Threat Signal - Revelations

Labels: Agonia Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 27 Mar 2026

Tracklist:

1. The Great Tribulation

2. Non-Essential

3. Exercise The Demon

4. Fire At Will

5. Death Will Find Us All

6. Paralysis

7. Revelations

8. NME

9. Hell And Back

10. Live For You

I didn't think I would ever get the opportunity to review an album by Canadian metal band Threat Signal, until I wrote about their 2017 album Disconnect that is!. My introduction to the band stretches right back to their 2006 debut album Under Reprisal. They've steadily released albums ever since and earlier this year they released their fifth full-length Revelations via Agonia Records. This is still one of those pinch-me moments for both 20 year-old and 40 year-old me!

It’s time to put the stresses and strains of everyday life to one side for a bit. To escape, to reflect and to enjoy. That’s exactly what I intend to do with Threat Signal’s newest album Revelations. This is what I remember from Threat Signal. Epic technical/thrash metal with heaps of melody on opener ‘The Great Tribulation’. I’ve always heard much more European influence in their sound. The tempo of the music here is more mid-paced, but it works perfectly alongside the instrumentation and vocals. Think of bands like Textures and Soilwork as a reference.

As with my initial listens to Under Reprisal back in 2006, Revelations builds with every track. The excellent melodic layers of ‘Non-Essesntial’ provide an approachable warmth, which tempers the heavier passages. Threat Signal have never truly been about outright heaviness and that’s worked for them, even if they have floated under the radar slightly. ‘Exercise The Demon’ opens with riffs that sound like djent before djent was a thing (if that makes sense?). Add symphonic elements and harsh/clean vocal interplay, and there’s plenty going on. The lyrical content and use of samples paint a serious image, but the twin-leads towards the end make it all about the music again.

We all have our favourite albums by certain bands and at least for me, they tend to tie into when I first discovered them. That means that I’ll always compare newer albums to them, which is a bad habit and one I’m trying to break. ‘Fire At Will’ fills me with excitement as dramatic strings carve out an intro that leads to what is probably the album’s biggest anthem, in may opinion. Yes, it has a more traditional song-structure than the progressive structure Threat Signal are known for but there’s definitely room for that on the album.

Saying that though, the first half of Revelations ends with ‘Death Will Find Us All’, where thrash metal meets modern technicality, dialling up the heat once more. Heavier, gnarlier and full of riffs. Mid-points of albums can be a bit wishy washy but not here!. ’Paralysis’ opens with a pop/hip-hop intro before prog-metal takes the reins. The harsh vocals are a little lower in the mix, to match the instrumentation before the volume increases soon after. It’s Threat Signal delivering their version of tech/melo-death with a dollop of virtuoso instrumentation, much like they’ve always done. 

Threat Signal strike hard again with their title-track ‘Revelations’. Thrash metal is where it’s at here, coupled with a lot more urgency and expertly used melody. The fact that they’re able to weave together so many different elements without sounding disjointed is pretty damn impressive!. I’m not sure if this is a nod to the UK music magazine institution of the same name, but whatever, ’NME’ sees Threat Signal once again going about their business in a way that’s filled with epic song-writing and instrumentation that’s dripping in beautiful melody. 

The album’s penultimate song ‘Hell And Back’ continues with it’s own melodic approach, as dramatic piano leads into an orchestral/almost nu-metal song that’s punctuated by the band’s more familiar heaviness at times. Maybe it’s shining a light on Threat Signal’s future musical direction, but maybe it isn’t. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Closing out Revelations, ‘Live For You’ is both their most expansive and most accessible song (maybe?). I’m not saying the latter is a bad thing as they’ve always been a band that I thought would break through to wider audiences.  Honestly, it’s a great ending and a signal of intent from a band that have gained so much experience over the last twenty years. 

Throughout my time following and writing about bands, I’ve always covered those who have forged their careers on DIY/indie labels before jumping to larger ones. Threat Signal forged a different path as they started out on Nuclear Blast Records (with licensed pressings beyond Europe), before finding a home on Polish indie metal label Agonia Records. The move has done a lot of good for them though. Starting with 2017’s Disconnect and now Revelations, Threat Signal have proven that they’re in it for the long haul. Purist or not, I defy you to find anything wrong with this record.

