Cemican – U k ‘u’ uk’ankil Mayakaaj (2025) – Review

Cemican - U_k’u’uk’ankil_Mayakaaj - Album Cover

The Mexicans of Cemican1 are a weird bunch. They deliver a mix of harsh Death Metal and contemporary interpretations of long-gone South American (or Mayan) folk. Ritualistic meditations of the kind we usually hear from Northern Europe.

It appears that the Yucatan is the band’s preferred playground. An area, yours truly here knows pretty well. Extensive travels through dark jungles fondly remembered and a gazillion stoneheaps duly visited. But I digress, this would be fodder for a travel blog, not this zine. Back to Cemican, ’tis a band with a strange addiction to Mayan ideology, worldview, mysticism, and … [...] Click to raid more!

Trick or Treat – Ghosted (2025) – Review

Trick or Treat - Ghosted - Review

Ghosted, huh. I wish it not to ye, fans and friends. It usually means someone – and I quote the mighty Merriam Webster – “…abruptly cutting off all contact with someone usually without explanation.”1 Damn. No doubt the creatures on Trick or Treat‘s newest album cover look kinda worried and mighty lost.

Or, perhaps, it’s some sort of omen of what’s to come here. Because the RMR crew did a lot of headscratching on where these Italians are taking their newest concoction. After all, the band’s last record, Creepy Symphonies, kinda landed on our better side … [...] Click to raid more!

Ancient Bards – Artifex (2025) – Review

Ancient Bards - Artifex - Album Cover

Italy. An astonishing haven for all sorts of metal shenanigans found up and down the famous boot-shaped peninsula. The RMR crew found a full-blown panoply of metal delights, out of which Power and Symphonic Metal grab themselves an important chunk.

Around 15% of all Italian records covered since the zine’s inception wander about these two genres. Put differently, Power Metal has become one of the main staples of Italy’s cheesiest metal soundscapes. And RMR stepped right into it. Gunk or geekery? We might need some Artifex to pull ourselves out of this.


Ancient Bards‘ 2019 piece Origine didn’t quite … [...] Click to raid more!

Xaon – The Lethean (2022) – Review

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Xaon - The Lethean - Album Cover

By the end of 2022, the RMR reviewers realized that Xaon‘s latest record – The Lethean – never quite made it onto our swampy review pipe. And in truth, what record in its right state would want to dwell in that steamy sump just to be lost forever, right? So, with enough material to last a lifetime, we concocted the 2022 top ten list, sadly without Carson’s boyz.

Fast forward to late 2023. A few weeks back we tortured our eardrums with the Black Metal act Félonie, and happened across Red Beard Studios. Another of Rob Carson‘s … [...] Click to raid more!