Kataxu
North
Wolfspell Records
1995 2021 CD
First and only proper demo from the Polish "one guy with guest musicians" black metal band Kataxu, whose discography has remained rather small across three decades. Can't quite decipher the aesthetic they were going for here, what with the misty artwork and one-word song titles like "Gothic" and "Child."
As per the tradition of Central and Eastern European black metal, there are a lot of synths on this. While the band would later embrace a more earnestly symphonic dungeon synth / BM hybrid vibe, the keys here are just noodling around with intro/outro stuff and tepid dark ambient. When they switch to true black metal, North becomes basically unlistenable, primarily for production reasons. This is certainly one of the more impenetrable demos I've heard in recent years, and it doesn't look like any remastering was attempted for this CD rerelease. Drums are the loudest thing in the mix... I think, sometimes they seem to fade out. Guitar and vocals are two piles of clashing fuzz. God help anyone who tries to decipher a bass line. Tip of the hat to "From Penetration" which is actually brilliantly composed; it just takes repeated listens to wade through the grime.
Rating: 2/5
Reviewed: 12/27/25
Kataxu
Roots Thunder
Wolfspell Records
2000 2024 CD
Arriving some five years after North, Kataxu's Roots Thunder shows great maturity in composition and execution. An odd release, I recall it once being classified as a demo itself, though it's ostensibly an "album on cassette." The first CD version didn't arrive until 2017, though I own the later (2024) reissue.
Production is basically perfect for this type of music. Archaic, atavistic, just raw enough. The band remains committed to alternating the synth and metal parts. Of the five core tracks, only two contain guitars and vocals. All three instrumentals are ambitious. I'm especially partial to the intro (literally named "Intro"), which is icy and astral and (coincidentally?) reminiscent of "Crystal Japan" / "A Warm Place." Both proper metal tracks showcase some truly exceptional riffing, though I can't say I love these vocals. They're overly loud and frentic, simply too much. There's a very obtrusive sample of a baby crying in the second track too, for some reason.
Debatably works better as an instrumental release. Pretty damn good in any respect.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewed: 12/27/25
Kataxu
Hunger of Elements
Wolfspell Records
2005 2024 CD
Somehow even more synthy with three(!!!) keyboard players, this feels like Kataxu's first attempt at a proper album, in the vein of compatriots Fanisk and Nokturnal Mortum. The result is something almost too symphonic. Swelling and saccharine, the band didn't quite have the chops for the le epic black metal they were going for. Most tracks are far too long and I find myself preferring certain segments and elements more than the full-fledged songs: the oddly danceable instrumental break in "In My Dungeon!," the thicc meaty synth chords in "NightSky," the blistering climax of "The Manifesto of the Unity." Still an absolute barrage of vocals here, though there are way more printed lyrics vs. what's actually said. Conceptually the album is (I think) about being reborn as a Hyperborean space Aryan (uhhh.... based?).
Some intriguing riffs and strange rhythms buried beneath the synths. Kind of a weird album overall. Tough to get a handle on, but pleasant ambiance.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewed: 12/28/25
Kirkwood
Where Shadows Lie
Out of Season
1990 2024 CD
Jim Kirkwood (who went by just "Kirkwood" initially, it sounds better) is one of the few artists to be retroactively added to the dungeon synth pantheon, despite having no connection to the second wave black metal scene. This is incidentally just some British dude playing fantasy-themed keyboard music in the early 90s.
As far as the man's debut goes, if I didn't own the album I'm honestly not sure if I'd make the Middle-earth connection. This sounds quite astral and spacey. It's surprisingly aggressive music too, with thundering percussion and thick meaty bass lines. Grounded only by the wind and flowing water samples that come creeping in here and there. I rather like this, but not for contemplative listening. Something to crank while engaging in something else.
Rereleased on a label from Portland, Maine. I approve.
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed: 01/15/26
Kirkwood
King of the Golden Hall
Out of Season
1991 2024 CD
What the hell... an incredible five Kirkwood albums ("albums") came out in 1991 apparently. And no one seems to really know what order these were originally released in. I'm going with RateYourMusic and calling this the first 1991 album, and second overall. Okay then.
I don't know if this is better than the debut, but it is different. Less spacey and more dungeony. Tracks are shorter and more focused. A series of vignettes tied together to craft a larger narrative. The strongest track here ("Théoden King") contains some truly magnificent guitar(!) work, with guitars so distorted they'd initially be mistaken for some sort of medieval synth tuning. A decent release, though it struggles to compete with the best of the black metal adjacent stuff.
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed: 01/20/26
Lacuna Coil
Lacuna Coil
Century Media Records
1998 ???? CD
First EP by these Italians. The genre they're playing here is a bit hard to pin down. I'd say it's (barely) Gothic metal with some strong alternative rock sensibilities. It's driving, catchy music, but not especially "heavy." Very smooth, very pretty.
The female vocalist, Cristina Scabbia, absolutely carries this. Just an absolutely clear, lovely voice. There's a male singer too, who's a bit more intrusive, and occasionally treads dangerously close to yarling. Good production on this, vocals are mixed perfectly. Some repetition among the songs, but at 28 minutes this wraps up quickly. The EP ends with a 5+ minute instrumental, which seems a bit odd given how prominent the vocals are throughout the rest of its duration.