You can stream Revelations and purchase it on vinyl, CD and digital formats via Agonia Records here:-

Threat Signal - https://www.facebook.com/threatsignal

Agonia Records - https://www.facebook.com/agoniarecords

Dno - Cena za úsměv

Labels: Owlripper Recordings/Na Druhé Straně Řeky

Formats: Digital/Tape

Release Date: 23 Jul 2026

Tracklist:

1. Nemy dopis

2. Spirála hlouposti

3. Past

4. Sladka chut rozkladu

5. Cena za úsměv

6. Valka nemá vítěze

7. Hra na pravdu

It's been a while since I was last able to attend a bandcamp listening party, so it's exciting to be able to attend this one courtesy of both Czechia hardcore/screamo band Dno and Owlripper Recordings. This is Dno's third album and it'll be my first time experiencing their sound. Thank you goes out to Paul and Owlripper for the invite too. I think this release was meant to reach me.

Dno have been a band for over ten years now, though they may have flown under the radar for many people (including mine) until now. It’s always hard to write during these sessions, but the whole point of them is really just to listen, so i’ll flesh this review out later on. Album opener ‘Nemy dopis’ has such a euphoric melodic hardcore sound to it. It’s very emotive and certainly more on the hardcore side. The sound takes you to a more nostalgic place.

‘Spirála hlouposti’ is a lot more immediate in both length and instrumentation, but no less musical. More off-kilter too but with utterly beautiful instrumental passages that really complement the heartfelt aggression of the vocals. I love the slightly blackened approach to ‘Past’. It’s only really evident in the riffs, but it works so well on the album. Okay, maybe I was slightly premature in saying that as the drumming and more to the point, the cymbals also sound black metal-like.

‘Sladka chut rozkladu’ continues that same approach but it leans further towards post-metal too. It’s excellent and quite dramatic too, showing once again how lines between genres/sub-genres are being blurred. In fact, let’s just say there are no genres in heavy music now. It’d all be much easier that way.  ‘Cena za úsměv’, the album’s title-track, is carved out of punk and then injected with yet more emotive hardcore. As a result, it’s more accessible I would say and maybe a bit more personal.

Penultimate song ‘Valka nemá vítěze’ has me wondering why more people didn’t attend this listening party. The song itself is super upbeat and heart-wrenching, but it also feels like it can bring people together. It certainly doesn’t need to be flashy or uber technical to make a point. Dno are just absolutely spot on at what they do.

Album closer ‘Hra na pravdu’ offers one last quick-fire round of hardcore; leaving you emotionally spent but also resolutely upbeat. I’ve been surrounding myself with so much prog/tech stuff recently (outside of the blog) and while I really enjoy that side of heavy music, I’ve maybe forgotten about how in the present I feel when hardcore like this hits. 

Honestly, this has been such a great listen. Raw and intense but with so much passion as well. Dno really hit the spot, probably because I haven’t gone down the hardcore path much this year. One thing’s for sure though, I’m really eager to dig deeper into Czech hardcore now and I know just where to begin!

You can stream and purchase the album both on tape, and digitally from Dno here:-

It's digitally available from Owlripper Recordings here -https://owlripperrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/cena-za-sm-v

Tape copies are available too from Na Druhé Straně Řeky here:-

https://ndsr.bandcamp.com/album/dno-cena-za-sm-v

Dno Instagram - @dno_band

Owlripper Recordings Instagram - @owlripperecordings

Na Druhé Straně Řeky Instagram - @na_druhe_strane_reky

Letterstoyou - A Shoebox Of Letterstoyou

Labels: Zegema Beach Records/Third House Label

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 25 May 2026

Tracklist:

1. Lifted

2. Fireflies

3. Watch Your Lips Beg

4. Summer Rain

5. Letter To You: July 7

6. Subtle Language

7. Feral Growth At The Side Of Mystery

8. Letter To You: July 9

9. From A Photograph

10. Our Naked Legs

11. November

12. You're The Warmest Place I've Ever Felt

13. My Veins Are Burning

14. Eight Autumn

15. Early Garden

16. Orange Lights And November Rain

17. My Heart Is Beating Out Of My Chest

18. Lavender Orange Blood

Last month was quiet both on the blog and on ordering of new records. Notifications are coming through about imminent arrivals though and I did splurge on one big drop (points for guessing correctly on that one!). This post has nothing to do with that though and all to do with the semi recent Letterstoyou compilation release from Zegema Beach Records and Third House Label.

