Asarhaddon - Witherloup

Labels: Self-Released/Vendetta Records

Formats: Digital/Vinyl

Release Date: 21 Dec 2025

Tracklist:

1. Witherloup

I don't normally review single songs anymore, purely because I don't feel it's a good use of time (unless I'm premiering them as well); however, when a band and label put this much effort into one, it's hard to ignore. The band I'm talking about is German black metal duo Asarhaddon and the label is Vendetta Records. Together, they released the single Witherloup as a glorious single-sided/screen-printed 10" record. 

Asarhaddon formed in 2014 and to date they have released four EPs, two full-lengths and four singles. Aside from profiles on bandcamp, Ampwall and YouTube, I can't provide much more information about them unfortunately. 

I get the impression that this is much more than just a black metal song. Asarhaddon’s two protagonists Christian Kircher (drums) and Christian Koss (guitar/bass/lyrics) are joined by a trio of guests here including Nova, and Floor Vandenbrande (both providing vocals), Frederic Ruckert (hurdy gurdy/piano) and Florian Ehrenberg (second guitar solo). After a gentle atmospheric intro, Asarhaddon burst into black metal of the cinematic/melodic variety. The German vocals are right at home alongside the extreme percussion/guitar work, while the melody from the hurdy gurdy begins to usher you away from said extremity, into the arms of siren-like clean female vocals. 

The one constant throughout this expansive song is the driving percussion, which keeps the momentum high. The latter-half follows the same formula as first-half, which is definitely no bad thing. The additional hurdy gurdy, guitar solo and those enchanting clean vocals are layered in such a way that they are very much at one with everything else here. Witherloup is masterful. Whatever you think black metal is (or should be), is irrelevant. Asarhaddon deliver their own take on the sub-genre with such grace and musical poise, that you forget that boundaries exist.

The detail and thought that both Asarhaddon, and Vendetta Records have put into this release is phenomenal. I think releasing singles on physical formats should be normalised. That’s just my opinion though, as I know it would be a costly venture for any band/label.

You can stream and purchase Witherloup digitally via bandcamp below:-

Unfortunately, it's not available on Ampwall currently but a lot of their previous discography is, so head there if you want to purchase their music without being subjected to bandcamp's fees. They've made some of their singles free on Ampwall as well - https://ampwall.com/Asarhaddon.

Vendetta Records Instagram - @vendettarecs

Rainmaking/Senza - Split 12"

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 24 Aug 2026

Tracklist:

1. Rainmaking - Gush

2. Senza - Purging Stone

3. Senza - Spare Not the Flock

This review might round out September for me, but then again it might not. It's been a month of "slightly" better writing momentum, which I'm happy about. Keeping up my regular focus on the 2026 releases from Zegema Beach Records has helped and one day I'll be able to revisit the discography series I started! Before that days comes though, here's the brand new split release featuring Rainmaking and Senza, who are both from Oregon, U.S.A.

Released as a single-sided 12", on two different variants of 125 copies each and with a glorious etched b-side, it contains one song from Rainmaking and two from Senza. The skramz lords keep on giving in 2026, so don't write those EOY lists just yet!

I really need to spend some time organising my record collection so it includes all of my recent arrivals, but I don’t think my back can take it. It’s far more productive to be writing about something instead. Starting this split off, Rainmaking contribute a quite expansive post-hardcore/screamo song in the form of ‘Gush’. Instrumentally, it’s dramatic and off-kilter, almost mathy. The vocals are somewhat buried amongst the instrumentation, which is by choice I think. Honestly, it still sounds great and the dynamic allows the full band to flourish musically. 

Senza deliver a more striking version of screamo with their opener ‘Purging Stone’, which is essentially emo-violence at its core. Faster percussive tempos, high-pitched screams, melodic instrumental passages and chunkier riffs make a more urgent impression. ‘Spare Not the Flock’ is no easy let up either, as Senza pick up right where they left off. They inject more mathiness into their second song, which is really engrossing. Hearing it alongside the heavier, metalcore-inspired riffs just works really well.

This is one of those splits where you hit play and then ask “what the hell just happened?” as it ends. Both Rainmaking and Senza smash it, which is the most important thing really. I said it earlier; don’t be writing those EOY lists yet, as this may well be up there.

