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!

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!

Ellende – Todbringerin (2024) – Review

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Ellende - Todbringerin - Album Cover

Remakes only sparsely grace our review pipe. There must be a couple at best, and that’s for good reason. Usually, the RMR crew prefers the raw material, the stuff that came before, the real thing. And not some crazy-ass remix with – Loki forbid – some atrocious synth-pop elements added for fun. You get all kinds, y’know, and not everything is pretty.

But – as always – exceptions do apply and Ellende is one of them. Since the 2022 piece Ellenbogengesellschaft hit our turntables, the RMR crew holds this artist in the highest esteem. Thus, Todbringerin will get a shot … [...] Click to raid more!

Weltenbrandt – Transzendenz Schatten Romantik (2024) – Review

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Ellende is on our minds a lot these days. Todbringerin is their newest record and it’s ear-catching. And to no-one’s surprise, it messed up our turntables for way too long. A style we have trouble resisting, even if the doom ‘n’ gloom can weigh heavily on one’s soul.

And speaking about which. Lo and behold, out of nowhere Weltenbrandt loudly made its presence known. Yet another band wallowing in the murky depths of an almost gothic sadboi melancholy that roars forth in some established blackened splendor. An underground band that only the initiated will recognize. But then, mainstream fame never … [...] Click to raid more!