Record(s) o’ the Month – August 2025

By Angry Metal Guy

I said last month (well, last week, but who’s counting) that everything had been leading to that point. That’s true, because I was so stoked to make Calva Louise the Record o’ the Month for July in a somewhat relevant fashion that I did a mad dash to get that out before they were off to their tour in the USA. And then I was left there, feeling empty. I had worked so hard. I had come so far. But in the end, I wondered if it really even mattered.1 In my malaise, I turned to August releases. And realized something: «No, Doctor Metalero Enojado», me dije, «aún no todo está perdido. Ahora puedes subir el/los Disco(s) del Mes a tiempo. Y así les cierras la boca a todos esos progres llorones de los comentarios para que sepan quién manda.»2 Said differently…

WE DID IT! WE’RE #1! WE’RE #1! USA! USA! USA! USA! BOOORTLES!!!

Angry Metal Guy didn’t yet exist when I got into In Mourning. In 2008, I got caught in the hype machine for a little record called Shrouded Divine. Following its release in 2008, the band went through a period when it felt like they were still establishing an identity, but in recent years, In Mourning has been on a low-key tear. While both 2019’s Garden of Storms and 2021’s The Bleeding Veil were very good records, In Mourning has outdone themselves on The Immortal [Bandcamp], which was released August 29th, 2025, from Supreme Chaos Records. Without mincing words, The Immortal is clearly the band’s best record since its debut, and I would submit that it’s the best melodeath record since Insomnium’s Winter’s Gate.

When faced with an exceptional record, it can sometimes be difficult to explain exactly why it’s exceptional.3 The melodies are beautiful and rich, hitting you right in the feels whether carried by voice (“Silver Crescent”) or on trem-picked guitars (“As Long as the Twilight Stays”). The riffs are punishing with a good balance of chug (“The Sojourner”) and trem (“Staghorn”), resulting in something that alternates between death and black in feel, if not in orthodoxy. These slight evolutions of sound help to keep In Mourning’s approach fresh, but it’s here that the dark matter of composition can be deduced, but not directly observed. None of this is totally novel in the band’s sound. But sometimes shit just works. There’s a lot of work that goes into writing. And no matter how good you are, not every minor key melody you write is going to be a tear-jerker, not every chunky riff is going to be quite as hooky or head-bangable as others, not every closer is going to be a Song o’ the Year candidate like “The Hounding”. But sometimes, you just keep rolling natural 20s.

The Immortal feels like one of those records blessed by the Metal Gods. Things that aren’t so different from what has gone before, but it all just hits a little harder. This makes The Immortal unquestionably one of the best records released in 2025, and everyone around here agrees with Kenstrosity’s eminently reasonable—arguably even understated—take that “with The Immortal, In Mourning further solidifies its status as an elite act in the melodeath pantheon.” The Immortal is on par with the best records in the genre,4 and “you owe it to yourself to hear it.” I think he underrated it.

Runner(s) Up:

Blackbraid // Blackbraid III [August 8th, 2025 | Self-release | Bandcamp] — Black metal is not an easy genre to make vital in the Year of Angry Metal Overlord 2025. But Blackbraid has a sound that feels vital. There’s a no bullshit intensity that Sgah’gahsowáh brings with III’s blast beats, croaks, and the trem-picked wall of sound that brings me back to falling in love with Emperor. Like the very best black metal, however, Blackbraid is not afraid of dropping into groove and synchronized-guitar-swing-friendly riffing that makes the blasts hit harder. There’s also something undeniably slick about Blackbraid. Digging through the potential standout albums from August, I kept coming back to III, because it gives me the things that I love about black metal: the intensity, the feel, the Ulveresque atmosphere without the obvious plagiarism. And it accomplishes this while avoiding the traps of so many modern black metal bands. As Doom_et_al so aptly summed it up: “Blackbraid III is everything a fan of either the band or this style of music could want. Like the land that inspires it, it is infused with violence and beauty and complexity. But it’s the ability to combine these disparate concepts with epic scope and intense vulnerability that sets it apart.” Say what you will, Blackbraid III is a real accomplishment.