(I own a repress, but there's no renewed copyright date printed -- it's a mystery!!!)
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed: 12/30/25
Lacuna Coil
In a Reverie
Century Media Records
1999 2005 CD
The band sounds more refined here, with obvious influences from The Gathering and Draconian Times era Paradise Lost. The big takeaway is that the vocals are much improved. Well, Cristina's are about the same, but the male vocalist (Andrea Ferro) is experimenting more with an "unclean" style that fits the music better. There's some great vocal interplay in parts: note "My Wings" for instance. Catchy as hell, and one of the band's earliest "big" songs (featured on one of CM's Identity samplers too). I do feel like this drags a big, even at only 42 minutes -- there's probably 30 minutes of really solid material here.
I've got the 2005 reissue, which has a barren landscape on the cover instead of naked people (wait... were those band members?). It's also an "enhanced CD" containing (what else) mf'ing WALLPAPERS. Here's one, I resized it a lil bit... Beautiful...
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed: 01/01/26
Lacuna Coil
Unleashed Memories
Century Media Records
2001 CD
Look at that shit. That has to be the most 2001 cover art ever conceived. Just astonishing.
Oh, yeah, the album. I like it. Good, fun, pleasant music. I'm kind of at a loss for words though, as it's so similar to their prior release. I'd say this one's a bit heavier in guitar tone, and the male vocals are mostly forgettable. There are some synths now, but they're basically just the big thicc chord backing types. Cristina's voice makes this all worthwhile, otherwise I'd find it too sterile.
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed: 01/09/26
Poison the Well
Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Undecided Records
1998 2001 CD
Early example of emo-influenced metalcore ("emotional metalcore" or "Livejournalcore"), which would explode in the early 2000s. An EP, this is only 26 minutes long, including the bonus tracks.
This is pretty straightforward music. Plenty of riffs and delicious chugs, smooth transitions, and a varied rhythm section. No attempts at mathcore zaniness or Swedish melodies. What stands out most about this particular strain of metalcore is that it's very much focused on vocals. There are actually two singers here (bringing the band up to six members like My Dying Bride or something lol), one clean and one unclean. The clean vocals are wispy and distant, somewhat androgynous. The screaming is downright nasty, snarly with semi-legible diction. It's great stuff; this wouldn't be half as good as it is with a different dude (or dudes) on the microphone.
There are some live tracks tossed on the back end and they... actually aren't as shitty as I expected. Still arguably filler though. My copy is a repressing. The original has a different cover, no bonus live tracks, and the word Only in the title.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewed: 10/26/25
Poison the Well
The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation
Trustkill Records
1999 CD
First (and best) full-length by these Floridians. This is a formulaic release. As in, they figured out a formula and execute it well. Every song is between 2.5 and four minutes. Half of that time is probably spent on breakdowns. The stupid simple chuggy ones that bring everyone out to the dance floor. The songwriting is much tighter here (compared to the EP) with some seriously sexy riffing, but I don't like the vocals as much. Both original singers are gone and this new guy sounds pretty standard. Hoarse yells plus the borderline whiny clean emo singing. I mean, it's fine, and it all meshes well with the music, but that eerie vibe from the EP is absent. Still giving them the same rating though, because I feel like it!!
Great cover art and I'm glad they managed to release this before the 90s wrapped up (in December, no less).
Rating: 4/5
Reviewed: 10/26/25
Pungent Stench
Mucous Secretion
Hammerheart Records
1988 2025 CD
I basically avoided Pungent Stench back in the day because 1) they had (have) some truly disgusting album covers and 2) I was informed that they (eventually) played "death 'n' roll" (which is corny and bad). That said, I couldn't resist picking up these Hammerheart reissues when I stumbled upon them in real life and, well... this is a death metal demo from 1988. Odds are it sounds like butt cheeks and this one certainly does. It's quite noisy and punky; bass tone is great but vocals sound like they were recorded in another room. Songwriting is staightforward and the band surprisingly adheres to a verse/chorus framework. Not much else to say. I do appreciate that they retained the original demo cover instead of swapping it out for something that would have surely been worse.
Rating: 2/5
Reviewed: 12/29/25
Pungent Stench
Extreme Deformity
Hammerheart Records
1989 2025 CD
I dunno man, this just sounds like painfully average primordial death metal to me. Lots of bluster but short on hooks. One neat oddity about this rerelease is that it contains a track from "Intestinal Infestation" -- apparently a one-day side project that had Pungent Stench joining forces with Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror. Frightening!!
I gotta say though, "Molecular Disembowelment" is pretty damn funny with the sequential guitar / bass / drum / vocal solos. Best track by far.
Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewed: 12/29/25
Pungent Stench
Pungent Stench
Hammerheart Records
2025 CD
What's this? A self-titled Pungent Stench album released in 2025?? Nope, it's actually a self-titled compilation: all five tracks from the 1989 split with Disharmonic Orchestra, two tracks from an old V/A release on Nuclear Blast, and then a bunch of live tracks.
As far as the studio recordings go, they're better than the Mucous Secretion material (hard to believe you could improve on something called Mucous Secretion!). Tighter, more aggressive, vocals that are actually audible. Some memorable hooks here and there, though nothing extraordinary. The live tracks don't move the needle for me at all, and they bloat the runtime to an exhausting 67 minutes.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewed: 12/29/25