GravitasSINIZTER - AGONY, ETERNAL [OFFICIAL EP STREAM] (2025) SW EXCLUSIVE
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SINIZTER "AGONY, ETERNAL" OUT NOW!
SINIZTER "AGONY, ETERNAL" OUT NOW!
Angry Metal GuyRecord(s) o’ the Month – July 2025
By Angry Metal Guy
In this mad dash towards relevance and timeliness, it can be tough to come up with things to say that don’t feel a little cliché. But the reality is that this whole path has been leading here. I had hoped to have a really special surprise ready for this day, but alas, I have pulled a classic Attention Deficit Disorder Guy move, filling my schedule up with stuff that hits me right in the dopamine. I’ve got reviews to write, n00bs to torture, and I have a fancy new vacuum cleaner that both vacuums and mops, so my apartment is as clean as it has ever been. I watched that K-pop Demon Hunters movie, and listened to this incredible vocal cover of it from the singer of Twilight Force way too many times. I got a crash course in super cheesy Latin ballads since the 1980s. I wrote a long-ass post about Why Spotify Sucks n’ Shit and then fought with everyone in the comments for days. I am an unregulated, but surprisingly productive, bench.1 So, sans surprise, I am soldiering on to bring you the Record(s) o’ the Month for July 2025, as close as I’ve been to on time all year. Incidentally, the Record o’ the Month matches my messy bench energy pretty much perfectly.
I told you that Calva Louise’s most recent opus—entitled Edge of the Abyss [Bandcamp] and out July 11th, 2025, from Mascot Records—was going to be my most controversial Record o’ the Month since Our Oceans.2 I don’t think it should be, of course. I think it should be appreciated for the fascinating blend of genres that it represents, as well as the talent—and sheer drive—of a band that truly has dragged itself through the dregs of a dying music industry with an incredible DIY ethic to produce a kick ass record with a gorgeous and powerful blend of ideas. Edge of the Abyss is an act of becoming, a sketch, a step towards finally getting one’s vision down on paper, tape, or film. It’s adventurous, thoughtful, beautiful, and diverse—an invigorating assemblage of ideas ranging from groovecore to Viennese classical to música llanera, spanning the globe and decades for inspiration. It’s music that is truly progressive, if not overly technical. But setting that aside, Edge of the Abyss just works. The fragments have a cinematic feel that the band carries through to its visual profile, with strong songwriting and a cinematic universe that they have been trying to bring into being for four albums. As an overly excited Me Myself gushed to anyone who would listen: “Some records sound big, and some records feel big. Edge of the Abyss does both. It feels big because it has ideas, and it succeeds because it commits to those ideas with zero regard for genre gatekeeping or scene politics. It’s weird, catchy, and gleefully sophisticated, with every song bringing something unique to the table. Every idea and every arrangement counts. It’s a banger parade,” and it’s a promise that there’s so much more to come.
A special note: Calva Louise will be going on their first headlining tour of the US this September [find dates and tickets]. Go see them and tell them that Angry Metal Guy sent you.
Runner(s) Up:
Sarastus // Agony Eternal [July 1st, 2025 | Dominance of Darkness Records | Bandcamp] — One of the best things about being Angry Metal Guy is being able to ask people during arguments which of us has “the eponymous website that hundreds of thousands of people visit monthly.” A close second is discovering shit that no one has heard of and throwing it into the chat, all “Oh, Grier, you need to check out Sarastus! Great black metal without the label atmospheric anywhere near it!” Because I knew from the word go that Agony Eternal was something special and whatever It is, Sarastus has It in spades.3 There’s a specific vibe here that reminds me not just of the sound of late-90s/early-00s melodic black metal, but the feel—hungry, heavy, and addictive. Sarastus doesn’t lean away from attack, but neither do these Finns just blanket the world in blast beats; they find strength in diversity and slick songwriting. Agony Eternal is the kind of record that reminds you of why black metal was such a vital gateway to extreme metal once upon a time. Fast, heavy, extreme, and melodic, it evokes the exact feeling that I need from my black metal: Agony Eternal. And I wasn’t alone, an excited, nimble-fingered Kenfrenstrosity swiped Sarastus from both Myself and Grier, and then rode that hype machine over the cliff like a Once and Future King: “Agony Eternal is a nonstop party. With almost poppy energy, Sarastus captured with remarkable simplicity and undeniable effectiveness the passion and conviction that made black metal of this kind a sensation. But I hear more than just black metal purism. I hear a confident, exuberant soul rooted in rock n’ roll rebellion, forged in timeless techniques, and steeped in metallic traditions across the spectrum.” Sarastus, Life of the Party!
