In this feature, we look back at a number of reviews from the previous month, focusing on albums that were released in that month, or are yet to be released. We perform this retrospective with several members of the staff, who were also given the opportunity to have their say. This can confirm the judgement of the original review, or perhaps offer a slightly different perspective. Above all, it is intended to bring a few more albums to light in these fleeting modern times: you never know if something might have flown under the radar.
In our first edition, I mentioned that the first version always fails, as we were a bit on the late side regarding timing. Naturally, we can outdo that with the second version! And it won’t even take much effort; it’s just pure talent. Will our thoughts on April be readable in September? Let’s put it down to a lack of routine for this particular section, the goal is to get this into a proper workflow shortly.
In March, reviews were published for the latest releases from Vargrav, Crowsblood, Gluttony, Aerdryk, Bloodaxe Holocaust, Cryptworm, Possession and Galghe, all of which were generally well-received. Let’s see what the rest of the team thought…
Vargrav – Dimension: Daemonium
Werewolf Records
The band themselves view this album as the start of their second era, with the duo V-Khaoz and Werwolf having trimmed down the length of their 4th full-length. The promotional text surrounding Vargrav’s new album speaks volumes: “Vargrav cement their position as THE vanguard of Symphonic Black Metal”.
Ah well, PR talk…Our very own VincentP, who has followed Vargrav’s entire musical career from the start, grabbed the album with both hands to see if this record will be pulled off the shelf more often than ‘The Nighthold’. Regarding the musical content, he noted the following: “‘Dimension: Daemonium‘ is an album that fits seamlessly within the discography of the band, blending the perpetual influence of early Emperor with late 90’s Dimmu Borgir. In particular the keys and bombast remind me of ‘Enthrone Darkness Triumphant’ and ‘Spiritual Black Dimensions’ more than on any previous Vargrav records.”
Rocky had his own thoughts on the matter: “Symphonic Black Metal, means a red line for many. Closed or open minded on this, Finland’s Vargrav have been credited for reviving this often maligned sub-genre. The founder V-Khaoz’s credentials are vast and stretch back decades and last left by Obtained Enslavement and Norway’s Covenant and Odium. Their first two albums stand as classics based, where they showed their intention of being the vanguard of that cosmic and freezing void. And, in “Dimension: Daemonium”, it’s feels massive, as if staring into a black hole while being intoxicated by choir of the damned. If this moves you, Vargrav’s fourth full length can be a worthy possession to have.”
Should there still be any doubt regarding the term Symphonic Black Metal and the “heaviness” of the music itself, Appeleon offers some confirmation: “Wow, it feels like yesterday that Vargrav published (by then) his first album ‘Netherstorm’. Just like then, it still is hard to fully grasp the music beyond in a single listening session, as it remains as dense as before. However, don’t let that (or the tag ‘Symphonic Black Metal’ put you off, this is strong Black Metal!”
Fortunately, I had two cents of my own to throw in as well: “Vargrav’s ‘Netherstorm’ and ‘Reign in Supreme Darkness’ are still played regularly by yours truly. With the title track ‘Encircle the Spectral Dimension’ on the EP of the same name and the album ‘The Nighthold’ itself, I got the feeling that the songs were too stretched out, and therefore left less of an impression. With their new album ‘Dimension: Daemonium’, in my opinion, things are heading in the right direction again.”
To conclude, Vincent states what most of us are thinking: “At the end of the day ‘Dimension: Daemonium‘ is an album like you can expect from Vargrav, perfectly in line with the albums they’ve done before.”
Crowsblood – Bridge to Gologotha
Cavernous Records, Macho Records
Crowsblood will likely sound unfamiliar to most of you, yet Sean The Beast has been sitting restlessly on the edge of his seat for a while, as he was very much looking forward to the new album after hearing their 2024 demo.
Regarding the style, he is short and concise: “’Bridge to Golgotha’ is Death Metal with a Blackened edge.” Furthermore, he views the album as a great step forward compared to the demo and even expects it to rank very high in his AOTY list. Did he have anything else to add? Certainly: “it’s akin to Akercocke combined with Belphegor, with the occasional dalliance into the realms of Doom whilst still being unique enough to deserve your attention.”
Huw was intrigued following the review by Sean The Beast and reached the following conclusion: “This band has infected me with their breed of ravenous musical earworms. This is simple blackened goodness, with a generous melodic infusion. There is a slightly raw and live-in-session sound to the production, but also so much clarity overall!”
