Top Ten Albums of 2025 / Rob "The Metal Guy" Awards

 

   Well everyone, 2025 was a totally nutty year with plenty of moments that made me just wanted to throw my hands up the in air and scream, "Get me the hell off of this crazy planet!" From the constant talk about AI taking over to my city becoming insanely overdeveloped to where every single piece of land is being used to build overpriced condos that like look something out of a George Orwell novel, 2025 really felt like massive pile of feces floating in a toilet. Luckily music seemed to be the best medicine, as there were some extremely strong releases that came out this year. Also, the future of the Bay Area underground metal scene looks very promising with bands like Cardinal, Bezaliel and Varulf leading the way. Plus, Sentient Ruin showed up by continuing to release more uncompromising extreme metal albums this year. Although I must give Hells Headbangers major credit for the work that they did this year whether it be new releases, or re-issues of extreme metal classics like the Goreaphobia picture disc. In the end, 2025 may not have been a cake walk of a year, but then again, when is life ever completely without chaos...Alright enough rambling like a washed-up pro-wrestler from the 80's doing a shoot interview, here are my top ten albums from 2025...

10. Gawthrop - “Kuboa”

This South Korean sludge act sure unleashed a gruesome sounding album with the release of “Kuboa.” Definitely could hear influences like Noothgrush and Grief which is probably what drew me to the album right away after hearing the first preview song. Glad to see Sentient Ruin was the label working with the band for the album’s release as Gawthrop perfectly compliments the label’s diabolical and unapologetic extreme ethos. There are plenty of agonizing slow crushing riffs throughout the album painting a bleak and dystopian landscape where piles of bones lay across a desolate wasteland. 

9. Prophetic Suffering - “Rivalry of Thyself” 

The bestial death metal horde from Canada known as Prophetic Suffering unleashed a sickening decibel defiling onslaught with the release of "Rivalry of Thyself." From start to finish this album was utterly devastating and featured some savage guitar work to go along with the cataclysmic drumming. These sadistic maniacs don't experiment or try to go off the extreme metal script, which is why the album comes across as an unforgivingly raw and brutal assault without any remorse. Definitely a band to keep an eye on if you are a fan of monstrous sounding death metal. 

8. Phantom - “Tyrants Wrath” 

The maniac thrashers from Mexico are an insanely relentless force and have gained a solid international following over the years. I personally really enjoyed their debut album, “Handed to Execution,” a lot when I first heard that album. “Tyrants of Wrath,” is another solid release that features more merciless old school speed/thrash riffs, but even has more classic melodic metal touches which draws influence from the NWOBHM and early 80’s speed metal. Still, they know how to bring the intensity when it comes to heavy sounding palm muted riffs that can conjure up a mosh pit within seconds. Plus, they seem to be working extremely hard as I see them constantly sharing videos of their wicked live shows. 

7. Perdition Temple "Malign Apotheosis"

The new album from Perdition Temple was definitely a strong extreme release to come out towards the end of this year. For their fifth full-length album the band yet again demonstrated their vicious talents by hammering out some juggernaut sized death metal riffs. The album really invokes that old school sound which is great given how modern death has really become sterile sounding and seems to have lost that pestilent vibe that you heard coming out in the late 80's and early 90's. Perdition Temple knows how to come up with vile sounding tracks like "Kingdoms of the Bloodstained" and "Death Insurrection" to give the listener a chaotically deafening listening experience. 

6. Moonlight Haze - “Beyond” 

The epic power metal outfit known as Moonlight Haze once again created a truly impressive release. I tend to be extremely picky with my power metal as I have found the sub-genre to be getting a bit gimmicky with too many bands starting to become very forgettable. However, Moonlight Haze knows how to construct these triumphant sounding compositions to grab your attention. Also, the band’s singer has an amazing voice along with a tremendous vocal range. In think if you are into power metal then Moonlight Haze is a band to be checking out and I hope they come to the US for a tour. 