Impureza // Alcázares [July 11th, 2025 | Season of Mist | Bandcamp] — When it comes to inventive ways to make your death metal cooler, Impureza has one of my favorites. The blending of flamenco—one of the world’s coolest non-metal styles of music—and death metal is a hard row to hoe, but somehow these French death metallers have gotten the balance right. This wasn’t always the case, but Alcázares is the perfect refinement of what was already a pretty well-developed idea. What’s fun is that Impureza has started taking on an almost melodic death feel at times, reminiscent of Æeternam at their best.4 But there’s a brutality evocative of the era in death metal history when Black Seeds of Vengeance was considered to be the peak of death metal evolution. And at this point, I’m just fucking here for all of it. In My Frothy Excitement, I sandblasted the Internet with words: “Alcázares is Impureza at their most ambitious: historically immersed, sonically expansive, blasphemous, and super into alternative histories of colonialism.5 Alcázares is a violent, poetic invocation of Spain’s medieval imagination, and it sports an enchanting vibe that recalls some of the best records I own. Seven years of development resulted in a record full of tight riffs, beautiful guitar work, intense compositions, and somehow a Necromancer. I would say that I hope to see something from them soon, but I’m happy to wait another seven years for another record of this quality.” Enjoy ov Orphaned-Land-Sized Breaks between Albums. I’ll be ready for you to blow my mind again in 2032.
Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth [July 18th, 2025 | Cruz del Sur Music | Bandcamp] — Phantom Spell was a real surprise for me. Sometimes you go into a record knowing you like the band. But Phantom Spell, I wouldn’t have looked twice at it if I hadn’t just clicked play on the promo. And man, it’s risky having a 12-minute track as the opener for your album. But that’s the kind of risk that Kyle McNeill takes and, honestly, it paid off. I knew Heather & Hearth was going to be quality when I bobbed my head through the whole 11 minutes and 51 seconds of “The Autumn Citadel,” only to look up and realize it was 11 minutes and 51 seconds long. And that’s the trick with Heather & Hearth; it catches you off guard. Whether it’s the organ tones stolen directly from The Snow Goose, the guitar solos that taste like shag carpet, or the vocal harmonies that make Mikael Åkerfeldt jelly, everything works to perfection while sounding great. Rather than feeling like nostalgiacore, Phantom Spell feels authentic, powerful, and is a truly addictive listen. As I babbled as loudly as anyone would allow me: “This is a great record, and the only thing left for Heather & Hearth to prove is that it has staying power. From the opening ‘bew bew bews’ of the organs, to the *insert nature sounds here* that close the album out, Heather & Hearth is a triumphant exploration of songwriting from a different time. Phantom Spell makes me genuinely long for a time when it would have been impossible for Phantom Spell—a solo project—to exist. And that’s an amazing success.”
#2025 #AgonyEternal #Alcázares #BlogPost #CalvaLouise #EdgeOfTheAbyss #Gazpacho #HeatherHearth #Impureza #Jul25 #MascotRecords #MúsicaLlanera #PhantomSpell #Sarastus #TwilightForce
Sarastus – Agony Eternal Review
By Kenstrosity
If you follow the Finnish, or even the wider Scandinavian black metal scene, you might know about Finnish trio Sarastus. I would never have known about them, though, if it weren’t for AMG Hisselves telling Dr. A. N. Grier to listen to them and cover this. Of course, because I’m an opportunistic bastard with a ravenous appetite for shenanigans—and because Grier slept on the promo pool until he was sunburned to a smoking chunk of stinky charcoal—I swiped it right from under his nose. Sucks to suck, loser! Now I’m here, spinning Sarastus’ third opus, Agony Eternal, and reveling in the fact that I stole something that just happened to be worth stealing from not one, but two upper management. You’re welcome.
