Graufar – Via Necropolis Review By Grin Reaper

Without question, Friday is my favorite day of the week. Even more tantalizing than the conclusion to an often grueling gauntlet of meetings, feedback, and GSD,1 I’m blessed with metal’s new releases. Trying to listen to everything that comes out is a fool’s errand—luckily, I’m a fool. During one of my customary Friday excursions, fortune smiled upon me when I stumbled onto Graufar’s sophomore opus, Via Necropolis. As I listened, the album’s grooves, riffs, and passions bathed me in blackened deathly glory. My luck persisted through the morning—Graufar’s promo still lurked unclaimed in the bin. Yoink! Though I discovered Via Necropolis late, I was powerless to resist the call of a review, especially given the band’s unsigned/independent status. Thus saddled with an unplanned bit of writing and a pocketful of tunes, let us sojourn down Necropolis way.

Too many blackened death metal bands present a mixed bag of half-measures.2 To me, the peak allure of the subgenre promises the brutality and technicality of death metal united with black metal’s icy atmospherics and raw aesthetics. The quintessentially boilerplate BDM band brews a tepid concoction featuring a death metal base with black metal spices; fortunately, Graufar averts getting mired in pedestrian trappings. Honing a sound established on debut Scordalus, Via Necropolis flaunts chilly trems, grating rasps, and a coat of corpse paint that betrays their blackened heart, and it beats with the blood of Dissection, Necrophobic, and Rimfrost. Death metal’s influence is more subtle, skulking in chugging grooves and vicious growls that blend in seamlessly.

Via Necropolis by Graufar

Though Graufar’s performances across Via Necropolis merit praise, vocalist Gernot Graf deserves special recognition. His scathing vocals loose misery and malevolence that arouse a primal reflex, making my throat twinge at the thought of snarling along. Tracks like “Blizzard and Blaze” and “Foltertrog” exhibit Graf’s penchant for wringing out every ounce of emotion, from vitriol to agony. Black metal rasps aren’t his only trick, though. Graf roars with an insatiable fire on “Charon” and “Buried in Flames,” devolving into bestial throes within “Heralds of Doom” and “Via Necropolis” and ensuring that his versatile performance never lacks conviction or fervor. Graf also plays guitar alongside Michael Herber, and together they fashion a glittering heap of licks, leads, and grooves. And it’s the latter that stands out the most, because while death metal regularly brandishes them, black metal rarely deigns to approve the groove. Meanwhile, “Buried in Flames” and “On Your Knees” demonstrate Graufar’s shrewd understanding of songwriting, and bolstered by Thomas Buchmeier’s slinky bass and René Hinum’s precision drumming, Via Necropolis positively thrums.

Throughout Via Necropolis, Graufar dazzles with their ability to conjure dynamic arrangements informed by influences. Kicking off with a Dissection-coded intro on “Blizzard and Blaze,” Graufar mingles with mellow cleans, slithers through second-wave savagery reminiscent of Mayhem,3 and even dabbles in throat-singing before ending back on the cleans. “Heralds of Doom” features a fiery solo that cedes to a pit-ready sway, “Via Necropolis” starts with a sleek Necrophobic-meets-Watain riff that builds to a doomy chorus played over rabid trems, and “On Your Knees” bashes you in the face with a potent Sepultura groove.4 Despite Graufar’s administration of reference points galore, they never linger overlong on any one. The songwriting is deceptively understated, and although this works in Graufar’s favor as a whole, over repeated listens I find my engagement more attuned to Via Necropolis’s back half. Reordering the tracks (“Buried in Flames” would make a fantastic opener) and slightly trimming the longer ones would add an immediacy that brings some of the back-end boom up front.

All told, Graufar delivers a vibrant outing that boasts a refreshing take on blackened death teeming with wonderfully wicked ideas. Via Necropolis sizzles throughout its forty-two minutes and distinguishes the band as an act to watch. Considering both Graufar’s albums have been released independently, the band displays remarkable song craft and self-editing, and Via Necropolis gleams with talented musicians who forge well-crafted metal bangers. Better late than never, I’m glad this gem didn’t slip by.