5. Matt Lasserre - “Jungian House Dreams” 

The mastermind behind Pale Cremation never seems to slow down and continues to create some killer releases. His new solo album that came out this year was a bit of a departure from his more doom and hard rock past, but he still found a way to captive listeners with some really impressive prog rock/post-punk influenced compositions. “Jungian House Dreams,” contains some ethereal synth arrangements, which gives the release a very dreamlike quality. Matt recorded plenty of fascinating compositions on this album that mixed all these different types of musical influences of his to make a very creative release. Having known Matt since his days playing bass in the band Scrape the Earth, I've really come to respect how much work he has put in over the years recording new music and furthering to explore his various musical interests. 

4. Uranium - “Corrosion of Existence”

Probably one of the most insane and down right mind altering extreme albums to come out this year. The one-man blackened industrial act behind Uranium has been conjuring up some real radioactively decimating releases in recent years with this one being surrealistically brutal from start to finish. Uranium combines all the abhorrent musical elements together to offer listener's a glimpse into an apocalyptic nightmare where humanity has become devastated by nuclear destruction. Sentient Ruin also did a great job with the album's release by offering a cool vinyl variant as well as printing some badass shirts/hoodies/long sleeve shirts (Still some available on Sentient Ruin's website). 

3. Demonsmoke - “Resin Wrought” 

Demonsmoke’s second full-length album and the follow-up to their monumental 2017 debut album “Morphine Moonshine,”is without question one of the heaviest albums that came out this year. The band increases the vile sludge and doom dose to an even more diabolically sinister level with “Resin Wrought.” The riffs on this album are vicious while the vocals add a venomous touch of pure unapologetic disgust. Definitely draws influence from Southern sludge metal, but has such a profoundly dark doom vibe that hooks you from the first suffocatingly distorted riff. Also, shoutout to the artist who did the album cover as it perfectly compliments the band's primordial demonically doom like sound. 

2. Lathe of Heaven - “Aurora” 

Lathe of Heaven's sophomore full-length album "Aurora" had to be one of the album's I was most looking forward to in 2025. The band's debut album "Bound by Naked Skies" is one of my favorite albums to be released within the last few and I still listen to it quite frequently. "Aurora," is a tremendous follow-up that shows the band's growth as songwriters, as well as their ability to compose these haunting and fierce post-punk atmospheres. The lyrical content is inspired by science fiction along with other topics that are extremely relatable to the current state of our world. I personally think Gage Allison is one of the best singers currently in the world of rock/punk/metal music, and he always seems to delivers the lyrics with such profound conviction to where you remember every word. "Just Beyond the Reach of Light," is a powerful song that I would consider to be the best song off of the album. 

1. The Chameleons - “Arctic Moon” 

I can already hear the elitist extreme metal fans reading this number one pick and saying, "You're number one pick is yet again a non-metal band?!" Well in the end, I am unapologetic about what I enjoy and in my opinion the best album to come out in 2025 was The Chameleons "Arctic Moon." For those not familiar with The Chameleons, they are a tremendously talented post-punk/new wave act from the 80's that I strongly believe deserves more credit for their work. The band's first three albums are utterly phenomenal and even though they did not sell millions of records, I believe they have established a profoundly loyal cult following that deeply treasures the band's recordings. "Arctic Moon" is a bit of a comeback album since they had not put out a new album since 2001. Even after all those years of not making new material, the band did not seem to miss a beat as the new song's a truly astonishing. Reg Smithies is a brilliant guitarist who constructs these mesmerizing landscapes featuring some very tranquil sounding guitar compositions. The song on the album that steals the show is "David Bowie Takes my Hand," which contains some powerful lyrical moments along with these very inspiring dynamic arrangements. Even if you are not a fan of this style of music, I really do recommend checking this album out given how well music was recorded and how meaningful the lyrics come across. 

The Rob “The Metal Guy” Awards

EP of the Year: Samiarus “Reign Destroyer” 

Best Live Performance of the Year: The Chameleons in Roseville, CA

Most Brutal Album Cover of the Year: Demonsmoke “Resin Wrought”

Label of the Year: Hells Headbangers (The Goreaphobia picture disc turned out great! So glad I ordered it!). 

Up and Coming Artist of the Year: Cardinal (A black metal band that is extremely talented and hopefully working on a full-length album). 

