Utopia Platafórmica

  ANZV – "KUR" (2025) A Second Chapter Written in Fire and Forgotten Tongues In the ever-growing landscape of Portuguese extreme music, where sincerity and savagery walk side by side, few names have risen as ominously, and as elegantly, as ANZV. With their second full-length record, "KUR", the band offers not merely a continuation of their artistic path, but a deepening, a reckoning, an excavation of something older, darker, and wiser than modern Metal dares to be. From the first moment, "KUR" feels heavy not only in sound, but in purpose. It is clear that ANZV is engaged in an act of evocation. The title itself, a reference to the lion-headed eagle of Sumerian-Akkadian mythology, sets the tone: this is myth made flesh, ritual made music, and Black Metal made sacred again. In an era where extreme Metal is often consumed by production tricks or genre-pure obsessions, "KUR" rejects such conveniences. It is not interested in genre debates. It is...

  Tiamat "Clouds" (Century Media, 1992) When Death Metal Dreamed in Grey   In 1992, as Swedish Death Metal reached peak aggression in the hands of Entombed and Dismember, another band emerged from the shadows with a different vision. With "Clouds", Tiamat stepped away from the rawness of their early death/Black Metal roots and unveiled something hauntingly elegant, a record that whispered and wept as much as it roared.  This was not a betrayal of heaviness. It was an evolution. And Clouds stands as one of the first, finest blueprints for what would become gothic Death Metal, even as it preserved the brutality of its origins. Tiamat began as a straightforward Death Metal outfit (then under the name Treblinka), steeped in the same feral spirit that animated the early Swedish scene. But "Clouds", their third full-length album, saw the band abandon the dungeons of Death Metal orthodoxy and reach for something more existential, melancholic, and atmosphe...

  From Frost to Flame  The Swedish Death Metal Renaissance of the 1990s   The 1990s marked a critical shift in the global metal landscape. While Death Metal was exploding in Florida’s swamps and being summoned from the depths of Birmingham and Stockholm, Sweden carved out its own sonic revolution. But unlike its American counterpart — often fixated on gore, brutality, and speed — the Swedish scene channelled something more nuanced: atmosphere, melody, and mythology. This wasn’t just Death Metal. This was Swedish Death Metal, and it birthed some of the most enduring and influential records the genre would ever know. Among the forerunners were At the Gates, In Flames, Unleashed, and Dark Tranquillity, each offering a distinct branch of the same gnarled tree yet collectively shaping a movement that would echo into generations. At the Gates – “The Red in the Sky Is Ours” (1992) Brutal. Dissonant. Visionary. At the Gates’ debut was less a collection of songs than a spr...

Thronum Vrondor – "Drowning in the Distorted Light"  (Immortal Frost Productions, 2025) In the cold heart of Belgium's black metal underground, a storm has been silently brewing. With "Drowning in the Distorted Light", Thronum Vrondor — a name that already breathes with ominous gravitas, erupts from the shadows with a record that is as atmospheric as it is ruthless, as melodic as it is punishing. Released through the consistently impressive Immortal Frost Productions, this album marks a colossal leap in the band’s evolution. A trio whose roots trace back to the mid-2000s, Thronum Vrondor balance the icy fury of second-wave black metal with a sharpened modern sensibility, sculpting songs that are both expansive and immediate. From the opening notes, the listener is hurled into a maelstrom of tremolo-picked riffs, thundering blast beats, and an enveloping wall of sound. The production is pristine yet raw, capturing the essential grit of the genre while allow...

  Fennlig & Poço Negro A Covenant of Shadows In a time when black metal so often veers toward either the sterile or the self-indulgent, the split between Fennlig and Poço Negro arrives like a dagger in the dark, uninvited, unrelenting, and unforgettable. It is not merely a shared release between two bands; it is a pact, an offering to the void, signed in smoke and sorrow. Here, in this communion of spirits, we witness two distinct flames dance within the same cavernous silence, one mournful and flickering, the other raging and unforgiving. Fennlig: Hymns of the Withering Light Fennlig opens the procession with music that feels less like sound and more like memory, the kind that haunts you in dreams and clings to the bone. Their side of the split plays like an elegy carved into frost. Clean guitar lines shimmer beneath a haze of distortion, drifting like candlelight across long-forgotten tombs. There’s a delicate melancholy in Fennlig’s vision, but it never descends into...

From Daylight to Superheaven A Name and Identity Shift Originally formed under the name Daylight, the band gained traction with their 2013 debut album “Jar”, a record soaked in distortion, melancholic melodies, and emotionally raw lyricism. However, due to legal reasons, they rebranded as Superheaven in 2014, a move that did little to deter their momentum. Instead, it marked a new chapter, solidifying their identity as torchbearers of a sound reminiscent of '90s icons like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Smashing Pumpkins. And imagine the weight on these lads' backs as they get this amazing - yet scary - label. How does one hold up to the standards? Good guess... "Ours Is Chrome": Grunge Revival with a Modern Edge With the release of "Ours Is Chrome" in 2015, Superheaven refined their sound, delivering a heavier and more atmospheric take on their signature style. Songs like "I've Been Bored" and "Next to Nothing" showcased a band ...

Narrow Head "Moments of Clarity": A Sonic Nostalgia Trip with a Modern Edge   By... Me!   Houston’s Narrow Head has been carving a name for itself in the ever-expanding world of heavy, melodic guitar music. “Moments of Clarity”, saw the band redefine its identity, balancing weighty grunge influences with an ethereal, shoegaze-inflected sensibility. If their previous efforts captured the raw, fuzz-drenched angst of ‘90s alternative, this album feels like a lucid dream, a space where heaviness and melody coexist in perfect harmony.   From the opening moments, it’s clear that “Moments of Clarity” is an evolution rather than a departure. The production is sharper, the songwriting more dynamic. The title track immediately sets the tone: thick, hazy guitars swirl around a melancholic vocal delivery, creating a sense of longing and euphoria all at once. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to stare out of a rain-streaked window, lost in thought.   Songs like “...

Lucifer’s Child Unleashes "The Illuminant" A New Chapter in Black Metal Darkness   Greek black metal force, Lucifer’s Child has returned from the shadows with their long-awaited third studio album, "The Illuminant". Released via Agonia Records, this new offering solidifies the band’s position in the extreme metal world, blending ritualistic intensity with melodic grandeur.  A Journey Through the Flames   It has been seven years since Lucifer’s Child last graced the scene with "The Order" (2018), an album that garnered praise for its unrelenting aggression and atmospheric depth. Now, with "The Illuminant" , the band takes another bold step forward. The album presents eight tracks of pure blackened majesty, invoking both chaos and transcendence.    Founding member George Emmanuel (ex-Rotting Christ) describes the record as an intense journey that blends the dark, the emotion, and the melody. The compositions reflect a mature, refined approach to bl...