Rating: Very Good!
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 20th, 2026

#2026 #35 #AustrianMetal #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Dissection #Graufar #Mar26 #Mayhem #Necrophobic #Review #Reviews #Rimfrost #SelfReleased #SelfReleases #Sepultura #ViaNecropolis #Watain

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Tarlung – Axis Mundi Review By Tyme

Vienna, Austria’s Tarlung has been coughing up thick clouds of resinous doom and smoky sludge since 2013, when, after just six months in existence and having never performed live, they released their eponymous debut album. Now, with two additional full-lengths—2017’s Beyond the Black Pyramid and 2021’s Architect—and some healthy touring under their belts, Tarlung braces to bring their fourth album in nearly five years, Axis Mundi, to the masses. With a catalog predicated on fair to middling sludgy doom, I was curious to hear if Axis Mundi would be the product of a Tarlung doing more of the same, or if the album would represent a defining ‘center’ in the discography and, per its namesake, link the Tarlung of old to the Tarlung that’s progressing into the future.

Tarlung remains devoted to the almighty riff, but with a sound that has become increasingly less fuzzy over the years. Guitarists Rotten and Phillip Seiler deliver massive doses of ear-drum damage via swampy, thick riffs bristling with taut, chuggy muscle (“State Noise,” “Between the Earth and Moon”) and bluesy swagger (“Swans”), which serve as the bong water for most of these melodies to bubble up through. Seiler’s chesty, Akerfeldtian roars are ever-present, which, along with Marian Weibl’s beastly drum beatings, provide the excess sonic weight Tarlung has become increasingly known for. Purveyors of Crowbar, High on Fire, and Dopethrone will find warm pockets of familiarity here. Yet, Axis Mundi indeed signals a progression as Tarlung evolves its sound, introducing elements of refined psychedelia and vocal variation.

Axis Mundi by TarLung

Axis Mundi takes marked steps to set itself apart from the rest of Tarlung’s catalog. With an airy, soft-strummed melody and some subdued, clean vocals to start, “Burning Out” evokes a feeling akin to lying alone in a country field, exhaling smoky clouds of organic green and staring at kaleidoscopic prisms of light as they filter through dew drops on sun-dappled daffodils. Even after the track picks up a little steam with a chugging riff that seems to build more speed than it does, and Seiler’s growls return, the warm feeling doesn’t dissipate. Follow-up “Sea of Drowned Souls” continues down an experimental path, as its mournful melodies merge with clean vocals from Thérèse Lanz and Casey Rogers of Mares of Thrace in pensive passages that keep giving me Alice in Chains vibes. Particularly effective here, too, is the vocal interplay between Seiler and Lantz as each takes brutal swipes at the mic; Lantz’s visceral, blackened screams serving as a satisfying counterpoint to Seiler’s guttural grumblings. These two tracks really stood out to me and make up the core of my overall Axis Mundi experience.


Axis Mundi
represents Tarlung operating at its most mature. Beautifully simplistic and wildly effective songwriting that, with repeated spins, did nothing but chip away at my critiques. What first seemed like a lagging back half continued to sink its claws into my brain. Before long, I was looking forward to the laid-back melodies of “Full Circle,” where Seiler channels his inner Matt Pike (High on Fire) to significant effect, and anticipating the very Crowbaric pounding of album closer “Axis Mundi.” Running just thirty-eight minutes, it became easier and easier to hit that replay button every time. There are moments when the melodies seem to trip over themselves, like on the bluesy main riff of “Swans,” which gets a bit muddy at times, but not so much that it took me out of the experience.

Fans of Tarlung are in for a special surprise, and if you’re just now getting to the party, Axis Mundi is an excellent place to get started. I hadn’t spent any time at all with this power trio before writing this review, and I can wholeheartedly say Tarlung has won me over. After a more than cursory dive into the bands previous efforts I can say without a doubt, Axis Mundi is the best Tarlung album to date. A slow-paced ride that delivers riffs for days and melodies that settle in, wrapping you in blankets of crushing warmth for one helluva satisfying experience.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Argonauta Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 30th, 2026

#2026 #35 #ArgonautaRecords #AustrianMetal #AxisMundi #Crowbar #DoomMetal #Dopethrone #HighOnFire #Jan26 #Review #SludgeMetal #StonerDoom #Tarlung
Wildhunt – Aletheia Review By Andy-War-Hall

