Weekly Spotlight, Week 06 / 2025

Pick your flavor of darkness and aggression from offerings by Selvans, Maceration, Confess, Lunar and Void of Hope. 

Selvans – Saturnalia

Genre: Avant-garde black/heavy metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 4/5

Country of origin: Italy

Welcome to the theatre of the damned. It will spook you, move you, amuse you and bewitch you, and you will likely not come out the other end with your soul still in your possession. This Italian one man project expands on a blend of black- and heavy metal with orchestration, a bit of prog rock, epic- and sometimes doom-laden melody, and plenty of folk-tinged drama. While this may sound too much, it feels like it's all part of the plan/play, perhaps allowing for just a bit of improvisation, which is handled beautifully. This is not at all a polished type of sound. It's alive with personality, a tad of jankiness, and a love for storytelling. It's guided by an exploratory vision that prioritizes panache, variation and an organic, "what feels right" approach to structure. In the end, it's one for the black metal crowd, but also something I will urge prog-, classic metal and even epic doom fans to give a serious shot. 

Highlights: "Il Mio Maleficio V'incalzerà!" and "Fonte dei Diavoli"

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Maceration – Serpent Devourment

Genre: Death metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Denmark

These Danes released their first album in 1992, and didn't follow it up until 30 years later, in 2022. Luckily, the gap was a tad shorter this time around, and the guys are still very much on form. This is old school Scandinavian death metal that leans into eldritch horror, producing a profoundly threatening, crunchy and brutal, but not particularly visceral or raw sound. It relies on tried and tested techniques and elements, delivering few surprises, but a highly consistent collection of solid, sinister death metal with about a 50/50 balance between groove and savagery. While there aren't really any huge highlights, there's nothing weak, and it doesn't let up.

Highlights: "A Corrosive Heart Fell Below" and "Serpent Devourment"

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Confess – Destination Addiction

Genre: Groove/death metal

Subjective rating: 3.5/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Iran

I feel like every single review of this album is going to feature the band's history, but until the novelty of it wears off I guess it's something these guys will just have to live with. The core members of Confess escaped their home country of Iran after being persecuted and severely punished by the government for the "blasphemous" and politically charged messages in their music, and are now living in Norway, unapologetically continuing to produce harsh, death-infused groove metal with elements of thrash and hardcore. I get a bit of Kataklysm and a tad Cavalera Conspiracy, with some pummeling death metal drum work courtesy of Nile's George Kollias. It's mean, stark and angry, with plenty of tasty riff sections to sink your teeth into. It's less good with variation and expanding on the core ideas of the songs, so it's not the most distinct stuff you'll come across. But absolutely worth your time. 

Highlight: "Expedition"

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Lunar – Tempora Mutantur

Genre: Progressive metal

Subjective rating: 3.5/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: USA

Did you like the latest Opeth album but wish it was markedly more unhinged? Then you might want to look into this one. The switches between clean and harsh vocals, and even the vocal style, are quite similar, as is the mildly gloomy melodic approach. But the mood changes are far more radical, and the tonal spectrum much wider. If you skip your way through, only listening to certain sections, you could be excused for mistaking it for a pure prog rock release. A different set of sections will give you vigorous progressive death metal. The balance between calm, stripped down melodic sections and all-out fury are decently done on an individual song level, but considering the full album experience it's more uneven. Some tracks are much easier to like than others, and some will be more subject to taste. There's a good amount of really great moments on here and there's plenty of talent involved, so anyone who likes their metal varied should not skip this one.  

Highlight: "Weakening Winter Touch"

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Void Of Hope – Proof Of Existence

Genre: Atmospheric black metal

Subjective rating: 3.5/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Finland

This album is a powerful surge of anguish, resounding through cold, shadowy Finnish forests. Heartbreaking, depressive melodies are delivered with force and definition - this isn't your typical understated, low-fi atmospheric approach, but it is an album that takes its time. Ironically, you understand what it's about thematically and tonally almost instantly, but the nuances of its mood and message must be discovered along the way. While I find myself both moved, fired up and impressed throughout, easily immersing myself in the epic misery, I won't deny that it drags on just a bit, almost as if it's trying to achieve a certain length to match its nature. If it speaks to you though, this won't be a concern.

Highlight: "Proof of Existence"