Metal Exposure

14/07/2025

Let’s hope there will be a third chapter with Xiphos history. If you are into this genre: this album is a feast on your eardrums. I know this is a Metal-zine, but sometimes you need to listen something completely else. It used to be that a lot of Metal Heads listened this kind of (almost cinematic) music. I don’t know if this is still the case. But I do hope so. And let me tell you: this album won’t disappoint and has plenty to offer and discover.

In 2022, when I was still a verile young lad I reviewed Xiphos‘s debut album “The Rise and Fall of Athens”. Ok, I might be a bit biased but my words hold the truth: I still find this a really good album. A few weeks back I had a beer with my good old mate […]

12/07/2025

Void Wanderer Productions and War Productions have quite an extended discography with great acts and releases. We received a few gems in our mailbox and after listening these albums, decided to give all these albums a review and giving a bit of promo for both underground labels. So let’s start shall we...

A short while ago I had the pleasure to review the latest album of Hellevaerder named “Fakkeldragers” (see: Hellevaerder – Fakkeldragers). This album was released as a co-production from two labels namely, Void Wanderer Productions and War Productions. Both labels have quite an extended discog...

09/07/2025

“The Happy Man” is not just an album; it’s a deeply unsettling, fiercely original body of work. Dire Thorns haven’t just announced themselves, they’ve set the stage on fire. McCabe may be extreme metal’s Dave Grohl, but this is far darker, far more personal, and far more real than anything Nirvana or the Foo Fighters ever dreamed of

From the fog-drenched flats of Grimsby, Dire Thorns emerge with a blistering debut full-length that spits venom at genre conventions and rewires the circuits of extreme metal. “The Happy Man” is the culmination of Jacob McCabe’s singular vision, a work written, performed, recorded, mixed, and ...

08/07/2025

Hailing out of Cleveland, it’s not a coincidence that Midnight (or one-man-project-while-in-studio, if you want to call it that) chooses to release an album that most of it deals with the local rock, punk, blues and metal scene(s) over there in Ohio, while some of these names of bands and artists were a tad less known, especially if one lives on the other side of the pond.

I like Midnight. It’s not a fact I hide and frankly, I’d put “Satanic Royalty” up there as one of the finest black/speed metal records made in the last years. Every show I’ve seen from these American maniacs (as in, Athenar and Co) has been a sweaty, chaotic triumph. Midnight have had a tr...

07/07/2025

Progressive death metal has long been fertile ground for ambition, and Fallujah have always tried to stay one idea ahead of their peers. On “Xenotaph”, the Bay Area outfit push further into their identity as sonic architects, blending jazzy ambience, fretboard acrobatics, and polished atmospherics into a conceptually ambitious, meticulously executed record. But does it inspire? Does it move? Or does it simply float?

Progressive death metal has long been fertile ground for ambition, and Fallujah have always tried to stay one idea ahead of their peers. On “Xenotaph”, the Bay Area outfit push further into their identity as sonic architects, blending jazzy ambience, fretboard acrobatics, and polished atmospheri...

07/07/2025

While the energy is undeniably there, and the performances are razor sharp, “Sologamy” by Death Pill is also a complicated listen. It’s more a collection of bold singles than a cohesive album. Every track stands confidently on its own feet, but collectively, the record doesn’t follow through with a strong thematic or stylistic arc. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, in fact, it might be intentional. But it does leave the listener with more questions than answers.

The first time I heard Death Pill, I was floored. Raw, defiant, full of urgency, the kind of sound that punches through the digital noise with a clenched fist and something real to say. An Ukrainian all-female trio blending punk, hardcore, and metal influences, their 2023 self-titled debut turned pl...

06/07/2025

When a band like Byzantine drops a new full-length after an eight-year silence, it’s not just a release, it’s a moment. Formed in West Virginia in the early 2000s, Byzantine have long walked a tightrope of technical precision and raw aggression. They’ve outlasted trends, survived breakups, and consistently delivered modern metal that is as cerebral as it is crushing. With “Harbingers”, their seventh album, they’re not just looking back, they’re planting a boot firmly in the now, with riffs sharp enough to split timelines and grooves groaning under the weight of intent.

When a band like Byzantine drops a new full-length after an eight-year silence, it’s not just a release, it’s a moment. Formed in West Virginia in the early 2000s, Byzantine have long walked a tightrope of technical precision and raw aggression. They’ve outlasted trends, survived breakups, and...

06/07/2025

What’s striking is how confidently Mutant S*x Demon wears its influences. There’s no pretence of purity here. This is genre fusion in a grimy leather jacket: the speed and filth of blackened thrash, the excess of ‘80s sleaze, the sneer of street punk, and just enough sinister edge to keep it serious.

Every now and then, something howls out of Finland’s underworld that you absolutely weren’t prepared for. Enter Mutant S*x Demon and their second album “Cutting Through”, a record that rides the razor-thin line between schlock and sincerity, full of vampiric swagger, basement aggression, and...

05/07/2025

"Where Only the Truth Is Spoken” by MALEVOLENCE is an exceptional album. It’s calculated, it’s explosive, and it sets a new production standard for the genre. And maybe that’s the new truth, that hardcore has evolved into something far removed from its roots. And maybe, if we’re honest, that’s okay.

Let’s not pretend Malevolence are part of the underground anymore. Arena tours, Bloodstock mainstage, Grohl’s Studio 606 , these aren’t the rites of passage for gritty hardcore bands trying to claw their way up the sweat-slicked ladders of DIY legitimacy. No, Malevolence have already kicked th...

05/07/2025

August 29th we'll visit some fine black metal underground tunes at Satanic Supremacy IV in

Who will join us? 🤘🏻

03/07/2025

”Idols” is a journey. A journey of self discovering, turning inwards and try to figure out who you truly are. The second part of this journey will be released later this year. And I think that part will surprises us again. Maybe some people will be disappointed about this album being so much different than the previous album. But I think that is what makes Yungblud , Yungblud.

”Hello, are you out there?” With this simple line Dominic Harrison a.k.a Yungblud introduce us to a complete new era with his brand new album ”Idols”. And maybe he is right wondering if we are still there. Since it has been 3 years since his self titled album was released. It took him 4 year...

01/07/2025

It all started on a very hot Friday the 13th in June on our way to the Metalfestival Into The Grave in Leeuwarden. Normally the festival is held in the city centre of Leeuwarden at the Oldehoofsterkerkhof (Which is an old clock tower built in the 16th century) and the festival itself is in front of the tower on what used to be the graveyard. Because of another cultural event happening this year that would take a longer occupancy of the grounds, the festival moved out of the way for a one time change of location.... read all through the link

It all started on a very hot Friday the 13th in June on our way to the Into The Grave festival in Leeuwarden. Normally the festival is held in the city centre of Leeuwarden at the Oldehoofsterkerkhof (Which is an old clock tower built in the 16th century) and the festival itself is in front […]