Gåte – Sigil (2026) – Review

Gåte - Sigil - Album Cover

The Norwegian band Gåte‘s 2021 piece Nord filled us with hope that a newish version of pagan anything finally reached our roster. And sure enough, their mix of modern Folk Rock and Metal, Pagan Folk, and too much Heilung hit a pretty good rating. Albeit at an elevated mixed-bag level. But it was a decidedly good one at that.

In the meantime, the RMR crew missed some of the action the band created. Well, unpaid reviewers with no money to spend and too much material cannot cover it all. Artfully forged alloy spews forth in abundance from many sources, … [...] Click to raid more!

Finsterforst – Still (2026) – Review

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

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!

Cnoc An Tursa – A Cry For The Slain (2026) – Review

Cnoc An Tursa - A Cry For The Slain - Album Cover

Is it Saor season yet? I reckon it’s time again to roam them standing stones and stuff to find more country lore, yarns, and fairy tales of all sorts. And 2026 seems to be the year that those unsung warriors of the arcane lurch forth. The Scots of Cnoc An Tursa1 didn’t manifest themselves for almost a decade and are now back with their newest concoction, A Cry For The Slain.

Never heard of them? You’re not alone. The old geezers of the RMR Review Desk have seen the name mentioned here and there. But their earlier wares … [...] Click to raid more!