u/callmecuntmuffins

I am a huge Wilderun fan. Having discovered the group back in 2015 when they released their sophomore record, Sleep at the Edge of the Earth, it’s fair to say I’ve followed the group nearly since their inception. I remember getting wasted at a Wilderun concert at a tiny bar in a midwest town nobody has heard of, in a crowd of 15 people max as I screamed along to the lyrics of whatever song they played from both their albums at the time. Since I first heard the group, I’ve been fascinated by their often ignored first album, consisting of a couple of original tracks mixed in with folk covers played in what is now the iconic “Wilderun Style”. Particularly the final track, The Dying Californian, hypnotizes me whenever I hear it. Simply put, the idea of creating a 13 minute long track based on a two to three minute folk song is something I haven’t experienced often (maybe never). With all that said, I’ve always wanted to attempt an analysis of the song, so I’ll give it a go. 

The track starts in a simple and reserved format, electing to begin with nothing but acoustic guitar and Evan Berry’s velvet baritone. This is a brilliant decision by the band, as if to pay homage to the simplistic origins of the source material which would have been played with nothing but an acoustic string instrument and vocals. Wilderun sticks with this presentation for the first two verses, totaling about 45 seconds before bursting forth with Wilderun’s quintessential sound. Soaring melodic guitar plays the main theme of the song over on-beat electric guitar chords, while the drums engage in crash focused patterns and the bass sensuously croons. In less than two minutes, Wilderun has taken a 160 year old folk tune and morphed it into their own unique concoction. 

The group returns to their more humble format around 2:09 after a beautiful solo composed as a variation of the main melody, followed by some classic death metal riffing. The acoustic guitar is more present during verses three and four, following Evan’s serene vocals in an active strum. The group engages their full death metal roots at 2:44 for the band’s first attempt at original lyrics as opposed to traditional. The original lyrics are the first to be growled in Evan’s longing rasp. Evan takes over the melody from the instrumentation, and the band takes up support behind Evan. This death metal section is composed as a tensioned interlude, before the band resolves at 3:05 with guitar chords on the downbeat joined by the full Wilderun choir. For two verses, the band entrances the listener with something akin to a chorus in modern music. The lyrics are impressive, genuine, and could be mistaken as traditional for those unfamiliar with the source material. The verses are expertly punctuated with Evan soloing the final two lines of the “chorus”, ending at around 3:51. 

The song enters an atmospheric refrain, carried melodically by the bass and autoharp, both played by Daniel Muller. This transitions seamlessly into a folk metal section at 4:14. The bass drum kicks, the guitar riffs, and the mandolin breaks through with a grand folk melody at 4:32. The section is accented brilliantly with glistening piano scales in the background. At 5:07, the band indulges us again with Evan’s growls. Here is when the group’s original lyrics are a little more obvious than they were initially. Lines like “will the wind whisper, of glory’s road” are classic Evan Berry, and could fit right in with any of the band’s other albums. Lyrics like this are important to solidify their cover of The Dying Californian as part of the Wilderun discography, and I don’t think they take away from the authenticity of the track. Instrumentation during this section is death folk, with horns and the bass carrying the melody prior to the mandolin grasping authority. 

At 5:47 we hit a 12 second refrain, before death metal takes control again. The death metal takes the form of a chugging section before transitioning to a head banging groove at 6:26. The guitars accent the down beat and inject the melody with frantic power. The section from 6:26 to 7:16 is archetypal Wilderun. The death laden groves mold into an up tempo riffing section accented with strings and choir beats, before resolving the previous minute and a half of tension through a major guitar lead accompanied by Evan’s illustrious cleans. At 7:17, the song provides another atmospheric relief, gracing the listener with a piano melody surrounded by flute and a heavenly choir sample. The reserved drum fill at 7:43 introduces our next section of traditional lyrics, echoing the motif of verses 1 and 2. 

