Cold icewinds sweep my weightless body over the bridge to unknown lands. The fog was thick before me as I fell into the unknown realms. The darkness had fallen before me, as I saw my body fall into the ground. I am far away, I am far away from the sun… Beyond All Horizons features shorter reviews dedicated solely to black metal: a new release, an older album (a month, a year, a decade, or perhaps even longer), concluded with a hand-picked track of the week.
This edition of Beyond All Horizons focuses on 2026 releases exclusively, from artists both old and new. In Aeternum usher in their return with some crushing blackened death metal, Varnarmur debut their quality black metal, and a track from dark metal duo Toska closes us out. Let’s enter unlighted realms and experience some potential highlights of the year thus far.
New & Trve: In Aeternum – …of Death and Fire
While never reaching the notoriety of peers such as Dissection and Necrophobic, Sweden’s In Aeternum have also been around since the early ’90s. Their debut LP Forever Blasphemy didn’t see the light of day until 1999, but was a solid showcase of Sacramentum-esque melodic black metal with a ripping death metal undercurrent. While they never officially disbanded …of Death and Fire is their first full-length in over 20 years, seeing the band bring the death metal to the forefront (to my own chagrin). “Beneath the Darkened Tomb” has some twin guitar leads and blasting that invokes Dissection, but relies more on chunky death metal and thrashy skank beats. Rather than multi-layered walls of blackened riffs, In Aeternum focus more on start and stop rhythmic chugs with a heavy emphasis on pinch harmonic squeals and Slayer-style shred solos (“Goddess of Abominations”).
“Spirits of the Dead” in particular is a slower-paced chugfest that channels Demigod-era Behemoth so much with its eastern-scale riffs and soloing that I had to check it wasn’t a cover (funnily enough, In Aeternum’s original name was Behemoth). While a majority of …of Death and Fire is a style of blackened death metal that does little to please these ears, the album redeems itself a bit in the final two tracks. “The Hourglass” hones in on the layered, lead-heavy melodic black metal that Swedish bands of the mid/late ’90s were doing so well whereas closer “To Those Who Have Rode On” fuses the equally triumphant natures of viking-era Bathory and mid/late Immortal to see the album off in a surprisingly epic fashion. While an album that expanded on these styles would’ve made for a more interesting listen personally, …of Death and Fire shows that In Aeternum still have gas in the tank decades later.
…of Death and Fire is available now through Soulseller Records. For more information on In Aeternum, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.
(Slightly) Old & Cold: Varnarmur – Gravesoil and Birchblood
Just released a few weeks ago is the first promising debut of 2026 that I’ve come across, from New Hampshire’s Varnarmur. On Gravesoil and Birchblood the Granite State trio present four tracks of hypnotic, repetitive atmospheric black metal that evokes both Eastern European pagan black acts and the early material of Wolves in the Throne Room alongside chord progressions and melodic soloing that seem heavily inspired by all manner of Panopticon material up through Autumn Eternal. While the aforementioned artists have varying degrees of folk inspiration to their sound, Varnarmur instead display a more abrasive, yet muted aggressiveness. It’s no less inspired by the natural world, but more fitting of dark hollows and the granite quarries of their home state than Pacific Northwest rainforest or neverending Minnesota pines.
In line with atmospheric black metal tradition Gravesoil and Birchblood is not particularly riffy, with the dense guitars playing towering stones of chords pierced with brighter melodic lines; the concluding minutes of the opening title track is a great example of this. “As Yggdrasil Burns” is a particular highlight of mine, the thunderous kicks on beat one anchoring the cymbal heavy sound with mesmerizing repetition. An eerie spoken word section sets the stage for a grand finale, replete with a blasting finish and flashy solo that will no doubt please any fans of Austin Lunn’s guitar wizardry from the Roads to the North days. “Heart of the Mountain” takes things in more of a doom and gloom direction, while 14-minute closer “Kingdom of Solitude” sticks the landing by slowly building up to another huge finale. While not bringing anything particularly new to the table Gravesoil and Birchblood is well-produced and very good at what it does, and just gets better with every listen.
Gravesoil and Birchblood is available now through Bandcamp. For more information on the band, check out their Encyclopedia Metallum page.
Twilight Hour: Toska – “Solitude”
Toska is a newer project of my friend Eric Wing of Morke (and now a member of Ethereal Shroud, Big Things Coming™) alongside their live guitarist Justin Bowling, an exercise in dark metal a la Agalloch, Empyrium, and early Katatonia. Think atmospheric black metal interspersed with extended acoustic guitar passages and gothic doom-inspired riffing. November’s Demo 2025 was a more Cascadian black metal take on the style, fusing the dark melancholy with triumphant chord progressions. “Solitude” is the second track on the recently released Demo 2026, upping the melodicism of Toska to levels not previously reached. The track’s twin guitar harmonies and warm bass that wouldn’t be at all out of place on Morke’s To Carry On (sans hazy reverb) alternate with cascading melodic waterfalls, backed by powerful rhythm guitars in the bulk of the song before taking on a slower-paced, doomier quality in the closing solo section of the track. While I assume a lot of people in the Northern Hemisphere are still stuck in the throes of winter (laughs in 67°F California), this is music that looks ahead to a green spring and brighter days. Grand leads, triumphant melodies, big riffs, I’m eagerly anticipating what comes next from Toska.
Demo 2026 is available now through Bandcamp. For more information on Toska, check out their Encyclopedia Metallum page.
— Colin
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