#transcendingobscurity

Verdun - Abyssal Womb

Blackened Sludge/Doom Metal from Montpellier, France

Verdun from France emerge after a prolonged gap of seven years, armed with a sound more potent and lethal than ever before. They've evolved to play a form of blackened sludge with a dissonant edge. Their music on the new album is riff-driven through and through; without wasting time on ambience or buildup, they go straight for the jugular and leave things filthy. The music is mind-numbingly heavy yet catchy and direct, making it highly effective and memorable. To balance the blackened spite dripping from the well-enunciated vocals, the music includes atmospheric elements and possesses emotional depth. The album doesn't drag on and seems to end sooner than later but only after exploring various aspects of their sound that keep it engrossing and thoroughly satisfying. "Abyssal Womb" is a fine representation of the style, having a sublime sound and faultless execution, and more importantly, it will stay with you long after the album is over.

1. Funeral of the Cosmic Knight 05:11 2. Silent Witness 05:53 3. He Who Killed the Devil 06:39 4. La lame et la chair 04:54 5. Rise of the Atomic Ghouls 04:43 6. The Man Behind My Eyes 05:37 7. Les noces du néant 06:15

Release date: June 26th, 2026 via @transcendingobscurity

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

Imperialist - Prime

Death/Black Metal from Monrovia, California, US

"Prime" is the long awaited follow-up album to 2021's "Zenith" and Imperialist have only spent the years honing their craft while keeping the death-touched sci-fi black metal sound intact. The songs are tighter and more intricate than ever before, reinforced further with thrash metal elements, and they showcase the darkness and menace displayed on the previous EP but also the maturity in songwriting, allowing piercing leads and shards of melodies and to shimmer through and liven up the proceedings lest they get too bereft of earthly feelings. Mixed and mastered by Dan Swano, the sound is kept clear and sharp, ensuring that no facets of their throbbing, undulating music are lost in the process. The sci-fi obsession too has been taken to the next level here, with none other than Eliran Kantor bringing their vision to life via a staggering two-panel artwork. The music oozes passion and dedication at every level, and every listen will prove to be a testament to that. This could very well be the best Imperialist album till date and given their faultless discography till date, that is saying something.

1. Starstorm 05:09 2. Beneath the Sands of Titan 05:47 3. Depravity Beheld 05:13 4. I A.M. 04:30 5. Heavens Sunder 01:56 6. Final Hours 04:46 7. Union of the Swarm 05:27 8. Nocturnal Eon 04:39 9. A Ghost Abandoned 07:22

Release date: September 5th, 2025 via @transcendingobscurity

Veilburner - The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom

Blackened Death Metal from Pennsylvania, U.S.

Veilburner is an experimental blackened death metal duo from Pennsylvania. Formed in 2013, the band has released six full-length albums to date, with the first three forming a trilogy themed around transhumanism. Their experiments with dissonant melodies, psychedelic and quasi-industrial overtones in a black/death metal context reflect their lyrical themes of esoteric storytelling and arcane subject matter. Seven albums, seven tracks, and each one seven minutes long. On “The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom”, the two of them pick up where they left off (both musically and conceptually) with the 2022 VLBRNR of almost the same name.

1. Tem Ohp Ab in Mysticum 07:00 2. III Visions of Hex-Shaped Hiss, Behead the Howling Spirit 07:00 3. The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom Part I 07:00 4. The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom Part II 07:00 5. Shadows of a Shadow 07:00 6. Woe Ye’ Who Build these Crosses...Are Those Who Will Serve Us Death 07:00 7. V.I.I. (Voured Ichneumous Icon) 07:00

Release date: November 15th, 2024 via @transcendingobscurity

Ritual Fog - But Merely Flesh

Death Metal from Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Ritual Fog have masterfully incorporated thrash influences into their old-school death metal sound, making the music much more bitter and sinister, so much so that even when they slow down in their more doomy moments, it sounds incredibly crushing and abominable. Their riffs seem to be bent on pushing against the listener, creating a burning sensation first in the ears and then in the rest of the body. The hoarse singing that can only come from a furrowed larynx adds to the scratchy effect and increases the maliciousness quotient many times over. They seem to have borrowed the right amount of influences to create a cohesive, if rough, sound that wreaks havoc no matter which way they go. This allows them to effortlessly traverse blood-smeared pits in both fast and thrashy style, as well as heavy, doom-tinged style, without the tension waning. This ability to maintain aggression and change things in the blink of an eye sets them apart from their monotonous, old-school-sounding colleagues and gives them an exciting advantage. By perfecting their sound for their long-awaited debut album, Ritual Fog have created a staggering, devastating beast that is hungry and absolutely unstoppable.

1. Misticism 00:36 2. Desolate Chasm 03:04 3. Slimeblade 03:31 4. Nocturnal Suffering 04:13 5. Demented Procession 04:20 6. Fog Sermon 03:10 7. Carnal Pain 02:44 8. Sentient Chamber 03:17 9. But Merely Flesh 04:38

Release date: November 29th, 2024 via @transcendingobscurity