence in the verses and choruses steadily partners the diverse beats and atmospheric layers, radiating primal woman power. A sensual desire lies beneath, suddenly erupting with brief rasping vocals and quickly shifting back to seductive melody. This unpredictable style is a vehicle for open-ended lyrics blurring the lines between love, desire, and masochism, with notable religious undertones referencing the serpent in Eden.

Enhancing the canorous, stringent songwriting, Far simultaneously explores themes of fulfillment and shame, inviting listeners to interpret their dichotomy. As Komor’s instruments thrum and pulse like a cybernetic heart pumping fluid through an organic body, the lyrics craft an edgy narrative. It guides you through a initial act of rebellion, submission to inner desires, the duality of heaven and hell, a gradual descent into mortification, and ultimately, a final surrender to forbidden evil.

Following the single is an instrumental version that offers a different kind of edginess. Where Komor’s parts previously rose and fell like waves around Far’s vocals, this version shifts the focus to the electronic and atmospheric sounds, highlighting their nuances and rich variety of textures.

The trip hop elements in the original version function as effectively as straightforward electro and EDM in the instrumental. This demonstrates considerable potential for the band, as two versions of the same track can sound so radically different, highlighting their versatility and range. -Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Azul Far: Vocals and lyrics

Sebastian Komor: Music and production

Track list:

1. Rebel Thing

2. Rebel Thing (Instrumental)

Full Length Review: Mara "Sword of Vengeance" (Immortal Frost Productions) by Dave Wolff

Band: Mara

Country: Sweden

Genre: Pagan black metal

Full length: Sword of Vengeance

Format: Digital album, digipak CD, vinyl (see Bandcamp link for more information)

Label: Immortal Frost Productions

Release date: June 27, 2025

Three years after “Loka Mær,” Swedish black metallers Mara revive the old crypts and uncover what lies within on “Sword of Vengeance.” The band maintains their raw approach, recording lead vocals live in the studio to craft a deliberately underproduced sound that heightens its gritty atmosphere, evoking the agony of a reanimated mind trapped in a stiffening, rigor mortis-ridden body.

In my review of “RÖK,” I observed how modern recording technology, when used skillfully, can authentically capture rawness and even make it presentable. The eight tracks on Sword of Vengeance initially required multiple listens to fully sink in, but now they convincingly evoke the lo-fi aesthetic of early black metal, from a time when bands had limited budgets and resources to work with, relying on rawness they produced as their defining trait. The enduring popularity and inspiration of this approach are evident, as Mara’s sophisticated simplicity continues to evolve toward greater darkness and decay.

There's palpable atmosphere functioning as a backdrop to the pervasive rawness. Hints of Swedish black metal reinforce the rot and decay, subtly supporting the overall sense of physical deterioration portrayed here. The material’s writing, performance, and recording evoke a visceral sense of cold as the crypt door swings open, the stench of centuries of rot, and the corpse that calls this crypt home. You can feel it, smell it, see it, even feel his physical and mental pain as his movements are hindered by the effects of time on a dead body.

The layers are organically crafted through the searing harmony of power chords and tremolo picking, the relentless combined drive of bass and drums, and the anguished, agonized quality of the vocals, all of which deepen the album’s dehumanizing atmosphere. One reviewer compared Mara to Czech black metal bands like Maniac Butcher, which makes sense since their obscurity allowed them to push their raw quality to the extreme in the mid-90s. However, despite the prominence of Mara’s raw sound, their recent albums demonstrate that it's not a limitation on them.

There are quite a few moments when they show how capable they are of transcending their rawness when needed. The band cleverly leverage the intensity of their blast, crafting guitar parts as soporific as they’re sharply incisive. This allows Mara to captivate the listener like modern-day snake charmers, amplifying their tortured visceral qualities with narcotic ingenuity. -Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Vindsval: Vocals, guitars, bass

J: Guitars

P: Drums

Track list:

1. Primordial Son

2. Nidingr

3. Elite

4. Lokabrenna

5. Élivágar

6. Blakkr Heart

7. Urkraft

8. Surtaloga

EP Review: Fulci "Risorsero dalla Tomba e Fu… L’Apocalisse!" (20 Buck Spin) by Dave Wolff

Band: Fulci

Country: Italy

Genre: Death metal

EP: Risorsero dalla Tomba e Fu… L’Apocalisse!

