Cardinal “Nocturne”

    Invoking the malevolent dark spiritual energy from 90’s symphonic black metal, Cardinal has emerged from the shadows of the Bay Area as an undeniably sinister force. The band’s debut album, “Nocturne,” demonstrates their profane creativity which draws heavily from sinister old school black metal acts that incorporated haunting symphonic elements to give the music a vividly nightmarish aurora. 

    I have seen Cardinal live two times over the last couple of years, and from their live shows I could tell that these guys were not just another occult themed old school black metal act. There was definitely certain elements in their sound which stood out and I think having a keyboardist who was able to give the music that ghastly symphonic black metal atmosphere caught my attention right away. Also, unlike the bands who have incorporated keyboards and churned out more of a romantic post-black metal sound in an attempt to chase an obnoxious trend, Cardinal really conjures up some merciless compositions which completely decimates and defiles those clownish romantic black metal acts. In Cardinal's sound there are definitely elements of raw Finnish black metal mixed with more of the symphonic black metal influences, which fuses together harsh aggression with mesmerizing keyboard layers. 

    “Nocturne,” contains eight tracks of grim and hellish symphonic black metal, and features some extremely solid arrangements. The opening song, “As Silence Dies,” is a very intense sounding piece of music where the keyboard provides a spectral background whereas the drum parts and guitar riffs add a more abrasive quality to the composition. During the middle of the song the band transitions to a slower tempo featuring some really vivid chord progressions to match the sinister keyboard noises. After the first song ends, I would say that Cardinal keeps the peddle down and comes up with more captivating tracks. “Eternal Flames of Hate,” starts out with a more savage riff attack, but also has a moment during the song where the keyboard takes over before the guitarist throws on a ravenous sounding riff to return to the raw savagery heard at the beginning of the song. On the third track, “Infernal Worship,” I could definitely hear the influence of 90’s Norwegian black metal as the arrangements convey that very hateful and authentically unapologetic quality. 

    One song that took me by surprise was, “Beyond the Iron Gate,” because the song is an ambient instrumental that features some dissonant and sanity shredding noises as if they are coming from a demonic realm sealed off from the human world. Actually, the song turned out to be a decent break before the band launched into the next track, “Duskfang.” One area of this release that I believe deserves some recognition is the bass playing, which you don't hear often on black metal releases. I like how the bass parts add to the band’s overall sound by giving the a deafening boost when needed and on "Duskfang" I thought the bass riffs were very noticeable. 

     I think the keyboard plays an extremely important role in terms of Cardinal’s sonic footprint, and you can really hear it’s presence on song’s like, “Cardinal Sin” and “Northern Winds Blow.” Also, I really like the guitar riffs on “Northern Winds Blow,” and how the singer’s voice matches the brutal distorted chord arrangements. Now, I will say that the final song on the album, “The Deceiver's Mark,” was an interesting way to end to the album with more ambient noises as like an evil cinematic finale. However, I thought the track would have been more optimal as an intro track to a song, but I can understand the band wanting to finish on this note instead of ending with maybe "Northern Winds Blow," as the ambient noise do standout and present a unique atmosphere. 

    Right now, if you were to ask me what are some of the best up and coming extreme metal bands in the Bay Area, I think Cardinal is without question going to be one of my recommendations. Before even hearing, “Nocturne,” I was extremely interested in what this group of musicians was working on, and the debut album really showcases a band full of raw and sinister talent that should not go unnoticed if you are a fan of hellish symphonic black metal. These aren’t some schmucks wearing Party City vampire capes and taking photos rolling around in roses. Also, if this is what Cardinal is capable of delivering on their debut album, just wait until the next diabolical offering comes around! 

Checkout the full release below:

Cardinal Bandcamp:

https://c666.bandcamp.com/music

Marca Diaboli “Labyrintomb”

    If there is some movie director out there looking for music during a graveyard ritual scene, then I would hesitate to recommend Marca Diaboli’s debut EP, “Labyrintomb.” The music conjured up by this Chilean​/Austria​n​ post-punk/death rock outfit sounds like it was recorded in some underground crypt where ghouls and goblins dwell. 

    Working with Sentient Ruin, Marca Diaboli is going to be releasing their 2025 EP on vinyl for the first time with a release date of September 11th, 2026. I think Marca Diaboli is a perfect addition to the Sentient Ruin family, especially considering how the music takes on a variety of different sounding elements. The band’s sound builds heavily off of this catchy horror themed rock/post-punk style, but also incorporates some hardcore punk and slight black metal touches. Some might also hear a fair amount of deathrock influence, but I think Marca Diaboli does a solid job breaking away from being just another run of the mill deathrock band by coming up with some diverse sounding riff arrangements. 

    Overall, the five songs on this album sound tremendously solid and I do not think there was one weak track out of them. From the opening song, “Digging Graves,” the band offers up these morbidly catchy sounding rock riffs. I thought the guitar tone throughout the song vividly stood out and the guitars parts even have this haunting surf rock sound at times. The band offers up a more classic post-punk fueled sounding with the second track, “Nightfalls,” but still hammers out these insanely hypnotic rhythms. Also, I think singer’s voice perfectly fits the music and adds to the occult horror lyrical themes that almost feel like they could be used in a Hammer Horror film. 