Intercontinental Metal Champions: Empty Chalice (Created this new category for bands who come to the Bay Area from another country and put on a killer show, which Empty Chalice did on May 31st of this year). 

Biggest Douche of the Year: Sleep Token 

Ectovoid “In Unreality’s Coffin”

    The swirling and sonically devastating chaos from Ectovoid’s new album transports you into a nightmare world where you become completely overwhelmed by the unfathomable amounts of hideous brutality. Titled, “In Unreality’ Coffin,” the album is the band’s third full-length album to date with the last full-length album having been released in 2015. Even after some years of being dormant, the band reemerges with a confidently decimating extreme sounding creation. 

    when I first saw the promo and announcement for the upcoming album from Everlasting Spew Records, I thought the name Ectovoid sounded very familiar. Sure enough, I had reviewed a split that they had been a part of called, “4 Doors to Death," which came out in 2016 through Unspeakable Axe Records. I do remember the tracks that they contributed to the split were insanely savage offerings of sinister old school sounding death metal, so seeing them return with a full-length album goes to show how these musicians are still driven to unleash some catastrophic death metal upon the metal world. 

    “In Unreality’s Coffin,” is a proudly vicious and unfathomably deafening release from the very start until the gory end. Once this band gets locked in and starts laying down some juggernaut sized death metal riffs and pulverizing rhythms, the music comes rushing at you like an unspeakably grotesque entity from beyond looking to violently rip you apart. The album’s opening track, “Dissonance Corporeum,” starts with a bone crushing guitar riff followed-up by some bombastic drum parts to eventually welcome the utterly horrendous vocals. I knew right away that these musicians did not lose a step and have continued to craft a solid old school sound that does not fail to deliver a mighty dose of sadistic brutality. The singer’s growls hauntingly echo over the cataclysmic compositions to paint hellish landscape in the listener's mind.  

    The album’s second track, “Collapsing Spiritual Nebula," definitely invokes that soul crushing 90’s death metal sound and even conveys a savage Swedish death metal vibe at times. Throughout the song the band’s drummer unleashes a flurry of punishing beats to go along with the insidious sounding guitar work. One the third track, “Intrusive Illusions (Echoes from a Distant Planet),” the band does not deviate much from the first two songs and I would say that they maintain a consistent level of malevolence in terms of fiendish creativity. 

    Towards the middle of the album songs like, “Formless Seeking Form,” and “Irradiated Self,” feature even more abhorrently distorted aggression. The bass playing on, “Formless Seeking Form,” was extremely explosive sounding and reminded me of early Pestilence release where the bass injects an extra burst of low end hostility. Also, the band’s vocalist has one of the most vile sounding death growls around which I think is easily one of the album's strengths. 

    One track off of the album that really caught me by surprise was the instrumental track, “It is Without Shape.” During the track the band incorporates these cosmic atmospheric like touches as well as this extremely catchy and almost hypnotic sounding main guitar riff. For the last song on the album, “In Anguished Levitation,” I thought that the band added some more dynamic sounding arrangements and even slowed the tempo down at times to vividly emphasize certain riff sections. In terms of the production and how the riffs sounded throughout the album sounded, I do not believe fans will be disappointment because the music utterly destroys with a profane old school death metal edge. 

    In the end, Ectovoid maliciously tears through the starless void with the release of, “In Unreality’s Coffin,” to spread forth a sickening sound that pays homage to the mighty old school death metal masters, but also does not end up becoming yet another generic worship band to forget about after hearing just two songs. From the way the guitars and drums were recorded to how well the vocals came across over the mix, the band seemed extremely locked in when recording this album. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 10 years for them to record a follow-up album, because when a band has this level of inhumanely brutal talent, you really want them to keep the hammering out more cuts of death metal carnage. 

Check out the track "Collapsing Spiritual Nebula" below:

Link to where you can order the album from Everlasting Spew Records (Album comes out January 9th, 2026): 

https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/album/in-unrealitys-coffin 

Uranium “Corrosion of Existence”

    There are some bands that can easily write songs detailing the end of the world, although very few can mastermind a true nightmarish wasteland like Uranium. The one-man blackened industrial act has definitely captured my attention in the past with prior releases which featured some inhumanely insidious arrangements. This new offering titled, “Corrosion of Existence,” maintains an entropically surrealistic overall sound of sonic savagery and harrowing industrial noises, but pushes even further into the abysmal black void of humanity’s ultimate doom.  

