From debut Poppy.Computer to this year’s Empty Hands, here’s what you need to know about the discography of one of modern metal’s most unique creatives
Some splits feel like a handshake. Toward Dead Temples, the new release from Baltimore black metallers Nixil and Portland black/death quartet Drouth, feels like two fronts advancing on the same battlefield—separately aligned, equally intent on leveling what stands in front of them.
Nixil’s side moves with a suffocating sense of spiritual decay, rooted in confrontation—both ideological and internal. The band frames their contribution as an excavation of “the spiritual depth of death and isolation,” targeting what they describe as the “crumbling edifice of Christo-fascism” with a clear endgame: total eradication of the oppressor. That intent isn’t abstract. It’s embedded in the language, the pacing, the atmosphere.
“Never Rise Again” sets the tone with imagery that feels ritualistic in its destruction—“every shard a poisonous seed sown under the nailbeds of god”—until divinity itself is reduced to something brittle and failing. There’s a sense of design behind it, a slow and deliberate tearing down rather than blind fury. That approach carries through “Bloody Footprints on the Path of Bones,” which reads like a trial by ordeal—self-annihilation as transformation, pushing forward through fire, isolation, and will.
By the time “I Am Not Here” arrives, the collapse has turned inward. The self dissolves into absence—“a wandering ghost in living death,” untethered from both form and meaning. It’s here that the band’s stated shift toward “stranger, more unsettling discordance” becomes fully apparent—less about impact, more about something that seeps in and stays there.
Drouth approaches from a different axis—less concerned with dismantling belief from within than with erasing its structures entirely. Their two tracks, originally recorded during The Teeth of Time sessions, serve as a bridge between past and future iterations of the band, carrying forward their dense, blackened death metal weight while pushing into more expansive, disorienting territory.
“Cathartes Aura” operates on scale, its language sweeping and elemental. Fire dominates—purging, illuminating, consuming. “Burn the library of antiquity… set fire our ships in glory,” they declare, cutting ties with history in favor of something harsher and undefined. There’s grandeur here, but it’s scorched—triumph reframed as something already decaying.
That sense of instability deepens in “The Outer Church,” which abandons scale for confinement. The track unfolds like a maze with no center—corridors looping, space collapsing in on itself, orientation slipping with every step. The plea—“Will you not lower me the rope?”—lands with real desperation before the final image seals it: a curtain drawn back by something vast and unknowable.
Together, Toward Dead Temples settles into a shared language of collapse—of systems, of belief, of self. Nixil strips the structure down to its foundations; Drouth burns what remains and leaves the void exposed. Both arrive at the same endpoint, just from different directions.
For fans of the dissonant, forward-pushing edges of Blut Aus Nord, Altar of Plagues, and The Ruins of Beverast—with flashes of Ulcerate’s density and Spectral Wound’s sharpened aggression—Toward Dead Temples doesn’t offer catharsis. It removes the illusion that you were ever meant to find it.
Pre-order the release here through either Nixil or Drouth before it drops on Friday, and—until then—stream the full package below.
Heavy metal icons Judas Priest has announced that they will release a new compilation on June 19th, aptly titled, "The Best Of Judas Priest." The album will feature sixteen tracks taken from the beginning of their career up to their latest album, "Invincible Shield." "The Best Of Judas Priest" will be available on CD, colour vinyl and picture disc … Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com
Dave Mason, the UK musician best known for his time with the classic rock institution Traffic, has passed away. According to the social media announcement, Mason died peacefully in his sleep at home in Gardnerville, Nevada on Sunday. No cause of death has been reported. Mason was 79.
Traditional Noise will go down as one of the most staggeringly beautiful collections of music this year. The album, out today, is billed as April + VISTA’s full-length debut. But because the DC duo has been releasing music for close to a decade, it also works as a culmination of everything they’ve been building toward. These 11 tracks will reward the patience of those who’ve been keeping their ears to the ground. And for newcomers, it all adds up to a startling introduction.
Jonah Roth channels raw frustration and introspection on Not Your Friend, a gritty alt-rock cut that echoes a post-modern take on Nirvana-esque angst. Driven by distorted guitars and a restless energy, the track captures a sense of helplessness in the face of a chaotic world, turning that tension into something loud and cathartic. Roth’s delivery feels unfiltered and urgent, reinforcing the song’s emotional weight while keeping it grounded in melody. Striking a balance between vulnerability and defiance, Not Your Friend hits with a familiar ‘90s spirit while carving out its own contemporary edge.
Venom will celebrate the release of their new album Into Oblivion with a special in-store signing at Raven Records in Camden, London on 2 May 2026 at 1pm.
Fans can meet the band by preordering the album through Raven Records to gain priority access. The event marks the arrival of Venom’s sixteenth studio album, released via Noise/BMG on 1 May 2026.
Into Oblivion features the long-standing lineup of Cronos, Rage and Dante and delivers thirteen tracks of signature Venom sound, blending their classic ’80s Heavy Metal style with a more modern, progressive edge while retaining their raw intensity.
Formats include double vinyl editions, CD digisleeve and digital release. For further details and event information, visit Raven Records. You can pre-order the Into Oblivion album via Raven Records at ravenrecordshop.com/product/into-oblivion-preorder-2/
The Tubs! They’re one of the best bands going, and they just signed to one of the finest labels in indie rock. After two albums for the late, great Chicago institution Trouble In Mind, the London janglers have linked up with Merge Records. Along with the announcement, the Band To Watch alums are sharing a…
