Naked Whipper - Chapel Defilement

Labels: Iron Bonehead Productions/Messe Noire Productions

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 31 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Depraved to the Bone

3. Bloodstained White Icon

4. Top Notch Slavedriver

5. (Pray Macabre) Chapel Defilement

6. Fucked on Cross

7. Intro

8. Celebrate Their Downfall

9. Nail or be Nailed

10. Out the Norm

11. The Swinepriest Bedlam

12. Flamethrow Messiah / The Purgatory Trial

13. Wow Wow Wholy Whore, Hot Wax Fat Candles

30 years on their debut album Painstreaks, which gained them a cult following in the extreme metal underground, German black metal/grind band Naked Whipper returned earlier this year with their newest full-length Chapel Defilement. Their story began in 1993 with the release of their debut self-titled EP. Following the release of their second EP Moloch: Acid Orgy (also in 1995), they fell silent.

Naked Whipper's sole constant Dominus A.S. gathered together musicians from Germany's truly blasphemous underbelly and together, the quartet found themselves working in partnership with compatriots Iron Bonehead Productions, committing these thirteen tracks to vinyl and CD. A tape variant was released via fellow German label Messe Noire Productions, featuring two additional live tracks.

For transparency, I’m reviewing the Iron Bonehead release tonight. Chapel Defilement begins with an Intro (it’s actually the first of two intros on this album). It’s an unnerving intro where gentle piano joins female cries that almost fit the melody it plays. Those cries no doubt caused by the seedy sounding perpetrator. It’s actually quite a fitting opener as ‘Depraved to the Bone’ kicks in with instant force. It’s fast and grinding but not without its groove, which is sometimes missed by black metal bands. The mix of black metal and grind makes complete sense, blowing new life into current underground “trends”. 

‘Bloodstained White Icon’ takes the grind influence even further, especially given Naked Whipper’s respect for Napalm Death. It’s definitely for the maniacs! If you had forgotten that they were from Germany, that’s understandable as their sound very much aligns with the barbarity of Brazilian war metal. ‘Top Notch Slavedriver’ only adds to that notion with frenetic percussion, razor-sharp bass/guitar and utterly disgusting vocals. Dare I say how enjoyable this album is so far?.

Given the ferocity of the songs so far, ‘(Pray Macabre) Chapel Defilement’s song length might have you thinking it’s going to be a slower murkier number, but you’re wrong, as Naked Whipper use it to push their extremes even further. Infusing their sound with death metal influences, they continue to find ways to reach greater tempos. ‘Fucked on Cross’ proves exactly that with yet more crazed musicianship and festering vocals. I know Germany’s known for it’s Teutonic thrash but it seems like easy listening compared to this!

That second ‘Intro’ I mentioned above is scary white noise that leads into ‘Celebrate Their Downfall’, which sees Naked Whipper continuing their aural onslaught. Whether that ‘Intro’ should have been called an interlude is another matter but the song that follows it grinds and rocks in all the right places. ‘Nail or be Nailed’ is as rabid as Naked Whipper’s songs get here. Fast, blasting and blackened. There’s no more adequate way of describing it really.

As song-titles go, ’Out the Norm’ reads as if it was thought of by an Englishman! Obviously, that wasn’t the case though and semantics aside, you’re presented with yet another raging heretical hymn that leaves no time for calm. That hymn is followed immediately by ‘The Swinepriest Bedlam’, which maintains the same intense approach. It’s mad to think that after 30 years, Naked Whipper still sound as fearsome as they did back then.

They combine what seems like two songs into one for their penultimate number ‘Flamethrow Messiah / The Purgatory Trial’. It’s four-minutes in length, so it’s nearly a symphony for them! Jokes aside, it gathers so many different influences from the Teutonic thrash of their homeland, to the barbarism of Brazilian war metal and countless other influences besides. Closing out with ‘Wow Wow Wholy Whore, Hot Wax Fat Candles’, I’m not sure what to think. It could have been written and performed by Japan’s Abigail given its sexual references, but it’s all Naked Whipper’s own creation.

I know that it seems odd to be reviewing an album from January in December but it is what it is. I’d love to have the time (and earnings) to be able to run this blog full-time. Sadly, that isn’t the case and I have to remain a corporate slave. Bands like Naked Whipper help me keep the faith though as they unapologetically deliver music that means so much to them. One day we’ll exist in utopia, maybe!

You can stream and purchase Chapel Defilement on all formats (except vinyl) below:-

Vinyl and CD copies are also available to purchase from Hells Headbangers below:-

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

Naked Whipper - @naked_whipper_

Hells Headbangers - https://www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers

Messe Noire Productions - https://www.facebook.com/messenoireproductions

Greet - I Know How To Die

Labels: Dry Cough Records/Fiadh Productions

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 17 Oct 2025

Tracklist:

1. Keening

2. No More

3. Revelry

4. The Leather Knight

5. May

6. The Mire

7. The Seer

8. The Dig

9. The Battle

10. Eulogy

There's a part of me that felt like this blog had run its course over the last twelve months. It's grown bigger than I could've imagined over the last fifteen years, yet I've held back from allowing it to grow even more, which is my own failing I guess. With all that said though, I'm wanting to give it another proper push. Let's see...

