Archgoat : "Nightbringer, Lightbringer"

This band from Finland keeps getting heavier. What I like about them is the fact that the members are actual Satanists who are not playing around, rather than being posers who just think pentagrams and goats are the required metal imagery to appropriate. There is a Morbid Angel-like atmosphere haunting the background of the opening track, which shifts from grindcore to death metal by the end of the song. 

There is also a great deal of purpose in the very deliberate march of "The Dawn to Armageddon." They get very blasty on "Iconoclasm the Nazarene". This carries over in the onslaught of "Blood of Jesus Spilling Upon the Earth".  A minute and a half into this, they relent and allow a creepy, ritualistic atmosphere to take over. Some blasting is fine; they take things to the extreme in this regard, going into "Stygian Millennium". There are few sections with more purpose, but a great deal of the song locks into the more rushed death metal feel where the snare sounds stiff to me. The darker elements worked into "Key of Hell and of Death" set this up to be a darker song until they run off and blast death things, though they slow down for the vocals, which is more of a compromise.

"The Light Behind the Horns" find's it's blackened punk side balanced out with riffs holding more purpose and punch. There is a rawer thrashing to "The Reaper of Christianity". The vocals are at a low, croaked growl. The song keeps building momentum.  It does not slow down until they hit the guitar solo, then it's a more purposeful shift of gears. They are certainly dedicated to brutality, and there is certainly an audience that just wants their ears battered like this. Two minutes in, they find their groove. I will give this album a 9 as it accomplishes what they set out to do and has a knack of pulloing yopu backc in after the blast beats have numbed you out with is better than most bands taking things to these kinds of extremes.Their celebration of destruction is dropping on September 11th. 

7.4

pst357

The Night Eternal : '"Cold Velvet"

 The third album from this German band finds them perfecting their darker take on heavy metal. When you take the brighter, anthemic feel, it sounds less like power metal. Not unlike what Unto Others tries to do, these guys actually nail it with more balls. The powerful vocal performance helps with this. They balance the darker chords they let ring out on the second song with metallic drive. The bellowing croon of the vocals takes command of the song. The guitar solos are pretty tasteful rather than just masturbatory shredding. 

There is more of a Dio-gallop to "Caught in a Spell". Production-wise, this song is as stunning as it captures a legit 80s sound while not turning their backs on a more modern mix rather than just trying to pay tribute to years past. "When the Last Candle Dies" has a strong chorus melody, but the verse feels like a continuation of the previous song, and I had to go back and give it another listen. This vibe carries over into "The Veins of Time", though there is more of a Judas Priest feel to the riff of this one. There is a darker, more deliberate feel to "The Watcher of the Burning Veil". It eventually speeds up into the epic proto-thrash gallop they prefer.

"Shape of Sorrow" is more focused than the previous, which gives the chorus more impact. It only wanders off into a side quest around the guitar solo.. "Dance on Crimson Ground" is a trippy power ballad of sorts, as it ebbs back and forth rather than following the typical formula for that sort of thing. I will give this album a 9.5, as it's one of the strongest traditional heavy metal albums by a relatively new band that I have heard in some time.Blade Drops August 21st on Metal  

7.7

pst356

Infected Mushroom : "IM30"

This album came out earlier in the year, and I am catching up to it. To celebrate the project's 30th anniversary, they are releasing a new album. I was not aware they had been around since 94, but here we are. They moved from Israel to the States in 2004, which seemed more like their inception to me. While I like the darker side of electronic music, I don't seem to cover much of it, so here we go. The opening track works as it uses the sounds they are known for and arranges them with dynamic purpose. There is a trippy creep to "New World Order". Two minutes in, the vocals chime in. They are never the focal point of the song, but add a more human touch. This song is more about moving bodies on the dance floor. Even then, they do better than most in terms of dynamics.

The songs that don't grab me as much on this album are the ones that are more conforming to mainstream dance music and just focus on the grooving beat, as there is more sound vs song in motion, but that is an issue I have with this kind of music in general, and these guys are catering to the Festival side of their fan base. The more dub-step like sounds on "Lightweight" are more interesting to me as they blend a bit of dub along with the oddly effected vocals. At nine and a half minutes, this is the album's longest song, and midway in there is some fat that could have been trimmed. But overall it works for me, though the last two minutes feel more 90s techno to me. 

"LA Beast" is one of the album's most interesting songs thanks to the vocals and guitar that are worked that give the song more bones to hang from. There are some retro synth wave sounds, so all the sonic bases are covered here. "No More Happy Endings" uses the vocals as a more pop-minded accent. The dirty beat it transitions into balances this out. When it finds its groove, there is more of an old-school techno pulse lurking underneath. Strummed guitar is even layered in as the song builds. "Mesumpelet"  is more dance- and sound-focused and holds less surprise than the previous song.

"AI Therapist" bubbles to life with the sound of liquid dripping and then the synths steer it in a more synth wave direction. The vocals are hypnotic and work well to balance things out. Lyrically, it is the only song that is allowed to tell a story. 

pst355

Wisborg : "Phantomschmerz"

 Getting caught up with things that passed under my radar andd this band was suggested to me on Facebook. This came out way back at the first of the year. The German band singing in their native tongue. The chorus is more crooned, and the verse's muttered tension. It works for what it is, but hopefully they do not just stick to this formula, or I am going to get bored after four songs. I know enough German to get the gist of where they are coming from. Maybe four songs was too optimistic, as thigns get kind of cheesy on the second song. This translates to way too happy for goth. 

