Rwake - The Return of Magik (2025)

The Return of Magik is the Fifth Rwake album, and we could also say it's a magical return, since Fourteen years after their previous album Rawke are back with their best one, a masterpiece in southern progressive doom (with some aggressive sludge vocals). I love the atmosphere they manage to create with these songs. Their music, somewhere between Crowbar, Mastodon and Neurosis combines nicely heaviness, epicness and melodic subtleties (including the use of acoustic and pedal steel guitars). Warmly recommended!

 

The BC page.

 

Rise of The Northstar - Chapter 4 : Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!! (2025)

As you can guess, Chapter 4 : Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!! is the fourth album from the most ambitious French hardcore band, Rise of The Northstar. Is the music backing the attitude? I think it is, this fourth one is another convincing one, maybe not better than the two previous ones, but adding some more diversity to a music already very "crossover", mostly reminding Biohazard, with its mix of old school hardcore, metallic hardcore, nu-metal, hip-hop, and for ROTN a bit of deathcore and now some bits of melodic hardcore as well. Cool stuff!

 

Ophiolatry - Serpent's Verdict (2025)

Serpent's Verdict is a new album from Brazilian band Ophiolatry, seventeen years after their previous one! They combine modern brutal death with old school US influences, especially Morbid Angel, with also a touch of Nile, and they do it well. Good stuff.

Their Website. 

 

Dead Neanderthals - Ordo Dracul Demo (2023)

Ordo Dracul Demo is not the latest Dead Neanderthals release, but my favourite among their recent stuff (but I haven't checked the new one they just released this month). With Ordo Dracul they kept on exploring the possibilities opening by using synths, and this time they tried something in a dungeon synth vein. Otto Kokke playing the synth, Marlon Welterink playing bass, and Rene aquarius on the drums, as usual. The second track is nice trippy and low-fi dungeon synth, but I think the most memorable of the two tracks is the first one with his awesome drum beat. Simple and repetitive but heavy as hell. Very special and more "catchy" than what they usually do. I recommend everything they did, but I especially enjoy this one!

 

The BC page. 

 

Wytch Hazel - V: Lamentations (2025)

Wytch Hazel managed to create their own space in heavy metal, being at the same time very traditional (highly reminiscent of heavy metal from the 80' and even also proto-heavy metal / heavy blues bands from the 70', with echoes of Cream, Mountain, etc.), but also very personal, developing their own sound and otherworldly atmosphere. Their new album V: Lamentations is another masterpiece in old school epic and melodic heavy metal. Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

King Yosef - Spire of Fear(2025)

With Spire of Fear, one-man band King Yosef leaves nearly completely behind his nu-metal roots and gets full industrial metal. Spire of fear is definitely closer to The Downward Spiral than it is to Life is Peachy. There's also a hardcore element, reminding sometimes Youth Code (with whom he shared a split record). In any case, it's a nicely abrasive album.

 

The BC page. 

 

GIST - Preservation of Decomposing Tissues via Adipocere Formation (2025)

Which music could be better suited for Christmas than pathological goregrind? Right, then Preservation of Decomposing Tissues via Adipocere Formation from one-man-band GIST is what you need. Even if, actually, if you except the vocals and the drum machine it would be closer to death-doom, with it's quite melodic riffs (but Carcass fans know that melodic guitar parts are no stranger to goregrind isn't it?). In any case, it's cool stuff, I especially recommend the last track. Have a good time!

 

The BC page.