You can stream the split and get it as a name-your-price download below:-

You can buy physical copies of the split from Zegema Beach Records below:-

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/rainza

Zegema Beach Records U.S.A - https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/senza-rainmaking-split-12

Rainmaking Instagram - @rainmaking.biz

Senza Instagram - @senza.pnw

Zegema Beach Records Instagram - @zegema_beach

Coffret De Bijoux - Lose Myself in You

Labels: Flowing Downward

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 27 Aug 2026

Tracklist: 

1. Lose Myself in You

2. Under Fog

It's Friday (at the time of writing this), it's currently 19:22 and it's most certainly not Top Of The Pops. What it is though is random review Friday! I'm not saying I'll do this every Friday, but whatever. While going through my e-mails recently, the cover art for this release from Canadian atmospheric black metal project Coffret De Bijoux caught my eye.

Lose Myself in You was released in April via Italian label Flowing Downward and it has been hailed as another glowing example of how productive the current blackgaze/atmospheric black metal scene is now, especially across the Atlantic. To back up that previous claim, Discogs has this release down as the  twelfth album to come from Coffret De Bijoux since its formation in 2024.

If you follow and enjoy the ever expanding discographies of Sadness, Life and Trha et al, there’s a high chance that you’ll also enjoy this release. Similarities stretch beyond just genre, especially because pretty much everything is written and performed by sole member Alice Simard. Starting with the title-track ‘Lose Myself in You’. Coffret De Bijoux present’s a melodic, almost metallic take on black metal, whilst retaining blasting percussion and harsh vocals. 

Reminding me of melodic metalcore early on in the riff department, it takes a turn that’s unexpected soon after, as dreamier instrumentation is joined by the most incredible yet understated clean vocals. The use of electronic vocal and musical effects help too, but they only add to the music here. They’re not overused and later on, the song pivots back with heavier tones. It’s never truly extreme though, which is why this sub-genre seems to be growing every day. 

Second song ‘Under Fog’ continues with an almost Appalachian black metal aesthetic, which was unexpected. That said, it’s also very off-kilter and with the instrumentation being as big as it is, there’s something really engrossing about it. What follows that early musicianship and the harsh vocals might have you puzzled though, as techno-like electronics, dissonant guitar and clean vocals join in for good measure. We’re at a point now where genres aren’t even a thing anymore and that’s a good thing for the future of music, in my opinion.

A lot of people didn’t like Enter Shikari back in the day and while the similarities between them and Coffret De Bijoux are minimal, the sentiment isn’t. As somebody who doesn’t usually like too much electronica in their extreme music, I really think it works here and I love it. That coupled with the sensitive piano composition and performance from James Peterson that follows Alice’s epic guitar work later on; if you’re looking for true variation and fulfilment; look no further.

I could fall asleep right now (in the best possible way). This has been such a great listen and Coffret De Bijoux deserves much more success going forwards. My mind has been expanded once again thanks to forward thinking, genre pushing individuals. Long may it continue.

You can stream the release digitally via bandcamp below:-

Physical copies of Lose Myself in You are available to purchase directly from Coffret De Bijoux via bandcamp above. 

If you're in Europe (or elsewhere) and want to save on the exorbitant bandcamp fees (since they were taken over), head to Flowing Downward's webstore here:

https://flowingdownward.com/prodotto/coffret-de-bijoux-lose-myself-in-you/

Flowing Downward Instagram - @flowingdownward

ỤBỤRỤ - ỤBỤRỤ

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 15 May 2026

Tracklist:

1. Butchered

2. In Tatters

3. HSPC

4. Rotting Flesh

5. Shaman

6. An Autophage

7. An Omniphage

8. Oblivion

In 2019 I wrote about the Death & Decay demo from West Yorkshire sludge/death/doom band ỤBỤRỤ (I actually can't believe it was that long ago now!). Seven years on from that demo, the trio have re-surfaced with their debut self-titled album (featuring re-worked songs from said demo), which was released on May 15 on CD and digitally. Despite their lowkey presence up to now, this album promises to push their name out further.

It’s great to be able to hear and champion another band from Leeds, following my recent review of Pleb. The fact that ỤBỤRỤ also represent the slow, sludgier, DIY community in the city makes it even better. Opening their debut full-length with ‘Butchered’, the trio offers up a mix of death-doom and blackened-sludge. Everything here is natural, from the instrumentation/vocals to the recording and mixing/mastering. As ỤBỤRỤ say themselves; “absolutely no AI used in any part of our creative process”, and that’s how It should be. We need more transparency in the music scene. I have received promos championing the use of AI to create music and art. Needless to say, they have been deleted straight away.

