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Album Review: Dungeon Serpent – Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms

Reviewed by Sam Jones

When I saw Dungeon Serpent would release their next album come October 30th, I was ecstatic. World Of Sorrows, released back in 2021, was one of my top releases that year and is one I regularly return to. Dungeon Serpent, formed in 2018 originally as Necrotizing Fasciitis, changed their name to what it is now the following year, out of Vancouver, Canada. With Arawn leading the charge with the guitars, vocals and bass on the first record, Dungeon Serpent was primarily a one-man band but with taking on a drummer, the band have become officially a two-piece. With the inclusion of keyboards I’m curious what this album will throw out, especially since Dungeon Serpent have gone from an independent act to being signed onto none other than Profound Lore Records. It’s a hell of a step up and I couldn’t be prouder for Dungeon Serpent. This is Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms, out October 30th.

It speaks volumes how Dungeon Serpent don’t plunge you headfirst into some frenzied whirlwind; the first track is surprisingly atmospheric and yet one could deem them a predominantly-atmospheric band. The band exhibits this melodic stance flowing through every aspect of their songwriting, whether that be in riffs, track development, drums, aesthetic. Though you’ve got an idea as per what the track in question is resonating with, there’s a guarantee Dungeon Serpent will insert something you weren’t expecting by the end. Aside from one vocal cry, the entire opening track is instrumental, and doing so marks a stellar introductory for those likely new to Dungeon Serpent. That melodic quality sees the track thrown into a river, meandering, churning, rising and falling, making for a supremely engaging listen because it never sits still.

The way Dungeon Serpent can go from conventional riffs and songwriting, building and building, until a track’s climax becomes borderline megalithic, should be studied. They manage to infuse their sound with extraordinary presence without needing to go full bore at every moment, that’s a difficult feat to pull off. It’s why I kept returning to their last release, they keep finding ways of building upon what they’ve just demonstrated and take you to grander heights. The writing in Dungeon Serpent’s music is just stellar as it’s impossibly nail down and is forever moving in some ascertained direction; what direction that is you won’t know until you’ve reached its end but upon doing so you’ll look back and recognise what an incredible journey it was. That’s why a song by Dungeon Serpent doesn’t feel like just another song, it’s a genuine experience the band wished to share with you.

If my memory serves me correctly these are certainly harsher vocals than we’ve seen before from the band. The familiar growls are here in plenitude but to minimise the impact rendered by the shrieking delivery would be folly. The more extreme vocal performance imbues the record with a substantially greater blackened quality than Dungeon Serpent have hitherto showcased; the record thereby sees the band delve into darker, twisted corridors of laceration though not forgetting the melodic, sojourning quality that made their debut release so formidable. In addition the harsher vocals don’t feel out of place either given the songwriting is leaning towards that icier, piercing effect this time round.

I adore Dungeon Serpent nonchalantly releasing tracks pushing ten minutes and above. This is a record of long songs, where you can be hit by a few six minute pieces before followed by an eight-minute and then they top that with an eleven-minute piece, and it never feels over the top. People familiar with Dungeon Serpent beforehand will meet these tracks with complete ease, and with faith in the band’s ability to carry them from start to finish. You’ll pick up on how the band, once momentum is achieved, they never outright stop or even slow down. Take that eleven-minute piece, any other band you’d feel the passage of time but here? That time races by because the band are always throwing something at you from every angle under the sun making the time you’re investing actually worthwhile. Many of Dungeon Serpent’s climaxes are some of the most rewarding I’ve experienced in years. Then you throw in the keyboards newly introduced to Dungeon Serpent’s arsenal and it provides a much more ethereal quality than the band have previously wielded.

In conclusion, Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms sees Dungeon Serpent depart on wildly new roads whilst still retaining their established melodic sound and approach to songwriting. I’ve thrilled to say the band haven’t simply recorded World Of Sorrows 2.0 and called it a day, this is a legitimately different album which only makes me curious and excited for what they do for a third studio album. With six tracks included you can hear how each song bleeds into the next as instrumentation doesn’t merely cut off when a track finishes but becomes the beginning of the next. I love records like these because the performance feels so much more organic and naturalised to how the band may sound and feel in a live setting too. They’ve gone down more blackened territory this time but it never feels like black metal is some distinct part of their identity because melody, songwriting, that unceasing flow of music, they are core elements to Dungeon Serpent’s sound. Profound Lore Records have struck gold with the signing of Dungeon Serpent and there’s no doubt this record will see a new plethora of fans come over to their side.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Album Review: Dungeon Serpent – Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

In wake of their upcoming album release Deathbringer, due out on November 13th, Iron Savior offer in listening the third advance single “Climbing Higher”.
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Posted on October 23rd 2026, 11:42am

