Puerto Rican blackened death metal force Sons of Kali
have dropped their latest single, “Bloodshed,” offering another fierce preview
of their upcoming debut album. The track was recorded at Island Recording
Studios with engineer Jorge Vega, and later mixed and mastered by Christian
Rodriguez at Lady Starship Studios, sharpening its brutal, high‑velocity sound.
Formed in 2024 by guitarist Fabian Milian and bassist
Diego Garcia, Sons of Kali quickly solidified their lineup with vocalist
Sebastian Sousa and drummer Elier Bonilla, channeling a vision of faster,
heavier, and more aggressive extreme metal. Blending diverse influences into a
distinct sonic identity, the band has already released three singles, with
“Bloodshed” marking their most intense offering yet.
Their debut album is now one of the most anticipated
releases emerging from Puerto Rico’s extreme metal scene.
Emerging in 2020, DarkFlow has quickly established
itself as one of the most distinctive new voices in the modern metal landscape.
Refusing to be confined by genre boundaries, the band fuses Heavy Metal,
Thrash, Symphonic, and Progressive elements into a hybrid they boldly define as
Shock Metal. This self‑coined label reflects not only their sound but their
artistic philosophy: music that confronts, provokes, and immerses the listener
in a world of intensity and narrative depth.
A defining aspect of DarkFlow’s identity is their
commitment to theatrical performance. Their shows are crafted as full sensory
experiences, blending dramatic staging, visual storytelling, and a heightened
sense of spectacle. For DarkFlow, the stage is not merely a platform but a
world in which their stories unfold.
One of the most striking examples of their conceptual
ambition is the track “The Last Symphony.” The song explores a bleak
eschatological vision: humanity has lost its way, turning against itself
instead of seeking unity or compassion. In this narrative, divine intervention
arrives not as salvation but as judgment. Drawing from the tradition of
apocalyptic Christian literature—particularly the Book of Revelation—God
descends in wrath, fulfilling the prophecy that every soul is condemned. There
is no redemption, no final mercy; the prophecy becomes reality, and humanity
faces an irreversible end.
The production of the track further elevates its
impact. Andy LaRocque of King Diamond not only produced the song but also
performs its guitar solo, infusing the piece with his signature precision and
dark melodic flair. His involvement bridges DarkFlow’s modern Shock Metal
vision with the legacy of theatrical and narrative-driven metal.
The thematic core of “The Last Symphony” resonates
with the complex history of apocalyptic texts. The Book of Revelation,
attributed to John, was not immediately embraced by the early Church. Its
portrayal of Jesus as a warrior-king—far removed from the figure of love and
compassion emphasized in the four Gospels—made its inclusion in the New
Testament a matter of debate. DarkFlow taps into this tension, channeling the
raw, violent, and symbolic imagery of Revelation to craft a song that
challenges contemporary perceptions of faith, morality, and divine justice.
With their genre-blending sound, theatrical ambition,
and willingness to explore provocative themes, DarkFlow stands as a band
unafraid to push boundaries. “The Last Symphony” is not just a song—it is a
statement, a confrontation, and a glimpse into the apocalyptic imagination that
fuels their Shock Metal identity.
The older I get, the more I find myself drawn toward
black metal’s stark landscapes. For many listeners the trajectory goes the
opposite way, yet when releases like COLD EMPIRE’s From the Ashes of the Empire
cross your path, the shift feels less like a change in taste and more like a natural
evolution.
COLD EMPIRE, a two‑piece black metal act from Italy, craft a sound that
defies geographical expectations. Had I not looked them up beforehand, I would
have placed them somewhere in Scandinavia. Their approach is cold, epic, and
unrelentingly dark—rooted firmly in the classic black metal tradition. The band
avoids keyboards and unnecessary embellishments, relying instead on sharp
riffing, raw atmosphere, and a sense of frozen grandeur.
From the Ashes of the Empire stands out as a compelling
and memorable work. The songs move with purpose, carrying a blackened aura that
is both immersive and immediate. It’s a release that captures the essence of
traditional black metal without feeling derivative, channeling a chilling
atmosphere that pulls the listener into its bleak domain.
In COLD EMPIRE’s world, black metal reigns supreme—and
this album makes a strong case for why.
Οι
ατσάλινοι μαχητές του μέταλ με το πιο παχύ «σολ» (μέτσολ), οι ανοξείδωτοι
πολεμιστές πάνω στις Harley Davidson, η μπάντα που παρουσιάζει την πιο
αξιοπρόσεκτη πορεία από τη Βαλχάλα μέχρι τη σκηνή του Μπρόντγουεϊ (ή του
τσίρκου — οι γνώμες διίστανται), αποφάσισε να τονίσει ότι διαθέτει ακόμη επικά
χαρακτηριστικά στις παρυφές του νέου αιώνα.
Μετά
από δύο παγκόσμιες περιοδείες για τον δίσκο Louder Than Hell, δύο ζωντανά
ηχογραφημένα άλμπουμ (το ένα τόσο «ζωντανό» που η δουλειά στο στούντιο
ακούγεται πιο ζωντανή!) και με σημαίες αλά Kings of Metal εποχής στο εξώφυλλο,
κυκλοφορούν αυτό εδώ. Τώρα, τόση ώρα, για τη μουσική τους αυτή καθαυτή δεν
γράψαμε σχεδόν τίποτα.
