#secondalbum

Hexrot - Formless Ruin of Oblivion

Avantgarde Death/Black/Thrash Metal from Massachusetts, US

"Formless Ruin of Oblivion is the second release from Massachusetts duo Hexrot, combining a dense stylistic mélange of death, black, and thrash metal with inventive electronic experimentation and a keen sense of structure. The 35-minute piece flows continuously across 7 tracks, maintaining a constant tension between the harmony and dissonance of its ever-shifting web of musical ideas. Seamlessly interwoven, a bed of modular synthesizer and other digital flourishes run the gamut from clangorous and industrial to warm and ethereal. The immediacy of a live studio recording gives its performances authenticity and power, but careful production ensures you’ll still be discovering new things multiple listens in. To our most fully realized expression to date, we bid you welcome."

1. What Lies Veiled 03:49 2. Heavenward 05:26 3. Consecrating Luminous Conflagration 04:05 4. Ghostly Retrograde I 01:10 instrumental 5. Clandestine Haunt 03:06 6. Ghostly Retrograde II 01:52 instrumental 7. Formless Ruin of Oblivion 15:53

Release date: August 29th, 2025 via @transcendingobscurity

Besna - Kr​á​sno

Post-Black Metal from Bratislava, Slovakia

The second long play album Krásno [Beauty] by slovak post-black metal band Besna explores themes of societal stagnation, personal isolation, ecological collapse, and the search for meaning in an unjust world. Through seven intense tracks, it critiques the passive acceptance of authority, the cyclical nature of cynicism, and the desire for self-expression amidst a declining culture and ongoing war. Drawing from mythological references (the song Bezhviezdna obloha [Starless Sky]) and historical events (the song Hranice [Pyres], which reflects on the self-immolation of Jan Palach and the deaths of people fleeing across the borders of communist Czechoslovakia), Krásno highlights the closing off to foreign ideas and lives, urging listeners to fight apathy and despair. The album serves as a powerful reflection on human resilience and a call for cultural and societal renewal.

1. Zmráka sa 03:24 2. Krásno 04:50 3. Hranice 03:14 4. Oceán prachu 02:27 5. Bezhviezdna obloha 06:19 6. Paracelsus 03:05 7. Mesto spí 07:19

Release date: January 16th, 2025