Heavy Metal Talks music blog

  Artist: Sojourner Origin: International Label: Avantgarde Music Released: July 10, 2026 Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Rating: 6/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp After saving "Lunar Tear" i went back to hear it again.I noticed the album had just dropped ,had to check this one out. Never heard Sojourner before. Gateways is Sojourner's fourth album, out July 10 on Avantgarde Music. Atmospheric black metal mixed with folk, doom and gothic elements. This isn't the type of black metal i usually listen to, and I'm not that well-travelled in this part of the genre. Still, the album definitely has some moments. There's a really good melancholic atmosphere throughout the album, with a solid dose of doom mixed into the black metal. The melodic side hits hard with powerful riffs, black metal elements and blast beats, while the growling is solid all the way. I understand the contrast they are going for, putting the clean vocals against the growling , but for me...

Artist: Via Doloris Origin: Oslo, Norway Label: Season of Mist Released: March 20, 2026 Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Rating: 8/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Via Doloris is the solo project of Gildas Le Pape , the known guitarist who spent years with Satyricon. Guerre et Paix is his debut, and it hits differently than expected. Dark, atmospheric black metal with a folk edge. Seven tracks, none of them short. The songs take their time, and that is both the strength and the weakness here. There are moments where it feels alittle boring and drags out and a few passages could have been cut. But that slow, heavy crawl is also what gives this album its identity. The drumming is the first thing you notice. Frost of 1349 and Satyricon behind the kit ,and it shows. Blast beats, power, brutality. Fantastic throughout. He drives the whole thing forward without stepping on the melodies,it is marvellous. And the vocal is also very good , it fit this album so much , the bass is in a lea...

  Artist: Aedelgard Origin: Russia / USA Label: Regolith Records Released: March 19, 2026 Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Rating: 8/10 Aedelgard is an international atmospheric black metal project — Vitharr handles all the instrumentation and production from Krasnodar, Russia, while Hræfn, based in Arizona, takes care of lyrics and vocals. The Repentance is their second full-length, released through Regolith Records, and my first time hearing them. I came in blind, no context from the debut Natteglimt, just the album and 27 minutes of my evening. What hits you immediately is the atmosphere. Synths sit underneath everything here, not in an over-the-top symphonic way, but as a kind of cold fog beneath the guitars. It gives the whole record a bleak, spacious quality that works well for the style. This is atmospheric black metal that actually commits to the atmospheric part. The guitar work leans heavily on tremolo picking, which is exactly what you'd expect, but the ban...

 My review on Winter Eternal's Unveiled Nightsky Release : 13th February , 2026 Origin     : Greece/Scotland Label      : Hells Headbanger Records Rating    : At the end Unveiled Nightsky – Winter Eternal Winter Eternal was founded in Greece and is now based in Scotland. You can hear both sides in the sound ,something epic and melodic, but also cold and sharp. I’ll be honest , I’m not deeply rooted in this part of black metal. But I keep finding myself drawn more and more into it. So this isn’t written from years of scene knowledge ,just from what I hear and what I feel when I press play. Melodic. Cold. Atmospheric. The tremolo riffs carry most of the album, with blast beats kicking in when things need to move. There’s a solid mix of slower sections and faster parts, and that balance works well. And when it hits ,it really hits. I can also hear clear death metal touches in some of the riffing. It adds weight without taking away the blac...

 My review on Ashbringer's Subglacial  Release : February 13th , 2026 Orgin      : Minneapolis , Minnesota Label      : Bolverk Collective  Rating    : At the end  Subglacial  Ashbringer are an atmospheric black metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They mix folk-inspired melodies with emotional black metal and have built a solid name within the modern atmo-black scene. S ubglacial is my first time hearing this band. I haven’t listened to any of their earlier releases, so this comes with no comparisons and no expectations. This is simply my first meeting with Ashbringer. Right from the start, this album pulled me in. It doesn’t rush, it builds. There’s atmosphere all over this record, but it doesn’t feel cold or distant. To me, it feels grounded. Melancholic, yes , but also a sence of warmth. The production really works here. It’s tight and clean, but still a bit raw. And that raw edge is a good thing. Nothing feels ...