Appeleon did not remain silent either: “Scottish Blackened Death Metal with slight hints of Doom Metal! ‘Bridge to Golgotha’ bridges multiple genre’s like a Swiss blade tastefully slicing its way through the flesh. Although some riffs feel a bit disjointedly put together, there’s no denying that the essence is worthwhile. A nice little debut for those who like their Metal raw with touches of typical Brittish melody.”
For those who read VM-Underground regularly, you know that unknown bands always pique our interest. Rocky also dove into the world of Crowsblood: “Crowsblood from UK, just been set their feet in the murky depth of Black and Death Metal. In their maiden full length they descent into that Blackened Death territory, which surely tried by already too many before. Yet, these Yorkshire maniacs are able to deliver this record which felt like being struck by the weight of a falling sanctuary, with delivering raw, uncompromising energy that avoids all modern fluffs. Showcasing, from the beginning with ‘Plague Bringer’, to the later ‘Wolves of Purgatory’, ‘The Murder of Crows’ and closer ‘Gallows of Souls’ feels dense, dark, and dangerous; reminding on exactly how this style demands to be forged. Sound wise, this release is a major step up from the demo, and the production is full meaning with each instrument sits nicely in the mix, and one can appreciate the musicianship. With the songwriting craft and creation here is top notch, it should not disappoint those who are exposed to it for the first time.”
Gluttony – Eulogy to Blasphemy
F.D.A. Records
It’s fair to say that we’ve been following Gluttony for quite a while, which isn’t surprising given that both myself and several others in the current team, as well as in the past, are obsessed with the HM2 sound. So much so, in fact, that Dylan chose “Dylan HM2 Powell” as his name on this site.
It is clear that Dylan enjoyed the new Gluttony record, as evidenced by the phrase: “For me, this album has it all; rottenness, classic buzzsaw riffing, catchiness, hooks and Magnus Ödling’s vocals, they are spewed forth with such clarity that you can catch every single word he grunts.” While listening to the album, references to Dismember, Entombed’s ‘Left Hand Path’, and Entrails can be heard.
Appeleon also listened to the album and reached the following conclusion: “Gluttony’s music is backed by the heavy rumble of the allmighty HM2, but that’s fortunately not its saving grace. ‘Eulogy to Blasphemy’ is a solid Death Metal album. The abundance of stomping rhythms and macabre leads make for a highly enjoyable ride. All dressed in fat production, this is sure to shake the dust from your neighbours walls!”
Huw had the following to say: “A deranged helping of catchy, face-ripping chainsaw distortion that remains faithful to the genre titans of this sound. The seething vocal performance is the stuff of a truly rabid nature.” Meanwhile, Will “Bones” Lee echoed Dylan’s sentiments: “As stated in the review, you cannot go wrong with this release, especially if you worship on the throne that is HM2. Much like Entrails perhaps but a better bottom end in sound quality.”
To top it all off, here are Rocky’s thoughts on the album: “If you like your Death Metal dry and humorless like bread (Imagine, Wasa) peppered with bone meal, this is the record to hold tight. Far from being lethargic, in their fourth full length Gluttony sounds hungry and aggressive. From the Intro, towards ‘All These Trees Are Gallows’, ‘Awoken in Autopsy’ to till ending with ‘Immured by Rotting Corpses’, it feels like sounds of cutting bones and ripping flesh with that classic HM-2 crunch. It’s a powerful and uncompromising slab of Swedish rot that perfectly balances 90s Entombed and Dismember with a sick, ghoulish touch. Even if you heard the similar formulae many time, but Gluttony proves they can do it again and again, which sounds pure fucking Death Metal.”
Aerdryk – Onzuiver
Amor Fati Productions
From Belgium, Aerdryk has descended upon our offices multiple times, resulting in us reviewing the musical output of multi-instrumentalist C.V.B. three times to date, and putting him to the test once via an interview.
VincentP is no stranger to the black metal produced by Aerdryk and was therefore the perfect person to examine ‘Onzuiver’. It is clear that the album ended up in the right hands. “Most of the quality that made the first Aerdryk album a rather stunning affair is still very much present on the sophomore record. With its mostly fast pace, excellent frivolous bass and catchiness in the riffs and melodies, ‘Onzuiver’ is no doubt another strong atmospheric Black Metal record for the band”. However, there is a small side note. “But I don’t think that ‘Onzuiver’ quite reaches the level of captivation of `Met de Drietand op Mijn Huid’. I simply prefer the gritty wall of guitars with haunting keyboards of the debut”.