Format: Digital, 12” vinyl

Label: 20 Buck Spin

Release date: March 20, 2026, May 1, 2026 (vinyl)

In 2024 the Italian giallo death metal band Fulci continued their tradition of homaging Italian cult horror with “Duck Face Killings,” a loose tribute to director Lucio Fulci’s classic “The New York Ripper.” Released in 1982 as a low-budget exploration of madness and murder, some of its graphic murder scenes were not too well-presented but had an impact on independent cinema and helped to shape Italian horror, gore, and splatter.

At the time, having an indie horror film banned outside Italy for being too provocative was a mark of distinction. The increased sexual and violent content of “The New York Ripper” led to its ban in the UK until 2002. Inspired by the raw, primal, stripped-down style evident in most of Fulci’s films, the band sought to tap into that energy. Despite limited budgets, fans recognized how much art Fulci created with scarce resources, helping to redefine cinema.

Having homaged “City of the Living Dead,” “Zombie,” and “Voices From Beyond,” and recorded an anthology at Florida’s Morrisound Studios to establish their presence in the birthplace of US death metal, they made an album some say surpasses the movie in its detailed murder scenes, vividly capturing the killings and the killer’s state of mind. To build their reputation, the band launched Fulcicon to highlight Fulci’s status as a visionary among his Italian fans and horror and death metal enthusiasts worldwide, in 2025.

This year the band will premiere the trailer for “Risorsero dalla Tomba e Fu… L’Apocalisse!,” an indie short directed by Domenico Montixi for which they wrote a soundtrack. Drawing from “City of the Living Dead” and the obscure 1975 Fulci film “The Four of the Apocalypse,” the short is a spaghetti Western involving paranormal themes. Set in Dunwich, England, in 1980, the teaser evokes a cold, harsh, foreboding Quentin Tarantino-like atmosphere, creating timeless dread as two people stumble upon something they probably shouldn’t. Despite its half-minute runtime, it leaves an impression making viewers eager to see what’s found.

In the soundtrack the band aims to capture not just the sound but the essence of Fulci’s movies. The scores by Fabio Frizzi and Francesco De Masi, though crude, rough-hewn, and under produced, dug into the malevolence and psychosis Fulci brought to the screen, bringing out the dark depths from which they emerged. The three songs on Fulci’s EP made me want to watch those moves again, as they return that otherworldliness to life for a new generation of metal and horror fans more than forty years later.

The eerie atmosphere, the sense of confinement, the foreboding feeling of impending doom, the hint of unleashed evil… everything conveyed on screen is reflected in how the songs were composed. They sound like they were crafted by a band deeply immersed in those themes of Fulci’s films, intuitively capturing the mood and emotional intensity. The full production creates a rich, immersive atmosphere, with a clear sound that emphasizes the pervasive presence of evil lingering in the air, lurking beneath the ground and hiding in the deepest mysteries.

A suffocating sense of dread permeates everything from the intro through the next track, which begins with an ominous tri-tone reminiscent of Black Sabbath and continues with crushing riffs, guttural vocals, and unsettling lead guitars. The band also covers “Apoteosi del Mistero” from the “City of the Living Dead” soundtrack, reworking it to fit the EP’s sound and adding lyrics to showcase the potential they recognized in the original piece from their first viewing of the film. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Jason Dahlke: Vocals

Fiore Stravino: Vocals

Dom Diego: Lead guitar, synthesizer

Ando Ferraiuolo: Acoustic and rhythm guitar

Klem Diglio: Bass

Edo Nicoloso: Drums

Track list:

1. Risorsero dDlla Tomba e Fu… L’apocalisse!

2. Paura che Uccide

3. Apoteosi Del Mistero

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Review of Fulci/Talpah "Cyberflesh" (Time To Kill Records) by Dave Wolff

Full Length Review: Neurosis "An Undying Love for a Burning World" (Neurot Recordings) by Dave Wolff

Band: Neurosis

Location: Oakland, California

Country: USA

Genre: Post metal, sludge

Full length: An Undying Love for a Burning World

Format: Digital album

Label: Neurot Recordings

Release date: March 20, 2026

It’s been a decade since we last heard from Neurosis. After the release of “Fires Within Fires,” certain sensitive issues involving their former frontman Scott Kelly surfaced and the band took an extended hiatus. I won’t go into details, but said issues were so serious that Kelly was asked to leave the band and retired as a vocalist and musician.

