Viamaer - In lumine lunae

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 29 Jan 2026

Tracklist:

1. In excitatione terrae

2. In lumine lunae

3. Dimensio mortis

4. Ultra insaniam

5. Liberum arbitrium

6. Haec vox

7. Magna paranoia

8. Smaragdus somnium

A few weeks ago a copy of the debut album from Polish post-black metal/shoegaze act Viamaer dropped through my letter box. In lumine lunae was self-released in January by sole member Krystian Jurkiewicz (also a member of Polish Thrash/Groove metallers Steamachine). This is a record full of Krystian's personal experiences, yet it's also written with the listener in mind. Let's put that to the test...

All of the song titles here (alongside the album title) are in Latin, so forgive me for not translating them. Starting with ‘In excitatione terrae’, Viamaer immediately surprises with music that sounds so clean and melodic. The instrumentation early on is slightly jarring due to a subtle disconnect with the percussion but that’s soon resolved, as the vocals (varying between clean singing and harsh growls) take center stage. The vocals are used sparingly in between the vast instrumental approach of Viamaer though, which is very good indeed.

I’m not a linguist but I think the vocals are being delivered in Polish, Viamaer’s mother tongue (please correct me if I’m wrong here!). The language doesn’t really matter though, as title-track ‘In lumine lunae’  presents itself with so much atmosphere and progression. Viamaer’s bandcamp page recommends  Asunojokei and Ghost Bath as similar bands, which aren’t too far off actually. ‘Dimensio mortis’ might come across as something morbid, but it’s anything but. The instrumentation grows with every bar, sounding very upbeat. The clean vocals sit deeper on the recording, which is quite disappointing actually. All elements come together in the latter-half though, as harsh vocals join the melodic vocals and heavier instrumentation, lifting the tempo and mood on the record.

‘Ultra insaniam’ is the album’s shortest song and as such, it’s a lot calmer in delivery. It’s actually a lot closer to Scandinavian melodic metal than anything else, which is certainly no bad thing. It’s also another really strong example of how creative one individual can be, as Krystian shows during its instrumental entirety. Crossing to the album’s latter-half, ‘Liberum arbitrum’ is gently choral but that gentleness leads into some of the most pummelling percussion so far.

In truth, it’s a record that flows in unexpected directions and is definitely the work of a musician trying to find their sound. ‘Liberum arbitrum’ is the album’s lengthiest song conversely to the one it follows, yet it’s better because of that fact. A lot doomier and earthier for me. ‘Haec vox’ features some truly beguiling guitar that’s retained throughout. The clean vocals are more front and center at times here, but Viamaer’s blackgaze/shoegaze influence does mean that they are still buried within the mix at times. The same can’t be said for the harsh vocal though.

Penultimate number ‘Magna paranoia’ strikes me as Viamaer’s most complete songs on In lumine lunae. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve now spent a good couple of hours with this record or because it just sounds a lot more rounded musically, but something’s definitely clicked. Closer ’Smaragdus somnium’ is another loverly instrumental piece. It rounds out the album in confident fashion.

As I mentioned earlier in the review, Viamaer is a band finding it’s sound. As the album progresses, that sound takes shape and grows in confidence. There’s already an acoustic session available on bandcamp that re-works some of the songs present here, so that tells you that Viamaer isn’t sitting still. A band that’s well worth your time.

You can stream and purchase In lumine lunae digitally below, where it's also available from Viamaer on CD:-

Viamaer - https://www.facebook.com/viamaer

Hegeroth - Soaked In Rot

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 25 Mar 2026

Tracklist:

1. You May Call Me a Witch

2. The Act of Lust

3. Błogosławieni Ślepi

4. The Nails

5. Hypocrisy Demands Blood

6. Święte Szlachtowanie

7. The Degrees

8. The Swing

9. Gdybym Istniał 

I've been thinking about how to start this review for most of the day. One country I haven't featured a lot of here is Poland but that changes now, thanks to Solid Rock PR, who're doing their utmost to champion the country's ever growing metal community. I recently received a promo package that featured the newest album from Polish black metal duo Hegeroth. Not only did I receive a CD copy of their 2026 full-length Soaked In Rot, but they were kind enough to throw in some stickers, a plectrum and a handwritten note!

Hegeroth formed in 2010 and released their first and only demo in 2012. Since then they have released five full-length albums, with Soaked In Rot (their sixth) due for official release this coming Wednesday. Thank you to Bene and Chors for this opportunity.

