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This is the second album from German doom metal band Fvneral Fvkk. Fvneral Fvkk’s 2019’s debut Carnal Confessions was one of that year’s unexpected highlights. So, when Indecent Idols appeared on the horizon, all manner of alarms were triggered. Expectations, shall we say, are sky high. Fvneral Fvkk deliver 42 minutes of new material, and it’s as … Continue reading “Fvneral Fvkk – Indecent Idols (Review)”

The group’s first album with vocalist Joel Heywood will arrive independently.

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And they’re back! The tiny one-man band (plus a few friends) I love, with the name I can never spell correctly. Soliloquium first darkened my iron doorstep with their 2018 sophomore outing Contemplations, impressing with a combination of early Katatonia-meets-Rapture that resulted in a nigh-irresistible melodoom sound. The brains behind the project is one Stefan Nordström, who handles vocals and guitars, and over the years he’s been aided and abetted by Jonas Bergkvist, who manned the bass. This is the first Soliloquium release without Bergkvist’s talents, and from what I can glean, Nordström brought in Henrik Ekholm (ex-Within the Fall) to play bass and Filipe Caeiro (ex-Steel Arctus) to man the kit. Staying true to the melodoom template heard on past albums, Upheaval finds Soliloquium expanding their sonic palette slightly, giving the material a deeper, more complex flavor. Soliloquium already released several gripping, mood-drenched albums that transport you to dark, melancholic headspaces, yet they still seem criminally underappreciated. Will their 6th full-length finally see them landing in more ears and on more wagging tongues?

Things kick off bigly with the 7 minutes of “Tightrope,” which is the near-perfect fusion of vintage Ghost Brigade with Viva Emptiness-era Katatonia sprinkled with bits of the almighty Rapture. It’s edgy and depressive, and heavy as hell thanks to the jangled, discordant riffs and booming death roars that fill the gaps between the melancholic trilling and weepy leads. The forlorn clean vocals (courtesy of Toni Hatakka of Hanging Garden) cut deep in a song filled to the brim with emotions. It’s a strong candidate for Song o’ the Year. “Contrarians” is nearly as good, finding the ideal balance of black, death, and melodoom sadboi sounds that tickle your negative emotions while still making you want to commit acts of random wiolence. There’s more Rapture in the DNA of the guitar work here, and that’s always a win, and the clean vocals (I assume from Stefan Nordström) are frail and a touch twee, but convey a sense of vulnerability and pain. The title track has a similar vibe to Deathwhite, rocking an extra bleak, joyless atmosphere. It’s particularly beautiful in its crippling despair as the guitar work holds you in a chilly thrall. It’s a haunting tune that will stick with you.

Unlike the last Soliloquium outing, Upheaval doesn’t lose steam on the back half. The album is consistent from start to finish with no tracks that feel like they could/should be cut. Later offering “Livsöden” is nearly 7 minutes and uses that time well to create a captivatingly atmospheric experience with plenty of twists and turns along the way. It’s one of those rare songs that gets better as it goes along, and by the end you’re left wanting MOAR. “Time Stands Still” captures the spirit and sound of Slumber’s highly underappreciated debut Fallout. It even has bits and pieces of the vintage Agalloch magic bubbling up at times. Perhaps some of that Slumber influence can be attributed to Jari Lindholm helming the mixing and mastering. As one of the folks behind Slumber as well as Enshine and Exgenesis, he knows his way around the melodoom sound better than most, and the production demonstrates that with a deep, satisfying mix. At a tight 44 minutes, there isn’t much bloat to Upheaval, even though 2 tracks exceed the 7-minute mark.

I can’t give Stefan Nordström enough credit. His death roars and blackened shrieks are as good as ever, and his singing has improved quite a bit. His guitar work across the album is impressive and creates many emotive moments that resonate deeper with each spin. He utilizes every element of sadboi melodoom that I love and slathers everything in such a heavy coat of gloom that it almost feels like too much of a grim thing. Almost. Hired gun Filipe Caeiro does a fine job on drums, bringing enough pop and propulsion to keep the listener awake, especially on the heavy, abrasive bits.

I had concerns after Famine that Soliloquium may have seen their best days, but Upheaval proves me dead wrong. This is a very good slice of melodoom that often borders on greatness. I may, in fact, come to realize that I underrated it in the fullness of time. That’s the joy of an album with real depth and layers. With winter just around the bend, Upheaval will make a spectacular companion on those snowbound days of frigid isolation. Learn to spell Soliloquium correctly and order this album.

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Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Meuse Music
Websites: deathdoom.com | soliloquium.bandcamp.com |facebook.com/soliloquiumband
Releases Worldwide: October 23rd, 2026

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Fan demand for this first hometown area show in years has been high.

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Today, Hypaethral Records is pleased to unveil a special reissue of Exordium, the debut full-length from Canadian black metallers SCALDING, on limited edition CD and vinyl.

Founded in 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, SCALDING emerged with a singular purpose: to push black metal’s second-wave tradition toward harsher, heavier, and more expansive territory. Rooted in classic Scandinavian black metal but drawing equally from death metal, crust, and traditional heavy metal, the band has quickly established itself as one of Western Canada’s most compelling extreme metal acts.