As sudden as their departure, their re-emergence was marked by a new vocalist, a new album, and a scheduled appearance at the Fire in the Mountains festival in Montana this July. From what I’ve read so far, the band is being welcomed back enthusiastically. “An Undying Love for a Burning World” aims to speak to listeners at the center of their being, demonstrating Neurosis’ ongoing relevance to post-metal and sludge.

The album introduces Aaron Turner, head of Hydra Head Records, who was the frontman of the post-metal band Isis and has worked with Sumac, House of Low Culture and Old Man Gloom and made guest appearances with the Japanese experimental band Boris. According to the band, past albums like “Enemy of the Sun,” “Through Silver in Blood,” “A Sun That Never Sets” and “The Eye of Every Storm” were made to be emotionally charged, serving as a cathartic outlet to purge tensions felt more personally than usual.

For many, they offer a form of catharsis from sensory overload from an increasingly insane society that seems more out of control. With all his experience, Turner brings a level of energy that matches the energy generated by the band, which has steadily increased in terms of the angst and frustration channeled into their work. There’s more than ever a desire to experience the sensation of sanity slipping away, wearing away, and to examine its causes more closely.

The evolution toward de-evolution and a breakdown of conventional songwriting mark a step forward for Neurosis’ revamped lineup. The band has always been adept at using cover artwork to hint at what awaits inside. This time the ever-expanding black hole on the cover, a portal into complete mental and emotional oblivion, primes you for the chaos and disorder that grips you from the outset, only to grow and intensify.

The heightened levels of distortion, dissonance, diatribes of division fostered upon humans shouted until throats are raw and hoarse, abrupt transitions to atmospheric passages, jarring shifts to nightmarish keyboard sections, strange noises and a barely restrained unraveling of structure defines Neurosis’ music more powerfully than I remember from them. Even so, there’s a strange sense of compelling beauty that accompanies all that chaos, as if the loss of sanity is a transformative journey, a trial by fire from which you emerge with a sense of inner peace and acceptance, having separated yourself from the overwhelming pressures that pushed you toward mental collapse.

As the band has described, the writing and recording process acted as a form of purging and purification, a means to reclaim some semblance of sanity after the hellish realization of how much of yourself you had lost beforehand. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Aaron Turner: Guitars, vocals

Steve Von Till: Guitars, vocals

Noah Landis: Synthesizers, backing vocals

Dave Edwardson: Bass, backing vocals

Jason Roeder: Drums

Track list:

1. We Are Torn Wide Open

2. Mirror Deep

3. First Red Rays

4. Blind

5. Seething and Scattered

6. Untethered

7. In the Waiting Hours

8. Last Light

Full Length Review: Sidious "Malefic Necropolis" (Immortal Frost Productions) by Dave Wolff

Band: Sidious

Location: London

Country: England

Genre: Black metal

Full length: Malefic Necropolis

Format: Digital, digipack CD, vinyl (see Bandcamp link for more information)

Label: Immortal Frost Productions

Release date: January 30, 2026

Since they formed in 2012, Sidious has released an EP and four full-length albums; “Malefic Necropolis,” released this past January, is their latest.

This is black metal delivered with occasional atmospheric sections, spacey and somewhat industrial in nature. My first impressions of the music were of billions upon billions of microbes massing in Earth's orbit, preparing for a mass invasion of a scale beyond imagination. It evoked something like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” only the microbes descend to Earth through the air itself and turn the human race while they’re awake.

Of course, this is not what Sidious had in mind while writing and recording the album, but with their lyrical ideas, something unspeakably malevolent is descending on earth and the utter destruction of the human race seems inevitable all the same, until all that remains are corpses and the maggots eating them, then going on to feast on the corpse of the earth.

Although some comparisons were drawn to Cradle of Filth and Hecate Enthroned, I was somewhat reminded of Mayhem, Watain, Marduk, and Carpathian Forest. Originating in the UK, Sidious has been refining their black metal with a distinctive British flair, earning acclaim for their 2022 full-length, “Blackest Insurrection.”

Their style is intricate, complex, and enigmatic, yet accessible and not prone to be mired in misanthropy grandiosity Instead they envelope their ability in an aura of occult mystery that invites listeners to dive deeper. As much as their songwriting, their atmospheric pieces I was talking about, more like interludes, show that Sidious is far from a stagnant paint-by-numbers black metal band. They’re one of those bands that skillfully adjust their abilities to suit each song’s needs. The differences are subtle but make all the difference in the big picture, adding depth and nuance to the overall experience.