8:25 sees acoustic guitars emerge with a beautiful prelude to our next majestic melody. Joined by violin at 8:45, piano at 9:10, and sampled choir at 9:14, it’s a well composed and brilliant introduction to the triumph exhibited by the guitars at 9:25. The section from 8:25 to 10:01 is still, to this date, one of my favorite instrumental fragments from a Wilderun piece. Harsh vocals and horns join the now instrumentally dense composition as Berryisms “if you catch them the flames forbidden” ring out powerfully prior to an instrumental refrain at 10:19. Led by mandolin with acoustic guitar strumming support, it is the song’s penultimate breath of air before the finale. 

The refrain ends at 10:40 after a note of rest, and the full band returns in unison. It’s a gorgeous and potent section composed of glistening piano scales, electric guitars riffing, and the bass belting a marching chug that rises and falls along with the sampled choir. The song transitions quickly to our final verses at 10:56 with one last harsh verse, before Berry’s longing cleans break through at 11:05 with the last verse of traditional lyrics. The electric guitar follows Berry’s vocal melody perfectly, the bass grooves mournfully in support, the acoustic guitar provides chords on the downbeats, and the drums crash emphatically before the final line rings out at 11:35 “where the gold will never rust.” 11:49 sees the composition provide one last refrain prior to the instrumental epilogue at 12:05, which enters victoriously at the singular hit of a tom. One last instrumental onslaught occurs, the bass strums, the electric guitars tremolo, drums provide a crash focused pattern supported by a mid tempo double bass kick, the piano ascends and descends, the choir resounds, and horns blare before the instantaneous end of the song.

I had fun attempting to deconstruct the song and figuring out the specifics of what I enjoy about it. The Dying Californian is one of my favorite Wilderun tracks, and I think it stands up to epics like Ash Memory, The Means to Preserve, The Unimaginable Zero Summer, The Tyranny of Imagination, Identifier, and the Distraction Suite. I’m curious what other people think of the track as well so let me know.

Fires in the Distance - Circadian Promise

All the way back in 2023, I was hooked by the atmosphere of Fires in the Distance’s sophomore album, Air Not Meant for Us. It was the first album by the burgeoning group I was exposed to, and it placed number #4 on my first attempt at a records of the year list. Their signature style of melodic and progressive doom, with a focus on crafting serene atmospheres instantly spoke to me from the second I heard the piano melody following rain on title track Harbingers on that album. I must have been the only person going to see the Amorphis/Dark Tranquility tour because of their love for Fires in the Distance back in September 2024. It would not be a stretch to say their third album, Circadian Promise, was my most anticipated album coming out this year.

Similar to Air Not Meant for Us, the first track of Circadian Promise begins with field noise before a beautiful prelude of string and keyboard serenades the ears. Drums kick in to portend the heavy melodic doom onslaught occurring at 45 seconds in.. Focused composition is the key to that quintessential Fires in the Distance energy. The dual guitars (Yegor Saponin and Brendan Hayter) exchange pointed riffs and majestic leads. Every song engages in some dramatic, melodic guitar hook, giving tracks a climatic and purposeful vibe. Not everything engaging the guitars do is based on leads though. Soaring arpeggios, death-laden riffs, long chords supporting vocal focused passages, and magnificently constructed solos are all used to maximum effect. The guitar work shown throughout the album is spectacular on all fronts and a marvel to behold. The guitars sound almost as narrative as the vocals due to their ability to weave lengthy tracks together through dynamics, presence, and thoughtful motifs.

The drum (Jordan Rippe) and bass (Craig Breitsprecher) performances match the grandeur set by the guitarists. The bass chugs and grounds the tracks, providing the foundation for the mid-tempo march that most of the tracks use throughout the album. Tasteful bass rhythms are often provided during atmospheric refrains, showcasing Craig’s restraint and impeccable dynamic approach. The drumming on Circadian Promise is probably my favorite aspect of the album. In most doom albums, drums are not particularly active, but Fires in the Distance forgoes that aspect of doom. The drums can be just as important to the melody, riffing, chugging, and atmosphere as the guitars or keyboard. Jordan is a beast at the kit, with fast past double bass and cymbal patterns during aggressive portions, restrained tom and crash during doom riffs, incredibly active and rhythmic fills at the end of excerpts, and even slightly jazzy passages during certain refrains (Lightless Days of a Songless Bird). Jordan molds and melds his drumming technique significantly based on the needs of the composition, and his work lifts the album to the heights of excellence. Jordan’s performance on the drums might be my favorite drum work of the year.

