After some much needed rest, for my damn sanity if nothing else, I returned to work this morning with some brand new plans for The Cult Archives. The first one being this what you are now reading what I wrote (to paraphrase the great Ernie Wise).

The fact is I receive a metric-fuck-ton (an official measurement, look it up) of albums and singles each week, and the truth of the matter is that I don’t have the time to review them all. After all, I am a one man operation, and no matter how dashingly handsome I am, I have neither the time, nor the patience, to do so.

So my genius plan? Each Friday going foward I shall put out this here list, letting you, my dearest reader, just what you can get yet grubby little mitts on. These will also be in no particular order, just how they reached my email.

Now, without further ado, here’s last weeks releases.

Out Now: Albums/EPs

Timeless Forms of Desolation by Horizon of Aeons

“This atmospheric ordeal offers majestic orchestral harmonies and alluring gloomy melodies that ascend from the solitude of Northern isolation. Album is layered with icy acoustic passages and infectiously enchanting choruses. Vocals range from clean delivery to screams loaded with emotion and bursts of deep growling. Songs stretch the boundaries of Gothic and Dark Metal with flirtation to Doom and Black Metal.”

Through Zero by Elder

“On Through Zero, the band channel these years of experience into what may be their most immediate and engaging record to date, while allowing seeds from outside the sphere of rock music to take root and bloom within their progressive framework. Listeners will find familiar elements of new textures, sequences, and sounds alongside Elder’s iconic take on heavy rock.”

Projections by Godthrymm

“With its expanded lineup, the album sees Godthrymm pushing their sound into new levels of depth, complexity, and dynamic range, while still retaining the colossal, emotionally charged heaviness that has defined the band’s identity since its inception. The result is a work that expands their sound further in both scope and cohesion – arguably their most layered, varied, complex, and aggressive release to date.”

Overwhelmed by Lufeh

“Across eight tracks, Overwhelmed moves between progressive rock, metal and fusion influences, mixing heavy riffs, melodic passages, double bass drumming and extended instrumental sections. The band describe the album as the result of years of work, maturity and finally recording in a studio tied to so many classic records.”

Entropi by Martre

“Martre is the one-man project of Danish artist Michael Andersen, and the new album “Entropi” released today, 31st of May, is the natural follow-up to the 2023 debut “Ofelia”, and “Hvor Lys Ej Når” from last year; style-wise we’re still on experimental ground, where raw and fierce black metal mixes just as naturally with atmospheric doom, as it does with grindcore and dissonant noise.”

Malummeh by Malummeh

“In its new era, Malummeh focuses on bringing the strongest elements of early 2000s metal into the present day while leaving behind the most worn-out clichés of that period. This is made possible through complete artistic independence: the band composes, records, and produces its music entirely on its own terms, maintaining a strong emphasis on musicianship and a direct yet emotionally varied style of expression.”

The Festering Triad by Graveir

“Born in the heat and shadows of the Australian underground, in Brisbane in 2014, Graveir have carved out a stronghold for themselves in their homeland’s black metal scene. Bleak, violent and uncompromising, their music possesses a powerful individuality that sees them following their own path, lone wolves in a world of people searching frantically for a voice to tell them how to think and what to believe. After their powerful 2016 debut, Iconostasis and its critically acclaimed successor, King Of The Silent World, hailed as ‘captivatingly hypnotic’ by Metal Bite, Graveir are poised to unleash their third set of black prophecies – The Festering Triad.”

Karst by Tooms

“Hailing from Limerick in the west of Ireland, Tooms’ progressive sludge metal has been evolving into ever more astounding forms since 2017. Bassist Anto Donnellan, drummer Kieran Grace and guitarist/vocalist Alex Hölzinger had been working together for four years prior to that, under the name of Gaia, but it was with the first Tooms single, ‘Simon Ferocious’, that their creative endeavours really began to gather momentum. Debut album, The Orb Offers Massive Signals, was released in the summer of 2020 on Cursed Monk Records and was warmly received by critics, with Wonderbox Metal describing it as “an underground journey into sludgy heaviness and murky darkness”. Now the band are ready to reveal their second full length album – and while the weight and gloom remain prevalent, Karst shows Tooms spreading their wings and letting their collective imagination take flight.”

A Cold, Unyielding Universe by Voidmaker

“Across ten tracks, the album moves through blackened thrash, death metal and technical extreme metal, with fast riffing, progressive structures and a strong narrative pull. The record follows a journey into deep space, from the opening “Starfall” to the closing “Wormhole / Lightchaser”, using its cosmic setting to frame ideas of expansion, survival and the unknown.”

Singles

Ikigai by Memoira

“Memoira is known for its combination of symphonic metal and strong melodies, where a modern metal sound meets a cinematic and emotional expression. IKIGAI (Memories) continues the band’s line, offering both familiar and new oriental tones to the band’s sound.”

In Case of Emergency by Metalite

“Following the success of their previously released singles “Our Time Has Come” and “Starchild”, Metalite now unveils full details of the new record alongside the release of their brand new single In Case Of Emergency”

Deus Rex by Zornheim

“Following the first glimpse into the new chapter with “Somewhere Far Beyond”, the band now unveils a track that opens the album in a fast, heavy and cinematic way. “Deus Rex” serves as the prologue to the wider narrative of “Descending Into Madness” and dives deeper into the dark history of the Zornheim asylum universe.”

Monsters by V.B.O.

“V.B.O. look beyond the glamour and allure of the neon-lights in the new single release, “Monsters!”. Beneath the luxury façade, something sinister awaits in V.B.O.’s fusion of retro-futuristic synths and heavy music.”