    Teaming up once again with the mighty Sentient Ruin, a label known for promoting some of the most extremely unapologetic underground acts around, Uranium does not fail to deliver an album that compliments the label’s malevolent vision. Actually, I would say that Uranium is one of Sentient Ruin’s most diabolical and downright sadistic artistic visionaries, which is saying something as the label has put out a countless number of profoundly extreme sounding releases in the past. I would say that Uranium’s sound might be an acquired taste for some, but if anyone is looking of punishing industrial arrangements with bleak atmospheres clouded in the distorted ashes of nuclear fallout, then you will become instantly hooked by this latest release. 

    “Corrosion of Existence,” is an exploration into some utterly dark soundscapes and the opening track, “Bliss and Void,” marks the beginning of the aural annihilation. After hearing someone countdown as if getting ready to launch a nuclear missile to bring about apocalyptic destruction upon the world, you feel completely torn and twisted by all the dissonant sounds. Like with most industrial acts, the music creates a very harsh and sinisterly adrenaline pumping environment where one can become overwhelmed by the tsunami of agonizing noises. The vocals are completely grotesque which adds to the catastrophic mixture of vile distortion and frantic machine like sounds bursting through the storm of hellish noises. I thought the album’s second track, “Traffic Warden,” was more explosive, especially pertaining to the constant rush of tormenting aggression heard throughout the track which I would say is very similar to that of a band such as Godflesh. 

    There is no denying that Uranium is focused on creating these unconventional sounding landscapes where everything is in utter disarray, yet still manages to capture your attention in a hypnotically ruthless manner. “Descent Into Entropic Death,” contains some ear piercing sounds, while also throwing down plenty of monumental industrial rhythms. The overall composition with all these different abhorrent sounds thrown together achieves a very horrifying theme. Speaking of horrifying themes, “Concrete Tombs,” is probably the most effectively haunting and downright terrifying tracks off of the album. The atmosphere literally is void of all light as you begin to see miles of endless destruction and mounds of rubble from all the unspeakable devastation. I thought that the album could have ended right there, but Uranium decided to pile on more profoundly extreme arrangements with the final song, “Corrosion of Existence.” The song is appropriately title because you find your sanity begin to slip away as the music violently transitions from one suffocating direction to the next. 

    Uranium is an act that people can try and compared to other past extreme industrial and blackened death noises acts from all around the world, however, I would say that Uranium has definitely solidified their own unapologetically decimating artistic persona, especially on this new release. “Corrosion of Existence,” serves as another surrealistic exploration into the atrocities that shall befall humanity if we become victim to nuclear armageddon, which is why I would recommend checking out this album out if you are interested in such a serious and consequential topic. Musically, the album's overall sound is such that you'll either find it to be vividly enthralling, or sadistically overwhelming to the ears. Either way, I guarantee it will leave an impact on you, which seems to happen with a lot of artists on Sentient Ruin. 

Check out the track "Descent Into Entropic Death" below:

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/corrosion-of-existence

The Chameleons “Arctic Moon”

    When people think of the 80's new wave and post-punk music scene, there are definitely certain bands that seem to get a majority of attention, which is unfortunate because there are a significant amount of underrated acts that deserve some much more credit. In the case of The Chameleons, they are an enigmatic gem in the world of music that may not get the some amount of recognition as their fellow post-punk/new wave contemporaries, however, their profound songwriter skills along with their captivating musicianship has established them as an everlasting presence amongst those who hold them in high regard. 

    The Chameleons return after not having put out a full-length album since their 2001 release, “Why Call It Anything,” with one extremely deeply inspiring new album titled, “Arctic Moon.” Even though this is only the band’s fifth full-length album to date, their first three albums released in the 80’s remain some of the most well recorded and timeless albums from that period with my favorite being, "Strange Times." It comes with no surprise that this band does not comprise their artist values, or drastically deviates from their musical ethos on, “Arctic Moon.” Once again, Vox’s lyrics are very powerful and his ability to write such vivid self-reflective songs strongly resonates with the fans. The band’s sound is extremely welcoming, while also creating a sense of caution as society drifts into a very entropic future. 