‘In Tatters’ builds on the low-end heft that kicked off this album, coupling it with a more urgent percussive tempo and funkier bass riffs. There’s a real sense of quality musicianship here and as the music becomes more off-kilter/avant-garde, it also becomes more enjoyable. ‘HSPC’ has an oddly upbeat feel to it, maybe because the riffs seem to be kind off inverted to what you’d normally expect from doom/sludge of this magnitude. What I’m trying to say is that it sounds like the song’s been recorded and then wound-back, while being re-recorded, with the vocals layered on top. Look, I know I’m way off here but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sound good! Perception is a weird thing.

After the utterly insane ending to ‘HSPC’, you might be left slightly dazed but don’t worry because ‘Rotting Flesh’ will ground you once again. A more conventional song (if such a thing even exists!) rooted in death/doom, but not limited to it. ỤBỤRỤ as a trio are able to make the sub-genre of sound fresh and revitalised somehow. Given the band’s love of slow and low heaviness, ‘Shaman’ is an apt title for a song that takes elements from stoner, psych and doom while also harnessing faster tempos. Again, their avant-garde tendencies shine here, with the bass guitar riffs being more prominent.

There’s something very striking about ‘An Autophage’ and it begins with the melodic riffs that help open the song. It’s a subtle twist, but the melody changes the feel of the album for me. While ỤBỤRỤ do revert back to their heavier blueprint for the most part, the extended passages of subtle melody provide some light amongst the gloom. The song’s actually split into two parts with the second being ‘An Omniphage’, which is ỤBỤRỤ in extremis. The melodic riffs are banished and in their place come downtuned instrumental passages, breakdowns and deep guttural vocals. It’s a really good juxtaposition.

Closing out the album with ‘Oblivion’, ỤBỤRỤ stride into their longest song as if their lives depended on it (in terms of the rest of the album anyway). Thematically, it follows straight on from ‘An Omniphage’, albeit with the little pause in between. It does change things up slightly, with some short melodic breaks in between the guttural dankness. I was just thinking about whether this band had any connection to Woes from Bradford, but I don’t think they do.

Ultimately and ignoring how tired I am this evening, ỤBỤRỤ have done a fantastic job with this album. It epitomises their DIY or Die spirit, given that it was self-recorded, self-produced and the art for it was done properly. The artistic fightback against AI has truly begun in the underground and I am fully behind it.

You can stream the album via Bandcamp below, where it's also available to purchase digitally and on CD:-

ỤBỤRỤ Instagram - @uburu.band

Empathetic - The Room Collapses Quietly

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 07 Aug 2026

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Culminate

3. Volatile

4. Yield

5. Interlude

6. Fracture Point

I feel like I'm in one of those periods where the day job is going really well. Things have been productive, opportunities are opening up, though that could mean less time and more stress. Anyway, corporate pep talk over, it's time for some Canadian emoviolence.

Vancouver's Empathetic released their new EP The Room Collapses Quietly via Zegema Beach Records in August, on a limited run of CDs, and also digitally. Empathetic are a pretty new group that features members from Thank You Driver and I think this is their debut release, apart from appearing on ZBR's latest Zampler cd comp. Heck, they've already shared stages with State Faults, Frail Body and Coup D'etat!

It’s a great feeling knowing that I’ve already written more than I did last month. It follows the work trend I was talking about in the intro bit. It’s also great being able to listen to Empathetic. Their ‘Intro’ to The Room Collapses Quietly is just glorious and unassuming. Classy instrumentation that leads into ‘Culminate’, which is a great mix of emoviolence, screamo and mathy sections. The vocals are the most violent instrument here, while the rest of the band deliver controlled, and not so controlled chaos.

I guess ‘Volatile’ would be an apt way to describe this release, as it progresses between the beautiful and the beastly. As a song, it threatens to spill over into crazed breakdowns at times but Empathetic show enough musical empathy (sorry!), to not let that happen. They do furious-grind well later on though! ‘Yield’ once again majors on their mathy-side, adding complex time-signatures and majestic melodies that compliment each other really well.

Those vocals cut deep too and you’d be forgiven for thinking that ‘Interlude’ would be exactly that, and you’d be correct to some extent. It’s gentler on the aggression and more forward on the melody, but the harsh vocals are never too far away. It works really well like this, especially as it’s the EP’s penultimate song. Closing with ‘Fracture Point’, Empathetic really throw caution to the wind and give the craziest account of themselves. Listen to it to understand what I mean.