Farseer // Portals to Cosmic Womb [August 22nd 2025 | Self-release | Bandcamp] — Farseer has its roots in stoner and sludge, and my eyes just shut of their own accord while I wrote that. So, it should come as no surprise to you that a self-released stoner/sludge release didn’t exactly jump off the page at me when reading about it. But thanks to some fine writing by Tyme and a well-placed bundle of cash in my freezer, I gave Portals to Cosmic Womb another listen. And another listen. And another listen. Turns out, these cats have some riffs in them. When their soupy riffs hit, they hit with the kind of splat that kills. Portals to Cosmic Womb has a drive that adds life to the thick guitar sound and the not-particularly-complex riffs, and for 39 minutes, it holds the listener in its grip without breaking a sweat. Our very own Tyme waxed poetic about Portals to Cosmic Womb, writing, “Farseer basting in their creative juices over the past six years has resulted in a vastly improved product, as Portals to Cosmic Womb shatters any notions of a sophomore slump. As if constructed from a blueprint of Opethic design, Farseer crafted Portals to Cosmic Womb with a near effortless flow. Its six songs—spanning a very manageable forty minutes—find Farseer merging the best parts of meandering instrumentals into rock-solid compositions that, like spring and neap tides, rise and fall with dramatic intensity.” Yeah, he’s saying it’s really good, y’all. Keep up!

Anchorite // Realm of Ruin [August 1st, 2025 | Personal Records | Bandcamp] — Anchorite is one of those bands that I shouldn’t be expected to like. The blues-infused doom roots here are strong, and yet, Realm of Ruin makes a surprisingly convincing case for itself. As is often the case when working with doom metal, the vocalist tends to drive whether a band is good or bad. In this case, Leo Stivala does a great job of balancing the aesthetics of Metal Voice™ and actually being able to sing with power. He’s got a pretty keen sense for melody, and his performance stands out. With that in place, Anchorite’s riffmeisters get to work writing a solid post-Candlemass doom that hits a place in my sadboi soul when I listen to it. And yet, part of what makes Realm of Ruin work is that it’s also surprisingly immediate at times. There’s a vibe like US power metal or thrash metal that suffuses the whole album, and with its unique production—that snare drum actually feels punchy, guys, so that’s weird—and its idiosyncratic songwriting, it all starts to feel special. Serial overrater and all-around softy Steely D put it like this: “Realm of Ruin is one of those albums you enjoy on the first go-through, and with each spin, it reveals more of itself until you’re fully submerged in the band’s craftwork. Anchorite has writing chops, and Realm of Ruin is an immersive stroll through the ruins with moments of genuine brilliance and grandeur.” So, there’s that.

#2025 #Anchorite #Aug25 #Blackbraid #BlackbraidIII #BlogPosts #Farseer #GardenOfStorms #InMourning #Insomnium #PortalsToCosmicWomb #RealmOfRuin #RecordOTheMonth #RecordSOTheMonth #RecordsOfTheMonth #TheBleedingVeil #TheImmortal #WinterSGate

In Mourning – The Immortal Review

By Kenstrosity

Swedish sadboi staples In Mourning have had quite the journey over the 25 years since their founding. From the early days of doom-laden, gothic-tinged pall to the current era of dramatic, crooning melodic death, In Mourning’s trajectory arcs over one of the more unsung careers in a world filled with Insomniums, Be’lakors, and Omnium Gatherums. Yet, theirs is the one that stuck with me. I witnessed the majesty of Monolith as a breakout high-water mark, the uncertainty of transitional records like Afterglow, and the resurgence of Garden of Storms followed by an absolute triumph in The Bleeding Veil. And through it all, In Mourning always delivered material of rich depth, considerable nuance, and highly developed songwriting. Their seventh, The Immortal, is no exception.

Immediately identifiable as an In Mourning special, The Immortal sees these Swedes expanding and elevating their repertoire of sound and style further than ever, but still grounding themselves in the chunky riffs, multifaceted vocals, and soaring melodies I’ve come to expect. Integrating a mild proggy slant that reminds of The Meaning of I-era Voyager (“Song of the Cranes,” “The Sojourner”); scorching the flesh with second-wave black metal melodies that recall …and Oceans and Mare Cognitum (“Staghorn” and “The Hounding,” respectively); and utilizing a wide gamut of rhythms and percussive patterns pulling from all over the metallic spectrum1 mark a few key ways In Mourning play with this more varied palette, and to great effect. Pulling it all together, The Immortal’s crisp and clear mix showcases every performance, spotlights each vibrant tone and stimulating texture, and deftly balances soft ruminations against ferocious outbursts.