    The first song on the album, “Where Are You?,” is a brilliant opening track featuring a vibrant sounding opening riff to welcome the listener into this euphorically sonic wonderland. Also, I really enjoyed hearing the full chords used throughout the track which injects into the band’s sound a mighty burst of radiant energy. The second song on the album, “Lady Strange,” is a very calming and catchy tune with more warm sounding chord progressions to complement Vox’s comforting vocal delivery. Throughout the entire track I felt at peace as the song’s overall atmosphere is guided by a profound synergy. 

    One area of this album that I thought really stood out was the stellar production and orchestral arrangements. Pete Whitfield who is credited for the orchestral arrangements as well as performing on, “Feels Like the End of the World” and “David Bowie Takes My Hand,” provides an extra touch of brilliance two unbelievably moving tracks. “Feels Like the End of the World” begins as a very up beat sounding instrumental arrangement that eventually transitions into a more haunting direction towards the end of the song. Very similar to songs on the first three Chameleons albums, Reg Smithies dynamic style is able to pivot down a variety of musical path, thus offering listener’s a plethora of strikingly memorable and emotionally charged guitar parts. “Free Me,” and “Magnolia” are also two very creative pieces of music that once gain demonstrate the band’s tremendously tight songwriting skills. “Free Me,” has you hooked from the beginning of the track with its monumental acoustic chords which eventually grows into a phenomenal chorus section to lift you up. 

    The song thought that really steals the show and is probably the track that I would say represents this band’s undeniable prowess as songwriters is “David Bowie Takes My Hand.” Every single second of this song you are drawn into every sound and lyric, which is achieved by the exceptional production and inspiring instrumental arrangements. When you hear Vox sing the lyrics during the chorus section, one can vividly feel the raw emotional tone coming from his voice as you listen to each word over the epic instrumental arrangement. The final song on the album, “Saviors Are a Dangerous Thing,” was released as a single in May of this year, and really addresses a lot of what has been happening the world for years when pertaining to the idea of a leader coming and making grandiose promises. As I always say, never trust someone who comes up and says that they are here to help, especially if they drive a white van and are dressed up like a clown claiming to offer free candy. 

    Overall, The Chameleons “Arctic Moon” is an album that is desperately needing for 2025, but in the end can hopefully be a timeless inspiration for many years to come just like the band's other full-length albums. Compared to some old washed up mummified looking artists who write pretentious protest songs and sound like drunk constipated goats, The Chameleons genuine act that listeners can relate to with true appreciation and respect for their talents. I would highly recommend checking this album out, and if you have never heard of the Chameleons, then you shall hopefully become hooked after hearing this release which will then get you to listen to the band’s previous works. Even though the times right now feel chaotic and confusing, the music from The Chameleons can be a guiding light to lift one's self out of the murky suffocating darkness and into a state of much needed tranquility. 

Check out the music video for "Where Are You?" below via Metropolis Records: 

Lathe of Heaven “Aurora”

    In 2023 there was an album that came out which completely took me by surprise and without exaggeration would go on to be an album that I listen to rather frequently. The album that I am referring to is Lathe of Heaven’s debut album, “Bound by Naked Skies,” which is a truly brilliant sounding release containing some unbelievably profound lyrical content as well some utterly amazing post-punk/new wave arrangements. 

    When I first heard that Lathe of Heave was going to be releasing a follow-up album this year, I had mixed feelings about the announcement. As much as I welcomed the news, I could not ignore this slight hesitant feeling in regards to how the new release would be able to live up to the debut's profoundly captivating presence. Would Lathe of Heaven be able capture lightning in jar twice, or will it be a case of a band that completely deviates from what made them special on their first album? Well, after listening to the new album titled, “Aurora,” I can confidentiality say that Lathe of Heaven continues to present these captivating post-punk fueled songs with vivid lyrical vignettes inspired by science fiction literature and deep self-reflective themes that are drawn out from living in such an entropic world. 

