Abysmal Hymns
darker shades of metal, hymns of goth and post-punk ...all for the worship of darkness
Friday, May 1, 2026
Welcome to Heavy Maytal
Frozen Soul : "A Place of No Warmth"
Armored Saint : "Emotion Factory Reset"
April's Top 10 Albums
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Yoth Iria : "Gone With the Devil"
For me, this Greek black metal band needs to prove that all black metal bands from Greece do not just want to be Rotting Christ. While in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from Rotting Christ, as they are a great band, but when you are from Greece, it's a little on the nose. They have taken some notes on the opening track with has a hug pagan infused sound, not the kind of blasting black metal that is more typical of the genre, finding themselves between a rock and a hard place, to not follow the path by their sucessful country men or sound like everyone else, so let's see if they can strike a balance here.
What helps seperate them is the rasp of the vocals. When the sung vocals come in, they are employed in a more Dimmu Borgir-like manner. The folk-inspired melodies in the layers of sound on "Woven Spells of a Demon" create a similar feel to the opening track and brightens things a little too much for my liking, but it still works for what they are doing. They are staying true to who they want to be and not resorting to blast beats, but they would sound more black metal if they were darker. The female vocals that lead into" The Blind Eye of the Antichrist" cast a more flowery shade of atmosphere over things when they need to be more ominous.
"I Totem" looms with more of a slow-building menace. It frolics a little but is certainly darker than the previous song. They hammer into you with the double bass, which is welcome as more aggression is needed. They do employ a similar song structure to Rotting Christ, with things building and ebbing in intensity rather than having bridges with time changes. "3am" has a more grooving throb and more melodic vocals on the chorus, making it one of the more accessible songs so far. The only thing black metal about "Give'em My Beautiful Hell" is the vocals. Everything else gallops along a larger-than-life traditional metal path.
There is a more orchestrated elegance to "Once in a Blue Moon" that reminds me of 90s Swedish metal. They break from their pattern by pounding out the accents of the song's second act. There is a somewhat more traditional black-metal feel to "Blessed Be He Who Enters", though when the vocals kick in, they set up the verse for more groove, which is fine by me, but it has more in common with Crematory than Mayhem. They hit more of a middle-of-the-road black metal feel for "End of the Known Civilization." The last song ends the album with a steady throb. There is almost a more Behemoth feel to the layers of vocals.This might not be the most black metal album you ahve heard but it cares about songs which goes a long way in my book I will give it an 8.5, amd see if it grows on me. If you like more emlodic black metal leanin g metal and not cvlt shit give this a try.
pst163
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Wailin Storms : "the Arsonist"
Here is a project that has improved over the past decade. Each album has been a little more impressive as it has morphed from a noisy cow-punk band to something more focused and serving songs, rather than working on a sound. The opening track is pretty bleak and powerful, making this point clear. Then there is a shift into something more akin to 16 Horsepower for "Heart of Mine." They return to a darker clanging out that holds more in common with noise rock for "You Never Answered."
The title track is darker and minimalist as the urgent plea of the vocals goes out into the empty space until the rest of the band slowly swells to life." Never Rest" carries a heavier stomp with some angular clamour creating a grungy atmosphere. It lurks with the collected chaos that the forerunners of grunge carried, harkening to the genre's punk roots. "Saved" is darker but a little less focused despite the haunting manner it rumbles, feels more likea jam than a song written to hook you in. The first song that feels post-punk is "Patient Night." Then "the Wind," which feels more like a Wovenhand song, works pretty well with it's dark, stormy intensity.
The last song is rather somber; it could be described as a ballad, as it drones off a piano part with more fragile, introspective vocals. It is worth noting that the vocals on this project have continued to improve, and at one point on the first couple of albums were more of a sticking point for me. Now they are really effect and it feels like the missing piece to their sound has fallen solidly in place. Showing something many bands could learn from, which is that vocals are an essential element and not just an obligatory touch, but the vocal point of a good song. They have moved into the right direction, and this album si a testament to that will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on meI would not call it goth but it is dark enough to appeal to fans of post-punk who work more of the kind of brooding summoned here.Beings released on Season of Mist.
VOXTROT : "Dreamers in Exile"
The impetus for checking out this album came after reading these guys listed as a band who were picking up where the Smiths left off. That might be a bold claim. I can hear where this comparison might be made when it comes to how they use guitars, but that's where it ends. There is no darker underbelly or scathing lyrics draped in humor and self-loathing. Which is fine, they are doing their own thing. I am more curious when these comparisons are made, as I don't actually want another Smiths since I am always going to prefer the Morrissey-helmed band.
.jpg)


.jpg)
.jpg)