Even though the days are getting lighter and longer, I’ve been looking for an excuse to delve into more black metal (not that I should really need one!). Cue Polish melodic black metallers Hegeroth and their newest album. Starting with ‘You May Call Me a Witch’, they’re out to show that Polish black metal is about more than just Behemoth et al. As a duo, they do stay true to their country’s version of black metal, which is equal part Slavic and Hellenic with some war metal tendencies thrown in too. After the somewhat expensive opener, ‘The Act of Lust’ goes for more immediacy with raging percussion and guitar work, as well as the snarling vocals. This is excellent so far! A lot of attention has gone into it and it shows. I just hope my neighbours think so too!

The other thing I like about this album is that Hegeroth don’t just write their vocals in English. ‘Błogosławieni Ślepi’ is their first Polish language song here and it only makes their black metal sound even more fearsome. That fearsome sound is made in part due to the raw, organic recording. There’s something quite haunting and unnerving about the intro to ‘The Nails’ and it sets the scene perfectly, as Hegeroth deliver another frenetic blackened hymn. That being said though, there’s a great deal of control rhythmically. I don’t know if the percussion being performed is the work of a session drummer or a drum machine, which I suppose is a good thing as it blends well with the rest of the music.

The mid-point of the album is taken up by ‘Hypocrisy Demands Blood’, which is an utterly disgusting slab of black metal that’s joined by what sounds like slam/death metal in places. I’m probably hearing it wrong but I love it all the same. By now it’s obvious that Hegeroth are at their most brutal when they’re performing in their mother tongue, as is demonstrated by ‘Święte Szlachtowanie’, which is the shortest song on the album. The brutality is rained in slightly by their melody though.

It’s always impressive to me that simple tempo changes can make an album sound completely different from one minute to the next, as is the case with ‘The Degrees’. Initially it sounds like a doom/death song before it shifts back into more familiar black metal territory. The melodic elements are great here, adding extra depth to the music. Penultimate song ‘The Swing’ is actually the album’s longest, so don’t be expecting anything too swinging! It has elements of progression and noise alongside the extremity that makes this album such an enjoyable listen.

‘Gdybym Istniał’ closes the album in a suitably unnerving manner, as the dramatic intro builds in volume and melody, leading to a gloriously dark hymn filled with tempo changes, crashing percussion and guitar work that features both low driving tones, and melodic highs. The vocals could be best described as throat-scraping too (in the nicest possible way). It’s great to be able to experience an album by a band that is well established but also fiercely loyal to the underground. Hegeroth’s black metal is shaped by their roots and it’s much more authentic than you might think. Excellent work!

Soaked In Rot is now available to stream in full and purchase on both physical/digital formats from Hegeroth below:-

Hegeroth - https://www.facebook.com/Hegeroth

ZOS - The Whole Of The Body I Call ZOS

Label: I, Voidhanger Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 22 Apr 2022

Tracklist:

1. The Whole Of The Body I Call ZOS

2. Volition

3. Black Albatross

4. On The Announcer Of Great Events

5. Oh, Mighty Rehctaw!

I hope the current holiday season is treating you all well! I'm currently planning my review schedule for early January, but I've still got time for one more review this year. I'm also having an I, Voidhanger Records binge of late, which is where this 2022 release from Polish drone/doom/weird trio ZOS comes in. It was released via I, Voidhanger in April and is the band's third full-length since their formation in 2018. Aside from the above, I know very little about ZOS. Let's allow the music to do the talking.

Starting with the opening track ‘The Whole Of The Body I Call ZOS’, you’re greeted with droning bass and ambient instrumentation centred around guitar and synth. After the initial near two-minute intro you’re thrust into a cacophony of seemingly indecipherable noise coupled with haunting and whispered black metal vocals. After spending the last few days reflecting on music in it’s countless forms and whether it’s virtuous  for an artist/band to follow their own creative path or one laid down for them by fans/trends, it occurs to me that ZOS are merely here to divide and fracture. That’s not to say they’re bad though; far from it. It’s what you make of it that counts.

I, Voidhanger is known for some of the most avant-garde portrayals of extreme music you’re likely to hear in this modern age and in ZOS the label has managed to capture a beast. ‘Volition’ shows off their droning influences to a greater extent, while also making use of anguished depressive/suicidal black metal wails that pierce your very soul. The world’s slowly descending into chaos, so music might as well provide an accompaniment.