The last aspects of the album I need to touch on is the song production/keyboard work, and the vocals. The vocals are expertly done by the newest addition to the band, Brendan Hayter, after longtime vocalist Kristian Grimaldi had to throw in the towel. Brendan’s raspy screams, deathly growls, and poignant baritone cleans are a brilliant addition, and his presence on the album matches the tone of the band perfectly. Brendan gets this nasty, slightly mucous sounding filter on his mid tone growls that helps the band’s harsher portions flourish. Now, we can discuss the main component to Fires in the Distance ethereal aura, the keyboards, synths, and song production. Fires might use the atmospheric refrain technique better than almost any band I’ve heard, employing soothing synth work as they kick back the tempo mid-song. Keyboards will often take over the melody during sections like these, providing the songs with a reflective, somber nature as bass, acoustic guitar, and drums relocate to support roles. Additional production in the form of strings provide a feeling of ascension and realization to tracks, as the composition transitions back to confrontational melodicism.

I’m certain I could continue to wax sickly, flowery text upon the album for another couple of paragraphs. There is so much about the album that I love that reaches me on a personal level. At no point did I discuss the poetic lyrics, or touch on the overall structure and flow of the album. Circadian Promise comes in at just barely under 50 minutes, and I have no complaints regarding length or editing. Currently, I have this album right under IATT’s brilliant Etheric Realms for my favorite album of the year, but I could easily see this album surpassing it upon further listening. I cannot encourage people enough to give this album a try.

Favorites: Of Radiance and Leviathan, Lightless Days of a Songless Bird, By this Time Tomorrow.

Psyclops - Bound to Burn: Melody of the Martyr

I had not heard of Portland Oregon’s progressive death metal outfit Psyclops prior to this year. Bound to Burn appears to be their debut (I was wrong. It is their sophomore) record, and my god what a debut it is. It has been a while since I was this impressed by a debut. Accompanied by a comic book outlining the album's story, Psyclops does not pull any punches in their musical approach.

The album’s instrumentation is deliciously technical and surprisingly catchy. The compositions are often riff oriented and contain an experimental, genre surfing edge. Guitars achieve a brilliant combination of Between the Buried and Me technicality and rhythm, with the melodic nature of groups like Opeth and Haken. The dual guitar approach (by Ian and Guerd) is used to astounding effect, with the lead sections supported by brilliant counter-melody and syncopation. The genre-bending nature of the album is often led by the guitars, as exemplified on tracks like Indomitable III and the entirety of Manifest. The bass (Brandon) tone is seductive, and passages are a great mix of groove, funk, and frantic chugging. The drum work (Alex) is masterful and evolves based entirely on the needs of the compositional style. Soft lounge jazz/funk motifs, aggressive death metal/thrash patterns complimented by double bass, intriguing fills and extravagant tom work, and head bobbing grooves populate the album.

Additional instrumentation and production touches give the album an “out of this world” atmosphere and assist in theatrical feel. Violins are used to ethereal effect in Clarity. Keytar style synths grace the entire album and supply the album with that quintessential sci-fi sound. Brass and percussion additions are intentionally composed to increase the dramatic nature of the album. The trumpets on Manifest III are a favorite of mine, but also are used effectively on the track Indomitable III. I particularly love the castanets on Manifest III during the fast paced vocal passage. I haven’t discussed all the amazing production touches, but one last production choice I enjoy is the background vocalizations and crowd noise on tracks like Consequences III. Choices like this help create the cluttered, panicked, and anxious energy that the story requires. All the previously talked about instrumentation is clear and crisp thanks to the immaculate mix provided by production savant Jamie King.

