Madder Mortem – Old Eyes, New Heart (2024) – Review

Madder Mortem - Old Eyes, New Heart - Album Cover

Madder Mortem‘s Old Eyes, New Heart is one of those records. A piece that released early in 2024, but for some reason always kept harassing us at the back of our mutual subconscious. The band has been around since 1997 under the current moniker, but for some reason, the act never clicked with the RMR crew here. Well, let’s just blame it on the inconsistent release schedule, shall we? The last record aired back in 2018 after all.

But what really and always pulled us back from launching a all-out review were the glowing reviews this piece got from … [...] Click to raid more!

Sun After Dark – Tatkraft (2025) – Review

Sun After Dark - Tatkraft - Album Cover

Imagine a post-apocalyptic world where bleak is the new normal. Foggy visions in a frozen landscape chase each other like so many icicles lined up in a row.

This sounds as oxymoronic as the band moniker Sun After Dark. And perhaps they should have called their outfit simply ‘Night’ or something. But the metaphor perfectly describes what went through the RMR crew’s mutual minds when listening to the piece.

So, meet Tatkraft1 and let its garbled waffling baffle your inner self. But stow these pills firmly away first. This whole chebang already sounds like substance abuse in sound

[...] Click to raid more!

Katatonia – Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State (2025) – Review

Katatonia - Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State - Album Cover

Katatonia graced our zine in 2023 only as part of an effort to acknowledge the metal mainstream a bit better. Thus, Sky Void of Stars fell victim to our first lamestream n00b listing, and the RMR crew wasn’t quite impressed. Meaning, if you’re not a fan, you’re looking at things differently. Not that our cold, hard gaze at one of metal’s most established bands changed any diehard fans’ pre-established convictions. But given the hype and roar surrounding the act, one would expect bigger and better sounds to hit our turntables.

So, expectations aren’t sky-high for Nightmares as Extensions of the [...] Click to raid more!

Tribunal – In Penitence and Ruin (2025) – Review

Tribunal - Of Penitence and Ruin - Album Cover

The last time, the guardian of the review pipe screwed up and the RMR crew finally covered Tribunal‘s 2023 debut with some delay the following year. A ‘faux pas’ that won’t bear repeating yet again. The RMR crew found the Quality ov Doom to be pretty outstanding and compelling for a simple starter package. Material that would have landed on the top 10 with a fair degree of certainty.

So, luckily, the band’s somewhat unwieldily named new piece In Penitence and Ruin reaches our dark shores somewhat early in 2025. Time enough to let its desperate deliberations sink in … [...] Click to raid more!