In most cases, the energy they establish at a song’s outset builds and intensifies through subtle variations, ultimately culminating in a sense of suffocation where life itself is extinguished Reflecting on the mood they evoked while composing the album, imagine that gradual sensation of suffocation spreading across the world, inexorably pressing down until all life everywhere is extinguished.

Featuring guitars that blend complex dissonance with thrash and groove, astringent vocals balanced by haunting background vocals and spoken word passages, drums that adapt to the evolving moods of the songs, and bass that anchors everything with enough prominence to evoke the presence of a massive cosmic serpent enveloping the world, “Malefic Necropolis” portrays the apocalypse from fresh angles, offering perspectives that reinforce the ever-changing corpse-painted face of black metal. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Isfeth: Vocals

Indomitus: Guitars, backing vocals

Baalrath: Bass

Valdr: Drums

Track list:

1. Shears of Atropos

2. Rotborn Terror (ft. Völniir)

3. Inversion and Collapse

4. Cosmossuary

5. Grave

6. Crows Atop the Gallows

7. Vortex of Boundless Unlight

8. Sanguineous Art

9. Bloodlust Command Infinite

Full Length Review: Osmium Gate "Cannibal Galaxy" (Independent) by Dave Wolff

Band: Osmium Gate

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Country: USA

Genre: Black metal

Full length: Cannibal Galaxy

Format: Digital album

Label: Independent

Release date: March 13, 2026

Osmium Gate from Salt Lake City, Utah offers a fresh perspective on black metal, composing instrumental pieces with raw, atmospheric, melodic, and symphonic elements. The songs on their debut full-length album “Cannibal Galaxy” are instrumentals that tell stories without lyrics or vocals, relying on guitars, bass, and drums to communicate with the listener. This approach to black metal lifts its limitations, allowing them to express themselves and embellish their ideas.

When guitarist/bassist Drew Ehrgott began writing for this album, he had concepts in mind he felt could be expressed rather than lyricized. In an interview the band did for Off Shelf, he said he channeled emotion into the material through a stream-of-consciousness process, adding that this gave him more inspiration than he would have had otherwise and helped him complete the album with expedience.

What most makes his project stand out is that Ehrgott essentially does the work of three or four band members, filling roles as guitarists, bassist, and frontman. Handling lead and rhythm guitars, he works overtime to fill the void left by the absence of vocals and lyrics. The appeal of “Cannibal Galaxy” lies in the fact that the material was born from sudden inspiration, without overthinking or overplanning.

Such was the strength of what he created that he felt he only needed a competent drummer to complete the recording, rather than a full band. Relying on each other in relative isolation and sharing a common vision helped them reach into the infinite within themselves.

Ehrgott plays an almost unlimited amount of lead passages in these songs, often overlapping parts within a single part. There’s a real sense of traveling through the cosmos with nothing but your own consciousness to keep you company, feeling your awareness expand ever outward, perpetually opening and reaching out until it becomes one with the infinite. If this could be expressed in novel or movie form, the closest analogy would be what David Bowman experienced in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

As the drummer, Rene Gomez plays a crucial role and goes all out to keep pace with Ehrgott. You can hear him playing harder and louder to give the material additional push, working harder than usual to complement Ehrgott’s intricate, complex songwriting. His blast beats and drumming are written and arranged around the guitar riffs, and he’s given free reign to accentuate his playing and help make the music sound more epic with as many fills as he deems appropriate.

It's unclear whether “Cannibal Galaxy” will ultimately revolutionize extreme metal, but at the least it’s opening doors for bands to experiment. It’s likewise apparent that Osmium Gate has only scratched the surface of what they’re capable of. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Drew Ehrgott: Guitar, bass

Rene Gomez: Drums

Track list:

1. Waters of Natron

2. Sailing Stone

3. Booming Dunes

4. Whale Fall

5. Nacreous

6. Blood Rain

7. Cannibal Galaxy

8. Lights Over Hessdalen

Full Length Review: Monstrosity "Screams from Beneath the Surface" (Metal Blade) by Dave Wolff

Band: Monstrosity

Location: Florida

Country: USA

Genre: Death metal

Full length: Screams from Beneath the Surface

Format: Digital, vinyl (see Bandcamp link for more information)

Label: Metal Blade

Release date: March 13, 2026

Since their formation in 1990, Floridian death metal pioneers Monstrosity have remained dedicated to their craft, demonstrating resilience and growth.

