The beauty and tragedy of Parisian art, history, and experience is extremely complex and complicated. This amalgamation is well-embodied by the post-black band, Dehors. It was an honor to get to ask Dehors about their music and what inspires them.

War metal act Cataclysmic Warfare recently impressed us with the full-on sonic assault with Blood Presidium. To help unpack gain a better understanding of what went into the album and its creative aspirations, we spoke with E.O.S., the central creative force behind it all.  

Ætheria Conscientia is a progressive black metal band from Nantes, France. They are able to intertwine various elements from different genres to create a world of sonic mystery and escape. We had the honor of catching up with the band for an interview.

TopfHelm impressed us recently with their latest release, Sir Godric. There’s so much to unpack that we chatted with Nikita Shkurd, the creative force behind it all, to get more insight and details into the world of Sir Godric, the sound of dungeon folk, and so much more. 

Hailing from France, Houle is a fascinating concept black metal band focusing on mariner life, the ocean, and the chaos of life at the sea. When I first heard their latest album, Ciel Cendre et Misère Noire, I was absolutely entranced in the furious, yet melodic approach to their craft.

Eclectic artistry is not formed in a vacuum, nor is it common in an age where a driving thematic style sells records. Yet, dungeon synth is not a genre that is under any pressure to conform, and Towerhouser embodies that nonconformity in a most honorable way.

We talked with Nick, the creative force behind Witch Bolt, to learn more about the music, the world, and the creative process behind it all. We got into why Witch Bolt’s recent release, The Peace of Wild Things, has an alternate arrangement, as well as some of the future projects. 

Unreqvited has become a foundational name in atmospheric black metal and blackgaze, crafting some of the most expansive, impressive, and beautiful albums you can find in the scene. Alex caught up with 鬼 (Ghost) for an inside look at the artist behind the music.

Henere delivers something remarkable in this niche territory of bands exploring the power and terror of nature’s forces. The Chosen Path is an odyssey that acts as a testament to what U.S. black metal can achieve when it embraces melody without sacrificing ferocity.

Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves is quite literally a work of mystical art. This is music that resonates with the heart and soul in a mysterious way, evoking calm and serenity. In the chaos of extreme metal, Autrest brings a reprieve in the forest of our imaginations.

In a metal scene where Christian bands often play it safe with polished deathcore or melodic approaches, Cataclysmic Warfare takes a different path. This American blackened death metal artist dives headfirst into war metal with their debut, Blood Presidium.

Eternal Winds of Ash & Ice by Hellige stands as a beacon in the dungeon synth scene. This seven-track album, mixed and mastered by another dungeon synth master, DIM, at Lowly Dying Steward, delivers a genuinely uplifting spiritual journey wrapped in medieval grandeur.

Mythráen's Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight offers an impressive eight-track dungeon synth odyssey through the Dragonlance universe. The album stands as a testament to the genre's capacity for heroic grandeur and spiritual uplift. 

Within the broader dungeon synth scene, Atlantean Sword continues to create a more heroic dungeon synth. The music that acknowledges life's darkness while insisting on the possibility of transcendence through noble action. Ironmaster represents a spiritual maturation for the artist.

Tolkien black metal nerds rejoice! Heralder, the mastermind behind the medieval black metal project Theoden's Reign, returns with Citadel of the Stars, an album that cements Theoden's Reign as one of the most promising voices in the fantasy and atmospheric black metal scene.

In a scene often characterized by nihilistic despair, Mörkdöd is a beacon of hope wrapped in the darkness of the sounds of depressive black metal. The Russian delivers something profoundly redemptive while rejecting the toxic and unconstructive elements of the subgenre.