Bertrand Marchal When I don't listen to introvert music, among all doom-affiliated albums, some other soundscapes get to me. Not too complicated to describe their nature: must be down to mid-tempo, bear a sense of tragic, hold a lurking melancholy and resonate with pent-up, eerie emotions. If not a doom band, Sermon has all this that explains why it speaks to me.

Mbourgon Proggy epic-ish metal, without being over the top but being totally inspired. Lots of almost anthemic vocals, while still having the compexity prog-heads crave. Favorite track: Departure.

barsknos I like Tool, I like extreme metal drumming and I like a good British accent, so what's not to love? There's a lot more substantive and intelligent things to say about this album, but it's 3am and I'm not in the mood, so I'll leave it at: It's my Album of the Year for 2023.

𝙑𝙖𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 Such phenomenal black majesty, this release has placed TDS atop my pantheon of black metal to stand alongside DsO and Abigor. This album is so fantastically written and executed, their devotion palbable. I just can't believe how good this is, absolutely blew me away. Will be listening to this for years and years.

Dmitry Nevozhay All that hype around this album is fair. AOTY-level masterpiece of occult Hellenic black. Highlights are varied vocal styles, clever songwriting and Hannes Grossmann's drumming.

Santi May the darkest muses accompany on this existential plane for continue developing your genuine creative vein… Light to darkness, darkness to light… My reverence as a sign of deep admiration for Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya because your opvs well-heard elevates the mind to a higher plane of consciousness, vibrational blackness art for fallen souls of grace ov God, your songs your notes are my freedom, Gratitude from the pantheon of my heart Favorite track: Veneration for the Fireborn King.

Luciferian Abyss I have been waiting so long for something like this from blasphemer. incredible album 🙌

pinkytheent A fantastic, shadowy, and occult work of highly individual black metal absolutely brimming with energy and power. I loved the refreshing melodies which sometimes took unexpected turns, many of them feeling more airy than suffocating, which kept things really interesting while still infernal and heavy, like a semi-suffocating shroud of smoke enveloping you. This felt like an energetic dose of the true spirit of black metal rather than just the recycled sounds of black metal.

lefteris_kef Blasphemer's first solo album, a part of a trilogy, is possibly what could have followed after Wolf's Lair Abyss if he kept the same formula. A wicked album, full of great riffs, with great replay value for me.

F̲̜̲̂ṷ̖͒̔t̨͉̠͒u̼̟͑ͅr̷̫̝̍e̶̲͔̐ ̖͔͌͜E̯͕̕͝y̢̪̟͞ē̛̙͞s̡̰͛̄ Unhinged in the best way Favorite track: Strange Angles.

Urso X The album description says it all: “unrelenting, modernist, dissonant … black metal with the crushing brutality of angular death metal …immaculately produced”. In short, everything you’d want or expect from the follow-up to an album as breathtakingly singular as Behold the Silent Dwellers.

PS — I’ll never understand why AH isn’t as big as Ulcerate, as they tick a lot of the same ultra-high-quality black/death boxes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Favorite track: Strange Angles.

Darkly Origins This is dark, crushing and HEAVY. Do not pass this one up—elements of MD, Shining, Bolt Thrower and old Glorior Belli/Veneficum and subtle hues of Grand Belial’s Key/Gorgoroth (Procreating Satan) are evident. This is the fulcrum of their musical career—the mise en scene. Favorite track: Long Stretch the Shadows.

FuegoMyEggo super hyped for this, was starting to think they'd hung it up.

already uncomfortable, let's go

edit:

it's ugly, it's angry, it's essential.

worth the wait

Alonewolf I heard one of these tracks on Black Night Meditations (WSCA) who have also played my music. There's a lot of good stuff on that show but this is a really standout album to me.

I can hear so many old & new influences going on but you definitely have a signature sound & vibe.

The atmosphere is amazing. I love how you weren't afraid to mix things a little more distant sounding when it'd be tempting to make it more upfront, especially with the guitar & drums.

Good work! Favorite track: Cathedral of Bleeding Statues.

sane_kyle Alexander von Meilenwald continues to transport us to a vibrant, textured apocalypse. Leaning relentlessly into the stylistic shift brought about by The Thule Grimoires, Tempelschlaf condenses misanthropic nightmares into another black diadem in the patina-laden crown that is TROB's discography. Favorite track: Cathedral of Bleeding Statues.

Harold N’Hiver Sometimes when I listen to this album I could swear it’s a fucking Depeche Mode record.
By no means do I mean that as a criticism. (Depeche Mode is amazing.)

As said below, TRoB are really embracing the shift in their sound, and going with it 100%. They’re doing great things with it, too - this is a terrific album.