As part of the original DM scene, they had the distinction of being fronted by vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher who later joined Cannibal Corpse after Chris Barnes’ departure. Although most of the original members left since they began, introducing new members has revitalized them exponentially.

After seven years of inactivity, “Screams from Beneath the Surface” shows massive growth on their part with shades of thrash, prog and symphonic metal. Rather than making efforts to out-brutal noted DM pioneers with the same longevity they take other sub-genres of metal, attach them to their traditional formula, brutalize them and forge their own evolutionary path.

The band underwent a meticulous process of recording and producing at different studios with Jim Morris (Savatage, Iced Earth) and Jason Suecof (Deicide, The Black Dahlia Murder). The lines between those subgenres disappear as if Monstrosity had always been a prog-death-thrash band.

Understanding the importance of developing song structure, band and producers paid special attention to balancing fury and finesse. The brutality is there, but this time it’s not their be-all-end-all; it less regimented as people might think as it naturally allows for more melody and dexterity to enter the picture, especially where the symphonic flavored solos.

The techniques of DM, thrash and classic metal are so tightly fused together it almost sounds like a new subgenre is being pioneered here. I’d go so far as to say “Screams from Beneath the Surface” compares as much to Testament and Kreator as to DM mainstays, and as such takes another leap toward validating DM’s capacity for advancement.

The band’s maturity comes from their giving each other equal room to contribute to the material, as much as the band and those who worked on the production. The bass tracks, mixed just enough to contribute color to the material, enhance the guitars with the notes they hit. The percussion, reminding us of the band’s DM roots, likewise allows license for the band to elaborate and expand. By accident or on purpose, the close knit method by which everyone worked together gives the material something present in greater quantities than you would have expected: heavy emotion.

Before joining Monstrosity as vocalist in 2021, Ed Webb worked with Massacre, Diabolic, and Fleshreaper, Here he emphasizes his years of experience in DM and death-thrash vocals, projecting an old school tone from the gut to deliver clipped lines and sustained growls, employing his vocal cords to articulate each phrase. This technique, occasionally flavored with high-pitched howls, establishes presence over the complex instrumentation behind him.

Taking its own direction without following any guidelines, “Screams from Beneath the Surface” is a push for Monstrosity to be given credit for their role in US death metal and validated the band’s determination to stay in the game. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Ed Webb: Vocals

Matt Barnes: Guitars

Justin Walker: Guitars

Mark van Erp: Bass

Lee Harrison: Drums

Track list:

1. Banished to the Skies

2. The Colossal Rage

3. The Atrophied

4. Spiral

5. Fortunes Engraved in Blood

6. Vapors

7. The Thorns

8. Blood Works

9. The Dark Aura

10. Veil of Disillusion

Full Length Review: Darsombra "Syzygy" (Pnictogen Records) by Dave Wolff

Band: Darsombra

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Country: USA

Genre: Electronic, ambient, experimental

Full length: Syzygy

Format: Digital, vinyl, CD

Label: Pnictogen Records

Release date: March 6, 2026

Darsombra’s latest “Syzygy” was released immediately after they hosted the festival “Darsombra Presents: Transmission – A Celebration for Ann Everton,” an event organized to honor their late bandmate who passed away last October, just as they were embarking on a new tour.

Held last February and March, the fest featured Gridfailure, Ala Muerte, Stinking Lizaveta, Acoustic War On Women, Consumer Culture, Moth Broth, 50’ ♀ & The Worms Holy Fingers, Celebration, and several others. Believing Everton would have wanted a gathering that brought together fans of diverse genres during the dead of winter, Darsombra dedicated “Syzygy” to her memory upon its release.

The album is compiled from a wealth of recordings completed during the COVID lockdowns, most of which remain unreleased apart from a couple select outings. While some of this material contributed to their double album “Dumesday Book” and maxi EP “Call The Doctor/Nightgarden,” “Syzygy” features a handful of tracks as experimental as they are minimalist, in some ways reflecting a tumultuous time. In its idea stage it was intended to be the last of a trilogy of releases.

Their 2019 album “Transmission” and their 2023 double album “Dumesday Book” ended up being the first and second of this trilogy, and the band considers this one the trilogy’s loose conclusion “Syzygy” features a handful of tracks as experimental as they are minimalist, reflecting in some ways the tumultuous period preceding its release.

