6 track album

Terror Corpse's debut album Ash Eclipses Flesh is out on November 21 and it's gonna ruin you.

Die Melodic Doom Metal-Band ORCHID THRONE hat mit „Buried in Black“ ein neues Album angekündigt. Es ist der…

A espera pelo álbum completo, sucessor do promissor EP de estreia da banda inglesa NEMOROUS, está quase no fim! Quatro anos após o lançamento do álbum homônimo, a banda finalmente retorna com uma expe...

HYPERION - Rewire, Rebuild (Official Lyric-Video) [2026]Italian metal squad, HyperioN, have released a lyric video for "Rewire, Rebuild," the second single from upcoming album, Cybergenesis. Check out...

This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from 1914, Aerial Ruin, Bell Witch, Chairmaker, The Devil Wears Prada, Fallstaf, Lamp Of Murmuur, Mausoleum Gate, The Mist, Qrixkuor, Putrevore,…

Metal has a very storied history at this point, and it’s funny to think of the people who, when I was much younger, telling me the music would never survive and it would be laughed at in…

Much has changed in the decade since Withering Soul last graced this website. I was in high school when Madam X placed a scarlet 2.5 on Adverse Portrait, a scoring I would agree with wholeheartedly.1 It was an enjoyable but unfocused work, and its Moonspell-akin gothic tendencies didn’t mesh well with the band’s Dissection worship. But in a development not covered here, Withering Soul leveled up with 2021’s Last Contact, dropping the Type O Negative vocals almost entirely and amping up their blackened core with beefier riffs and more engaging compositions. Some gothic elements remained, and what did felt far better integrated into their style than before. Withering Soul continue down this stylistic path through their fifth album Passage of the Arcane, centered on the theme of “human experiences traversing into cursed oblivion.” Have Withering Soul really discovered a path of subliminal qualities, or will Passage of the Arcane only lead to disappointment? Passage of the Arcane is a sensible progression from Last Contact for Withering Soul. Sporting Dark Fortress atmospheres brute-forced to life through death-influenced Dissection riffage, Withering Soul have departed even further from goth rock than Last Contact in favor of even more blistering melodic black metal. Gone are the low, clean croons of Withering Soul’s past, with lead man Christopher2 relying entirely on his powerful, hoarse screams for vocals. But the songs remain snappy with strong, hooky riffs and seamless transitions between various musical ideas. Death metal grime stains Withering Soul’s sonic tapestry on “Grievance Eludes the Light” and “Among Covetous Eyes,” while the sheen of synthesizers coats “Gallery of the End” and “Burden of the Valiant.” Withering Soul are clearly a talented bunch and everyone gets a chance to shine on Passage of the Arcane; with guitarist Frank G. layering “Gallery of the End” with a bright, melodic solo; drummer Rick hitting slick fills on “Grievance Eludes the Light” and bassist Joel dropping fat, sneaky lines on “Trajectory.” Withering Soul don’t break the mold with Passage of the Arcane, but they did craft an album better than their last. Passage of the Arcane by Withering Soul There’s real dirt in Passage of the Arcane. The opening one-two-three punch of “Attrition Horizon,” “Grievance Eludes the Light,” and “The Monolith Embodied” sees Withering Soul swing with heavyweight might as Christopher and Frank G.’s guitars pummel through power chord abusive, tremolo-heavy riffs of winding, thrashy and frost rimed-natures. Things get more exploratory as Passage of the Arcane progresses, but Withering Soul never let off that initial intensity. Passage of the Arcane’s punchy production makes Rick’s kick drums really thump, and Joel’s bass comes through big time in Withering Soul’s chuggier, groovier moments (“Trajectory”). There’s an embarrassment of good riffs here, and everything clear of fat until, unfortunately, the closer “Burden of the Valiant,” but even that song picks up eventually. Like the blackened counterpart to Dormant Ordeal from earlier this year, Withering Soul more often than not embody aggression, dealing out some truly cut-throat metal on Passage of the Arcane. But Withering Soul is held back from greatness by a lack of variety in certain areas. Riffs are multitudinous, but almost every guitar lead on Passage feels identical, usually consisting of basic eighth note arpeggios overtop tremolo riffs that don’t really do much to spruce up the chords (“Attrition Horizon,” “Gallery of the End,” “Burden of the Valiant”). It just stinks that Withering Soul couldn’t bring the creativity they have for rhythm guitar to lead. Similarly (and a bit ironically), vocal monotony is an issue, as Christopher only uses one style of scream across Passage of the Arcane’s 41 minutes. Perhaps a little goth bass singing wouldn’t go amiss, as a treat? These complaints may verge on nitpicks, but they are prominent and persistent enough to somewhat sully my enthusiasm for Passage of the Arcane. Withering Soul assembled Passage of the Arcane out of common ingredients to the sub-genre, but tight songwriting and strong performances elevate the material. Though an immediate album in many ways, Passage was a grower for me, as repeat listenings revealed little details and how the pieces move. If you like your black metal riff-centric and melodic, this is an easy recommendation. Withering Soul may have reduced their sonic palette over the years, but the downsizing only made them leaner and meaner, and Passage of the Arcane is a lean, mean listen. --- Rating: Very Good DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 Label: Liminal Dread Productions Websites: witheringsoul.