    Although there are a lot of similarities between, “Bound By Naked Skies” and “Aurora,” I can definitely tell that the band pushed themselves in terms of the album’s production as well as how they went about trying to create some passionately reflective pieces of music. The opening song, “Exodus,” hooked me right away with the opening guitar arrangement having a very similar effect to that of music by The Chameleons. I can tell that Lathe of Heaven’s guitarist, Noel Mateus, sort of has a similar approach to crafting guitar parts like Reg Smithies from The Chameleons, especially when picking through these vibrant sounding chord progressions. On, “Exodus,” the band delivers a very classic post-punk sounding composition with a very catchy tempo driving the fearlessly song forward as Gage Allison’s vocals come gliding over the hypnotic sounding soundscape. The album’s second track and title track, “Aurora,” is a much more calming new wave/post-punk tale that talks about a dystopian world after nuclear fallout, yet also details the feelings of loss and affection. The song’s melodic tone matched with the bewitching tempo conjured up by the band’s drummer Stephen Reader, creates a comforting atmosphere to put your mind at ease. 

    Following, “Aurora,” the band goes from a more aggressive sounding style of song with, “Portrait of Scorched-Earth.” Inspired by the results of man's destructive tendencies and international conflict, the instrumental arrangement reminded me of songs from the debut album such as, “Inertia” and “The Breaking Strain.” Gage’s vocals become more fearsome as he shouts with unapologetic rage and the drums echo with a more thunderous sound. I think the track is a decent recording, however, the song is between two very exceptional tracks, with the following song, “Just Beyond the Reach of Light,” being my favorite song off of the album. In a way, “Just Beyond the Reach of Light,” sort of picks up where, “Aurora,” left off and really dives deep into the band’s versatile post-punk talents. Also, I think Gage’s vocals on “Just Beyond the Reach of Light,” were truly exceptional and you can vividly hear such genuine devotion to the topic he is singing about. Also, I thought the arrangement was one of their most dynamic and ambitious creations featuring some mesmerizing guitar parts. The album’s fourth song jumps more in a chaotic frenzy appropriately title, “Oblivion.” The bass lines Daniel Rojas lays down during the track are very impactful and compliment the frantic musical landscape which leaves one questioning their surroundings as they slowly begin to slip into the world without meaning. 

    For the second half of the album, the band offers even some more fascinating and eye opening tracks that I can see people who enjoy post-punk music/new wave really gravitating towards. “Kaleidoscope” is probably my second favorite song and after I listening to the track in my car driving around the day the album was released, I started to feel a very strong connection to this track. The song contains some powerful lyrics along with some very euphorically dreamy sounding instrumental parts. In addition to the calming post-punk style tracks, the band also returns with more Killing Joke-esque punchy pulsating rhythms on tracks like “Catatonia” and “Automation Bias.” I think “Automation Bias” is a strong thought provoking song which people can really relate to at this moment in time. I will admit that as much as I enjoyed the album’s final track, “Rorschach,” I do believe that the final song on their debut album, “Heralds of the Circuit-Born” was possibly one of the best ending tracks I have heard in a while. My reason for that last statement is that when you listen to, “Heralds of the Circuit-Born,” you become filled with all these different emotions and Gage’s voice provides a very comforting sendoff. Again, I have no issues with, “Rorschach,” and the song fits with the album’s magnetic post-punk energy. However, I do believe that, “Heralds of the Circuit-Born,” will forever be one of the most serene sounding conclusions to an album. 

    Now for those of you are regular readers of this blog, I would probably estimate that this is one of my longest reviews. Although that should be expected given how much respect and appreciation I have for Lathe of Heaven, especially when pertaining to their debut album. In the end, “Aurora,” did not disappointment in the least bit and once again proves that the members of this band are an undeniably talented and a extremely passionate. “Aurora” contains substance both musically and lyrically, and this group is extremely dedicated to their artistic vision. With all the insanity going on in the world, I have come to view Lathe of Heaven as an inspiration, and I do hope more people discover this band and become captivated by their music like I did when first hearing them. 