Undergoing some lineup changes between records before finalizing the current spread in 2023, Sarastus comes alive on Agony Eternal, bursting with vitality and verve. The sonic format at its core remains unchanged from what already exists in the black metal arsenal: blast beats, frigid tremolos, buzzing production, fierce rasps, and fiery melodies. Rarely, though, in the modern school at least, do these ingredients coalesce into a record as blistering and infectious as Agony Eternal. Reminiscent of Kvaen and Rimfrost in its infernal lustiness and musical effervescence, all of Agony Eternal’s nine tightly written tracks offer an array of sharp hooks, meaty riffs, and standout vocal performances that put Sarastus far ahead of the majority of their peers.
Agony Eternal serves as a prime example of a record that doesn’t need to do anything new to make a big splash. Even if opening duo “Gravelust” and “Agony Eternal” snatch my attention with a staggering immediacy—credit for this goes to a surprisingly black n’ roll riffset, dynamic songwriting, and a swaggering sense of confidence—it’s “Into Eternity” and “Where Cruelty Never Ends” that catch my adoring gaze. The melodies that lift me into the stratosphere in both songs create a euphoric state that never fully dissipates. Remarkably smooth transitions in rhythm and structure activate an animal instinct in my brain that ensures headbanging and windmilling at extreme intensities. In concert, these characteristics generate an immense momentum that bestows gravity and heft to the slower mid-paced stomp that pounds “No Horizon” deep into my skull. With all manner of screeches, riffs, leads, and patterns to guide my way forward, the remainder of Agony Eternal follows through on the promise that “Into Eternity” and its neighbors aren’t just a white-hot flash in the pan. Later highlights “Metamorphosis,” “Into the Lair,” and massive closer “1644” stand tall as fast and free explosions of joyous, blackened revelry that recalls Vimur in their vicious attack and vicarious spirit.
Dispensing with a compartmentalized evaluation of its constituent numbers, Agony Eternal still shines. Put another way, Agony Eternal is a nonstop party. With almost poppy energy, Sarastus captured with remarkable simplicity and undeniable effectiveness the passion and conviction that made black metal of this kind a sensation. But, when I listen to songs like “From Pride, to Shame, to Misery,” I can hear more than just black metal purism. I hear a confident, exuberant soul rooted in rock n’ roll rebellion, forged in timeless techniques, and steeped in metallic traditions across the spectrum. In this way, Sarastus honor the great many talents across history that allowed a record like Agony Eternal to exist. In that spirit, this feels like a loving tribute not just to black metal itself, but to the greater community of artists and audiences that laid the groundwork.
Even so, Agony Eternal is imperfect, but only slightly. There are one or two brief moments where the vocals break my immersion by breaking a bit themselves (see the very end of “Where Cruelty Never Ends”), though this disruptive effect dulls with repeat spins and a little patience. I also wish that, despite the wonderfully roomy and natural mix and master, the bass was beefier still and the vocals pulled back just a smidge. Additionally, opener “Gravelust” might be the only song that, mostly in retrospect, doesn’t meet the same lofty standard of its album mates. It’s got all the right attributes, but the execution feels lacking by comparison. As a final nitpick, after a dozen focused listens, I do think a few riffs here and there undergo one or three too many repetitions, especially when they are more than strong enough to stand out with fewer (“1644”). No matter. At the end of the night, Agony Eternal is a resounding success, and I wholeheartedly recommend any metal fan to give it your ear (and your soul)!
Rating: Great!
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Dominance of Darkness Records
Websites: sarastus.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/sarastusjaikuisuus
Releases Worldwide: July 1st, 2025
#2025 #40 #AgonyEternal #BlackMetal #DominanceOfDarknessRecords #FinnishMetal #Jul25 #Kvaen #MelodicBlackMetal #Review #Reviews #Rimfrost #Sarastus #Vimur