This November and December, death metal masters Vomitory will be touring Asia for two weeks. Flyer with the majority of confirmed dates and venues is available below.
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Swedish hard rock newcomers Wasted Wizards have released the official music video for ‘WTF‘, a track taken from their debut EP ‘Wake Up Dead‘, which was released on October 16th. Listen to the ‘Wake Up Dead‘ EP – here Following the release of their debut EP last week, the young Swedish quartet keep the momentum […]

The post Wasted Wizards Unleash Official Video For ‘WTF’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

The last time MetalTalk spoke to Zorn, mastermind behind the Swedish Symphonic Black Metal quartet Zornheym, was back in 2017, shortly after the release of their groundbreaking debut album Where Hatred Dwells And Darkness Reigns. This was not just a concept album but something that encompassed, in real terms, the whole band as part of that concept from both an audio and visual perspective. So I thought it was about time, given they have just released their third full-length album, Descending Into Madness, a prequel looking into the dark and mysterious earlier history of the Zornheim asylum, that I caught up with him again.

While The Zornheim Sleep Experiment expanded the use of choirs, Descending Into Madness continues to expand not just the choirs but the symphonics and sheer complexity of the compositions. “We’ve worked really hard on developing our sound,” Zorn says, “both when it comes to the choirs and the symphonic elements. Scucca and I have really pushed ourselves to make the orchestral arrangements more interesting to listen to. The strings are not just playing long legato notes in the background. There is a lot of movement and intricate things happening there.

“The choirs have also developed a lot. On this album, they’re not only backing Bendler, but also play a crucial part in telling the story.

“On top of all that, we’ve mixed the album to be very vocal, guitar and drum-heavy. The guitars are like this massive train driving the songs forward, while the orchestral arrangements fill the spaces in between with melodies and create that cinematic magic. I think we’ve found a really good balance between all these elements on this album.”

For Zorn, it has been pretty challenging to get fans, labels and media to fully grasp the concept and the complexity of Zornheym. “It’s pretty hard to promote,” he says, “especially since a lot of people today listen to singles rather than full albums, while what we do is very much built around the bigger picture.

“The traditional music video format has also become less important, while we’re basically doing the complete opposite. We make short films with huge productions, not because we expect to make the money back from them, but because they allow us to expand the storytelling and bring the world of Zornheim to life.

“We’ve also released two graphic novels, and soon we will release our first novel, The Zornheim Archives, which ties the stories of all three albums together.”

The challenge is funding productions on the scale the band want, while still being a relatively small band. “But we’ve always kept pushing, finding ways to make things happen and believing in what we do. It feels like people are finally starting to understand the bigger picture, and all that hard work is starting to pay off.”

For me, the adaptation and inclusion of Chopin’s Marche Funèbre on the track Funeral March is something I loved. I wondered if Zorn had any specific favourite classical composers that inspire the symphonic side of the Zornheym sound.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for Bach,” he says, “but I’m also into a lot of Beethoven’s work. Other than that, movie soundtracks by Hans Zimmer, John Williams and Danny Elfman always hit the spot. Trevor Jones is another great one.

“When it comes to Chopin’s Marche Funèbre, it has been with me since childhood. It was always the piece they played in old Disney cartoons when someone died, and my friends and I even started singing it when we were playing with action figures and one of the characters died.

“So for me, it has always been strongly connected with death and funerals. When I knew we were going to have a funeral procession on this album, using that melody just felt like the most natural thing in the world.

“It had basically been sitting somewhere in the back of my head since I was a kid, waiting for the right moment to end up in a Zornheym song.”

Released on 2 October, there was a pre-listening session of Descending Into Madness with the choir and some selected members of the band’s Patreon community. “That was basically the first time anyone outside the band got to hear the album,” Zorn says. “We stopped after each track, and I told them a little about the concept and what was happening in the story at that point.

“They were all really touched by the album and felt that we had created something special, and that feeling has stayed with us since then. The reviews have been extremely positive, and the reactions from the fans, who matter the most to us, have been insanely good.

“We in the band feel that this is our strongest album to date and that we really took a big leap forward with this one.”

Descending Into Madness continues their band’s concept of the dark story surrounding the asylum Zornheim, its inmates and their doctors, where it is never quite clear who is truly insane.

The last time we spoke, Zorn said he had ideas for at least another 4-6 albums.  I wondered if he felt that was still achievable and if the theme would remain within the asylum and its immediate area, or might he look further afield for inspiration.

“I’ve left a couple of threads in the novel that we can explore further in the future,” he says. “We’re also starting to explore the nearby village and some of the characters who live there, both on the album and in the novel. I think there are plenty of different paths for us to wander down within the Zornheim universe.”