Rewards come in the form of many things nowadays and the glorious metallic riffs that open ‘Black Albatross’ await you if you’ve made it to the mid-point of this album. The latter half of that sentence probably sounds a bit harsh on ZOS but please don’t take it the wrong way, because experimental music such as this instrumental proves there’s more than meets the eye here and it’s as gripping as the album artwork is frightening.

The disarming spoken-word sample/verse that sits atop of the minimalistic instrumentation during ‘On The Announcer Of Great Events’ cloaks the album in darker shrouds, before being overtaken by more immersive metallic tones and a further nod towards lowly doom. Sometimes it’s easier to spot the pretenders and to completely overlook those who genuinely mean what they’re doing. ZOS are certainly not pretenders. 

Album closer ‘Oh, Mighty Rehctaw!’ provides one final momentary glimpse into the minds of those behind ZOS. It relies much more heavily on drone as the backbone for something deeply rooted in occultism. The term ‘occult’ is being used a lot nowadays, especially thanks to the likes of Beastmilk and Ghost; however, it does describe the feeling you get from this final song and ZOS are unlike either of those aforementioned bands. 

2022 as a year has been many things and given what it’s followed, bands have a right to produce and release music that draws from the most challenging times. ZOS came through those times and in doing so, provided a body of work that’s both inwardly and outwardly reflective. To truly appreciate is to listen.

You can stream and purchase the album on all formats below:-

ZOS - https://zosvelthanatos.bandcamp.com/

I, Voidhanger Records - https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records

We Watch Clouds - Resumé

Labels: Arkan Records/D.I.Y Kolo Records/Wungiel Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 25 Aug 2017

Tracklist:

1. Dissemination (Intro)

2. Heavy Rain Over Mariampole

3. Tom Curse

4. Euphorically - Disphoric

5. Dyslalia

6. Dandruff

7. Anhedonia

I've been looking forward to this evening and being able to get my teeth into something a bit lengthier. It's time for another Zegema Beach Roster review, where I make my way up the label's bandcamp page from bottom to top and right to left. It's a long process but discovering bands this way (admittedly bands that I should already be well aware of) is a lot of fun and tonight I bring you Polish screamo/hardcore band We Watch Clouds and their 2017 release Resumé. This was their third release that I'm aware of, but as luck would have it, there's a new album due imminently!

My timing with this review wasn’t planned but sometimes things do sort of fall into place. Revisiting  Resumé prior to the new album seems apt and ‘Dissemination (Intro)’ is every bit the atmospheric, anticipation building opener. Instrumental until the final bars, it doesn’t give too much away regarding the full intent of We Watch Clouds, but that’s not too far off as ‘Heavy Rain Over Mariampole’ greets you with a subtle sludge-like build-up that’s followed by technical, mathy screamo with emoviolence at it’s core. Raw and incredibly emotive, it strikes you in the most perfect way.

From here on there’s a lot more urgency from We Watch Clouds, as demonstrated on ’Tom Curse’. It’s percussion is audibly louder and the screams are more piercing, up against the backdrop of dissonant, feedback-ridden guitars. It just goes to show that songs don’t need to last long to create an impression. With that being said though, ‘Euphorically - Disphoric’ is a beautifully melodic song with emo in all that right places. It builds on everything that’s good about We Watch Clouds, from the layered sounds to the intense feeling that their songs create. 

The next two songs come and go with absolutely no warning. ‘Dyslalia’ is pure caustic emoviolence at it’s best while ‘Dandruff’ doesn’t deviate from that path, except for moments of glorious art-rock inspired guitar. Album closer ‘Anhedonia’ comes around way to quickly and with it, We Watch Clouds produce both their heaviest and their most majestic song here. It really draws out all of the emotions from every member of the band and transfers them to you as the listener. 

Resumé takes you on a journey that’s unexpected. As a whole it works so well and also offers perspective, which is surprising. As somebody who wants to wave goodbye to the small and negative aspects of daily life,  this release gives me hope. If you’ve slept on this album and feel the need to cleanse, now is the time. Positive vibes only.