Letterstoyou is one of the many projects from the mastermind more widely known, perhaps, for Sadness. This comp gathers the first three releases from Letterstoyou. Eighteen songs is an insane amount to have on a tape. They're almost completely sold out too, so be quick if you want one!

ZBR has been putting together loads of great discography/compilation releases recently and this is the latest one. Opening with ‘Lifted’, the first of four tracks from the very first Letterstoyou release And Crying Impulse (released July 2025) is both kind of obvious but also a masterstroke, as it shows right away what the band is about. Solo emo-violence/mathcore instumentation with shrieking/black metal vocals. I didn’t realise that all three releases featured here were only released last year! Crazy productivity.

‘Fireflies’ follows with a more gentile intro before morphing into a start/stop collage of melody, mathcore heaviness and piercing vocals. Its mid-section is instrumental emo at its best, but the foreboding notion that it’s going to blow up again is always there, and it does so but slowly. The build-up is done in a very obvious way, where it readies you properly before hitting something that’s nearly full-throttle. On the contrary, ‘Watch Your Lips Beg’ kind of moves in the opposite direction. It’s heavier than it is light and it has more urgency, due to its brief length. 

Rounding out the And Crying Impulse portion of this collection, ‘Summer Rain’ shows an even more expansive side to Letterstoyou. Every texture and sound seem to be completely separate yet they fit together perfectly. It’s crazy how that happens. Even after years of listening to and digging deeper into the music, I still don’t know how it’s possible. Maybe that’s why I’m not a musician! The next portion of this collection belongs to Feral Growth At The Side Of Mystery (also released July 2025) and  ‘Letter To You: July 7’ is a lot more subtle, at least until it fully kicks in, when the mix of twinkly emo and mathcore seems to become even more entwined. It’s quite majestic really. 

The drumming on ’Subtle Language’ is amazing and it’s given so much space, which was very unexpected. It’s only joined by quiet guitar and acts as a massive drum solo for at least two minutes. When the guitar and vocals grow in prominence later on, the drumming is still there and just as spellbinding, It’s just fills for days. I was going to say that title-track ‘Feral Growth At The Side Of Mystery’ was more normal, but there’s nothing normal about it. There are less drum fills here, but instead there are some proper heavy breakdowns and melodic textures that sound like 80’s video game synths in parts. 

It’s normal for me bemoan those pauses between songs but I think with Letterstoyou, they do work. ‘Letter To You: July 9’ may be a continuation of track 5 ‘Letter To You: July 7”, but I’m not sure how to tell you if it is. It’s better to treat it individually though, as once again the project delivers a song that’s expensive and quite diverse in my opinion. ‘From A Photograph’ is Killers-esque for a brief minute, but not for long so don’t worry (sorry for what comes out of my head sometimes!). It’s hella funky though in places, reminding me of some nu-metal in the riff department. Maybe Incubus? Really, there’s just a whole lot of beauty and a dash of mayhem here. 

‘Our Naked Legs’ is the final song on Feral Growth At The Side Of Mystery and its warm, fuzzy rawness radiates throughout the recording. It’s a lengthier song once again but that just adds to the enjoyment, with more off-kilter instrumentation, frenetic screams and bass-drops that bookend more lovely emo. The collection closes with the self-titled album, which was released in November of 2025. It’s quite something to hear how far the songwriting and musicianship of Letterstoyou progressed through these three releases. ‘November’ is a case in point, being more brooding and mid-paced with a big hint of shoegaze, until the emoviolence kicks in.