The last aspect of the album I’ll tackle is possibly my favorite aspect, the vocals. The vocal performance is credited to Connor Reising, and it might be my favorite execution of the year. The band uses a fantastic mix of clean and harsh vocals, reminiscent of Between the Buried and Me. Pointed staccato death growls, longing harsh groans, pained screams, powerful croons, and brilliantly harmonized passages serenade the listener’s ears. Spoken word and narration is used effectively and is always accompanied by interesting instrumentation. The vocals keep me on the edge of my seat, focusing my attention almost entirely on the story and characters. Due to the story oriented nature of the album, the vocals and lyrics are necessary to keep the listener entranced, and this is possible due to their masterful delivery and clean annunciation.

Psyclops have come out of nowhere to deliver what has become, through multiple observant listens, my favorite progressive death metal album of the year. It might not contain the massive scope and jaw-dropping experimentalism of an album like Overspace and Supertime by Cryptic Shift, but the performance, composition, and dramatic/theatrical vibe of Bound to Burn is just as spectacular. What puts the album slightly over Overspace for me personally, is the ability of Psyclops to create a grand and monumental journey in a mere 32 minutes. The digestible length aids the album’s replay value, and the layered and complex instrumentation and vocals leave the listener finding new aspects to love every new play through. Congrats Psyclops, I hope to be able to catch the group play some of this live someday. Until then, I’ll keep enjoying the live play throughs online.

Favorites: The Explorer, Consequences III, Indomitable III, Manifest I-III

A Forest of Stars - Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface

All the way back in 2022, I listened to what ended up being one of my favorite albums of that year that I still think about to this day. The album is Ashenspire’s Hostile Architecture, and it placed in my top 5 albums of 2022. What impressed me the most was the unique compositional style, an almost amorphous kind of black metal that refused to restrict itself to any frame. Come 2026, I threw on the sixth (but my first) album by A Forest of Stars and immediately I was graced with that same compositional style that Ashenspire enraptured me with four years ago. Little did I realize, this form of avant-garde black metal is semi well-trodden, with groups like Vulture Industries (Norway), Ashenspire (Scotland), and today’s A Forest of Stars (Britain) heading the venture.

Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface is a fantastic and sometimes overwhelming work of art. They make brilliant use of the style to tackle and assault the listener with a cascade of lyrics concerning modern woes. I’ve typically described the vocals as a vitriolic diatribe, a barrage of spoken word in a rhythmic and aggressive staccato. Mister Curse has an impressively dynamic range which helps keep the spoken word interesting, from semi death growls to sorrowful cries and despondent wails. Singing does make brief appearances on Stack Overflow via Katheryne, Queen of Ghosts (vocals, violin, flute). Her soft and ethereal tone provides further beauty and depth to the more serene passages in Stack Overflow’s massive landscape. There is a particularly effective section in Sway, Draped in Vague where Katheryne has a duet with vocal and instrumental bassist T.S Kettleburner.

More than the abundant vocal talents and quirks though, Stack Overflow’s power is in its dramatic, complex, and dense instrumental work. Six band members dedicate themselves to crafting heavily layered instrumentation, and their work pays off. The traditional black metal instrumentals and composition is present, from drum blasts and rolls, to furious bass chugs, to distorted and anxious guitar tremolos. A Forest of Stars makes great use of “softer” post black and atmospheric passages between the more aggressive segments. The drums of the Gentleman and John Bishop, mixed with the bass work of Kettleburner and Titus Lungbutter is of particular note. The bass work consists of this hypnotic and seductive tone which mixes well with the piano/synth. The bass is surprisingly rhythmic and even sometimes funky. The drums are a marvel to behold. Aggressive blast beats, jazzy double time, sultry patterns and rhythms, tumultuous cascades, I can’t think of a style of drumming these two performers couldn’t masterfully use to its greatest effect.

The last thing I’ll touch on is the non-traditional metal instrumentation. Simply put, Stack Overflow contains some of the most compelling use of violin, flute, piano, and percussion I’ve heard all year. Violin by Katheryne is dichotomous, from post instrumental work like high tremolos and dissonant legato to support the vocal discharge, to romantic and sometimes folky melodies. Katheryne’s flute stylings, while less prominent in the album, are just as effective. The piano and keyboard also provide a romantic and theatrical nature to the album. The keyboard makes use of interesting samples, like haunting synths in Mechanically Separated Logic. The percussion touches are intentionally composed and subtle, from wooden blocks in Sway, to clapping in Roots Circle Usurper. All these unique, instrumental brushes craft the layered nature of the album, and keep the listener finding new things on every playthrough.