Rocky is also partial to what Aerdryk brings forth and jotted down the following after a few spins. “Belgian Black Metal strikes, as Aerdryk, the solo project of C.V.B. (Wolvennest, Cult of Erinyes, Lvthn, Erbeet Azhak) returns with its sophomore effort, ‘Onzuiver’ (‘Impure’ in Dutch). Four years after their debut full length, the intention of C.V.B. got clear instantaneously, as soon as the album opener ‘Modder en Bloed’ burst out. It’s delivered with malice as if the fangs of C.V.B. was bared with a heart full of venom and bitterness. It’s evident, that the band hardens the atmospheric into something far more venomous and defiant. While not a concept album, but pervasive theme runs throughout where the Devil serves a metaphor, an ideological weapon raised against Christianity. Here, these Belgian metallers openly reminds all about the age old mission of Black Metal: a clenched and frenetic offering, which feels like a fist punch shoved straight into the face of self-proclaimed Christian morality”.
And myself? I’ll stick to the following summary. “Aerdryk’s second album ‘Onzuiver’ is an album that clearly falls within the framework of Amor Fati Productions, reflecting what the label generally represents. And that actually gives you the answer right away; fans of the label will undoubtedly appreciate Aerdryk’s melancholic and atmospheric Black Metal”.
Bloodaxe Holocaust – Bloodaxe Holocaust [Demo]
Self-Released
Demos; we certainly can’t get enough of them. We still regularly spend time scouring the internet for new demos with great pleasure, in addition to the many we are sent. Bloodaxe Holocaust emerged from one of those searches, and Huw didn’t hesitate for a moment to pick up this little piece of violence. “A macabre celebration of hyper-raw Black / Death Metal.” as he calls it himself.
Should you not be convinced yet, he has another description to win you over. “…on ‘Dethrone the Father of Christ’ where the metallic percussion becomes warped underneath a sound palette that is so harsh it sounds as if the music is playing out from the blown speakers of decades old malfunctioning television.”
Rocky put in his earplugs and after 12 minutes of pure musical torment, you know, the good kind, he let me know the following. “Bloodaxe Holocaust from Brighton and Hove, England, just born to play their grime coated strike of death/black metal that reeks of the rehearsal room and ancient, tape-trading malice. The single member hoarder runner, Jake Davids ( introduced as ‘Nun Fucker’ in MA archives), can surprise anyone with this demo. With four tracks and an enticing running length of just little over 10 minutes, numbers like ‘Blood Ceremony’, ‘Dethrone the Father of Christ’, and ‘Blasphemous War’ captures some rare, primitive spark where the riffs are ugly, atmosphere is thick, and the intent is nothing short of total desecration. Recommended for those who still dig deep into the underground dirt.”
Appeleon also took up the gauntlet. “In times like these it’s all too easy for every bedroom artist to record their works semi-polished and neat. Bloodaxe Holocaust, however, give zero fucks. Their demo is raw, overly LOUD and compressed to obnoxious levels. The riffs feel thrashy and quickly concocted, but that only adds to the fiery morbid atmosphere! For haters of HiFi and fans of Havohej.”
And when the dust has settled, only one conclusion remains according to Huw. “Overall, this demo is a short and fun offering from this new UK-based artist. I recommend this brief torture-basement playlist to all fans of ultra-raw Blackened punishment.”
Cryptworm – Infectious Pathological Waste
Extremely Rotten Productions, Me Saco un Ojo Records
Huw was remarkably quick to react when I announced that the new Cryptworm promo had landed in our digital mailbox. “The new Cryptworm album is here, and its arrival rains down upon us like a violent shower of iron-rich red fluid.”
And he was just as fast to work through his checklist. “Catchy riffs, rhythms, and performances? Check. Disgusting vocal work? Check. Impressive technical skill? Check. Production on point? Absolutely.”
Rocky shared the sentiment. “When labels like Me Saco Un Ojo and Extremely Rotten Productions release an album, it means there is something worth looking into. Cryptworm, revered as the masters of ‘bubonic bounce,’ have returned with their grotesqueness once again. This is a disgusting, mid-paced crawl through molten rot, where riffs feel like blunt forces and the production provides that alive and dangerous feeling of a basement autopsy. It’s catchy, it’s foul, and if it moves you, it will leave your ear and mind wickedly twitching for more.”
Appeleon also plunged into the swamp of bodily fluids. “Cryptworm is back for another shot at Pathological Death Metal (as the style was coined in the Petrified ‘zine). ‘Infectious Pathological Waste’ stubbornly continues where the group’s last album left off. Pure brutality with creative riffing and a heavy, gurgling vocal performance (Demilich, anyone?)”
And Huw? He could only say one thing after listening to the new record. “‘Infectious Pathological Waste’ is a stark reminder of why I love Brutal Death Metal.”
