Element of Fate – Dreamfall (2026) – Review

Element of Fate - Dreamfall - Album Cover

Element of Fate‘s official website seems to be Instagram of all things. Yep, this social media channel. A spawn of the terrible Meta-verse that seems to be the only one garnished with the band’s moniker. This doesn’t or should not reflect negatively on the musical prowess of the band, of course, but it gives you an inkling of how well-versed an act actually is in digital marketing. And – it may well give you a pretty good idea of what to expect going forward, as often both go hand in hand.

The band resides – willingly or not – … [...] Click to raid more!

Evermore – Mournbraid (2026) – Review

The Tyrant King got us a sturdy sample of what the three weirdos of Evermore were capable of. Not at Top 10 levels (yet), true, but they left a mark on our chalkboard after all. In Memoriam artfully circumvented that black reef lurking just beyond sophomore’s reach by doing some improved more of the same. That was back in 2023. Since then, not a peep from the feisty Swedish trio hit our mighty detection radars over at the RMR Review Desk.

But now, they’re back with some scarlet mourning piece full of ravens and wild metal screams. Mournbraid really takes … [...] Click to raid more!

Eihwar – Hugrheim (2026) – Review

Eihwar - Hugrheim - Album Cover

Welcome to the rhythm section. Sometimes, arcane sounds are good for the soul. And these ancient spiritual musings will give you a whiff of how that raw dispersion of pagan worship might have felt like. If only we could find that damn fully functional time machine. But there isn’t any.

And it’s refreshing to disconnect yourself from the forever nagging nailed god1 and feel the Power ov Ritual through the veins of whatever you perceive nature’s strength should be. And besides, Black Metal starts to grow stale with their ever-returning daemonic schemes and stolen rituals, stemming from ancient books

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Ellende – Zerfall (2026) – Review

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Forest Metal didn’t fill the RMR crew with praise in 2025. You know, those bands dwelling mainly in the Bavarian and Austrian woodlands. Thorondir kind of made it over the threshold, albeit just barely. But Waldgeflüster got lost in the jungle of their own thoughts and emotions. And – in turn – then lost us. High expectations brutally squashed, that kind of thing.

But hey, never give up hope, right? Ellende are back with new material just when 2026 finally lurches into focus.1 If you recall, Todbringering made it onto our zine in 2024 with a remake of an … [...] Click to raid more!