It’s short, heavy, emotive and wondrous all at the same time. What an impact Empathetic have made here. We’re racing towards the end of 2026 faster than we realise (I’m already receiving 2027 release promos!) and no doubt people will be forming their EOY lists already. This has to be a contender of EPOTY.

You can stream and purchase this EP digitally from Zegema Beach Records below:-

Limited CD copies are also available from ZBR here:-

CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/empathetic

USA - https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/empathetic-the-room-collapses-quietly-cd

Empathetic Instagram - @empathetic.bc

Zegema Beach Records - @zegema_beach

Culloden - Tales of the Tyne

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 10 July 2026

Tracklist:

1. Seven Months (Intro)

2. The Siege

3. Harrying Of The North

4. Hammer Of The Poor

5. Bonny At Morn (Interlude)

6. Lords Of A Lawless Land

7. The Anarchy

8. Witchpricker

Before I started this blog there was a time where I really enjoyed battle metal. At the time I also loved metalcore and heavier music in general, which very much shaped my taste and led me to start writing. Where am I going with this? Well... in the last couple of years, I've been slowly listening to more traditional heavy metal thanks to bands like Khemmis and Haunt, to name a few. 

In May, I premiered the single 'Lords Of A Lawless Land' by Newcastle-Upon-Tyne's heavy metal trio Culloden. They released their debut album Tales Of The Tyne back in July and were kind enough to send me it to review. Built around the history of Tyneside during medieval times, it's bound to be steeped in North East grit.

Having just spent Saturday afternoon stomping around the historic streets of York, it feels only right to be listening to an album championing the history of another Northern city. The intro ‘Seven Months’ gives very little away, aside from chiming bells, eerie ambience and the sound of battles on sacred land. ‘The Siege’ is the first song proper here and it’s a mix of heavy metal and speed metal (though, both of those could be considered the same thing depending on where you sit!).

The drumming from Michael Lee is so spot on, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was delivered by a drum machine. David Thompson’s guitar work adds melody, momentum and pinch harmonics that are reminiscent of Coheed And Cambria (to my ears at least!), while the bass and vocals of Andrew Halliday provide both striding low-end, and striking aggression respectively. 

‘Harrying Of The North’ is stylistically a continuation of the previous song, which is weird to say as it’s kind of all over the place musically. It has an industrial feel to it (unsurprisingly, given Culloden’s roots), but also a musicality that makes me think of Italian metal, though I have no idea why!. 

This album is way heavier than I was expecting to be honest. ‘Hammer Of The Poor’ is a mix of mid-paced thrash and groove metal, with the instrumentation buried slightly in mix when the vocals are added, but coming right to the fore when the solos kick in later on. Reminds me of Onslaught at times. 

Weirdly (or maybe by design), ‘Hammer Of The Poor’ continues on into the interlude ‘Bonny At Morn’, at least on bandcamp anyway. It’s a gentle interlude that harks back to medieval times once again and sets the scene for ‘Lords Of A Lawless Land’. If you checked out my premiere of this song, you’ll already know what to expect. A quick-fire, anthemic metal song delivered with precision.

Penultimate song ‘The Anarchy’ follows in a very different mode, with slower intro riffs leading to what could be described as a steady galloping tempo during the main verses. It’s not blackened in the slightest but it does bring to mind Kanonenfieber. I have to say, I really do appreciate the way that Culloden are able to change their sound subtly.

Leaving their longest song till last (albeit slightly trimmed down compared to the version that appeared on their debut EP), ‘Witchpricker’ is a fuller sounding beast. Complete with additional riffs from Karl Moore (who played guitar for Culloden in 2014 and then again from 2017-2019), it’s a breakneck way to end the album, even if the mid-section loses momentum slightly. The final third picks things back up again though with some excellent lead guitar work and driving percussion.

I’m going to have to start listening to much more heavy metal now! Culloden take me back to when I was first discovering bands through sampler CDs from the likes of Rock Sound, Metal Hammer and Terrorizer magazines. I still have them all in fact. Tales of the Tyne is an excellent album and it just shows how enduring UK metal is. Great work!

You can stream and purchase the album digitally via bandcamp below, where it's also available on CD:-

Culloden Instagram - @cullodenband