"Melancholia" reminds me more of H.I.M.; it does not surprise me that there is a scne for this in Germany. At times the cadance of the vocals brings Merchandise to mind. This is my favorite song so far. They balance hard rock guitars with electronic production choices for "Moloch" . It finds a more muttered vocal on the verse than building upon the chorus, which is predictable, but the bass and drums have enough drive to make me overlook this. Some of the riffs on this album remind me of Post-"How the Gods Kill" Danzig. In terms of heaviness, they are middle of the road, but that doesn't seem to be the point of what they are doing.

"Midbight" translated)  finds the verses more restrained. It follows a more 90s-leaning formula. It works pretty well, and I have not gotten tired of it yet." Norman Bates" has a more nu-metal feel leading into it./Then the dynamic drops way down. Almost likea German version of Deftones. This song has what is likely the album's best riff. "Adeiu" is only missing Ville Valo. Tou hears a little of the singer's higher register. The title track is more dramatic than it is brooding. The palm-muted riff keeps the song moving. They roll out the baby grand again for the last song. It's more of a ballad than not. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. 

pst354

July's Top 10 Albums

July is in our rearveiw, so let's get you abreast of new releases. This might help you, casual readers, with what you might have missed.  I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. This helps me organize my end-of-year lists by including each album's genre. This does not mean these albums were released this month; it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed most. I have albums in my in-box that won't come out until October, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of how much I have listened to them. This month, leaned more on heavy stuff ranging from Nu-metal to Indie Pop, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for July of 2026.

10- Pretty Reckless,-"Dear God" 

Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-pretty-reckless-dear-god.html

9-Taylor Bickett- "Nothing I Can't Undo" 

Indie Folk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/taylor-bickett-nothing-i-cant-undo.html

8-DIE ANTWOORD- "ZAMA ZAMA"

Experimental hip-hop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/die-antwoord-zama-zama.html

7-Dead Pony-"Eat My Dust" 

nu-metal

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/dead-pony-eat-my-dust.html

6-Eartheater- "Heavenly Body" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/eartheater-heavenly-body-if-im-bottle.html

5-Deathgrave- "Hell is Evil" 

Death-grind

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/deathgrave-hell-is-evil.html

4-Show Me The Body- "Alone Together"

3-Kacey Musgraves- "Middle of Nowhere" 

Country 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/kacey-musgraves-middle-of-nowhere.html

2-Ceremony- "Tell Me Your Dream" 

Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/ceremony-tell-me-your-dream.html

1-Charli XCX - "Music Fashion Film" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/07/charli-xcx-music-fashion-film.html

pst353

Bestial Mouths : "Dead Lines"

 

When it comes to post-90s goth artists, these guys are one of my favorites. They have appeared on both our yearly Top 10 Industrial Albums and 10 Top 10 Goth albums lists, always scoring in the top 5. This album seems to lean more in the darkwave direction, with Lynette's vocals creating lush, evocative melodies that flow over the sometimes more apocalyptic crunch of the beats . I can hear where this might be mistaken for industrial, but it's just aggressive darkwave. With the first hints of Halloween starting to show up on shelves, this is a welcome soundtrack.

The groove of "SILK" anchors the vocals, and it all balances perfectly. There is a hint of Siouxsie influence that merges in a more obvious manner than what I recall from their previous work. I have always preached that darkness is heavy, and this album might not prove that as well as their last album, but it is still relevant to the sonic scope that unfolds here. There is enough sklink to its stomp that might find forward-thinking goth DJs working these songs into their sets. One day I will drag my laptop to a club and make this point, so make some noise in the comments if that is something you would like to hear. 

"Deadening" opens with a sample that casts a more political shade on the theme. This is more on the industrial side of things, as politics is not something that defines goth, and industrial being too adjacent to goth also blurs the lines in this regard. This is also one of the more dance floor ready pulses of the album so far. "Garras" finds the vocals being used more as an instrument against the beat, which is an interesting approach. "Shuttered" has a darker ambiance to it. The slow burn lingers with the beat swelling its pulse until midway in. More of a hypnotic dirge than a dancefloor banger. "Choke" closes the album with more tension ebbing forward. I will give this album a 10 as all the songs pretty much instantly clicked for me andd it is what I wnat from dark music. Making this album a must for goth fans in 2026 This album comes out September 4th on Negative Grain.

pst352

Purest Form : "Resistance"

While I like what this duo is doing with their aggressive approach to the more electronic side of industrial music, since I am such a big fan of Youth Code, it's hard not to draw comparisons, particularly when she is using her angrier vocal tone. The breakbeat in the second song helps break away from this a little longer when she uses the more purred vocal tone. They also have used more guitar on the first and third songs, respectively, than I have heard Youth Code employ in their entire discography. 

They start raving til dawn with a more techno feel to "MOVE". The vocals have a snotty punk attitude, and guitar surfaces midway into the song before she drops down into lower spoken vocal. This is more unique to what they do, and I think the more they experiment, the better, as if it solidifies their identity. I had to listen to "Bass Resistance" before it clicked enough for me to pay attention, and when it did it reminded me more of the Prodigy. Not as memorable as the first four songs.

A cover of Prodigy's "Breath" closes the album, which kind of clashes with my rule of not covering a band that is clearly one of our influences., They do nail it and add some of their own sonic touches while being true to the 90s sound. There is something unique to the synth sounds employed here. I guess there is a gap to be filled when it comes to this sort of thing, as they are not as heavy as Youth Code, so they might have a different audience. I will give this one a 9.5 andd see how it grows on me. It drops on Dias Records September 4th.

pst351