The calendar turns, and what better way to celebrate the coming year than an album that sounds straight out of the late 80s? Austria’s Wildhunt have been slinging out classic thrash/heavy metal since 2011, but have until this year produced only one record: 2016’s Descending. Ten years is a long time to cook up a sophomore record, and Wildhunt via Jawbreaker Records boasts of “a mix of detail-loving, energetic metal and epic song structures” for album number two, Aletheia. Cited as being for fans of Metallica, Heathen, King Diamond and Megadeth, Wildhunt runs the risks of any band explicitly evoking the distant past: coming off as geriatric nostalgia-bait. Is this Wildhunt’s fate, or can they rise above and make Aletheia a blast from the present-past?

Wildhunt may play the kind of stuff Ronald Reagan could’ve heard, but Altheia doesn’t sound like the kind of record Reagan could’ve played either. Recalling at once the prog-thrash of Heathen on “Made Man” and “The Holy Pale” and the 70s hard rockin’ of Rainbow on “Touching the Ground” and “Aletheia,” Wildhunt play an inherently backward-looking style that still sounds fresh out of the garage. The guitar duo of Wolfgang Elwitschger and Julian Malkmus draw heavily from the schools of Hetfield and Blackmore, dropping muscular palm-muted riffs and nimbly melodic leads and solos, while bassist Robbie Nöbauer regularly works in lines that play with the six-string like Cliff Burton licks (“Kanashibari”). Rhythmically, drummer Lukas Lobnig lays down driving patterns that propel Wildhunt through all of the wild turns that Aletheia has, most notably on the gargantuan prog numbers of “Made Man” and “Sole Voyage.” Top it off with Elwitschger’s booming baritone—warm, silky and vintage as Aletheia’s dynamic mixing and mastering—and you get an album expertly performed and deeply indebted to the sounds of yesteryear.

Aletheia by Wildhunt

Though Wildhunt won’t surprise you with novelty, Aletheia might catch you off-guard with its adventurous, progressive songwriting. Wildhunt forgo simple catchiness and repetitive loops on Aletheia in favor of untypical, tension-building intervals and progressions. Songs spiral out into bridge-filled bonanzas of killer riffs and solos, getting into Megadeth speeds on “The Holy Pale,” majestic prog-power hooks on “Sole Voyage” á la Tanagra and, in the album’s most unexpected turn, a diversion into smooth salsa also on “Sole Voyage.” Furthering Wildhunt’s eccentricity, Aletheia deal in dark, thoughtful, and fantastical lyricism. When Elwitchger opines on “Aletheia” that “hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue,” I perk up immediately, every time. If you’re looking for familiarity and easy listening, Aletheia is for you; if you’re looking for something expansive and daring, Aletheia is also for you.

But with how many twists and turns Wildhunt throw at the listener, Aletheia can feel surprising blunted at times. Aletheia is dramatic, and its songs go a lot of directions, but they rarely build to the big, explosive moments to accent their highs and lows. For example, though Elwitchger’s voice is plenty good, it sounds like he sticks too closely to his most comfortable range and, though he never comes off as strained as a result, it feels like he’s not quite giving it all. “Made Man” and “In Frozen Dreams” exemplify this issue, as even though each segment of them is interesting, they don’t really build up to much, and as such feel a little meandering. Similarly, the two instrumentals “Touching the Ground” and “Kanashibari” sit in a weird middle ground of being too involved to pass off as interludes but not quite substantial enough to work as stand-alone songs. Aletheia isn’t devoid of memorable moments—”The Holy Pale” and “Aletheia” have killer choruses and “Sole Voyage” is a blast front to back1—but with how much creativity Wildhunt possess it should be more electrifying than it is.

Aletheia isn’t the face of metal to come in 2026,2 but it’s a fun and energetic morsel of heavy metal regardless, and what more does anything need to be? If the previous paragraph came off as overly harsh, it’s only because the skill and creativity Wildhunt exudes make it easy to imagine how great Aletheia could be if things were taken up one more notch. If any of the bands mentioned above are your cup(s) of tea, Altheia will more than likely agree to your sensibilities. It’s adventurous, well-played, lots of fun, and occasionally great. Kicking off 2026 with Wildhunt’s Altheia is no bad idea at all.

