Standout Black/Death Metal December Edition
Had a miserable start into 2026( I have a cold and had a power outage.)but oh well...
so to wrap it up here a some of the gems I unearthed in the waning days of last year!
not much death metal was released in december but as usual black metal musicians can't stop themselves from profaning the holy days. enjoy! |
| 1 |  | Shining (SWE)
Feberdrömmar (Del Två)
https://shiningblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/feberdr-mmar-del-tv-2
some pretty cool re-recordings each featuring a different vocalist performing in their native tongue. I'm not exactly a big fan of modern Shining but this is neat. |
| 2 |  | Darvaza
We Are Him
https://darvazablackmetal.bandcamp.com/
the usual Darvaza fare: strong vocals by Wraath, a couple of standout tracks and the rest is pretty solid underground bm. |
| 3 |  | Enthroned
Ashspawn
https://enthroned.bandcamp.com/album/ashspawn
haven't listenend to any modern Enthroned so at first I was a bit thrown off cause they don't sound like Enthroned anymore except for Nornagest's psychotic vocals. honestly, this album sounds and feel a bit like modern Mayhem (not Daemon) to me. took me a bit but a quality album nontheless. |
| 4 |  | Lunar Amulet
Lunar Amulet
https://lunar-amulet.bandcamp.com/album/lunar-amulet
this is the solo project of Aaron Charles of Falls of Rauros. it delivers kinda raw black usbm with some synths and a mystical atmosphere. |
| 5 |  | Sodality
Benediction, Part 2
https://sodality.bandcamp.com/album/benediction-part-2
nasty and blasphemic black metal. Mark of the Devil is still easily one of the best black metal vocalists around. the music has an appropriate ugly and chaotic feel to it. |
| 6 |  | Extravaganza
Tykiai ir slaptingai pakampėm belangės
https://xtrvgnz.bandcamp.com/album/tykiai-ir-slaptingai-pakamp-m-belang-s
the lack of dsbm these days feels weird to me as someone, who got into black metal during this particular sub genre's heyday. these lithuanians mix a potent cocktail of post black metal with some dsbm for a feeling of urban decay and despair. |
| 7 |  | Argus Megere
Cerburea apusului
https://loudragemusic.bandcamp.com/album/argus-megere-cerburea-apusului
I know next to nothing about romanian black metal (I know Negura Bunget and its associated acts) Argus Megere have been around since the mid 90s and I didn't know they ever existed. anyway, this is a sweet atmospheric black metal album with some folky touches crafted by scene veterans. good stuff. |
| 8 |  | Fleshvessel
Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded
https://fleshvesseldm.bandcamp.com/album/obstinacy-sisyphean-dreams-unfolded
freak out death metal. at times a little to aimless and noodly for me but most of the times it's just gloriously insane. love the vocals. |
| 9 |  | Unfyros
Star Blood
https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/star-blood
now to something completely different. Unfyros is a black metal project by Anti Haapapuro, who is mainly known for his ambient music, which he releases under monikers like Arktau Eos. He was also a member of the bm band Dolorian. So you get simple doomy mid tempo black metal with an atmospheric soundscape laid on top of it. music to drift away to. |
| 10 |  | Beschwoerung
Beschwoerung
https://beschwoerung.bandcamp.com/album/beschwoerung
fuck, I'm getting too longwinded. ähh, ...Urfaust-esque vocals...uhm...black metal which stumbles drunkenly through the woods on its way to a ritual. |
| 11 |  | Lychgate
Precipice
https://lychgate.bandcamp.com/album/precipice
wow, what an album. intense, dense and twisted; reminds me a bit Emperor's later stuff. (promethean)
I don't have to explain who Greg Chandler is. you all know your stuff right? |
| 12 |  | Mutiilation
Pandemonium of Egregores
https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/pandemonium-of-egregores
new Mutiilation!. If you liked the last one you should dig this new one as well. yeah. I am biased ( and maybe easy to please) |
| 13 |  | Karevana
夜明けの空へ – To The Dawn Sky
https://karevana.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-dawn-sky
sounds like its cover art suggests. Crying Orc of Kekht Arakh also provides guest vocals for a track. (and apparently resides in Japan nowadays). but good stuff nontheless. |
| 14 |  | VS--55 and Kekht Arakh
Tårar blir till blod
https://kekhtarakh.bandcamp.com/album/t-rar-blir-till-blod
and speaking of Kekht Arakh... this collaboration with Varg (the swedish electro dude not the norwegian stabby one) dropped last december . haven't really made my mind about it up. it's just 8 min. so just check for yourselves. |
| 15 |  | Klavitt, Klavitt... Skogen Evigt Eka
Dvälj i dunklets skogar
https://mysticismproductions.bandcamp.com/album/dv-lj-i-dunklets-skogar
If I remember correctly this is swarthadauthuz ambient project but this time he added some black metal to it to create a dark, surprisingly dense and very good record. ( and quite fresh for a dude who has so many projects going on) |
| 16 |  | Blisterous
Grotesque Prosection
https://blisterous-fin.bandcamp.com/album/grotesque-prosection
just a sick little deathgrind ep from finland. |
| 17 |  | Martrod
Draumsýnir Eldsins
https://martrod.bandcamp.com/album/draums-nir-eldsins
I mean you all know this one already. top notch disso bm. |
| 18 |  | Burning Palace
Dark Matter
https://burningpalaceofficial.bandcamp.com/album/dark-matter
who doesn't like leftovers? theses are the tracks who didn't fit on Elegy but not for quality reasons. |
| 19 |  | Ebony Pendant
Threnodies from the Coldlands
https://ebonypendant.bandcamp.com/album/threnodies-from-the-coldlands
cold ferocious usbm. |
| 20 |  | Streams of Blood
Vermaledeit
https://streamsofblood.bandcamp.com/album/vermaledeit
if you are suffering from a lack of blast beats, this album will fix you up. blunt blasting to exercise the neck and to exorcise stress from your body. |
| 21 |  | Windswept
The Devil's Vertep
https://windswept.bandcamp.com/album/the-devils-vertep
the third Roman Saenko release of the year but unfortunately also the least memorable of them. still a good time though. |
| 22 |  | Weft
The Splintered Oar
https://weftmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-splintered-oar
solo project of a Panopticon live musician. (Austin Lunn provides the drumming) Folk black metal in the vein of Panopticon. quality record. |
| 23 |  | Fanatisme
Tro, Håp Og Kjærlighet
https://fanatisme.bandcamp.com/album/tro-h-p-og-kj-rlighet
one of the biggest trends in the bm underground the last couple of years has been to mix some post punk into it. so do these norwegian youngsters but they do it very well. a fun one for me. |
| 24 |  | Rotten Sound
Mass Extinction
https://rottensound.bandcamp.com/album/mass-extinction
neat little ep by these grind veterans. sounds like modern Rotten Sound but they do it very well. |
|