The melodic, country-like intro to the excellently titled ‘You’re The Warmest Place I’ve Ever Felt’ fools you, but only for a moment, as familiarity returns fairly quickly. The melody is retained throughout the song though, which has violent elements but also nods to modern pop culture too. The urgency is real here as ‘My Veins Are Burning’ presents an aural take on that very notion. It’s like it was written as a commentary about how polarised and angry society is becoming, while also referencing the rise in environmental temperatures we’re all facing. My interpretation’s probably way off the mark, but I don’t mind. I still feel it!

It’s back to the off-kilter madness on ‘Eight Autumn’ and suffice to say, it’s bloody brilliant. Cathartic songs like this seem to come along exactly when I need them. I’m not sure if that’s the case for everyone else! That mentality carries on through ‘Early Garden’, even when it drops back into the same guitar refrain that appeared on ‘You’re The Warmest Place I’ve Ever Felt’ towards the end. ’Orange Lights And November Rain’ contains emotive spoken-word and instrumentation that gets faster and faster, before crushing hardcore riffs take over. The rest is history as they say, as it’s over before you know it. A whirlwind of excellent screamo and extreme heaviness.

‘My Heart Is Beating Out Of My Chest’ is a bewildering song, as it combines nursery rhyme-esque melodies with furious screamo. I’ve got to say that dramatic penultimate songs don’t get much better than this. Ending with ‘Lavender Orange Blood’, Letterstoyou sign off in beautiful style. This has been a joy to listen to and while my paragraphs have shortened (I still need to edit it as well!), my love for Letterstoyou has grown. A project that’s new to me but one that also sounds so familiar. To have three releases gathered in one place is a great way for new fans to discover it too. 

You can stream and buy the collection as a name-your-price download from ZBR below:-

Letterstoyou Instagram - @letterstoyouscreamo

All three releases are also available digitally to buy directly from Letterstoyou here -https://letterstoyouscreamo.bandcamp.com/music.

Very limited tape copies remain for sale via ZBR here - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/ashoeboxofletterstoyou and Third House Label here - https://thirdhouse.limitedrun.com.

Zegema Beach Records Instagram  - @zegema_beach

Third House Label - @thirdhouselabel

Carl Johnson/YCПЕХ! - Split

Labels: Polar Summer

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 11 Dec 2017

Tracklist:

1. Carl Johnson - Unworthy Of The Name

2. Carl Johnson - Ice Cold Killa

3. Carl Johnson - Inversion Therapy

4. YCПЕХ! - Эптеп-септеп

5. YCПЕХ! - Эзет-эзет

6. YCПЕХ! - Чай-пай

As a record/cd/tape collector, there are lots of releases that I know I'll probably never come across. A good number of those have come from Polar Summer. They're out there but would be difficult to obtain even if I could. I'll make do with continuing to write about them instead, as I pick up where I left off in my Polar Summer review series.

This split between Russia's Carl Johnson and YCПЕХ! from Kyrgyzstan was released in December 2017 and was limited to 20 tape copies in total. I've covered both bands in previous reviews, so don't have anything extra to add at this point other than that if you like emoviolence from the Eastern block, you're in the right place.

A nice split release is just what I needed, given that I’ve spent most of today wishing it was Friday. I shouldn’t wish too hard though. Opening this split up, Carl Johnson’s ‘Unworthy Of The Name’ wastes no time in awakening the senses. It’s an intro that sees explosive screamo bookended by ringing feedback. ‘Ice Cold Killa’, excusing the gangsta vibes of the title, is an epic approach to emoviolence. It’s part crust, part skramz but with a lot of melody and some punk rock for good measure. The instrumentation is top notch while the vocals are as intense as intense can be. 

Ending their portion of the split with ‘Inversion Therapy’, Carl Johnson bleed one song into the other, leaving you with their most chaotic number (for the first half at least). The latter half is a lot gentler on the ear. This release came before their split with Mrtex, but after their first and only full-length, which I don’t think ever had a physical release. The second half of the split belongs to YCПЕХ! and on their opener ‘Эптеп-септеп’, you get a sound that’s more DIY and raw, yet also more melodic. Less emoviolence, more emo with screaming. The guitars are much higher up in the mix for sure. 

