Laurens
Angry Metal GuyMorbikon â Lost Within the Astral Crypts
By Owlswald
When heâs not dealing in the Slime and Punishment of Municipal Waste or pissing off the neighbors with Iron Reagan, axe-wielder Phil âLandphilâ Hall channels his focus into Morbikon. Formed in 2020, Hallâs black metal side-project earned recognition from AMG Industries when Ferox highlighted the supergroupâs debut, Ov Mournful Twilight, as his surprise record of 2022. Rooted in all things kvlt and trve, the albumâs second wave frostbitten anthems plunged into the remnants of burned churches and stale corpse paint, resulting in âeight meloblack rippers calibrated to bring winter to your soul and whiplash to your neck.â Now, Morbikonâs sophomore LP finds Hall honing his homage to the black arts, promising to descend his creation into a deeper, more sepulchral state. Ignite your torch and prepare the Necronomiconâitâs time to get Lost Within the Astral Crypts.
Lost Within the Astral Crypts forges the scorched spirit of Ov Mournful Twilight into a leaner, more technical and overwhelmingly black entity. Drawing on the lineupâs pedigree, Morbikonâs collective talent coalesces into an authoritative, and at times downright impressive, synthesis of 90s-influenced blackened thrash. Vocalist Mathias âVrethâ LillmĂ„ns (Finntroll, âŠAnd Oceans) returns with his characteristic throat-ripping vocals, as furious down-picked riffs and swarming, lightning-quick tremolodic scales consistently anchor the material firmly in the black. Complementing Hallâs stylish fretwork, drummer Pierce Williams (Ănigmatum, ex-Skeletal Remains)âwho replaces Dave Witteâadds raw, destructive rhythms with tight rolls and syncopations that are both refreshing and sophisticated. Tracks like âUnending Legions of Baal,â âMasters of Eternal Nightâ and âFlames that Bind and Shadows Castâ evoke a full-on black metal assault reminiscent of Satyricon or Emperor, complete with pounding double bass and subtle synths, while âGhoul Infested Mausoleumâ and âHeavens that Burn and Eons Dividedâ push the envelope with airy Wintersun melodicism peppered with thrash savagery.
The necrotic might of Lost Within the Astral Crypts rests in Morbikonâs technical excellence, elevating the albumâs eight tracks beyond the seminal Scandinavian sound. Worshipping at the altar of the almighty riff, Hall and company immediately demonstrate their capabilities on âHeavens that Burn and Eons Dividedââan energetic, fun and melodic banger driven by a potent layered tremolo attack, fantasy-toned leads and Williamsâ tomb-raiding blasts that promptly underscore Morbikonâs technical ambition. âGhoul Infested Mausoleumâ features the recordâs best tremolo riff: a spectral high/low scale progression imbued with nocturnal gravity, bolstered by Williamsâ accented beats and LillmĂ„nsâ gnarly shrieks. Shreddy, virtuosic solos on the title track, âFlames that Bind and Shadows Castâ and âNumeric Portal Ascendencyâ push Lost Within the Astral Crypts past the point of a stereotypical tremolo-fest, while strategic thrash and death explorations (such as the opening passage of âFlames that Bind and Shadows Castâ) help maintain listener interest before regrounding the albumâs dark, aggressive roots.
Given Morbikonâs stellar execution and the albumâs efficient 43-minute runtimeâwith little bloat to be foundâany criticism must instead focus on Lost Within the Astral Cryptsâ songwriting. âMasters of Eternal Nightâ is a serviceable track, but often clings too tightly to classic Scandinavian conventions (even adopting a familiar Mayhem-like conclusion), rendering it less engaging than the albumâs superior cuts. âSworn to the Beheaded Kingâ briefly adopts a more aggressive, in-your-face death metal spirit at its midpoint, including a tasteful guitar solo. Yet, these highlights canât mask the trackâs conventionality as it quickly retreats to familiar black metal terrain. Although the monolithic presence of Lost Within the Astral Crypts occasionally falters in favor of genre conventions, stagnant sections (âGhoul Infested Mausoleum,â âFlames that Bind and Shadows Castâ) and even some superfluous wankery (âLost Within the Astral Cryptsâ), the underlying songwriting remains solid, with engaging riffs and hooks that are strong enough to largely sustain the albumâs momentum.
Lost Within the Astral Crypts is a worthy reinvention of a well-trodden sound. While the album is certainly not groundbreakingânor is it trying to beâit demonstrates top-notch musical dexterity and delivers exceptionally well-executed material that is aggressive, dark and steeped in 90s nostalgia. At its weakest, Lost Within the Astral Crypts serves as a grim invitation to exhume those second-wave classics from your collection; at its strongest, it stands as a fun, rock-solid blackened thrash record that advances and validates Hallâs creative vision, confirming Morbikonâs vast potential.
Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Tankcrimes
Websites: instagram.com/morbikon | facebook.com/morbikon
Releases Worldwide: November 21st, 2025
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