October saw the release of the newest album I Know How To Die from Leeds, UK dark folk act Greet. Greet's sole-member and songwriter Matthew Broadley gathers together all manner of instruments from guitars and percussion, to flutes, synthesisers and a harmonium to create drone-laden folk music that befits the act's surroundings. It was released on tape via US label Fiadh Productions and on vinyl, also via Fiadh Prods and one of my favourite UK labels Dry Cough Records.

Beginning with the teasing opener ‘Keening’, Greet is joined by Steve Von Till, who provides spoken-word lyrics to a backdrop of choral vocals and droning synth/harmonium. It’s eerily soothing, especially when set against the swirling winds of Storm Bram outside. It’s also surprisingly full of volume, as ‘No More’ shows. There are so many elements at play here, so many different instruments, all led by the harmonium. I’ve never been drawn to folk music before but Greet’s association with Dry Cough/Fiadh and bands that shall remain nameless here drew me in.

The upbeat Celtic influence that flows through ‘Revelry’ could make it the perfect song to see in the New Year. Please excuse the tweeness of that last sentence but ‘Revelry’ reminds me of how the Scots celebrate Hogmanay, to name but one example. As the album progresses, you begin to notice that Greet’s other instrumental elements come to the fore over and above the harmonium. ‘The Leather Knight’ sees the vocals sitting in a more prevalent spot, alongside layered choir-like backing singing and the medieval tones added by a flute.

‘May’ is initially mournful in tone but it’s mood is lifted by vocal melodies that sound way jollier than they should. It’s not a lengthy song and it goes by fairly quickly. It is engrossing though and I’m really warming to this album. Folk is such a broad term when it comes to music and even dark folk seems to have a spectrum all of its own. ‘The Mire’ feels like an interlude at just over a minute in length, but it’s one that’s filled with the haunting voices of those who have walked the moors and valleys where Greet calls home.

As ‘The Mire’ fades and flows into ‘The Seer’, there’s a feeling of unease and tension as rhythmic percussion beats beneath the characteristic melody of Greet. It has its own persona amongst the more upbeat songs on this album, making it standout somewhat. The beautiful birdsong and almost rhythmically ambient sounds of ‘The Dig’ make up the album’s final interlude and lead to ‘The Battle’, which is ominous in its title.

Again, authoritative percussion joins the musical fray, helping to keep the rhythm alongside the harmonium. It’s solely instrumental and as it finishes with a trance-like passage, it leads into album closer ‘Eulogy’. A fitting title perhaps, as it’s where Greet delivers a more expansive sound with guitar melodies and glorious violin provided by Simon Barr. The vocals draw you in one last time, hypnotically so. 

As a music listener, I have often stuck to my own stubborn tastes; moving from the immediacy of hardcore and extreme metal, to post-rock/metal and experimental heaviness with the odd pop record infiltrating my listening habits as years have passed. I Know How To Die left me with such a sense of calm this evening that I think I might be moving into another phase of that musical journey. This album is fantastic and I’m so glad I took a chance on it.

You can stream and purchase the album digitally below, where it's also available on physical formats (albeit they're running low!):-

You can also buy the album on physical formats from the labels below:-

Dry Cough Records - https://www.drycoughrecords.com/product/greet-i-know-how-to-die

Fiadh Productions - https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/i-know-how-to-die

Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords

Fiadh Productions - https://www.facebook.com/fiadhproductions

Inosuke - Allomancer

Labels: Dancing Rabbit Records/Dingleberry Records/Friendly Otter/HellaDecentRecords/New Knee Records/Oliver Glenn Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 03 Nov 2025

Tracklist:

1. a thousand years of ash and mist

2. the well

3. god metal

4. braving the new world

5. catacendre

I first discovered US doom/screamo duo Inosuke back in late 2023 thanks to Zegema Beach Records and reviewed their debut LP rage/ruin in January of last year. They released their newest EP 'Allomancer' in November and kindly got in touch to let me know about it. They must know that I really appreciate bands who release music on a regular (annual) basis. Once again ZBR had a hand in this EP's release, alongside the other excellent DIY labels mentioned above.

Even before I hit play on this EP, I have to call out the amazing artwork by Martin McCoy (alongside the layout by Matt Quietsch) It’s so striking, especially with the autumnal colours. EP opener ‘a thousand years of ash and mist’ sounds way doomier than anything that was on rage/ruin to me, and a lot more off-kilter too. Inosuke as a duo work so hard to create a huge soundstage when they’re in full chat. When they quieten down, the atmosphere that takes hold is equally as big.

It’s often astounding how a band’s song-writing and creativity can be translated musically. From percussion to guitar and piano to vocals, Inosuke grow with every bar. ‘the well’ is less than half the length of Allomancer’s opener yet it’s instrumental twists and turns make it feel just as long, as the semi spoken-word/screamed vocals join in during it’s latter-half. They remind me of somebody else in their delivery, but I can’t remember who right now (it’ll probably come to me in the middle of the night!).

