Never Ending Bloodstorm MMXXIII
Philadelphia’s Devil Master’s roots in ritual magick have never been more prominent than on their sophomore album Ecstasies of Never Ending Night, released in April 2022 via Relapse Records. Recorded live to analog tape and blending blackened punk, death rock and Japanese-style hardcore, Ecstasies expands on the warped riffing and dark atmospheres that have already propelled Devil Master as one of the underground’s most unique and unfettered bands.
The path from Devil Master’s 2019 debut, Satan Spits on Children of Light, to Ecstasies of Never Ending Night was long and winding. Beyond the many challenges presented by the pandemic, the band experienced a mutual parting of ways with half of their previous lineup.
In the aftermath, vocalist Disembody Through Unparalleled Pleasure also assumed the role of bassist, strengthening the core songwriting trio alongside Darkest Prince and rhythm guitarist Infernal Moonlight Apparition. Fresh blood was found in drummer/keyboardist Festering Terror in Deepest Catacomb (a.k.a. Chris Ulsh of Power Trip and Iron Age).
Few artists in recent memory have swept through the dark underground with the excited fervour that Lamp of Murmuur has achieved since first appearing with a string of demos in 2019. With two albums already under his belt (the third one, Saturnian Bloodstorm, is set to be released on 26th March 2023 through Argento Records) M.’s explorations in black metal stray enough to keep his approach fresh and mysterious, without compromising the extreme core of the project.
Lamp of Murmuur’s new album is a statement of might and power, destroying all preconceptions the project had made in the past, while also serving to cement its position as a driving force in modern-day underground metal.
Blackened doom metal with (former) members of Spectre, Absolutus, Humanitas Error Est and Garden of Decay. Their music wanders between slow, deep and dark pulsations, melancholic melodies and fierce black metal riffs, while the lyrics deal with local legends and the struggles of existence. Founded in 2018, Bockreiter released their first demo in 2021 and their first full-length album is expected later this year.
