September was a very strong month for the dark music, as I managed to hear dozens of albums – many of which deserve to be included in any top list out there.
Nevertheless, in order to make it more systematic and selective, I have chosen thirteen of the titles that made the strongest impression on me, presented in a rather chronological order, by release date.

Аura Mortis : „Aion Teleos“

Unearthly abyss into which your consciousness slowly sinks, with each passing cosmic noise…
The deep ambient intro of „Aion Teleos“ takes us to furious vocals and harsh black metal instrumentals on a very high level.
Serbians  Aura Mortis have long been a factor within the confines of the underground scene, but with their debut ‘Aion Teleos’ they reach  totally new heights when it comes to  their composing skills  and  their  much more expressive side – in ‘Aion Teleos’ every element is on fire and carries a lot of emotional charge.
The atmosphere is more raw than ever.
Within seven tracks we witness a brutal black metal attack, following the traditions and inserting elements of the new wave of black metal in the same time, without a drop of restraint.
The band mainly deals with occult themes, and their sound is very close to the Trondheim specifics – if you are a fan of Whoredom Rife, One Tail, One Head, Mare, Celestial Bloodshed and other similar artists, then surely the new album of Aura Mortis will impress and carry you away with its fiery temperament.

Toadeater : „Bexadde“

The Germans Toadeater play a specific kind of post-black metal, with each of their titles digging deep into the emotional and spiritual aspects of human existence.
„Bexadde“ is a restless album full of internal contradictions, as alongside the true despair, the band manages to recreate the elevation above everything that drags the soul  down.
Unbearable thoughts screamed out loud, against a background of cold guitars and rhythmic drums, occasionally interrupted by clean, more choir-oriented vocals that sound like a church chant during a ritual. The lyrics of the songs on the album are true poetry, and turning it all into a piece of music, Toadeater create a work that touches those who need it the most.
It is not by chance that the artwork „Beholding the complexity of death“ by the artist Rafael Pascuale Zamora is depicted on the cover – the album carries the atmosphere of all those emotions that a person experiences when approaching death, figuratively or literally.
An atmosphere of catharsis and awareness, of volcanic anxiety and racing conflicting threads of thought.

Bloodbath : „Survival of the Sickest“

Bloodbath are one of those death metal bands that are not only key to the history and development of the genre, but also carry their own unique signature, with which they continue to forge firmly into its new era.
„Survival of the Sickest“ is a devastating album that I think all Bloodbath fans – especially those of the „Nightmares Made Flesh“ period would appreciate. To be honest, as soon as I saw the cover art and the first single released from the album, I already knew that something familiar, beloved and shockingly brutal was coming. I’m terribly grateful for this record, especially when  tracks like „Dead Parade“, „Carved“, „Malignant Maggot Therapy“ and „No God Before Me“ come in the way. Once again the Swedes hit hard with all their manic heaviness and ingeniously conceived messages!

HETROERTZEN: „Phosphorus vol 1“

HETROERTZEN are ritualistic magic – a portal to other worlds.
With each of their titles, the Chileans provide balm for the soul of any Luciferian and connoisseur of deep music that envelops all the senses.
On tracks like „The Hall of Wonders“, the riffs and their reverberation  present unearthly atmosphere in combination
with the traditional artistry of the vocals, reminiscent of a shamanic sermon.
„Phosphorus vol 1“ carries a majestic feeling of sprawling beyond space and soaring above the earthly, consistent   through the whole album thanks to the numerous beautiful riffs, tons of expressively delivered messages and interestingly written memorable tracks.
HETROERTZEN aren’t just offering a piece of good music for  your ears, they involve you into a dark, deep secret ritual. And you have no choice , but to experience it to the very end.

Eternality : „Dea​þ​wyrd“

Eternality is one of The Void’s new discoveries. The Norwegian independent black metal project has been uncompromising with their debut full-length album, and I bet that not a single soul would ever think even for a moment that it is  a one-man effort. Austherion – the only member of the project is skillfully handling different characteristics of black metal, resulting in raw and primal Norwegian black metal, intelligently intertwined with influences from other sub-genres.
„Dea​þ​wyrd“ delivers a solid dose of unflinching riffs, an epic atmosphere with lots of chill and beautiful, ear-pleasing segments, including soaring solos, that further accentuate the album’s cutting essence.
My only complaint about the title is that there is no physical release, and in my opinion the tracks would sound perfect on vinyl and tape.
(Now is the time for the labels reading this to do something about it. Wink, wink.)

GAEREA : „MIRAGE“

„Mirage“ is a more atmospheric title, more experimental than usual for Gaerea and once again shows the strength of the musicians’ creative spirit. Black metal, especially the more modern representatives of the genre, are becoming more and more advanced in their exploration of musical possibilities, and this leads to precisely such titles, in which you can hear something reminiscent of the roots of the genre, as well as something completely new and modern, even futuristic sounding.
It’s beautiful to fall into the whirlpool of thoughts of „Mirage“, to dive into the creative abyss of Gaerea and listen, absorb all their lyrics, follow with curiosity the whole dynamics of the album and react to all the small details that the band very successfully incorporates into their  music. Amid tormented vocals, atmospheric guitars with brutal tremolo picking, rhythmic drums and beautiful ambient parts, everything becomes a distinctly expressed mirage that reveals to you its story of suffering, internal contradictions and the hopelessness of the social collapse we are currently facing .

You can read a longer review of the album HERE.