Η
τετράδα Eric Adams, Joey DeMaio, Karl Logan και ο —μακαρίτης πλέον— Scott
Columbus κάνει ένα ιστορικό πισωγύρισμα. Μια ανάμιξη της εποχής Kings of Metal
/ Fighting the World με τα προγενέστερα άλμπουμ έως το 1984, και το αποτέλεσμα
είναι… περίεργα συμπαθητικό. Καλύτερος δίσκος από οτιδήποτε είχαν παρουσιάσει
την τελευταία δεκαετία, αλλά και πάλι κάτι χτυπάει λάθος.
Ίσως
φταίνε οι δύο διασκευές: το Nessun Dorma από την όπερα του Giuseppe Verdi και
το country κομμάτι An American Trilogy, που έχει ερμηνεύσει και ο Elvis
Presley. Ίσως πάλι οι πιο σοβαρές —ναι, μπορείς να τις χαρακτηρίσεις έτσι—
προσπάθειες με τα Call to Arms, Valhalla, Swords in the Wind, Warriors of the
World United, Hand of Doom, Fight Until We Die, που όντως αξίζουν τον τίτλο
Manowar.
Έχουμε
λοιπόν ένα άλμπουμ που, όπως είπαμε, είναι το καλύτερο εδώ και πολλά χρόνια,
αλλά και πάλι κάτι μου φταίει. Το οχτώ το παίρνουν —και είναι το πρώτο από το
1988— κι αυτό από μόνο του αποτελεί γεγονός. Οι εποχές που όλα τα παλιά θηρία
έδιναν δίσκους όπου το εννιά ήταν ντροπή να το βάλεις έχουν περάσει
ανεπιστρεπτί, όπως και η έμπνευση των συγκεκριμένων συγκροτημάτων.
Πρέπει
κάποτε να το αποδεχτούμε αυτό.
English:
What can one really say, and what can one possibly
describe.
The steel-clad warriors of metal with the thickest
“sol” (or “met-sol”), the stainless riders atop their Harley Davidsons, the
band whose trajectory stretches from Valhalla all the way to a Broadway stage
(or a circus tent — opinions vary), decided to remind us that they still
possess epic qualities on the threshold of the new century.
After two world tours supporting Louder Than Hell, two
live albums (one so “live” that the studio work sounds livelier!), and with
Kings of Metal-style flags waving proudly on the cover, they release this one.
And here we are, several lines in, having barely written anything about the
music itself.
The quartet of Eric Adams, Joey DeMaio, Karl Logan,
and the now-late Scott Columbus takes a historical step backward. A blend of
the Kings of Metal / Fighting the World era with their pre‑1984 albums, and the result is… strangely likeable. A
better record than anything they’ve put out in the last decade, yet something
still feels off.
Maybe it’s the two covers: Nessun Dorma from Verdi’s
opera, and the country piece An American Trilogy, also performed by Elvis Presley.
Or maybe it’s the more serious —yes, you could call them that— efforts like
Call to Arms, Valhalla, Swords in the Wind, Warriors of the World United, Hand
of Doom, Fight Until We Die, which genuinely earn the Manowar title.
So what we have here is an album that, as mentioned,
is their best in many years — and yet something still bothers me. They get an
eight —their first since 1988— and that alone is noteworthy. The days when the
old beasts delivered albums where giving them anything less than a nine felt
shameful are long gone, just like the inspiration of these once-mighty bands.
«Έχω
περάσει πολλές άσχημες στιγμές μετά την ιστορία με τους Iron Maiden. Έχω παίξει
με το πρώτο μου σχήμα, τους Blaze, σε συναυλίες μπροστά σε είκοσι-τριάντα
άτομα», ανέφερε πρόσφατα από σκηνής στο αθηναϊκό κοινό ο κύριος Blaze Bayley. Η
εποχή που περιγράφει ήταν αυτή μετά την κυκλοφορία του πρώτου του δίσκου,
ύστερα από την σχεδόν εξαετή πορεία του με τους Iron Maiden. Κάποια από τα
κομμάτια είχαν ήδη πάρει σχήμα από την εποχή μετά το Virtual XI, και
προορίζονταν για το επόμενο άλμπουμ του μαζί τους, κάτι που βέβαια δεν συνέβη.
Ένα CD, γραμμένο υπό το πρίσμα των αρχών του νέου αιώνα, θα έλεγα σκοτεινό,
κλειστοφοβικό και πολύ μοντέρνο Heavy Metal, πιο μηχανιστικό απ' ό,τι μας έδωσε
αργότερα. Ίσως το γεγονός ότι έχει να κάνει με την ανερχόμενη ακόμη τότε επιστήμη
της πληροφορικής, που εκείνη την εποχή άρχισε να εισέρχεται στη ζωή του κάθε
ανθρώπου, να ήταν η επιρροή στη θεματική (χαλαρά το λες) του συνολικού άλμπουμ.