Rating: Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Jawbreaker Records
Websites: wildhunt.at | jawbreakerrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/wildhuntaustria
Releases Worldwide: January 2nd, 2026

#2026 #30 #Altheia #AustrianMetal #Heathen #HeavyMetal #Jan26 #JawbreakerRecords #KingDiamond #Megadeth #Metallica #ProgMetal #Rainbow #Review #Reviews #Tanagra #ThrashMetal #Wildhunt
Ellende – Zerfall Review By Grin Reaper

Hurtling into the new year with his heart on his sleeve (and bones on his shirt), Ellende’s one-man maestro L.G. bids to set a high bar for 2026. Zerfall, the band’s first new material since 2022,1 continues where Ellenbogengesellschaft left off, further polishing the allure of classically infused black metal. Conjuring comparisons to compatriots Harakiri for the Sky and Weltenbrandt,2 Austria’s Ellende lives somewhere between post and depressive black metal, unapologetically tackling poignant themes with passionate performances and crisp clarity. Translating to ‘decay,’ Zerfall examines the agony of a life fractured by loss and the painstaking endeavor to reclaim inner peace afterwards. Does Ellende’s latest prevail in capturing the haunting sting of tragedy and the catharsis of acceptance, or does it Zerfall short?

The aural evolution from Ellenbogengesellschaft to Zerfall flows like a frosty stream, with stirring strings and restrained piano evoking a sophisticated grace alongside Ellende’s more traditional blackened wrath. In many ways, the mettle that pushed Ellenbogengesellschaft to new heights shines even brighter here, packing more texture and ideas into Zerfall’s composition. In particular, the dedication to vocal variety begets a more nuanced performance and adds enticing wrinkles to an already dense soundscape. Choirs, whispers, and rasps swirl together in an eddy of sonic splendor, and as I revisit past Ellende albums, this dimension more than any other stands as a testament to how L.G. continues to find ways to refine and enrich his project’s musical identity.

Zerfall by Ellende

Performances across Zerfall dazzle, with the overarching imperative to buoy emotional impact before all else. While there’s little here to sate those who obsess over technical wizardry, I’ve rarely been so in tune with the spirit of music without understanding any of the words.3 Ellende’s central narrative on Zerfall follows a rollercoaster of emotional states, ranging from intense passion (“Wahrheit Teil I,” Wahrheit Teil II”) to sullen contemplation (“Übertritt”) and adventurous perspective-seeking (“Reise”). The music bolsters these themes, as resonant bass plucks support moments of introspection while anger and pain manifest in blackened wails (“Ode ans Licht”). Ellende’s fusion of feeling into melody sparkles with vitality, where even the two bonus tracks preserve (if not outright enhance) Zerfall’s tender luster. Throughout, dreamily sustained chords entwine with buzzing tremolos, drenching the album with atmosphere, while soulful guitar leads emerge with megadoses of seasoning to ensure proceedings are never bland (“Wahrheit Teil I,” “Zerfall”). Instrumentally, Zerfall presents a lush experience that rewards multiple listens to unravel and appreciate its complex flavors.

Besides Ellende’s lyrical and musical cohesion, Zerfall offers an organic production and boasts a track list that wards off weak songs as well as standout moments. The bright production and mix allow the intricate web of instrumentation to breathe, from the sharp percussive click of a pick on acoustic guitar to the slight warble of a bow’s stroke across a violin. No track is dispensable, either—opener “Nur” is closest, yet it effectively establishes Zerfall’s mood at the outset. What’s most telling as I examine my time with Zerfall is the consistency with which I’ve listened to it, both actively and passively. Every track has the same number of plays, and when I reflect on why, it’s clear that while no track should be skipped, no individual moment galvanizes me to spin it again outside of its surrounding context. For an album so steeped in impassioned expressionism, Zerfall never quite attains the zenith of drama needed to fully achieve a euphoric climax of mounting tension and emotion, and this missing ingredient holds it back from greatness.