KATHAARIA : „To Be Shunned by All​.​.​.​ As Centres of Pestilence“

„To Be Shunned by All​.​.​.​ As Centers of Pestilence“ is the first album of the Germans KATHAARIA after nearly 14 years of silence and one of the most pleasant surprises of 2022. Smoothly entering its essence with rhythmic, pulsating melodies, the title leads us into a maelstrom of sharply presented nihilistic storm with the first track „Agenda Nihil“.
The album is not traditional, but even very artistically and diversely written, featuring direct and darkly emotional lyrics, fast organic drums, heated and emotionally charged vocals, volcanic guitars and even recognizable short speech samples from movies, including the song “ Oh willow waly“ from the 1961 horror classic „The Innocents“, which appears briefly in the track „Never Dead Enough“.
There are also more atmospheric and touching moments for contrast, and the general impression of the album is of a raw and deep venture into uncharted waters, gradually revealing its dark secrets.
An exciting work.

Nordjevel : „Gnavhòl“

With a courageous fighting rhythm and pulsating esoteric knowledge in the atmosphere, Nordjevel present their new ritual in a captivating and obsessive way, with incredibly well-honed dynamics and emotional charge.
Khaos Design’s cover perfectly describes what you’re about to hear – an almost apocalyptic aural picture, a struggle between tyrannical dark forces and a chaotic whirlwind of furious melodies.
Immerse yourself in the hellish story of „Gnavhòl“ and shudder at the darkness lurking in its corners…

Read a full review of the album  HERE.

Ellende : „Ellenbogengesellschaft“

In a few words, „Ellenbogengesellschaft“ is a fascinating story in eight chapters. Atmospheric black metal with many nuances and emotionally charged tracks, thought-provoking and inner awakening to some basic existential truths. Enjoy the emotion and atmosphere of the album, I think it’s a really beautiful start to autumn – the music brings exactly that ethereal spirit and depth, so well inherent in the beloved season.

Read the full album review  HERE.

Pyra : „Pyra“

In their self-titled debut, the band is offering  five haunting tracks, from which you can hardly tear your attention away during the entire duration of the recording – almost 26 minutes.
Opening with the hypnotic sounds of crackling fire and winds, the album takes us straight into a cold alpine night outdoors around a roaring fire – a slight hint of what’s to come.
Namely – an all-consuming fiery energy, forged from raw vocals and cold unyielding instrumentals.
A combination, which is growing hastily into something memorable.
Excellent black metal with brutal and sharp sound that passes through you like a fiery element and leaves you cleansed and inspired.

Read the full album review HERE.

The Lovecraft Sextet : „Miserere“

The Lovecraft Sextet is a genius Dutch project, brainchild of Jason Köhnen, thanks to whom we have the pleasure to enjoy the magic of the dark jazz sound.
„Miserere“ is a unique embodiment of horror, the subtle beauty of noir culture, the harshness of black metal and the sensuality of jazz. This work of art grabs you and pulls you into its own universe from the beginning to the end of its duration, taking you into an entire adventure where  you empathize with the performer, as if you are participating in a theatrical play, directed by the beloved David Lynch and Lovecraft.
Somewhere inside of me, I’ve always been waiting to hear such a combination of crawling fear, despair, sensuality, brutality, finesse and  pure beauty.
Words cannot describe the artistry and thought put into this title – the music on this album is beyond words, at times – even beyond the senses.
Stop and listen, experience „Miserere“ with an open mind and embrace the deeply felt perceptions.

Labyrinth of Stars : „Spectrum Xenomorph“

Labyrinth of Stars is the new project of Markus Siegenhort (Lantlôs, ex-Epitaph, ex-Herbst, Asses, EtherealPRO, LowCityRain, ex-Impavida, ex-Líam, ex-Pihkal, ex-Silly Trill), in which he also collaborates with musicians Valborg (Absolutum, Owl, Valborg, ex-Island, ex-Slon, ex-Woburn House, ex-Kosmos Wald, Asses, Gruenewald, ex-Centaurus-A, ex-Klabautamann (live), ex-Skarab, ex- Orbo) and Dirk Stark, with „Spectrum Xenomorph“ being their debut full-length album.
Some define it as deathcore, others as death metal, death metal with black metal influences and etc., but the truth is that like all other creative ideas of the ideologue behind the chameleon Lantlôs, the music of Labyrinth of Stars is difficult to define quite specifically .
In „Spectrum Xenomorph“ we have a lot of distortion and twists, not quite obtrusive deathcore vocals and various futuristic noises and small details that bring an otherworldly atmosphere.
The tracks are short – each of them is about 3 minutes long on average, except for the final track „Transmission Delta – Exile“, which is, in my opinion, the most key part of the title and represents exactly that deep and dark space atmosphere that embodies the whole heart of the project, even though it mostly consists of dark ambient melodies and static noise.
The album is experimental and inventive, it deserves to be heard without a doubt.

BLUT AUS NORD : „Lovecraftian Echoes“

Although it is not a new Blut Aus Nord album, but a compilation – part of the dark collaboration between Debemur Morti Productions and the band (Order Of Outer Sounds), „Lovecraftian Echoes“ cannot go unnoticed.
Even more so when it comes to the sonic parallel between the title and one of my favorite BAN albums, „The Work Which Transforms God“.
„Lovecraftian Echoes“ continues the already laid foundations with hypnotic and at times dissonant, definitively mind-blurring hallucinations. I immediately recognize highlights in the style of „Our Blessed Frozen Cells“, with the cosmic darkness emanating from every angle and living up to the title of the compilation with every chord.
This is music steeped in depth, darkness and madness, filled with intoxicating mastery.
I’ve long associated Blut Aus Nord with the work of Lovecraft and cosmic unexplored universes, and this compilation is no exception.
„Lovecraftian Echoes“  is one of the most beautiful other-dimensional nightmares ever recreated by Vindsval.
The Great Old Ones must be proud with this hymn.
Cthulhu ftagn!