Tag Archives: AOP Records

Firtan – Helios (2026) – Review

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Firtan - Helios - Album Cover

Helios, the old Greek sun god.1 The all-seeing eye spy in the sky from which you cannot hide. A sun-crowned raider of the infamous chariot, roaring through the ether with his horse-drawn contraption. That is the theme the German Black Metallers Firtan chose to cover in their newest 2026 album.

And I daresay, the RMR crew couldn’t imagine a better genre to pick for such a mighty storyline. Firtan have been orbiting around our little universe for a while. Peddled to us as a highly atmospheric and insanely immersive Black Metal act, this is their first appearance on … [...] Click to raid more!

Finsterforst – Still (2026) – Review

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Finsterforst - Still - Album Cover

Mach Dich Frei was the first Finsterforst piece to grace this fledgling zine’s pages back in 2015. Rastlos provided that firm foothold into the RMR roster necessary for repeat reviews. Now, it’s been 7 years since the mysterious, Greta-infested Zerfall hit us in 2019. A kinda weird blackened record that didn’t really land on our best side for long stretches. But it finally managed to convince in a few obscure ways. Somewhat.

Now, the mudfaces of Finsterforst are back with Still. The name would translate into ‘silent’, as in ‘total silence’ or ‘still’, as in deadly silent. Pun intended, … [...] Click to raid more!

Duir – Catarsi (2026) – Review

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Duir - Catarsi - Album Cover

At first, the RMR crew thought we were getting yet another of them gnarly Italian Black Metal albums, such as this one. You know, the storytellers who describe features of the arid land they live in. And truly so, an abundance of tales and legends can be found throughout the Italian countryside.

Well, gnarly it’s going to be this time as well. But you won’t be getting any legends. Instead, it is war stories yet again, and more precisely, WWI, the first war of (modern) mass destruction of human history. Y’know, the one starting with cavalry trying to ride … [...] Click to raid more!

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!