Tag Archives: Malevolent 2025 Series

Malevolent 2025: Morose Musings and the Fiery Pit!

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Malevolent 2025 - Goat face with guitar!

2024 turned into a hotbed of severely blackened and razor-sharp metal shards. So much so that we had to ruthlessly curtail the number of smelly items on the malevolent list for that year. Now, 2025 looks a tad lighter, but there is still enough material to torment the minions of Satan for eternity. So, bear with us. To project all pitch-black abominations we got onto one single list would last us for another year. Bad choices must be made, and terrible taste will inevitably destroy good intentions. Welcome to this year’s list from hell.

And as always, this isn’t our … [...] Click to raid more!

Lord Belial – Unholy Trinity (2025) – Review

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Lord Belial - Unholy Trinity - Album Cover

The fiery pit has opened yet again. And by the sheer force of the album cover, you probably already guessed where this is heading. ‘Xactly! Deep down into the rotten flesh of Black Metal Central, brought to you by remnants of the original Black Metal crew of times long gone.

Lord Belial are a finicky band. Emerging in Sweden in the Unholy Year of the Dark Lord 1992, they had an on-and-off relationship with their fanbase. A career haunted by issues and hiatus after hiatus that nonetheless allowed them to produce some 10 full-length records. Rapture, their last confirmed … [...] Click to raid more!

Jade – Mysteries of a Flowery Dream (2025) – Review

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Jade - Mysteries of a Flowery Dream - Album Cover

Something doesn’t make sense here. The title of Jade‘s latest piece – Mysteries of a Flowery Dream – just doesn’t sync with the primeval monster roaming a dystopian landscape on display. There ain’t nothing flowery here, no sense of relief. Instead, it talks about tribulation and fear. A tale akin to Lovecraftian nightmares and hints of Bloch’s De Vermis Mysteriis. Of proto-plasmic horrors still to come to this earth and harrow mankind.

Well, doesn’t that just sound like the present-day times on full display? A period full of uncertainties driven by dark forces, with a dead compass leading … [...] Click to raid more!

Alukta – Merok (2025) – Review

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Alukta - Merok - Album Cover

Ah, yes. French Black Metal is on the menu again. And frankly, the RMR crew has a sweet spot for these folks. Bands like Seth or Corpus Diavolis dazzled us to no end and garnered raving reviews with access to our latest Top 10 to boot. Looks like the French unconsecrated grounds are fertile soil for those devilish shenanigans.

Then, someone opined that Alukta here move down the ritualistic lane. And that stopped the old geezers of the review desk cold in their tracks. French Black Metal with a ritualistic twist? Something like the terrible Darkend? No, it’s something … [...] Click to raid more!