It's another cold-as-ice edition of Kvlt Kolvmn. New year, same us. Welcome back, dark devotees.
Black metal, more than most subgenres in the metal world, tends to present some pretty strong releases early in a given year. Thus far 2025 is no exception. Below we have a few of our favorites. While 2024 felt like a bit of a dud for black metal, I'm feeling pretty confident that this year is gonna be a recovery period for all that is blackened. But only time will tell. It's the opening course. Let us feast.
Stay frosty.
-Jonathan Adams
Winter’s Crown
Unreqvited - A Pathway to the Moon
I love Unreqvited. This is known. I’ve written about most of the project’s records in these hallowed halls and there really isn’t a stinker in the bunch. Ghost is a masterful songwriter who has only perfected and expanded his craft with each new release, and A Pathway to the Moon is no exception. In fact, it’s probably among the project’s most complete and dynamic releases. But as is customary with all Unreqvited releases, there’s some special sauce that makes it stand out from its predecessors. In this case it’s… *GASP*… vocals?
You heard it right, folks. Far evolved from the unintelligible wailing of Disquiet, A Pathway to the Moon opens with an absolute bang. Well, at least metaphorically. Opener “Overture: I Disintegrate” is one of the simplest and most beautiful tunes Unreqvited has released, but it’s stunning nature is due more in part to haunting, beautiful clean vocals that upon first listen brought actual tears to this bearded adult man face. It makes me wonder why we haven’t heard them at this scale before, but given their impact it kind of makes sense why he held them back until now. While this major shift in vocals and lyrical content is the most notable shift in tone from previous releases, one would be remiss to ignore the music itself. Which is, as usual, genuinely splendid.
While there are plenty of fantastic and ethereal musical passages contained within A Pathway to the Moon, the one-two punch of “The Antimatter” and “The Starforger” is particularly potent. The soaring guitar work, blissful atmosphere, and roaring vocals are all top notch, ebbing and flowing in a way that feels both more intimate and titanic than what we’re used to hearing from Unreqvited. That said, nothing here feels sonically foreign from the project’s previous work, and if you found enjoyment in any of its back catalog you will certainly find plenty to love here.
For all its unique twists and turns, ultimately the above sentence is the kicker. If you love Unreqvited, you’ll love A Pathway to the Moon. It’s epic, elegant, emotional, and electric all at once. As any good Unreqvited record should be. A hearty bravo from me, coupled with a sterling recommendation.
-JA
Best of the Rest
Havukruunu - Tavastland
Each new Havukruunu release comes complete with loads of hype. Along with the likes of Kanonenfeiber and Imperial Triumphant, they’re a band who have somehow garnered a level of above-ground success that most black metal-adjacent bands can only dream of. For the style of Bathory-infused Immortal/Moonsorrow-worship they peddle, it’s actually impressive how far their reach has grown in the decade-plus they’ve been active. These guys play high quality melodic black metal with few compromises and it’s cool to see that style of music translate to a wider audience. Their latest record Tavastland keeps the hype train rolling as another premium quality release in a discography chock full of them.
On the whole, Tavastland feels like the culmination of everything the band has done well up to this point. Opener “Kuolematon Laulunhenki” is a seven minute banger that should bring warmth to every blackened heart within earshot, blending the band’s melodic tendencies with some sick and infinitely relistenable riffs that serve as a delicious opening salvo for a record that’s replete with good stuff. The record’s self-titled track is another particular delight that makes you feel like your wandering through a haunted wood, as all good black metal should. The instrumentation, vocals, songwriting throughout are simply top notch.
There really isn’t a single negative to this record. Havukruunu continue to live up to the hype and absurd expectations placed on them by churning out perpetually excellent black metal that focuses on atmosphere and sick riffage in all the right ways. It’s another absolute banger from the boys that I’ll be listening to with joy for years to come.
-JA
Exterior Palnet - Haragma II
I’ve written a few times on the blog about the dangers of seemingly experimental or progressive music falling into templates. So called “avantgarde” black metal is one of the sub-genres most likely to fall into this trap, repeating rotes in the name of some hazy operatic or theatrical timbre. Rest assured, however, that none of this is anywhere in sight with Exterior Palnet’s Haragma II, a Croatian slab of sideways, angular, and razor sharp black metal that defies attempt at clear categorization to land firmly within the avantgarde label. Hell, even the name of the band plays games with you and that weird, off-kilter vibe bleeds through the entirety of the release.
When you hit play, all of this might not become readily apparent. The self-titled track which opens the album starts off familiar enough, drawing from that “template” of weird black metal I referenced above. However, there quickly comes this odd, neck-breaking shift in the palette, introducing elongated and bizarre guitar sounds and riffs. This strangeness continues throughout the release, bubbling beneath the surface of approaches that come off as more intelligible, only to contrast beautifully with the more flamboyant riffs that churn beneath the surface. Throw in a distorted theme that bounces between the cold beauty of deep space and the feverish power of mythology and you’re set for one hell of a ride.
Then, just as soon as it washed over you, Haragma II just ends. The album is not terribly short at around thirty-five minutes but it feels shorter, every part of it super charged with Exterior Palnet’s energy, even the quieter parts. The album veritably jumps from the player at your throat and retreats with an equal agility, leaving you flatfooted and aghast. Which, of course, sparks in you a desire to return, nothing hitting quite as weird as this. But first, take the initial plunge - check out Haragma II, even if you’ve given up on avantgarde black metal. It will reintroduce you to how the sub-genre should sound and what it should do. Unknown stranger, we salute you!
-Eden Kupermintz
Sutekh Hexen - Primeval
I was so excited for Primeval that I had it marked in my calendar weeks in advance, eagerly counting down the days until Oakland, CA’s own noise/black metal sonic alchemists would unleash their latest nightmare. This strain of unmitigated anticipation can be dangerous, setting sky-high expectations that can easily be crushed. Fortunately, Sutekh Hexen delivered a grim masterpiece.
Primeval takes the signature sound of Sutekh Hexen to chilling new heights, infusing their noisy minimalism with orchestral grandeur. Stark ambient soundscapes are haunted by classical melodies, while harsh snarls echo across the bleak expanse. The entire album is laden with an uneasy peace between cavernous black metal, harsh electronics, and acoustic instrumentation, building critical tension that strains the boundaries between song and soundscape. As Primeval reaches its peak on “Orædjinn,” the haunted droning of an organ bleeds into the harsh crunching of noise and textural electronics, devolving into minimalist ambiance. Like an abandoned cathedral, Primeval echoes with faded grandeur somehow rendered more beautiful by the layers of grime.
Sutekh Hexen seemingly take joy in distorting the structures of black metal into abstract sound art, blending noise and ambient elements into stripped-down songs rendered caustic by stark minimalism. With Primeval, the band experiments with the maximalist stylings of classical music to unveil a grim new vision.
- Bridget Hughes