Check out the music video for "Aurora" below:

Lathe of Heaven Bandcamp:

https://latheofheaven.bandcamp.com/album/aurora

Concert Review: Cardinal, Phantasmal Abyss, Varulf at The Caravan Lounge

    Downtown San Jose was buzzing last night with all the people in attendance for GalaxyCon along with the massive swarm of mini motorcycle riders tearing down S Market Street as if they were trying to recreate a scene from the iconic 1953 movie The Wild One starring Marlon Brando. However, the premier event was taking place at The Caravan Lounge featuring three ruthless and profanely savage bands. The line-up consisted of Cardinal, Phantasmal Abyss and Varulf, three Bay Area underground bands that know how to deliver some punishing cuts of sadistic brutality. 

     I was definitely looking forward to seeing Cardinal again after attending the show they played in Belmont with the mighty Empty Chalice from Canada. Actually, Varulf also played that show and I do remember the band putting on one intense set. Last night would be my first time seeing Phantasmal Abyss live, however I had heard some of their tracks before and looked forwarded to watching them unleash their vicious style of blackened death thrash. In regards to the venue, The Caravan Lounge is without question an iconic dive bar in Downtown San Jose that has been putting on underground music shows for years, which is definitely important given the limited amount of places for metal/punk bands to play these days. I will say that in terms of space, there is not a lot of room to move around, but you do get to experience that very intimate setting where you can be right up front getting your ears decimated by some utterly decimating riffs. 

Varulf 

    Opening up the show was the local black metal horde Varulf, and I must say that they were an optimal choice for the opening act. The energy that Varulf is able to conjure up is truly amazing to witness as the band plays with tremendous aggression and undeniable passion. Their drummer is perfectly locked in when laying down a cataclysmic beat that allows for the bassist and two guitar players to then hammer out some utterly catastrophic riffs. The vocalist is another key factor in adding to the band’s hellish sound and just like when I saw them performing in Belmont, he once again gave every ounce of energy he could muster up and unleashed these monstrous growls of pure pestilent disgust over the blackened abysmal sounding onslaught. Varulf really got the crowd into their performance and because of that they perfectly set the tone for the rest of the night. 

Phantasmal Abyss 

    After Varulf finished their set to a thunderous applause from the audience, Phantasmal Abyss started getting prepared for their set. I have to say before I start talking about their performance, I was really impressed by their professionalism as the band had their merch laid out and seemed to offer people a variety of items including beer koozies and tote bags. This trio from the East Bay offers up some utterly crushing riffs and can then transition into a more headbanging blackened thrash style. The band’s singer/guitarist Dara Santhai would scream into the mic with a fearsome look on her face while she conjured up some devastating riffs. Bassist Rafael Martinez played with great passion throughout the their set and his bass tone added a bombastically doomy touch to the overall mix. Towards the end the band’s set they had to restart a song, but the audience seemed to be forgiving and the band was able to not let it slow their momentum down. Then again, some of the people in the audience probably didn’t even notice as they were three sheets to the wind with a couple of them drunkenly bumping into me throughout the band's set. I had to breathe and count to ten a few times otherwise I might have gone full Jim Cornette at the Dairy Queen drive-thru mad (If you do not get the reference I recommend searching on Youtube as the video is epic...). 

Cardinal 

    The final band performing for the evening was Cardinal and let me tell you something, if you are a fan of raw and savage black metal with haunting atmospheres, then you need to check this band out right away. Cardinal is not just another generic black metal band putting on the corpse paint and playing cheap ass sounding tremolo style picking riffs to an audience full of apathetic metal hipsters wearing artisan beanies. They have such a strong malevolent sounding energy, and their songs really do remind me of the music from European black metal acts like Abigor, Nokturnal Mortum and Emperor. During their set I did feel that the band was working with less space than the last time I saw them before in Belmont, but they were able to make it work to where there was enough room to fit the keyboard, amps and drum kit. The band’s keyboardist provided a captivatingly spectral contrast to the harshly distorted riffs and fiendish drumming. I like how the band arranges their songs as the dynamic compositions really do keep you fully engaged and can instantly transition from a very dark slow tempo to a more intense sounding burst of bestial destruction. The audience was really into their music as well and you had plenty of people in the front banging their heads to the sinister riffs. Overall, I thought they played a really solid set and I am looking forward to them making a full-length album. 