SCALDING’s sound thrives in contrast: violent without becoming one-dimensional, atmospheric without sacrificing immediacy, and melodic without losing its bite. Furious passages of blackened aggression break open into moments of towering harmony and anthemic release, creating music that honors black metal’s foundations while refusing to remain bound by them.

That approach has earned the band opportunities to share the stage with many acclaimed heavy acts including Uada, Rotting Christ, Antichrist Siege Machine, Abbath, and Pig Destroyer, steadily building a reputation for delivering the same intensity live that defines their recordings.

Originally released in 2022 digitally, SCALDING’s debut full-length Exordium introduced the band’s vision in full: an uncompromising statement of intent that fused second-wave ferocity with a broader palette of aggression, atmosphere, and melody. Now returning on LP and CD through Hypaethral Records, Exordium stands as both the foundation of the band’s identity and the opening chapter of a rapidly evolving trajectory. The reissue also includes the band’s Skull Collapse EP.

Comments guitarist/vocalist SM, “Re-releasing Exordium brings back a lot of memories for me. From writing these songs under lock down back in 2020, to playing our first shows in 2022, this was an incredibly exciting time for SCALDING. It felt like we truly created something special out of nothing, and people were taking notice right from the get-go. I’m honored to have Exordium released on vinyl for the first time, and with the Skull Collapse EP songs included on this release as well. This is the perfect encapsulation of SCALDING‘s first chapter.”

SCALDING‘s Exordium reissue is out now on CD (Ltd. 200 pro-pressed, 4-panel digipak) and vinyl (Ltd. 200 Graphite Vinyl, ECO).

Find physical orders at the Hypaethral webstore HERE and digital orders at Bandcamp HERE.

Exordium – Track Listing: 

1. Exordium

2. As Darkness Descends To Chaos

3. The Gate

4. Baku’s Realm

5. Exhaustion

6. Asunder

7. The Great Unknown

8. Back To The Grave

9. Skull Collapse

10. Exordium (Acoustic)

SCALDING:
SM – guitar, vocals
JD – drums
JM – bass, vocals
AS – lead guitar

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Source: EARSPLIT PR

Pop music has spent the better part of its existence trying to convince us that love can survive practically anything, including geographical separation, emotional catastrophe, and the spectacular stupidity of the people involved. Judging by the historical evidence, humanity remains remarkably enthusiastic about testing this theory, usually with disastrous results. Fortunately, a good guitar record can make the entire miserable enterprise seem worthwhile.

Reversed Chakra enter this great romantic wreckage with Stars Are Forever, the first single from their forthcoming debut album, Healing Heart Rehab, a title suggesting somebody has finally decided to establish a rehabilitation facility for hearts that have been put through the emotional equivalent of a demolition derby. Paul Reeve, who produced and co-wrote the track, joins an impressive production roster that includes John Fryer on mixing and co-production, with mastering handled by Marco Malavasi, Leonardo Martera, and Alan Douches.

The song recalls that glorious period of early 1990s college alternative radio when Interpol, Editors, Kings of Leon, The Killers, The Cure, Sigur Rós, and Bloc Party. could turn private uncertainty into something approaching communal revelation, and the guitars seemed permanently suspended between emotional exhaustion and the possibility of redemption. There’s also a kinship with TV on the Radio’s more expansive arrangements, particularly in the way independent musical elements can accumulate into a considerable psychological force.

Justin Brett’s vocals carry the material’s emotional argument, while Alice Bianconcini’s guitars provide the architecture through which all this romantic damage travels. Carlo Bellotti’s bass and Leo Martera’s drums establish the foundation, with synthesizers and piano contributed by Bianconcini, Bellotti, and Marco Malavasi. The combination suggests an interesting marriage of indie rock’s melodic directness, darkwave’s emotional gravity, post-rock’s expanding horizons, and shoegaze’s appetite for enormous walls of amplified feeling.

At its center lies an almost embarrassingly sincere proposition: that human connection might possess some permanent value, even when circumstances seem determined to reduce everything to rubble. Such convictions have launched a million terrible love songs, but they have also produced some of popular music’s finest moments. The difference usually comes down to whether the musicians have actually experienced the existential indignities they’re describing.

The accompanying video, a series of neon animations, extends these concerns into visual territory.  “This video is not simply a visual accompaniment to the song,” Charly explains. “It captures its emotional core and transforms it into images, atmosphere and movement. We wanted every frame to feel authentic and to draw the viewer deeper into the world of the music.”

Watch the video for Stars are Forever below:

For all its celestial imagery, Stars Are Forever concerns the decidedly earthly business of surviving emotional ruin without surrendering one’s capacity for attachment. Romantic permanence remains a wildly optimistic proposition, of course, but rock music would be considerably poorer without people foolish enough to believe in it.

Healing Heart Rehab, set for release in 2027. Pre-save/Pre-order here.

Follow Reversed Chakra:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Spotify

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