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/witheringsoulband | instagram.com/witheringsoul_77 Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025 The post Withering Soul – Passage of the Arcane Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Seattle-based old school deathers Degraved have been lurking in the back alleys since 2020, tweaking their rancid and rotten caveman-trapped-in-a-cesspool sound for maximum stench terror. 2025 sees them finally give birth to their debut full-length, Spectral Realm of Ruin, and let’s just say their offspring ain’t a looker. Sounding like a time-locked study into the effects of early 90s death on the human brain, you get a nauseating fusion of early Cianide,1 Incantation, Autopsy, and disEMBOWELMENT. This is low-grade, scuzzy, and exceptionally fetid skunk cabbage suitable only for the worst of us. And though the band is sunk up to their privates in the past, they bring enough vim and venom to make things passably fresh and only slightly maggot-infested. If you like your death moldy, oldy, and evil, this just might be your steaming gorilla biscuit. What I enjoy about Degraved’s style is their blend of ogga-booga caveman idiocy with cavern crawling slime-tentacle riffage and the ever-present coating of muck, mire, and infected poo-crust. This shit just sounds raw, unholy, and filthy. Opener “Pariah of Death” wastes no time flinging waste with abandon, using moist and greasy riffs and thundering drums to backstop sub-human toilet huffing vocals that sound like the NYC subway announcements but a little angrier. Frantic solos, some of which reek of the early days of Death, and some plodding, menacing doom bits round out a crypt rocket of a tune that gets you raving in the fresh graves. “Sulfuric Embalming” is a nuclear bomb of unpleasant noise; blasty, chaotic, raw as fuck, and completely unhinged for the sake of lunacy. The unusually moody guitar phrasing that snakes into the song around the midway point is a nice touch, but this beast is here to swing the deathhammer, and you are all nails. “Stalker of the Heard” is another piece of trashy nastiness with an extra shot of dissonance and dotted with Tom G. Warrior-esque “UHHs” and OHs” for added spice. This one is teeming with cavern-born Incantation and Immolation riffs that have never seen the light of day, and surprise, surprise, they all bite. There’s an ideal blend of power chugging, mid-tempo devastation, and blasting thrash to keep you off balance. The massive beefbrained chugs at 2:32 are exactly what my metal heart needs, and they feel so right (and wrong). Not everything Degraved do finds that sticky sweet level of decay, however. “Unseen” is the longest cut at over 7 minutes, but it’s the least entertaining cave cretin, lapsing between ooog booga idiocy and bits of Winter and Autopsy but without the charm of either. The quiet interlude in the back-half reeks of something off Death’s Human, and things emerge from this proggier stanza with some effectively brutalizing riffs, but as a whole, the song comes up a bit short. At a short and sharp 35-plus minutes, there’s more to love than tolerate on Spectral Realm of Ruin and the overall experience is appropriately horrific and gruesome. The production is a dead ringer for the shit that was dropping between 1990 and 1994, and the level of murk and reverb in the mix is superb. NE handles vocals and bass and does a bang-up job. His deathy mutterings and cave roaring are wonderful, and his occasional vomit and wretching noises are a twisted treat. MM and DZ handle the guitars and deliver a bevy of caustic, evil sounds that drip with evil and awful. The solo work is especially delightful and deserving of a round of applause and a spleen ‘n cheese soufflé. They pack that perfect blend of raw energy and somewhat thoughtful progression and add a lot to the dirt and sleaze. LP’s drum work is loud, abrasive, and rowdy, and that’s enough for me. A talented crew in search of cheap morgue space. Spectral Realm of Ruin is not new, unusual, or groundbreaking, but it will fuck you up and piss on your grave (PISSGRAVE!!). It’s entertaining and disgusting, and sure to repel those whom you seek to offend. What do you have to lose by checking this out besides that shower-fresh feeling? Cleanliness is overrated anyway. I myself haven’t bathed in weeks! Now go get Degraved.  --- Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: Dark Descent Websites: degraved.bandcamp.com/album | instagram.com/degraved Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025 The post Degraved – Spectral Realm of Ruin Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

1. Disillusion: This was one of the last tracks we wrote for the album. We hoped this track would serve as a “vibe-setter,” instead of a son...

As I write this, it is cold and gray, rain falling and pattering against the windows, a sight a lot of people would term ugly or dreary, but I always liked it. Certainly it isn’t going t…

YouTube video by Fighter Records

Yes, we know that it’s November. No, we didn’t forget your favorite album. Yes, we’re sure about that. The post SPOILER: Here Are Decibel’s Top 40 Albums of 2025 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Chicago’s **Withering Soul** return with their fifth full-length, _Passage of the Arcane_ — a blackened melodic death metal odyssey steeped in cursed lore, burning melodies, and an atmosphere as chilling as grave-silt air The post Album Stream: Withering Soul – ‘Passage of the Arcane’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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