    The third track, “Arsonists,” starts out with a blazing riff that eventually transitions into a slower and more sinister direction. To add to the catacomb dwelling sonic landscape, there are some spooky organ noises thrown into the arrangement, thus creating a truly nightmarish sounding musical realm. On the fourth song, “Manifest,” I could hear more of a raw hardcore punk style at first, yet when the vocals kick in the music takes on a more ghastly blackened post-punk vibe. The finally track, "The Last Nail," is a surrealistic ending with a variety of haunting and chaotic sounds to put the final touches on this horrifying sonic epitaph. Once again, the hypnotic riffs provide this utterly captivating quality that casts a spell over you as the music marches on toward the darkened oblivion. 

    For anyone who happens to be a fan of post-punk, deathrock and fiendish sounding rock music, I’d recommend checking out Marca Diaboli’s debut EP, “Labyrintomb.” The overall sound and production of this release is extremely solid with my only complaint being that I wish there were a couple more songs. At times, I wanted to keep hearing more of the riffs because they were hands down insanely catchy. Also, huge shoutout to Sentient Ruin for bringing more attention to this act as well as putting out the EP on vinyl. I would definitely welcome Marca Diaboli and Sentient Ruin working together on more releases in the future. So for all you people out there that are into this type of music, make sure to go order yourself a copy as you’d rather give your money to hard working creative artists like Marca Diaboli than some nitwit cosplaying as a goth doing TikTok videos and selling photos of their feet. 

Check out the full release below:

Link to where you can order the album:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/labyrintomb

Sin Offering “Guilty”

    When I saw that Sin Offering had just put out a new release, I immediately turned all my attention to listening to the new material. I mean, a hatchet wielding maniac could be running down my street chasing a group teens, or a massive alien invasion could be happening outside my window, and I would completely ignore both of those scenarios just so I could listen to Sin Offering’s new EP titled, “Guilty.” 

    Before this EP the band had released a fantastic demo in 2023 called “Charnel House,” which I still consider to be one of the best death rock/post-punk releases to have come out within the past few years. There are a lot of bands playing this style of music, but in my opinion few really have the depth as songwriters whereas with Sin Offering the songs they compose really capture your attention from start to finish. Plus, the band has one extremely unique and distinct sound which mixes haunting beauty with gritty raw distortion. I would say that “Guilty” is definitely the next step in the band’s evolution, however, they even did more in terms of execution and the musical talent that they displayed on each of the new songs. 

    The opening track, “Like a Dog,” begins just as one would expect given this band’s dark gothic horror sounding aesthetic with ghastly organ music. Right after the organ fades, the guitarist unleashes a wicked riff containing a fistful of distorted fury to then make way for the other band members to start adding their contributions. I can say that there are elements very similar to that of early Christian Death, although I would argue that Sin Offering really breaks out of the simple Christian Death worship mold by coming up with a variety of unique touches that one can hear if they pay close attention. Personally, the band's singer has one of the best voices for this type of music, because her tone which is haunting yet so sonically stunning, is the perfect contrast to the coffin crushing guitar riffs and gloomy post-punk/death rock rhythms. 

    Also, throughout the album the guitarist comes up with some very striking riffs like on the song “Without Sanctuary,” where between the palm muted main riff you hear these utterly vivid harmonic squeals. The bassist and drummer lay down a strong backbone and I would say the tightness of the band’s rhythm section really allows for the guitarist to have this sort of wild freedom to explore and add these distinct sound guitar parts.  Actually, the bass player started off the third song on the album, “Ingenue,” with an extremely brilliant sounding bass riff that reminded me of classic post-punk style bass parts that grab your attention right away. Throughout the release I noticed these slight touches that stood out more compared to the band’s debut demo, and I could definitely hear how the band has raised the bar from when they first started. 

    The final two songs on the release, “Perfect Hem” and “In the Sepulchre,” are tremendously well written and well recorded songs. On “Perfect Hem,” I started to really notice how the drummer provides such a solid foundation for the other instruments. The guitars definitely standout, but there are times where I feel the drum parts provide a critical pulse for how the songs sort of develop to where the simple primitive beats get stuck in your head. Out of the five tracks, the last one “In the Sepulchre,” is in my opinion the best song off of the release. The song starts out with a sample of the main theme from John Carpenter’s “Assault of Precinct 13,” but Sin Offering puts their spin on the composition with a more gothic vibe. After the intro part the band comes up with a catchy main verse section, but when the chorus sections comes around that is where I think the band really conjures up something special. That chorus section is truly mesmerizing, especially how the singer’s voice presents the lyrics and creates this emotional rush. If you were to ask me, “In the Sepulchre,” is one of the best songs to come out in 2026, and each band member is deserving of credit for their contributions. 

    In the end, if you do not listen to this new release from Sin Offering then you are guilty of depriving yourself from hearing a tremendously talented band who has really taken the next step in terms of their songwriting talents as well as how they sounded in this recording. On the demo I could hear the elements that made them stand out and I very much enjoy those songs, but what they were able to accomplish on, “Guilty,” is definitely stepping into a whole different realm. I’m telling you right now, if they keep this up, by the time they record a new album I will literally fight an army of the undead just to hear it. Now that is when you know an artist is worth checking out! 

Check out the full release from No Deal's Youtube Channel (Great channel with tons of killer releases) :

Buy the album from Beach Impediment Records records: 

https://beachimpedimentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/guilty