Zorn is interested in writing more books too. “Writing The Zornheim Archives and getting the chance to really dive into the concept and expand the world was incredibly rewarding. At the beginning of this album, we basically just had a document where all the different characters were written down.

“When I sat down and started expanding on them, the idea of turning it into a book came naturally. From there, I ended up working on it every week for three or four months.

“I definitely think there are many more stories to tell, and they do not necessarily all have to take place within the walls of the asylum.”

The good news is there will be a tour, with the band working with a new manager and a new booking agency. “Basically, the whole team behind the scenes has changed,” Zorn says. “We now have people around us who really see the potential in Zornheym and have the right connections and resources to help us take the next step.

“So far, we only have a few one-off shows announced, but the future is looking bright for Zornheym. I really hope you will get to see us on bigger stages, where we can bring the full Zornheym production with actors and everything that comes with it.

“We want our shows to be a real spectacle and an experience, not just four guys standing on a stage playing the songs”

There will be logistical challenges as the Zornheym sound and strong visual concept become more complex. The second show with actors was in Linköping, where the band’s headquarters are located. “That made the whole process a lot easier from a logistical point of view,” Zorn says.

Stage props included a coffin and a miniature version of Gallows Oak, along with other things to bring the story to life. Three actors were on stage, and Bendler wore several different outfits throughout the show.

“This is something we really want to expand on in the future,” Zorn says, “making the live experience even more theatrical and immersive. Of course, the bigger the production gets, the more complicated everything becomes, especially when it comes to transportation, setting up the stage and coordinating everyone involved.

“I guess we’re just getting started with the logistical nightmares [laughs].”

Nine years on, Zorn is amazed by what the band has created together and how many people around them have been willing to help along the way. “I genuinely think we’ve achieved something great musically,” he says, “and now I want to bring that same level of ambition to our live shows, with the kind of massive production that I really believe our music deserves.

“I also think the whole Zornheim concept has so much potential beyond the music. The universe we’ve created is big enough to be developed into TV series, movies, board games and role-playing games. There are so many stories left to tell and so many different directions we could take.

“What we really need now is the financial backing and the right people around us to help take everything to the next level. I definitely don’t feel like we’ve reached our full potential yet. In many ways, I feel like we’re just getting started.”

Descending Into Madness is out now. I do love a good concept album, and this is up there with the very best. The ongoing storyline is utterly compelling and, musically and compositionally, this is undeniably Zornheym’s most ambitious release to date.

As Zorn says, “Remember, WE ARE THE INMATES.”

You can find everything about the band at Zornheym.com. You can support the band on Patreon here and have the chance to own an exclusive prototype of the forthcoming official Zornheym leather jacket.

Zornheym released Descending Into Madness on 2 October 2026 via Nobel Demon. It will be available in a variety of exclusive formats, including coloured marbled vinyl, a limited Collector’s Edition CD, a Digipak, and an A5 book. For more details, visit music.nobledemon.com/madness.

Zorn – A Drunk Malmsteen Jerking Off To Fantasy Metal | The MetalTalk Lowdown – You can find Zorn on the MetalTalk Lowdown here.

Zorn – A Drunk Malmsteen Jerking Off To Fantasy Metal | The MetalTalk Lowdown

The post Zornheym: Zorn Reveals The Dark World Behind Descending Into Madness first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

Album Review: Cradle of Filth – Dusk… and Her Embrace [30th Anniversary]

Reviewed by Dan Barnes

This year sees the thirtieth anniversary of Cradle of Filth’s sophomore album and their Music for Nations’ major label debut, Dusk… and Her Embrace. Having already released the EP V Empire, or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein in 1996, Cradle’s second full-length embraced the vast, cinematic feel of the EP before turning everything up to eleven.

The 1996 version of Dusk… isn’t the first, with an earlier rendering of these tracks recorded for Cacophonous Records by the Cradle line-up responsible for The Principle of Evil Made Flesh debut and eventually released in 2015 suffixed with the title ‘The Original Sin’.

Dayal Patterson, in his book Black Metal: Evolution of a Cult (Port Townsend: Feral House, 2013), believes Dusk… is quintessentially an English gothic vampire themed record, as opposed to the overt-Satanism of Principal… through the grandiose symphonic aesthetic and lyrical theatrics. Further to this, Gavin Baddeley, writing in the thoroughly encyclopaedic The Gospel of Filth (Godalming: FAB Press, 2009) states “true Gothic is centrally concerned with the lost, the neglected, the forbidden, and condemned” (page 142)

It is this notion of the Gothic that is most brought to mind by the synth-driven scene-setting introduction, Humana inspired to Nightmare, including an ominous tolling bell that no self-respecting horror outing could do without. Used by the band as the show opener at Damnation 2024 for their Old School Ritual set, it is swiftly followed by the fire and flames of Heaven Torn Asunder’s slow, measured beginning and Dani’s introductory screams. Alternating between the blistering and a classic metal feel, this one is understandably still a staple of the band’s live shows to this day.