    In the end, all of those in attendance for this diabolical gathering were dealt a might dose of blackened brutality from all three of these talented bands. If you have a chance to see them live I would highly recommend going without any hesitation. And to all those drunk people who kept bumping into me, I hope that you made it home safe and did not get run over by a gang of mini motorcycle riders, nor were harassed by some furries from GalaxyCon. You may think that you’re tough and kvlt, but those furries in numbers can be extremely dangerous. 

Cardinal Bandcamp:

https://c666.bandcamp.com/album/demonstration-2025

Phantasmal Abyss Bandcamp:

https://phantasmalabyss.bandcamp.com/music

Varulf "Fresh Blades for an Old Enemy (Single) 2024"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzSDnIml9JI

Matt Lasserre “Jungian House Dream”

    The architect behind Pale Cremation, Matt Lasserre, invites listeners on a unforgettable dreamlike exploration through various post-punk/new wave, avant-garde and progressive rock arrangements on his solo release titled, “Jungian House Dream.” Once again, Matt demonstrates his diverse artistic mindset while traversing across these vivid sounding musical landscapes with such keen attention to detail. 

    Over the years that I have come to know Matt, I have witnessed him really expand upon his musical ideas with vigorous fascination, thus allowing him to compose some unbelievably creative sounding releases. “Jungian House Dream,” is definitely one of his most ambitious and out off this world creations to date, which is why I was instantly drawn to the release after hearing a preview track. The post-punk and new wave elements conjure up some very dreamy and space like atmospheres, while the progressive rock arrangements add a dynamic flare to the overall sound. 

    From the very start, the album dives deep into the world of dreams and human psyche with a strong emphasis on progressive rock ethos driving the creation of a lot of the instrumental arrangements. The opening song, “Love Pill Theme,” is very new wave sounding from the opening electronic noises to the mesmerizing layers of synth. Along with the synths Matt throws in some post-punk influenced guitar work, and the notes vividly ring out in such a hypnotic fashion. Compared to work in Pale Cremation, I felt as thought there was more emphasis was placed on the how he was able to bring together all these different sounding elements, especially since the music feels almost cinematic at times. The second track off of the album, “Couloirs De Terreur Et De Decadence,” continued to build-up the opening song's heavy synth emphasis, but also added some progressive/avant-garde rock guitar lead touches towards the end. 

    Of course, Matt does incorporate song heavier elements into the album and on the song, “Architectural Model of the Psyche,” he conjures up more of an old school Sabbath like sound, which I thought really stood out and happened to be one of my favorite pieces of music off of the album. The song’s main riff sounded truly monumental with its Iommi-esque sonically devastating sound that instantly captures your attention. On the song, “Visitation,” you can hear a more industrial/thrash metal edge featuring more adrenaline pumping distorted riffs of high octane aggression that slightly reminded me of Matt’s time in the band Scrape the Earth. Eventually the music mellows out and transitions into a more calming almost transcendental direction, which ties into the experimental synth arrangements that tend to be guiding the listener throughout the release at various points. 

    Throughout the album you are constantly enthralled by the various arrangements and different audio clips detailing human consciousness and the power of dreams.  “Jungian House Dream,” is an album that I find comes from years of unyielding passion and an individual’s desire to bring out musical concepts that they have fondly amassed over years of being a open minded artist. Matt really took his time crafting this album by making sure each guitar riff, bass line, and synth made a distinct impact, so in the end listeners can experience a release that does not sound like a lot of what you are hearing from the rock/metal world today. I would highly recommend people give this album a listen, especially if you are open to progressive rock music infused with some post-punk, synthwave, new/wave, as well as some metal touches from one creative individual. 

Listen to the entire album via Doom Zone Productions Youtube channel :

Matt's Bandcamp:

https://mattlasserre.bandcamp.com/album/jungian-house-dream