Originally conceived as the final installment of a trilogy, it follows Transmission (2019) and Dumesday Book (2023), which constitute the first and second parts. The band considers “Syzygy” a loose conclusion to this trilogy, bringing it to a reflective close. The six tracks selected for inclusion are rooted in minimalist keyboard and synth rhythms. Though produced to evoke electronic and atmospheric sounds, they are more multilayered and less frigid than you'd expect, especially if you’re accustomed to the colder tendencies of traditional electronic and ambient music.

During their time in lockdown amid COVID, the band conducted live internet streams and practiced incessantly, freely exploring and elaborating on their ideas until they amassed enough material for multiple albums. After this they still had time to refine their recordings and produce videos for several of them. At the time, they believed they were working while the world outside was ending, but in retrospect they realized they were undergoing a magical, transformative process.

Filled with trial and error, this period ultimately revealed the full extent of their creativity. The depth and innovation of their work on this album and their previous releases, clearly reflect that journey. “Syzygy” sounds like Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd if they’d spent a year collaborating. It has qualities you could describe as ambient, experimental, avant-garde, space rock, krautrock, prog, psychedelic, soundscape, and even trans-apocalyptic galaxy rock.

While it exhibits elements from all these genres, at its essence it represents a genre all its own, one that remains unnamed and near impossible to define. The true beauty of this album is in its open-ended nature, inviting listeners to decide for themselves what their music is. –Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. Bummer Solstice For Starwalkers

2. Fill Up The Glass (2025 remix)

3. Owttamyed

4. Black Willow (Close To The Edge Of Some Desolate Shit)

5. Bend Overture

6. Brood X

Full Length Review: Yelena Eckemoff "Rosendals Garden" (Avant Music News)

Artist: Yelena Eckemoff

Location: Manhattan, New York

Country: USA

Genre: Progressive jazz fusion

Full length: Rosendals Garden

Format: CD, digital

Label: Avant Music News

Release date: March 27, 2026

Russian-born pianist Yelena Eckemoff demonstrated an uncanny talent at a very young age and was studying at notable music schools as early as seven. Following her graduation, she joined a jazz-rock band, studying, teaching, and composing with several different instruments. By her early twenties, she relocated to the United States and spent years experimenting with synthesizers and MIDI sequencers.

In the 2000s, she independently released works across various genres, eventually establishing herself as a jazz recording artist a few years later. Her extensive catalog of jazz albums has received acclaim for developing an experimental, improvisational approach to progressive jazz and chamber music.

Eckemoff’s most recent album “Rosendals Garden,” recorded at Sweden’s RMV Studio, showcases her improvisational jazz with a deeply personal, expressive approach, more a narrative than a mere exercise in executing flawless notes and precise measures. Each track is thoughtfully crafted to evoke the landscapes, rural scenery, and cultural history of where she stayed to record. The stories conveyed form a grand, sweeping epic capturing the enchanting qualities and poetic spirit of her surroundings.

As I mentioned, Eckemoff is less concerned on flawless technical precision and more intent to communicate on a subjective, soul-stirring level. Her music is a shining example of substance over style. While her dexterity and her grasp on jazz theory is there, it’s not merely about presenting images but enkindling entire worlds, making them feel as tangible and immersive as possible.

In the past Eckemoff has composed albums with medieval themes, biblical stories, Arabian influences, concepts exploring the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. and shades of her former life in Russia, where familiar sounds from her childhood are recreated through various instruments.

Her deep well of imagination and keen sensitivity to her environment at any given moment manifest in the early autumn sensations on “Rosendals Garden,” the feeling of the air changing as summer ends and the wind starts to grow slightly colder. You feel the chill in the air, the wind blowing leaves that turn red, yellow, and brown as nature prepares for its end-of-the-year slumber.

The transition from one season to the next is immediately palpable as the keyboards and piano of the opening track begin. Each location is vividly portrayed, revealing deep historical and cultural significance. Through intertwined piano and bass lines, nuanced percussion and strings, and subtle shifts in mood, meter, and tempo, Eckemoff and her ensemble evoke the unique character of each setting.