You can stream and purchase Resumé digitally below:-

You can keep updated with news of the new album via the band's Facebook page here:-

We Watch Clouds - https://www.facebook.com/wewatchclouds

I'm not aware of any physical cd or tape copies that are still available, but the below labels may still be able to point you in the right direction:-

Arkan Records - https://www.facebook.com/arkanrecords/

D.I.Y Kolo Records - https://www.facebook.com/DIYKoloRecords

Wungiel Records - https://www.facebook.com/WungielRecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Species - To Find Deliverance

Labels: Awakening Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 26 Aug 2022

Tracklist:

1. Rare Signals

2. Parasite

3. Falls The Tower

4. The Monument Of Envy

5. Malfunction

6. Thy Name Is Slaughter

7. Deus

8. Ex Machina

Chinese label Awakening Records have been re-releasing some absolute underground extreme metal gems since 2017, but they've also been championing newer bands from across the globe more recently and Polish thrashers Species are one of them. The trio released their debut EP The Monument Of Envy back in 2019 and in August of this year, they released their debut album To Find Deliverance, which includes the three songs from their first EP alongside five brand new tracks.

Thrash metal is known for being a more formulaic metal sub-genre, yet it adds so much to metal in general. To Find Deliverance opener ‘Rare Signals’ is an oddly cosmic piece, which leads into the prog/jazz-laden ‘Parasite’. It’s the first proper song here and boy does it have chops!. It’s awesome to hear thrash metal like this in an era when music is so polished and sterile. Species know exactly what they’re doing and their technical take on thrash metal is absolutely brilliant.

‘Falls The Tower’ was one of the songs off their debut EP The Monument Of Envy. I’m not sure if it’s been re-recorded for this record but even if it hasn’t, it’s still a killer song that brings the old-school back to life in the best possible way. The music of Species will be equally at home in the collections of fans of Death Angel and Cynic, especially where ‘The Monument Of Envy’ is concerned. It’a both straight-forward and technical. The march of progress within extreme metal is never ending, even if it subtly takes from the genre’s forefathers. 

As the midway point of this album passes, ‘Malfunction’ gathers a harrowing sample that sits perfectly alongside the epic instrumental thrash that makes up the majority of the song. It’s hard to comprehend just how good Species are musically, but the comprehension comes close here. ‘Thy Name Is Slaughter’ is the final song that appeared on the band’s debut EP and it’s fair to say that it’s an onslaught of Onslaught (the veteran UK thrash band) proportions. So fucking good!!

Penultimate song ‘Deus’ is an instrumental interlude made up of soothing acoustic guitar and percussion that leads into the leviathan that is ‘Ex Machina’, in all it’s eleven+ minute glory. This is where Species pull together and deliver their ultimate take on thrash. I know that the various sub-genres of metal can be hashed and re-hashed over and over again, but that’s no reason to dismiss individual and unique bands. On merit, Species provide something very special on To Find Deliverance. 

Listening to this record all the way through is a proper treat and Species deserve so much credit for producing an album that’s so accomplished and enjoyable. I think it’s about time you started checking out the new breed, because they’re equally as good as those that came before. 

You can stream and purchase To Find Deliverance on physical and digital formats below:-

Species - https://www.facebook.com/MetalSpecies

Awakening Records - https://www.facebook.com/AwakeningRecordsCN

Sanity Control - Demo 2019

Labels: Self Released/Seeing Red Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 04 Feb 2019/21 June 2019

Tracklist:

1. Hunt

2. Swarm

Polish thrash metal, but not as you know it! Sanity Control is a pretty new band from Warsaw and this is their first demo. They self-released it back in February but it's recently been picked up by US label Seeing Red Records, who've released it on tape. The demo features two fast as hell songs that are influenced by crossover and hardcore as well as thrash. 

It feels like an age since my last review but it’s good to get back to what makes this blog tick. Sanity Control got me excited as soon as I saw the cover for their 2019 demo and the music doesn’t disappoint either. Hunt sounds like a super pissed off and heavy take on Slayer when they were fresh. There’s a definite “Araya” rasp going on and the instrumentation is super solid all the way through. There are element of hardcore within the music but overall it’s just neck-snappingly good thrash.

Like the demo opener, second song Swarm doesn’t hang around as Sanity Control fill it with blinding riffs and authoritative drumming that almost swallows up those rasping shouts. There are metallic touches to their sound in places and they're a welcome nod to metallic metalcore before it morphed into over-produced Americanized ‘core. 

This demo is great but it’s too short in my opinion, though at least it’ll have you wanting more. Sanity Control rules and shows that Poland can do more than just death metal. Keep on going guys as heavy music needs more bands like you.

You can stream "Demo 2019" and grab it as a name-your-price download via their bandcamp page below:-

Tape copies can be purchased from Seeing Red Records here - https://seeingredrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sanity-control-demo-2019

Sanity Control - https://www.facebook.com/Sanity-Control

Seeing Red Records - https://www.facebook.com/seeingredrecords/