In his review of Ellenbogengesellschaft, Doomy observed that each release hones Ellende’s songwriting. Zerfall is no exception, taking what worked on prior albums to cultivate a more mature iteration. What began as L.G.’s outlet for introverted misanthropy has developed into a layered project that wields pathos like a knife, cutting to your emotional core with a deft flick of the wrist. Musically, I remember 2025 getting off to a slow start, and Ellende excites me for what 2026 has in store. Even if the coming year doesn’t live up to expectations, Zerfall establishes a surefire safety net of quality and feels.

Rating: Very Good!!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: AOP Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 2nd, 2026

#2026 #35 #AOPRecords #AustrianMetal #BlackMetal #ClassicalBlackMetal #Ellende #HarakiriForTheSky #Jan26 #PostBlack #PostBlackMetal #Review #Reviews #Weltenbrandt #Zerfall

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Deceitful Sorcery - Of Kings And Landscapes

"'Of Kings and Landscapes' is a dark, epic tale of a war-born king destined to conquer."

https://getmusic.fm/l/EXgB1N

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Pillars of Cacophony – Paralipomena [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Owlswald

Amidst the routine of our daily lives, it’s easy to overlook the hidden, complex universe that exists just outside our normal gaze. It only takes a bit of magnification to reveal it: a place where cells shift and collide, forming the invisible architecture of existence. Capturing the awe of this biological machinery is a tall order. Yet, Dominik, multi-instrumentalist and mastermind of Pillars of Cacophony, has created a soundscape with second LP, Paralipomena, that does exactly that, exploring the building blocks of life through sound. Though tackling the topic of bioscience through the lens of disso and technical death metal may be a volatile experiment, this Austrian knows exactly how to harness the power of biology to bridge the divide. You see, Dominik is a bioscientist by trade, literally mining his own PhD thesis to drive the chaos that is Pillars of Cacophony. This academic authenticity is what sets Paralipomena apart, resulting in a rare fusion of intellect and brutality that you simply can’t afford to miss.

The genome of Paralipomena is an unstable body of technical and dissonant death metal, forged in the chaotic intersection of Ulcerate and The Faceless. The album’s kinetic energy flows freely across synapses, connecting a skin of hooky riffs, tremolo surges, and punishing down-picking. Intelligent songwriting and flash-fire percussion surgically underpin this to create an unsettling cacophony of sonic friction. While tracks like “The Cradle,” “The Discord,” and “Retina” demonstrate Pillars of Cacophony’s hyper-speed technicality, cuts like “Cachexia,” “Mitosis,” and the Meshuggahian “Landscapes of Permanence” twist the formula, venturing into unpredictability with jazzy permutations and calm, contemplative sections (“Maps of Disintegration”). This is the soundtrack to inter-cellular warfare—a torrent of fast-twitch riffing and searing discordance, punctuated by pressurized blast beats, static-laced roars, and the acidic twang of bass, transporting one into a world seen only through a high-powered scope.

Paralipomena is rife with entropy, yet its multi-layered cytoskeleton maintains homeostasis. Pillars of Cacophony’s layered guitars clash and coordinate simultaneously—one flooding the airwaves with raw, unsettling dissonance, while the other focuses on calculated technicality and micro-precision picking. “Of Plagues and Fibrils” immediately delivers Paralipomena’s chemistry of chaos and precise equilibrium in its moving, shifting main palm-muted riff, infecting the listener’s brain like a disease with its immediate, powerful hooks. The drums’ complex cymbal flares and tom rolls only enhance the track’s memorability, providing badass atmosphere and tasteful technicality in equal measure. Pillars of Cacophony showcases this same momentum again in “Retina,” which pushes a Necrophagist-like tempo—particularly during its groovy double-bass sections and unidirectional picking—and “The Cradle,” where the rhythm section anchors the frenetic guitar work and furious tremolodic leads.

Ever since it dropped earlier this year, Paralipomena continues to grip me. It succeeds by concentrating sonic violence to create the ultimate soundtrack to a hidden world—one that feels as technically layered as it is immediately catchy. Pillars of Cacophony has forged an album that pairs an extreme and dystopian soundscape with the surgical authority of empirical sciences, carving a bespoke path outside the predictable confines of death metal. If you’re a fan of disso or tech-death and somehow missed Paralipomena, consider this your diagnosis and remedy that malady immediately.

Tracks to Check Out: “Of Plagues and Fibrils,” “The Cradle,” “Retina,” “The Discord.”

