As someone who prides themselves in knowing their black metal, it feels I have encountered a diamond in the rough with the Indonesian band/entity Kekal, whom have put out an impressive number of records in the last 27 years. Having originally heard 2018’s Deeper Underground in the last couple of years, Kekal impressed me with their blend of genres that reminded me of a more accessible Igorr, melding avant-garde black metal, electronica, and post-metal together into this chaotic yet colorful sound that swept me off my feet. Having missed out on their previous release, I decided to skip ahead and see what Envisaged had to offer, as my curiosity was once again piqued by this incredibly mysterious band.
Continue readingdark metal
Album Review: Gaahl’s WYRD — “The Humming Mountain”
When you start digging into black metal, Gorgoroth inevitably falls into the mix, and it was there that I first discovered Kristian Eivind Espedal, aka Gaahl. Blasphemy though it may be, the band as a whole didn’t stick with me, but as Gaahl moved on I stayed with him, following his brief aggressive burst with God Seed as well as his work with the more introspective Wardruna. But it wasn’t until Gaahl’s WYRD that the man found an outlet that really spoke to his increasingly divergent interests, and two years after a stellar debut we’re graced with the mini-album The Humming Mountain. Surprising no one, it’s really good.
Continue readingEmbracing the Descent: February 14 – 20, 2021

Hard to believe it’s been nearly a year since I did one of these. This probably matters to no one, but that’s a long time and I miss the mini-review format. So, I’m sitting here having the first drink of the evening and I want to tip this glass back many times, listen to metal, and say some stuff about it. And, all of it will be pulled from the current crop of incoming releases. The deeper in I get, my glass will go from full to empty at least a couple, or three, times so results may vary. Let’s do this and don’t forget to check out the full listing from Monday’s Initial Descent.
Continue readingProfile: Laura Vargas of The Inferno Doll
Sacrifice is more than just a follow up EP to The Inferno Doll‘s 2015 full length Dollmination it also continues the story of the main character being possessed by an alter ego with no vision of which one is the enemy. This time out, the character is awakened and summoned by a High Priestess who controls the element of fire and offers a second chance. For this story to play out, the music must match not only the occult at work here but the battle at hand. And it does, in spades. This is dark, gothic metal at its theatrical and evil best. The slow burn enchantment of the title track crashing head first into the gnashing teeth of Land of the Lords shows just how talented vocalist and songwriter Laura Vargas is at bringing this all to successful, albeit dark, fruition. Sacrifice saw digital release back in October and as of this month has seen a physical release. Just behind this particular release we had the chance to pose our Profile questions to Laura in hopes of finding out more about the project and the artist. She opens up with a ton of info so head below to see how it went down.
Continue readingReceiving the Evcharist: Deathwhite and Throwback Lager
Receiving the Evcharist is our weekly feature where we pair choice albums with our favorite libations. Drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offering: Deathwhite’s Grave Image and Strand Brewing Company’s Throwback Lager.