Unleashing a short-but-sweet EP, today we have UK’s The Crawling with “What We Leave Behind”. Featuring two tracks of pure bleakness, the band’s Death/Doom Metal sound is timeless with a slightly fresh edge to it. For fans of My Dying Bride, Swallow the Sun, Insomnium and similar artists, this release heats heavy and quick.

As another one of AOP Records incredible finds, Firtan is a German Black Metal outfit that has transitioned from Pagan Black Metal to regular BM over the last couple of releases. With a very expansive and yet chaotic sound, “Helios” continues the band’s evolution with twelve tracks and nearly one hour of high-octane music. Sounding like a mixture of A Forest of Stars with Thyrfing/Vreid elements, the band’s sound is quite dynamic and engaging, keeping things fresh and heavy at the same time.

Opening with the dramatic “Himsa”, the band sets a very lush and enigmatic vibe that quickly develops into heavier territories as “Kalikas Tongue” and “Ambrosia” come around. The band’s general pace is firm and punishing, but it is the atmospheric and melodic passages that make songs in this release more engaging and diverse. For instance, we get lush arrangements with clean vocals, violins and saxophone through this release. The combination of the violin and the heavy guitars, create a very immersive and yet chaotic atmosphere that strongly reminds us of A Forest of Stars in their latest efforts.

Masterfully blending the sensibilities of bands like Harakiri for the Sky and the harsh brutality of outfits like Behemoth, today we have Germany’s Servant with their latest offering: “Lux Ex Inferis”. Featuring nine tracks and over 41-minutes of highly emotional and intense Black Metal, this outfit strikes the perfect balance between melancholy and aggression in this exciting release. Not really Post-Black Metal, or Blackened Death Metal, the band’s sound takes from both and creates a punishing product.

After a dreamy opener, the atmospherics of “Tabula Rasa” lead the way as the song slowly transitions into heavier territories with crushing guitar riffs and crafty drumming. The perfect balance between the music melody and the harsh vocals create a very engaging vibe that permeates the whole release. The band delivers songs like “Glorification”, “Thanatos", "Embrace of the Night”, and “De Profundis”.

Continuing their musical evolution, The Ocean returns with pretty much a completely new line-up and a revamped sound that is rooted in Post-Metal, but also adds new elements and textures into the mix. “Solaris” features eight tracks and nearly 70 minutes of high-octane music, filled with emotional and experimental outbursts that at times sound familiar and at others sound quite foreign, but equally engaging. For those that felt that the band’s sound was getting a bit tired with “Holocene”, this is the refresh that everybody was waiting for.

Creating an intriguing momentum with the opener “52°30'11"N, 13°26'12"E” and transitioning to “Departure Song”, we immediately get to listen to both new vocalists Enrico Tiberi, which sounds at times a bit like Loïc Rossetti, and Lane Shi, which provides extra dynamism to the music. Some of the electronic elements from “Holocene” also made their way here, as “Light Pollution” starts very lively and slowly progresses with haunting vocal melodies from alongside crafty signature The Ocean guitar riffs, and engaging drumming.

Oozing with melancholy and bleakness, today we have newcomers Orbita and their debut full-length release “Farewell to All We’ve Lost”. Mixing traditional Doom Metal with some Stoner Metal elements, this Italian outfit delivers four tracks and nearly 40-minutes of powerful and heartfelt music. While most bands in the genre kind of sound alike, these guys keep things fresh and interesting with their own signature style.

The mellow “Rotten Flowers” gets the release going with bleak vocal harmonies that slowly transition into piercing Doomy riffs. This song has one of the best openings we have heard in a while, masterfully changing the pace while keeping the bleakness and desolation going. Continuing with the crushing “Nèkyia”, the band slowly builds up the momentum and after desolate clean vocals, the song subtly transitions more into Stoner Metal territories while keeping the oppressive riffs going.

Hitting like a bag of bricks to the face, today we have Poland’s Massteron with their debut release “Second in the Spheres”. With a sound reminiscent of outfits like Azarath, Inquisition, and mid-career Behemoth, this outfit is raw, vicious, and yet precise and punishing. Featuring six tracks spanning over 35-minutes of music, we get an interesting mixture of old-school vibes with modern execution and a hellish intensity, something that comes expertly across the band’s live sound, as the recording was made that way.