Whirlwind guitars from the late Stuart Anstis dominate the start of Funeral in Carpathia, as does Damien Gregori’s epic and atmospheric keys, which give a gothic dirge; the recently resurrected A Gothic Romance (Red Roses for the Devil’s Whore) has been finding it’s way into the live set of late, complete with a horn section and a plethora of styles and tempos, this is Cradle of Filth firing on all cylinders. Other live favourite, Malice Through the Looking Glass, comes with a statement opening and a grandly ominous atmosphere, with Dani presenting at his most diabolically seductive. The title-track is full-blooded Cradle, with the angelic voice of the incomparable Sarah Jezebel Deva proving she’s the perfect fit for the band’s aesthetic.

The Graveyard by Moonlight is an atmospheric instrumental, complete with choral accompaniment; Beauty Slept in Sodom feels less adventurous than some others on the record, but it is still worthy of the time, and closing tune, Haunted Shores holds even greater poignancy as its speed metal delivery has Dani at full throttle and features an additional vocal by the late Cronos.

The rhythm section of Robin Graves and drummer, Nick Barker, keep everything ticking along nicely and anchor the madness to the dark ground.

There’s nothing particularly new with this anniversary release, no remaster or bonus tracks, though a coffin-shaped 2 CD boxset will include additional tunes Carmilla’s Masque, a beautifully rousing three-minute instrumental which will also be available as a limited edition numbered 12” backed with The Graveyard by Moonlight; the other bonus track is the cover of Slayer’s Hell Awaits. Both these have previously only been available on the 2002 compilation Lovecraft & Witch Hearts, and as bonus track on Dusk…’s Japanese version.

Music for Nations are offering a range of vinyl options for the discerning Cradle fan, with black, white, transparent green, splatter and picture disc, as well as a liquid vinyl limited to just one-hundred copies. And, if you’re that way out, there’s a standard CD version too.

Dusk… and Her Embrace was the first of the mighty trilogy of albums that continued with Cruelty and the Beast and concluded with the imperious Midian; Cradle of Filth have been great since: Hammer of the Witches and Cryptoriana (The Seductiveness of Decay) proves the band still have the creative chops, but it was these pre-millennial platters that truly defined the band as, to borrow from Lady Caroline Lamb’s comment of Lord Byron, “mad, bad and dangerous to know.”

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Album Review: Cradle of Filth – Dusk… and Her Embrace [30th Anniversary] appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

sugarpine, the new band from PVRIS’ Brian MacDonald and friend Sam Carpenter, have shared their debut track, and it is perfect for the changing of the seasons.

The band itself has been years in the making, with the two bonding as far back as sixth grade. One element of their friendship that shines the brightest is their shared love for their home state of New Hampshire, something that comes across in abundance in the music that they are now releasing together.

And that’s how we arrive at ‘Leaves’, a gorgeously sepia-toned and wonderfully nostalgic piece of Autumnal storytelling. There is a comfort to the simplicity and openness of the track, a blend of indie-rock rhythm and emo sentimentality, that sticks with you throughout its runtime, leaving you feeling connected to the landscapes described even if you have never visited them. That’s the magic of music, and for the duo to conjure it so instantly is triumph in itself.

The band had this to say about it:

“LEAVES was the first song and creative idea that we had as a duo. The song explores the concepts of moving through the world of New Hampshire, the state where we were raised, and what it’s like to either stay or go. New England, there is a common saying that even if you move away, you’ll come back. For those of us raised in New Hampshire specifically, this saying rings loudly throughout our whole lives.”

The post sugarpine Share Brisk Debut Track ‘LEAVES’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

Less than a month prior the release of their new full-length effort Graceless, deathcore bringers Suicide Silence have launched a Jerry Castanon-produced official video for the new track called “Reminders Of Hell”.
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Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist and driving musical force behind Black Sabbath’s garlanded career, releases his brand new album ‘From The Dark‘ today. Featuring vocalist Jorn Lande, who shares writing credits on all songs, as well as bassist Becky Baldwin and drummer Karl Brazil, it was co-produced by Tony and Mike Exeter, his long-time creative […]

The post Tony Iommi’s New Album Out Now + Video For ‘Over The Violent Sun’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.