Avaland – Chemical Poetry (2026) – Review

Posted on 30 October 2026 by RockmusicRaider — Leave a reply

Alright, the band boasting a perpetual metal opera is back in town. The RMR crew last looked at them in 2023, when The Legend of the Storyteller failed to pump up our juices enough to get us really excited.

Yup, Avaland are back from whatever rock they hid under for the last three years. Chemical Poetry is the newest sub-theme to the well-known operatic urges they’ve pursued for long years. Interestingly, Rockshots Records are gone from the equation, and the band’s very own vanity label Storytium SAS has taken over. I reckon, to ‘take back control’ or something. An argument … [...] Click to raid more!

Cirith Ungol – All The Shadows (2026) – Review

Posted on 29 October 2026 by RockmusicRaider — Leave a reply

Cirith Ungol - All The Shadows - Album Cover

Well, hells bells, the RMR crew thought they were retired for good. Or at least retired enough to not throw yet another one of their records onto the Review Desk. Well, it looks like we were dead wrong in our misguided assumption that this was the case here. So, now we got that big pile of metal shards right in front of us. Well, look at the bright side, there will be monsters and daemons to vanquish. That’s at least something, right?

That said, the RMR crew had a lot of fun with 2023’s Dark Parade. But we truly … [...] Click to raid more!

Fvneral Fvkk – Indecent Idols (2026) – Review

Posted on 26 October 2026 by RockmusicRaider — Leave a reply

Fvneral Fvkk - Indecent Idols - Album Cover

Hehe! Gotta love these guys. Their stated calling as acolytes of Epic Pastoral Doom Metal already elicited some evil chuckles over at the RMR Review Desk. No note has rang out yet, and already Fvneral Fvkk‘s (imagined) genre exudes that ~~musty~~ musky odor of pasty, slightly sweaty men in robes from another world, chanting weirdly in vast, empty buildings surrounded by scented smoke. Dire cases of modern sorcery duly established. Right?

Now, the main motif of the band’s very existence is the bane of the Catholic Church. The proven records of sexual abuse and other aberrations of the church … [...] Click to raid more!

Phendrana – Cathexis (2026) – Review

Posted on 24 October 2026 by RockmusicRaider — Leave a reply

The mood must be right for certain albums. For example, doom pieces aren’t sitting well with the RMR crew in the midst of spring. That’s the time of year when even the Review Desk’s grouches feel the need to descend from their moldy abode and enjoy some chirpy fresh air in bright sunlight. Outside, of all things. Abject soulsearching may not be a prime occupation right then.

Doomy, heavy, avant-garde, and mostly non-metal fare fits better once summer has left the building. That’s when the cold ‘n’ grey seeps in and the mists take over. One could argue that February, … [...] Click to raid more!