Opening with the blistering “Voice of Fire”, the band quickly sets a hectic and pummeling pace, with fierce riffs, masterful guitar leads, and an all-hell is breaking loose attitude. There is a certain rawness to the band’s sound that sneaks up to the listeners as the ravaging onslaughts of “True Midnight” and “Achronon” blast through their speakers. The undeniable power of a release that has not been touched up or cleaned digitally is quite vibrant here, allowing the band to sound organic and powerful.

Unleashing waves of melancholy, today we have Denmark’s newcomers Maunah and their Satunus-meets-Hamferð with a bit of Post-Metal sound. On their debut release “Hjarta”, the band delivers six tracks of masterful music, full of emotion and heavy riffs. While there hasn’t been much innovation in the Doom genre and subgenres in a while, this band manages to create a unique sound that gives them their own identity, while still being familiar and accessible.

Opening with “Heimaland”, we get some traditional Doom riffs paired with the solemn vocals of Søren Sol Koldsen-Zederkof, while not as dramatic as Jón Aldará, he has a very hypnotic clean voice that fits very well the atmosphere and pace of the music. Things turn to Post-Metal territories on the crafty “Solin Vaugna”, a track that reminds us a bit of The Ocean in some places, with epic cathartic moments and engaging tempo changes and guitar leads.

Unleashing their latest opus, today we have Krallice with “Scour Order”. Further elevating their crafty Avant-garde Black Metal, this outfit delivers eight tracks and over one hour of masterful music that brings the genre to new heights. Showcasing a mixture of execution finesse and creative songwriting, the tracks in this release create a very chaotic and yet hypnotic atmosphere, filled with intricate details and crushing aggression.

Opening with “Agonal Shining” the band unleashes some dreamy atmospheric passages, flanked by progressive-ish guitar work that leads to some crazy cathartic moments. After priming the listener with the antics of the opener, "Grievous Corrector”, “Kill the Guardian”, and “Unceasing Path” continue the onslaught with convoluted riffing onslaught alongside blistering riffing, throwing in some shrieks and harsh screams into the mix. The band’s ability to weave interesting aggressive passages alongside crafty and engaging tempo changes is unrivaled, creating a very unique listening experience.

Unleashing waves of melancholy through “Obscured Horizons”, International outfit The Eternal returns with their eight full-length release. While the main members hail from Australia, the band also features Jan Rechberger (Amorphis) and Niclas Etelävuori (ex-Amorphis), both from Finland. Delivering nine tracks of highly emotional music, this release brings back some of the good old days of Gothic Metal bands like To/Die/For, mixed in with some of Katatonia’s mopiness, and the band’s own craftiness, creating a very effective and engaging release.

Opening with the dreamy “LAment for the Hollow”, we get a hearty mix of heavy guitar riffs, alongside a pulsating bass guitar line and crafty atmospherics. Mark Kelson’s mellow vocals perfectly carry the melancholy of this opener track and the transition into more Progressive-ish pieces like “Existing to Expire” and its catchiness, or the Evergrey-esque “Colours Fade”. One thing for sure, the album's vibe is highly intoxicating thanks to a mixture of atmosphere and catchiness.

Filling that Psychedelic Rock/Metal void left by bands like Jex Thoth, Sabbath Assembly and Jess and the Ancient Ones, we have Jasmin Lempinen returning with her sophomore release under the moniker Jess By The Lake. Delivering nine tracks and nearly 43-minutes of sultry, warm, and fuzzy music, this outfit unleashes a very organic and crafty release that is both playful and mysterious. For fans of more mellow and atmospheric Psychedelic music, this release is the perfect soundtrack for the upcoming fall and winter months.

Opening with the playful retroness of “Jaleihou”, get the warm and fuzzy guitars, a lively bass guitar line, alongside sultry vocals. The band’s style is not overly complex, but rather highly engaging and melodic, filled with engaging songwriting, as tracks like “Waderin Kind” and “Lovely Boy”, deliver twangy melodies. Other songs like the dreamy “Sister” and “Falling Under” while having a different pace, are still magical as the vocal melodies are haunting while the instrumentation leads the way with Jazzy passages.