I awoke to frost today. A film of frozen condensation covering the ground, my car, the dying leaves clinging to their last drops of life. It was a cold morning. A dark morning. A black metal morning.
*raises invisible orange to the sky and howls*
Black metal’s true season of domination is upon us, and we couldn’t be happier to bring you some sick tunes to welcome the darkness. Have a listen, feast on the misery, and as is tradition…
Stay frosty.
-Jonathan Adams
Winter’s Crown
Der Weg einer Freiheit - Innern
I love when a band just gets better and better with each new release. It makes waiting for their next record all the more fun because you KNOW it’s gonna slap. But it’s also further affirmation that growth exists, progress is real, and that dedication to craft can truly pay off in a big way. German post-black miracle Der Weg einer Freiheit is one of those bands whose output seems to only exponentially improve in quality, ambition, and execution with each new album, so it goes without saying that their sixth full-length effort, Innern, is their best record yet.
There genuinely isn’t a track on this record that falls below the standard of very, very good, with a couple cuts reaching truly exceptional territory. The album’s opening trilogy of “Mater,” “Xibalba,” and “Eos” is one of the most genuinely incredible sequences of music I’ve heard this year and it’s not close. Known for incredible album openings already, Innern elevates and expands that reputation with rapturous effectiveness, each track building on the next into a crescendo that is absolutely stunning. The back half of the album is just as potent, albeit more subdued. Blending their particularly emotive approach with a much heavier focus on post-metal elements, it shows the band jumping into more sonically adventurous, culminating in a truly remarkable second half that matches the excellence of the first but in an entirely different way.
I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to this record, but I can guarantee you that there will be many more. Innern is a powerful, explosive, nuanced, incredible record that feels like the true culmination of everything excellent the band has produced to this point without ever feeling redundant or stale. Der Weg einer Freiheit is a truly special entity in the post-black metal scene and certainly will continue to be for as long as they decide to stick around. Their latest record is a genuine masterpiece of the genre, and it will stick with me for many months to come.
-JA
Best of the Rest
Esoctrilihum - Ghostigmatah - Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp Abxulöm
Writing about a new Esoctrilihum release is always an absolute treat. It’s hard to know where to begin with this one-man black metal monstrosity. Over the past decade, project mastermind Asthâghul has released a staggering 12 full-length records, along with a half-dozen more EPs and collaborative pieces. The body of work is staggering given the relatively short amount of years Esoctrilihum has existed, but the more impressive component here is the general quality of each release. While every record in the project’s discography isn’t a full-fledged home run, I would argue that there isn’t a bad record in the bunch. Ghostigmatah - Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp Abxulöm continues the project’s tradition of excellence, and is in my estimation one of Asthâghul’s finest incarnations to date.
In a few ways, Ghostigmatah feels like an oppositional (yet weirdly complementary) piece to my favorite of Esoctrilihum’s releases: 2022’s Consecration of the Spiritüs Flesh. While the latter record represents the most visceral, violent, and torrentially bleak release in the discography, Ghostigmatah feels like the apex of Esoctrilihum’s capabilities in the majestic, ethereal, and strange. It is, to put it plainly, potentially the most beautiful of the project’s releases to date. Layering gorgeous and eerie synths over punishing but melodic tremolo streams (see “Kneeling Before the Keeper of the Golden Key to the Absolute Void” for one of the best examples of this dynamic on the record), there are moments of pure black metal bliss that transcend much of the project’s previous work. It’s moments like this that pop up throughout the record that set it apart from its predecessors in a way that feels more complete and satisfying.
There’s so much to unpack with Ghostigmatah that I honestly just recommend you dive straight in as soon as possible and ignore my caterwauling. This record contains truly fantastic cosmic black metal for those with patient and adventurous ears, rewarding repeat listens with plenty of small songwriting details that will surprise and delight as you give the record effort. I can and do heartily recommend it. One of the more wild black metal adventures I’ve been on in 2025.
-JA
coffret de bijoux - wen jalè jalè gunala
I guess upon first listen many of you may wonder like really? This is a black metal record? To many a kvltist, this choice may seem controversial or just plain ridiculous. Personally, I couldn't care less, because this record is every bit as black metal as the albums that are considered “Kvlt” classics. Though I wouldn't blame you for being hesitant about what exactly this record is, or for having to endure the mental gymnastics required to categorize the genres and styles found in wen jalè jalè gunala. Fronted by Alice Simard, Coffret de Bijoux—French for "jewelry box"—can be described as Quebec City's very own hidden gem. Of course, this is if you love your gems with a concentrated dark tone, polished to a mirror sheen, and with a toxic vial that releases if you manage to crack it open.
If you're a fan of the Bandcamp DIY black metal scene associated with bands like Sadness, Abriction, or Trhä, you will find plenty to adore in this brand-new record by the Quebec queen of death.The sound of this album is extremely compressed, with everything blending together into a sonic emulsion. The frantic tremolo-picked guitars, roaring blast beats, glistening synthesizers, and tortured vocal fry merge into a single, overwhelming wall of sound. Depending on your perspective, wen jalè jalè gunala could be either the softest, barely listenable album you've heard all day, or the loudest thing you've ever experienced.
Listening to this record with headphones on a train at a moderate volume is an experience that will leave you disoriented when you take them off. The dynamic shifts are so extreme that they'll make you feel completely detached from your surroundings. Conversely, the record also feels like you're stuck in the eye of a raging snowstorm, where all of your senses are blinded and dampened, listening to a black metal band play inside a distant cabin.
-Mishael