These layers create a realistic tapestry that immerses you in the sensation of autumn’s arrival, making you feel its presence around you in every place you visit through this album. At the very least, *Rosendals Garden* will ignite your curiosity about the Swedish locations she explored, inspiring you to learn more about their history and essence. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Yelena Eckemoff: Piano, keyboards, composition

Svante Henryson: Cello, electric and double bass

Morgan Ågren: Drums, percussion

Track list:

1. ABBA Museum

2. Rosendals Garden

3. Gamla Stan

4. Country Orchard Café

5. Öresund Bridge

6. Skansen Park

7. Sunrise in Rimbo

8. Ruins of Älvsborg

9. Storanden Nature Reserve

10. Strandvägen Pier

11. Gripsholm Castle

Full Length Review: Necrofier "Transcend into Oblivion" (Metal Blade) by Dave Wolff

Band: Necrofier

Location: Houston, Texas

Country: USA

Genre: Black metal

Full length: Transcend into Oblivion

Format: Digital, vinyl (see Bandcamp link for more information)

Label: Metal Blade

Release date: February 27, 2026

Founded in Houston, Texas in 2018, Necrofier has played a role in the evolution U.S. black metal has taken since the 2010s, drawing inspiration from the timeless spirit Scandinavian bands brought to black metal in the 1990s.

Black metal’s exploration of ancient pagan themes during that time provided numerous opportunities for bands to reinvent and redefine black metal’s boundaries. Despite its saturation and the ongoing debates about what constitutes "trve" or "kvlt" black metal, it remains one of the most expressive, innovative and unrestricted musical styles, remaining open to any interpretation bands choose to pursue.

Following the release of an EP and three full-lengths, Necrofier is helping shape a new phase in black metal’s evolution with Uada, Hulder, Lamp of Murmuur and Blackbraid. "Transcend into Oblivion" embodies a profound awakening that feels transformative and inevitable. A nameless, unknown force stirring within and gradually overtaking consciousness, a new beginning burning deep in your soul.

This album is somewhere between a metal opera and a theatrical narrative, its characteristics gradually merging in a relentless visceral process, pouring energy into a journey through mystery and hidden secrets toward becoming lord and master of one’s own universe. The experience grows increasingly immersive with each track, unfolding with a frightening sense of inevitablity. Necrofier’s U.S. black metal leans closer to its punk and thrash influences with reduced emphasis on shoegaze and post-rock.

Scraping, cutting guitars with some effects added forge a dense wall of sound comparable to Marduk and Dark Funeral. This tapestry leaves ample room for expressive lead guitar passages and vigorous tremolo picking akin to Emperor, Ihsahn and Gorgoroth, a compelling contrast that enriches their sound. The vocals evoke charging through this journey, fueled by steady snare hits, dynamic fills, and thunderous double kick drums spawning black n’ roll earthquakes, energizing the vitality.

The lyrics evoke the act of leaving reality behind, summoning dark forces to forge a new state of existence within oneself. A Luciferian vibe emerges as the grip of mundane physical life loosens, as if this new state is being willed into existence solely through the power of words alone. As "Transcend into Oblivion" becomes increasingly vast and compelling with increased ambiance and dissonant guitars, intensifying your drive to reach the end, infrequent breaks in the ferocity emerge, causing your proverbial hairs to stiffen as the intensity builds.

From the violin melody closing "Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path I," to the background keyboards and subtly haunting vocals, to the gothic piano, keyboard, and choral pieces in "Behold, the Birth of Acsension," the sounds become increasingly richer and more prominent, enveloping you in a dance of light and darkness, symbolizing physical decay as you draw nearer to ultimate light and ultimate oblivion.

The light of oblivion burns and consumes from within, as salvation and damnation converge, embodying the unity of human nature’s duality. By the moment of final immersion into the destination sought from the start, all notions of time, space, and reality fade away. In this new realm, the ultimate secrets of death and rebirth are unveiled, revealing truths far beyond human understanding.

This conclusion, arrived at after so long an arduous struggle, irrevocably changes your world view, ultimately allowing you to see everything from a broader perspective of good and evil. As guitarist/vocalist Bakka puts it, "you have been transformed; you are not who you were before. You see the world differently and you take what is yours." –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Bakka: Vocals, guitar

Semir ÖzerkanL Guitar

Mat Aleman: Bass

Dobber Beverly: Drums

Track list:

1. Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path I

2. Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path II

3. Fires of the Apocalypse, Light My Path III

4. Behold, the Birth of Ascension

5. Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way I

6. Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way II

7. Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way III

8. Mystical Creation of Enlightenment

9. Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade I

10. Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade II

11. Horns of Destruction, Lift My Blade III

12. Toward the Necrofier