#2025 #AustrianMetal #DeathMetal #Meshuggah #Necrophagist #Paralipomena #PillarsOfCacophony #TechnicalDeathMetal #TeratogenRecords #TheFaceless #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TYMHM #Ulcerate

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Bergfried – Romantik III Review

By Grin Reaper

After dropping debut EP Romantik I in 2022 and follow-up Romantic II in 2023,1 Austrian-Hungarian duo Bergfried rides in on a wave of 80s nostalgia to deliver debut full-length Romantik III. The conclusion of a trilogy, main character Anna (voiced by Anna de Savoy2) tirelessly roams hell in pursuit of her lost lover. During the search, Anna clashes with God and Devil3 in her quest for love reunited. Bergfried and the Romantik series are the creations of Erech von Lothringen, guitarist on Romantik III and mastermind of Narzissus and Ancient Mastery, among others. While his other projects lean toward black metal, Bergfried forges something entirely different—a rock opera. Does Bergfried’s take on the style breathe new life into a tale as old as time, or would it have been kinder to leave it in the past?

If The Dark Crystal and Star Wars-inspired album art doesn’t clue you in, 80s vibes radiate throughout Romantik III, but not in the way I initially expected. Advance single “Queen of the Dead” sizzles with its Smouldering good hooks. Upon hearing it the first time, the promise of polished steel, bulging breastplates, and synth-laden heavy metal really rattled my saber. Listening through the entire album, however, reveals an altogether different beast. Lead track “Dark Wings” takes off with a riff that could easily nestle into The Cult’s Love, and it doesn’t take long to realize that Romantik III doesn’t follow the boot-trodden, retro heavy metal path of Eternal Champion or Blood Star. Instead, Bergfried’s platter favors an intersection of Meatloaf (“Dark Wings”) and Pat Benatar (“Fallen from Grace”).

Romantik III’s success hinges on Anna de Savoy’s performance, and she mostly triumphs alongside von Lothringen and various guests.4 Never satisfied to linger on one sound for too long, Bergfried bears a handful of ballads (“For the Cursed,” “Star-Crossed Love”), 80s pop rock anthems (“Dark Wings,” “Tears of a Thousand Years”), and a touch of pop punk à la Blink-182 (“Serenades,” after the unadorned piano-ballad intro). Throughout the album, Anna de Savoy brandishes her voice to carry the story forward, harnessing an earnest, commanding presence. Unfortunately, her voice falters on a few occasions (the pre-chorus of “Tears of a Thousand Years,” for example), undermining an otherwise tremendous display of heartfelt conviction. The music supports her effectively, with rollicking guitar, synth, and bass undergirding the tale Anna spins without ever pulling attention away from her for too long. The guitar solos warrant praise as well,5 expanding Romantik III’s sonic range with snappy licks and quicker paces to keep things moving.

An organic mix and slick diversity pervade Romantik III’s nine tracks, preventing Bergfried from getting too mired in morose exposition. That said, some of the slower moments undercut the momentum built by preceding ones. In particular, the transition from “Gates of Fate” to “Serenades” dampens impact. The former is a rousing track that yields to a minute-long piano and vocal passage. “Serenades” eventually picks up, but by then the energy has stalled and requires a jump-start. The same issue recurs between “Tears of a Thousand Years” and “Star-Crossed Love.” Ballads can offer moments to expound on important story elements without distraction, and can also be an effective mechanism to control pace. What works against Bergfried in Romantik III, though, is that the best moments are the upbeat ones. Still, the individual track lengths are concise, and an easy-to-digest, forty-four-minute runtime makes replays easy. The mix and master are also perfectly suited to the 80s atmosphere, with bouncy bass and natural drums recalling production predating loudness wars and digitally-enhanced perfection.

Bergfried’s Romantik III does something many bands struggle with by creating a unique vision and sound that leans heavily on influences without aping them. With further refinement, their next project could be something fabulous, but for the time being Bergfried has bestowed listeners with an intriguing and offbeat album. I enjoyed my time with it, yet I’m not sure I’ll return to the Romatik series often. Given the talent and care that went into crafting it, though, I’ll be acutely attuned to whatever adventure these romantiks embark on next.

Rating: Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: High Roller Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 24th, 2025

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