To my great delight, In Mourning’s best compositions here are those which challenge what I expect to experience. In particular, “As Long as the Twilight Stays” and “Staghorn” elicit intense frisson in my system as I cycle through each spin. In the former’s case, it is the chorus’ tremolo melody tumbling to the foreground from a wonderfully smooth percussive fill that lights up my skin. In the latter, the shock of an aggressive old-school black metal riff surprises me with a most enticing burst of velocity. Yet, each song offers much more than just a single moment of radiating pleasure. Smartly written, honed compositions like those aforementioned highlights writhe between shapes and styles in such a way as to create excitement and intrigue at every turn. Other contenders like “Silver Crescent,” “The Sojourner,” and “North Star” offer reminders of what In Mourning always excelled at, balancing syncopated riffs with weeping guitar melodies and clean vocals that evoke a synesthetic vision of sepia-toned fields of wheat brushing against a gentle breeze. More importantly, though, the effectiveness of these cuts illuminates how successfully closer “The Hounding” compiles all of In Mourning’s strengths, both proven and newfound, into a shimmering tearjerker that demands my rapt attention.

At a tight 47 minutes, The Immortal flies by with an effortless grace, leaving very little opportunity for me to capture and identify negatives. With persistence, however, I started noticing that gentle quasi-ballad quasi-interlude “Moonless Sky” is the only number that leaves my memory all too quickly. It’s gorgeous, just like everything The Immortal exhibits, but simply lacks staying power. In a similar vein, I call into question the function of opening intro “The Immortal.” It’s so short and blends so seamlessly into first track proper, “Silver Crescent,” that I wonder why the two aren’t merged into one. To reach for another nit to pick, “Song of the Cranes,” while a rock-solid song on its own, does feel less inspired and more in line with the majority of In Mourning’s existing catalog than its neighbors. It’s not so stark an outlier that it feels out of place in the tracklist. Rather, it simply feels a touch weaker by comparison.

With The Immortal, In Mourning further solidify their status as an elite act in the melodeath pantheon. It is well known to the readers and writers here that they have become my personal favorite in this particular subset, but I was still pleasantly surprised. A modest, but notable departure from their usual approach, and still unquestionably rooted in their established identity, The Immortal is on par with In Mourning’s best work. You owe it to yourselves to hear it.

Rating: Great!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Supreme Chaos Records
Websites: inmourning.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/inmourningband
Releases Worldwide: August 29th, 2025

#AndOceans #2025 #40 #Aug25 #BeLakor #InMourning #Insomnium #MareCognitum #MelodicBlackMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #OmniumGatherum #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SupremeChaosRecords #SwedishMetal #TheImmortal #Voyager

🎮 Random Retro Game:

Title: The Immortal
Released: 1990-01-01
Platforms: NES
Also released on: PC, macOS, Linux, Apple II, Commodore / Amiga, Atari ST, Genesis

#TheImmortal #NES #Retrogames

In Mourning announce new album The Immortal, share first single:

#InMourning #TheImmortal #TheSojourner #NewAlbum #NewSong #AugustReleases

Link: https://metalinsider.net/video/in-mourning-announce-new-album-the-immortal-share-first-single

🎮 Random Retro Game:

Title: The Immortal
Released: 1990-01-01
Platforms: NES
Also released on: PC, macOS, Linux, Apple II, Commodore / Amiga, Atari ST, Genesis

#TheImmortal #NES #Retrogames

Yet another book I'm really looking forward to later this year❗

"The History of the Gothic Video Game" showcases some of the most prominent and enduring examples of #VideoGames with #Gothic
elements.

Learn more here:
👉 https://thevideogamelibrary.org/book/the-history-of-the-gothic-video-game

#GothicGames #VideoGame #Gamer #Game #Book #Books #Bookstodon @bookstodon #Bayonetta #Bloodborne #Castlevania #DarkSouls #DieByTheSword #LegacyOfKain #Primal #Severance #NightmareCreatures #MediEvil #HunterTheReckoning #TheImmortal #DemonsSouls