Possession – The Mother of Darkness
Iron Bonehead Productions
Darkthrone’s Fenriz was quite fond of the debut album ‘Exorkizein’, and the same basically applied to anyone who had heard of the Belgian band Possession around 2017. However, after a number of splits, things went quiet surrounding the band… until 2026 arrived. VincentP put his name down for the new record because he truly appreciated their older work: “Back at the time of their first releases, Possession stood out for their mix of Death and Black Metal that leaned back to the earliest foundations of those genres. The band captured the spirit of the formative years of the genres, times where German Thrash and the South American violence from the 80’s were a noticeable part of the sound.”
Despite the new record being well-received, there is a small side note at the end: “…a pitfall that the band doesn’t entirely manage to avoid is that the album can sound quite formulaic, with the repetition of the guitar riffs, chopping drums and emerging leads as common elements.”
Regardless of the remark by VincentP, Rocky was more than enthusiastic about the new album: “Possession remains the forces from Belgian Underground with kept on summoning the terrifying and graveside atmospheres, that few can replicate. This is Black Death metal played with true fanaticism, which sounds ritualistic, violent, and shrouded in mystery and fanaticism. Their last offering is again not just music, rather a summoning. Invocation for entering a chapel and prepare for the sacrifice. Although with such a strong discography it would be a hard to pick one moment over another, regardless, ‘The Mother of Darkness’ is an impressive, twisted, and old school upholding the sound and vision to demonic castle specters, wild hunts and black chapels. Delve into something powerful and ancient.”
It should come as no surprise, but in the meantime, ‘The Mother of Darkness’ has already had plenty of spins at my place: “Possession’s new album came somewhat out of the blue, but that doesn’t make the fact that there is a new Possession album any less enjoyable. The combination of Black and Metal of Death works like no other, and the demonic, relentless rhythm leaves nothing standing. Nothing new, but simply a more than pleasant listening experience with ‘The Mother of Darkness’.”
The last word goes to VincentP: “No doubt those that have been waiting anxiously since ‘Exorkizein’ will be more than pleased with ‘The Mother of Darkness’.”
Galghe – Heerscht de Dood nu als Onderkoning?
Zwaertgevegt
Galghe is a Dutch/Belgian Black Metal collaboration featuring individuals who have been active in the scene for many years. It is clear they have a keen eye for detail, especially in how they portray the First World War on this album: “The album is divided into two lengthy tracks with a duration of 19:14 and 19:18 respectively, track lengths to signify the time period in which these stories take place. Both tracks are subdivided into four chapters that detail historic locations at the Western front of the war in the period.”
VincentP also shared a side note regarding Galghe: “Reflecting on the album, I think the band did well by honing in on a theme and continuing on their thematic journey. However, while ‘Heerscht de Dood nu als Onderkoning?’ has some excellent sections and is an overall enjoyable album, it doesn’t resonate with me as much as the previous work. Possibly because I’m not as much into the more Post and Sludgy sections.”
I myself am no fan of Post or Sludge either, quite the contrary in fact, yet I could certainly appreciate the record: “Melancholic Black Metal born from a collaboration between the Netherlands and Belgium, with the Great War serving as the lyrical muse for the whole project. It is a subject that still has so much left to tell. Personally, I think Galghe’s album is a typical example of the current musical climate; it is a good album, but due to the constant stream of releases and the short attention spans of social media users, it may receive little or no lasting attention. Of course, the question remains whether that is what Galghe is aiming for anyway.”
Appeleon shared the following after a few listens: “I’ve been enjoying the simple and mesmerising dissonance to the guitars on this release. I also find the moments of unsettling ambience between the tracks make for great sections of tension building.”
Rocky, on the other hand, looks past all remarks and has his own take on it: “Galghe’s 2025 EP, says that, it’s firmly rooted in raw, atmospheric Black Metal. Now, their maiden full-length record is interesting offering a restrained and respectful tribute to the millions lost during the Great War. A conflict that proved to be merely a blood-soaked prelude to the century’s coming horrors. In this record offering two compositions divided into eight chapters, where the listener is guided from the spark in Sarajevo to the 1918 armistice, haunting key battlefields like Verdun, the Somme, and Ypres, and onward. The lyrics which delivered in Dutch, French, and English, mirrored the global tragedy of the front lines. The inclusive field recordings, orchestral layers, audio fragments from original letters, speeches, and artillery bombardments altogether intensify the oppressive atmosphere, drawing the listener ever deeper into the trenches. With this work, Galghe seeks not only to commemorate the past, but also to make the eternal echo of war tangible and tragically inevitable.”