‘Эзет-эзет’ is heavier in tone while still maintaining the live recording, which is where that rawness comes from. I personally really enjoy the different approaches of both Carl Johnson and YCПЕХ! on this split. ‘Чай-пай’ builds with background chatter and gentle guitar. You expect it to explode into life but it leaves you hanging. It’s a glorious way for the split to end, as it ends up being the most emotive song here (in my opinion). YCПЕХ! have amassed six releases to date (I don’t know if they’re still active).

This is one of those releases that really chokes me up, without sounding dramatic. Both bands really cared when they recorded these songs, which shines through. I could sit here wallowing in the fact that I’ll probably never hold a physical tape copy, but it’s not about me. It’s about preserving and sharing great music.

You can stream and purchase the split digitally below:-

Polar Summer - https://polarxsummer.bandcamp.com

Ultima - I: Katabasis

Labels: Self-Released/Obscurant Visions

Formats: Digital/Vinyl

Release Date: 18 Jan 2026

Tracklist:

1.  Hermeticism

2. A Labyrinth Beneath Reality

3. Cryptic Spiral of Wisdom

4. Catacombs of the Sun

5. Katabasis

While I enjoy various genres and sub-genres of heavy music, I find myself being drawn to black metal more of late. There's something about the imagery and the often anonymous creators behind the music that pulls me to dig deeper. I trawled the Internet recently in search of such music but I needn't have bothered, because it was closer to me than I thought.

D.B. wrote to me regarding his new project Ultima and its first full-length I: Katabasis, which he self-released digitally and cult Kazakhstani label Obscurant Visions released on vinyl early in 2026. D.B. himself is fairly well known in underground black metal circles, as the musical brain behind Délirant,   Hässlig and Negativa, as well as Spanish label Bile Noire.

I’ve been getting twitchy again. Mainly because I didn’t end up writing anywhere near as much as I had hoped last week. I’ll try harder this week. I mean, it’s not like I’m short of releases to cover! Anyway, in between sneezing, hitting play on the opening track of I: Katabasis brings a surprise of sorts. ‘Hermeticism’ is an ambient intro that’s both relaxing and unnerving, if that makes any sense. Following next, ‘A Labyrinth Beneath Reality’ is anything but, as Ultima bursts into life with a mixture of blasting and melodic black metal. It’s not totally true/occult sounding, but it’s also not too avant-garde/progressive. It sits in between, at least to my ears. The instumentation is very well executed and ice cold at times, while the vocals have a raspiness to them that could easily put you to sleep (in the best way).

‘Cryptic Spiral of Wisdom’ is a real joy to listen to now my neighbour has stopped revving the hell out of their motorbike (I try to be considerate with my own volume after all!). It’s a longer song too, all eight-and-a-half minutes of it. That’s a proper length for an all engrossing black metal song in my opinion. There’s a cascadian element to Ultima’s music at times and it shows itself here. ‘Catacombs of the Sun’ has a mdi-tempo feel thanks to the pace of the percussion and the hypnotic riffs. The orchestration during the song makes you think there is actually a full orchestra on the recording, while the raspy vocals are backed up by subtle blackgaze elements (if I’m allowed to use that comparison here!).

Ending with ‘Katabasis’, Ultima leaves the most expansive track till last. It encompasses not just the early sound that Ultima is built on but also the collective experience that D.B. has gained over the years, It’s where the music slows to a near crawl, almost funeral doom-like for a few moments. It’s here though where the approach does become a bit more abstract, as Ultima flirts with more metallic guitar elements and melodic textures. That said, furious black metal is just around the corner and with a flourish of up-tempo musicianship, it all ends with the shortest of outro sections.

For a project to be able to deliver its musical intent on debut is very difficult. Ultima isn’t far away from achieving that though, given D.B.’s experience. Black metal fans are almost fervent in their support of the genre, so they’ll warm to Ultima really quickly (if they haven’t already). I have that warm feeling already and will be returning to listen to more Spanish black metal immediately.

You can stream and purchase I: Katabasis on both digital/vinyl formats via Ultima's bandcamp page below:-

Vinyl copies are also available from Obscurant Visions here - https://www.obscurantvisions.com/product/ultima-ikatabasis

Ultima Instagram - @negativa0

Obscurant Visions Instagram - @obscurantvisions