Stack Overflow is, once again, a work of art. What surprises me the most about the album is how seamlessly it runs together and how it almost feels “short” despite its 73 minute runtime. As soon as I throw it on, I’m hypnotically enthralled, and before I know it, I’m hearing the fade out on Not Drinking Water.

Favorites: Street Level Violence, Roots Circle Usurpers, Sway Draped in Vague

IATT - Etheric Realms of the Night (5/5)

Every now and then, an album comes along that reminds me why black metal has become my favorite form of musical expression. The capability for the music to be raw and aggressive, as well as beautiful and ethereal, and touch on all forms of human emotion is unmatched in my experience through the metalverse. From the gothic melancholy and rage expressed in Nachtterror’s Judgement, to the despair, anxiety, and longing espoused in Tomarum’s Beyond Obsidian Euphoria, I find the genre has so much to offer when it comes to emotional reflection. So, when I finished IATT’s new album, Etheric Realms of the Night, and came to the realization my jaw had not closed for the entirety of its 48 minutes of musical glory, I knew I had found something special.

The Philadelphia 4-piece have been active since 2008, and Etheric Realms is their fourth album. I hopped on the IATT train back in 2022 with the release of Magnum Opus. The album was a great time, composed well and executed spectacularly, but I rarely found myself returning to the album. I do not anticipate that same struggle for Etheric Realms, which has already garnered multiple run-throughs since its release a week ago. The album is bookended by the ticking of a clock, followed by a wandering flute exploration before the acoustic guitar kicks in, strumming with the drums. This is followed by a spoken word thought experiment, while the metal instrumentation breaks through beginning the blackened assault that constitutes the framework of the album. The intro perfectly exemplifies the compositional style of the album, melding acoustic, orchestral, and metal instrumentation to create a dreamlike soundscape that can mold into any shape and color the band wishes to explore.

The instrumental quality of the album is top-notch. Guitars and orchestration by Joe Cantamessa and Alec Pezzano are the meat of the album, providing chunky, pointed riffage, exploratory and thoughtful guitar leads and melodies, beautiful piano and keyboard sections, topped with wandering flute runs. The orchestral element is reminiscent of groups like Ihsahn or Unreqvited, while the progressive tinged blackened battery evokes groups like Enslaved or Amiensus. The drum performance by Paul Cole has a sporadic quality but is technically precise, switching quickly between slow and fast pattern work, while including rolls, cascades, marches, syncopation, and grooves to match the needs of the orchestral and metal instrumentation. Bassist and vocalist Jay Briscoe is a beast on both fronts, providing bellowing growls, piercing screams, and distorted fry vocals. His bass work is clean and accurate, not just supplementing the guitars, but an individual force of its own with his mastery of groove and rhythm. The tone of the bass is seductive, like a beautiful siren’s call. There’s even some virtuoso saxophone performances, courtesy of Jorgen Munkeby (Emperor) on tracks like To Lie Beneath and Walk Amongst.

The entire album is layered, complex, yet accessible due to its focus on strong melodies and intriguing passages. Each new dive into the tracks unveils new aspects to love and appreciate. The theme of the album is easily comprehended, delving into the frightening and boundless realm of sleep, exploring the blurred lines between dream, nightmare, reality, and consciousness. The composition achieves everything it sets out to do, touching on varied soundscapes and emotions to create a lucid auditory experience. I cannot recommend this album enough for any fan of blackened progressive music. This is the first album I’ve listened to this year that has warranted a perfect score in my book, and the best black metal album I’ve heard since Beyond Obsidian Euphoria back in 2025. Give this one a try, and see if you can resist the call of Hypnos’s triumphant lullaby.

Favorites: To Lie Beneath, Somniphobia, Quietus, Walk Amongst.