Ό,τι και αν του προσάπτουν οι πάντως είδους «δικαστές κι εισαγγελείς», κατόπιν
εορτής, ο πρώτος αυτός δίσκος έχει να δώσει κομμάτια με μεγαλύτερη ιστορική
αξία, όπως τα «Ghost in the Machine», «Evolution», «Silicon Messiah», «The
Hunger», «Born As A Stranger», «Reach for the Horizon», «Stare At the Sun».
English:
Falling from the Sky to the Earth
"I have gone through many tough moments after the
story with Iron Maiden. I’ve played with my first band, Blaze, at concerts in
front of twenty to thirty people," recently stated Blaze Bayley from the
stage to the Athens audience. The period he describes was after the release of
his first album, following nearly six years of touring with Iron Maiden. Some
of the tracks had already taken shape during the time after Virtual XI, and
were intended for his next album with them—though, of course, that never
happened.
This CD, I would say, written in the spirit of the
early 2000s, is dark, claustrophobic, and very modern heavy metal—more
mechanistic than what he later delivered. Perhaps the fact that it relates to
the emerging science of computing, which was just beginning to enter everyone's
life at that time, influenced the thematic (loosely speaking) of the entire
album. Whatever accusations are made against it by the so-called "judges
and prosecutors," in hindsight, this first album offers tracks of greater
historical value, such as "Ghost in the Machine,"
"Evolution," "Silicon Messiah," "The Hunger,"
"Born As A Stranger," "Reach for the Horizon," and
"Stare At the Sun."
I must have sinned a lot lately, because I keep
finding myself reviewing gothic metal releases with female singers. I don’t
have anything against female vocalists—especially those who sing traditional
metal; they usually have more guts than many of their male counterparts. But
the gothic/symphonic branch of female-fronted metal is another story
altogether.
If someone says that modern gothic metal lies
somewhere between the latest Nightwish releases and Evanescence, it would be
hard to disagree. Poland’s UNSUN follow that formula very closely. The band
features a good-looking singer with a soft, pleasant voice, supported by
distorted guitars that rely heavily on rhythm patterns reminiscent of late-era
Nightwish and Evanescence. Add a polished, very clean production with a strong
pop sensibility, and you have the complete package.
As a product, “Clinic for Dolls” is nearly flawless.
Everything is well arranged, professionally produced, and easily digestible.
However, I find it difficult to connect with the album’s attempt at emotional
depth. The atmosphere feels manufactured, presenting itself as dark and
dramatic while lacking the authenticity that makes this style truly compelling.
In fact, listening to releases like this often gives
the impression that they come from the same production line: similar sound,
similar aesthetics, different band names. Albums like “Clinic for Dolls” tend
to remain in rotation only until the next band with a comparable style releases
something new.
Still, credit where it’s due—the singer’s performance
is solid and undeniably charming, which ultimately pushes my rating slightly
above the halfway mark.
In the realm of death metal, a successful release
typically strikes a balance in length and intensity, delivering memorable riffs
alongside relentless energy. Invidious Dominion falls short in this regard,
primarily due to its brevity and the overall execution. With only 11 tracks,
the album feels somewhat underdeveloped; the brevity hampers the ability to
fully appreciate the guitar work, which is often obscured by relentless blast
beats. While the album exudes intensity, it suffers from a lack of variation
and musical depth.
The guitar work features frequent tremolo picking, but
the riffs lack the staying power or catchiness that could elevate the material.
The album maintains a high level of aggression and energy, but the musical
content does not offer much that is novel or particularly engaging. There is a
noticeable predominance of vocals—specifically Bret Hoffman's characteristic
hoarse delivery and aggressive lyrical themes—which dominate the soundscape,
leaving the instrumentation somewhat in the background.
Lyrically, the focus is on themes of death, war,
hatred, and violence—topics that align with the band’s established style.
However, the lyrics are straightforward and lack complexity, which diminishes
their impact. The vocal delivery complements the riffs but does not introduce
any notable variation, resulting in a monotonous vocal presence throughout the album.
From a musical perspective, the lead guitar work is
minimal and uninspired, lacking the finesse or memorable melodies that could
have added depth to the album. The riffs, while technically fast and intense,
do not stand out or leave a lasting impression. The album’s 35-minute duration
is adequate, but it feels more like a collection of similar ideas rather than a
cohesive, evolving work.
It’s worth noting that Invidious Dominion adheres to
the band’s established style, which is a positive aspect for longtime fans.
However, the album’s main shortcoming lies in its limited length and the
absence of innovative or standout riffs. The band might have benefited from
additional time in the songwriting process to craft more compelling and
memorable musical moments.
In summary, Invidious Dominion is not a boring listen,
but it lacks the musical complexity and originality that could have elevated it
beyond a mere display of aggression. Fans seeking classic Malevolent Creation
releases should consider revisiting their earlier work, where the band’s
songwriting and riffing were more distinctive. For those interested in a
straightforward death metal experience, this album delivers energy but falls
short of leaving a lasting impression.
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