Tardigrade Inferno – Hush (2026) – Review

Tardigrave Inferno - Hush - Album Cover

Alright, what pitch-black kettle of fish did we catch ourselves here? Out of the smoke-infested Northern reaches of the Baltics emerge some sickly circus sounds. That said, the circus theme in metal is nothing new, of course. It is, more often than not, all about the old tropes of the evil clown, which have been en vogue since Stephen King killed the market with his novel ‘IT’ decades ago. What better figure to scare the bejeesus out of you than a not-so benign paintface?

Now, here we’re faced with a whole gaggle of them. A noisy, beetlejuice-infested chaos troupe that’s … [...] Click to raid more!

A Dream Of Poe – Katabasis: A Marriage Among Ashes (2026) – Review

A Dream of Poe - Katabasis: A Marriage Among Ashes - Album Cover

Music has always been a guiding beacon in this reviewer’s life journey. And how could it not? So, it was early Progressive and Gothic Rock mixed with (now) decades-old electronica that got me in first contact with one Edgar Allan Poe.

Back in 1976, The Alan Parsons Project released Tales of Mystery and Imagination. A slightly melancholic yet astonishingly refreshing record dedicated to the long-defunct writer. An ode to dark tales full of birds of death and dark musings about the House of Usher. A record that was very much way ahead of its time, and thus lost a ton … [...] Click to raid more!

Velarium, special shade by Ashen Sun!

Ashen Sun - Velarium - Album Cover

Does anybody remember Johnny Hagel? You know, the bassist who kept popping up here and there on this zine. Most notably on records sponsored by an ancient incarnation of Tiamat and – yes – more recent Sorcerer, too. But since then, he seemed to have taken a deep dive. Like them anal nuclear subs that disappear into nowhere.

Thus, the RMR crew was mighty surprised to see him emerging astride a Gothic Rock gig called Ashen Sun. One that wallows darkly in echoes of dystopian melancholy, electronica-driven Darkwave without the bodices, and soft-spoken messages of fire and … [...] Click to raid more!

Locus Noir – Shadow Sun (2026) – Review

Locus Noir - Shadow Sun - Album Cover

2026 seems to turn into an interesting year in rock ‘n’ metal. And it may well be the out-of-the-box section of our musical universe that will take on some weight this time. And in truth, sometimes one needs a hefty counterweight to the endless supply of beastly metal that the underground ceaselessly regurgitates.

So, why not some gothically tainted rock (and metal) that seems to reach us straight from the past? Melancholy writ large on yet another canvas of the dead and dying, with a whiff of that graveyard smell. Shadowy greetings from a sun weeping tears, but not of … [...] Click to raid more!