I genuinely hope that ‘god metal’ is a humorous swipe at religion in metal. All I know though, as the piano-led instrumentation gets louder and the vocals get harsher, is that it’s a subtle angst-laden song that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.

Penultimate song ‘braving the new world’ sees Inosuke retreating to a doomier position stylistically and I’m all for it. The riffs of Jason Kallicragas are excellent, while the drumming of Erik Anderson is truly pummelling at its most manic. Equally, Jason’s vocals (as I’ve already said) are vicious but also audible, which is rare. Erik’s recording and Jack Shirley’s mix/mastering helps to bring it all to life too.

Ending with ‘catacendre’, Inosuke move in an orchestral direction once again. This time, it’s solely the piano that leads with ambient sounds underneath. It’s a lovely way to end this EP. Inosuke have managed to chart their own path through the ever-growing tundra that’s made up of every band that’s vying for your attention ever! If you’re a fan of heavy screamo music or you’re just screamo-curious (sorry!), this is the release you should listen to next.

You can stream and purchase Allomancer digitally from Inosuke below:-

Inosuke - https://www.facebook.com/inosukeband

You can still grab physical copies from the labels below:-

New Knee Records - https://inosuke-knr.bandcamp.com/album/allomancer

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/allomancer / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/allomancer

Dancing Rabbit Records - https://www.instagram.com/dancingrabbitrec/

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/DingleberryRecords

Friendly Otter - https://www.facebook.com/friendlyotterrex

New Knee Records - https://www.instagram.com/newkneerecords/

Oliver Glenn Records - https://www.instagram.com/oliverglennrecords/

Zegema Beach Records - https://bsky.app/profile/zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social

Sun of the Dying - A Throne Of Ashes

Labels: AOP Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 21 Nov 2025

Tracklist:

1. Martyrs

2. Black Birds Beneath Your Sky

3. With Wings Aflame

4. The Greatest Of Winters

5. The House Of Asterion

6. Of Absence

I seriously need to do something about my inbox, but that's for another day! When I chose to write about the newest full-length from Spanish doom-death band Sun of the Dying, I had no idea it had been six years since their previous release The Earth Is Silent, which I wrote about back in December 2019. In cooperation with long time supporters AOP Records, Sun of the Dying have released A Throne Of Ashes on CD and vinyl formats, as well as digitally.

I find that I can listen to pretty much any genre of metal at any time of the year, but listening to doom-death on a dark/cold December night makes the experience even greater. Sun of the Dying open their newest album with the majestic ‘Martyrs’, which is filled with soaring gothic-like melodies and passages of searing death metal. I could draw on many comparisons here from both Scandinavia and the UK, but I’m not going to. It’s better that this music is allowed to stand alone.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that after such a melodramatic opener, Sun of the Dying would perhaps move in a more uptempo direction given the shorter length of ‘Black Birds Beneath Your Sky’; instead, they present a more minimalistic approach during the verses, which is punctuated by melodic choruses and heaviness that’s joined by choral brightness. 

This release contains boat loads of musical maturity, as the guitars, percussion and keys demonstrate throughout. ‘With Wings Aflame’ is beautifully symphonic early on and the mix of Eduardo Guilló’s deep melodic tones/harsh growls and the clean vocals of guest Antinoë seem to elevate the song and Sun of the Dying’s sound further as it progresses. 

This sextet has mastered the art of throwing the listener off the scent when it comes to musical direction, as ‘The Greatest Of Winters’ highlights. From the fast, blasting intro to the doom-laden verses to follow; there’s no room for guessing what Sun of the Dying are gonna do next. What they do is inject the song with a breathy mix of introspection and death metal ferocity all rolled into one cohesive package. The keys towards the end are absolutely beautiful too.

Penultimate song ’The House Of Asterion’ is heavy right from the off but once again, Sun of the Dying lull you into a false sense of security (for those of you who prefer your doom-death leaning more towards death metal), as they drop back into another loverly melodic passage soon after. Some might say that their song-writing and structure is traditional in one sense, but at the same time there’s an unexpected nature to it as well. The mix of gothic gloom, downtempo heaviness and orchestral unease accentuates that point.

Closing with ‘Of Absence’, Sun of the Dying have one more chance to explore their exquisitely melodic side, where keys and guitars rule over the drums as the harsh vocals enter the fray,. Thankfully, the vocals don’t overpower the music as a whole and add to what is a gloriously emotive song, filled with fantastic melodic elements.

This album is a beautiful body of work from a band that continue to forge their own path. The only genuine similarity I can draw on here would be Portuguese doom/death band Moonspell; however, Sun of the Dying in their own right need to be appreciated. Epic and thought-provoking in every sense.

You can purchase A Throne Of Ashes on all formats from Sun of the Dying below:-

Physical copies can also be ordered from AOP Records here - https://shop.aoprecords.de/gb/49-sun-of-the-dying.

Sun of the Dying - https://www.facebook.com/SunofTheDying

AOP Records - https://www.facebook.com/aoprecs