Published an updated version of the entry in Zine. Read in Chronicles.

Do odsłuchu świeży utwór zapowiadający nowy album Frosty Torment. Zimny, nienawistny black metal. Premiera na przełomie maja/czerwca 2026.

Nowy Artykuł! Nun, ein mächtiger Sturm bricht vom Himmel hernieder und wäscht alles Blut von den bleichen Gesichtern der gestorbenen Soldaten Recently, after a three-year hiatus, the eleventh full-length album by the Greek band Wolfnacht, titled "Erberinnerungen," was released. From the very beginning, it's clear that Athalwolf certainly hasn't changed the narrative of their project, remaining as aggressive as with each release. Three years ago, two albums were released: "Blutgebunden" and "Soldatenlieder," the latter of which had a slightly different format, as they rework German songs, whether military or folk, into a performance not so much metal or black metal, but Wolfnacht's touch is certainly very evident. This year, however, it's a 100% black metal opus, with seven songs spanning nearly 40 minutes. The cover already tells us a lot about the music we'll encounter here: a figure resembling Greek statues rising from the fire with torches, behind it a gleaming Hakenkreuz, and at the bottom, a German accent in the form of people who evoked the spirit of the past and the old principles. Musically, the album opens with a nearly two-minute instrumental intro that makes us feel like we're sitting in the front row of an opera rather than listening to a black metal album. But as for Athalwolf's operatic playing, there wil...

Nowy Artykuł! They're called Hekatomb, hail from Szczecin. They recently debuted with "Crone Time Comes. This Life Comes to an End," and they have a lot of interesting things to say. What exactly? You'll find out all about it in the conversation below. Check it out! **Hi! According to the definition in the Dictionary of the Polish Language, a hecatomb is: 1) the sacrifice of many people's lives for a cause; 2) the extermination of a large number of people; 3) in ancient Greece: originally a sacrifice of one hundred oxen to Zeus, later – any major animal sacrifice. Which understanding of this term is closest to yours? How much sacrifice does it cost you to create essentially unpopular, niche music that only a handful of maniacs can understand and appreciate?** Hello! Rituals and death are part of the entire fabric of our music. The first definition you provided via the dictionary probably best reflects what's happening substantively in Hekatomb, but in fairness, it's worth mentioning that we didn't and don't plan to use the band's name as the sole determinant and key to understanding our work. Playing in Hekatomb, however, is difficult to approach in terms of sacrifice, as we do what we love most. Of course, you have to carve out some free time to meet for a rehearsal or record a song, but I wouldn't consider that a sacrifice. I also don't think popularity, or lack thereof, matters to us. We'd keep doing it even if we were the only ones listen...

Nowy Artykuł! Forest, frost, a full moon, and a glow in the northern sky. And the answers are shorter than the questions. Black metal set in times long gone. Dear readers, we present to you the duo Wartödd, who have created an excellent piece with the telling title "Pagan Pride." Veles played the role of press spokesman, with Leszy adding his two cents. ***Heil! You came out of nowhere, only been around for six months (as Metal Archives says), and you can already boast a discography of three albums, including your debut album. Tell our readers about the origins of the band. Were you involved in any musical endeavors before forming Wartödd? *** The genesis of the band, not just the band itself, but the project itself is very simple. I recorded the material at home, asked Lesze to contribute his two cents, and that's how a demo was created. As for other bands, we compose a lot, navigating various musical styles. ***Your logo (which is also very successful) incorporates a spinning wheel, a variation of the swastika, which is also one of the most common and universal symbols in the world. It appears in almost all latitudes, in various forms and variations, from simple ones consisting of a few lines to complex patterns. It's not easy to determine the origins of the swastika, but it is fairly certain that in primitive societies it was associated with solar cults and symbolized fire and the sun. How do you interpret its meaning? Why did you choose this symbol in the context of Wartödd's work? *** The swastika is a beautiful symbol tha...

Nowy Artykuł! Release year 2025 After a five-year wait, Martwa Aura released their third full-length album, Lament, this year. Compared to other releases under this banner, the change is immediately apparent from the cover alone. Over the years, Martwa Aura has accustomed us to almost every album featuring black and white colors shrouded in gray. In the case of Lament, the situation is somewhat different. Neither the band nor the album name appear on the cover, but the colors of the photo remain, which, at first glance, without any familiarity with the band, aren't even associated with black metal. In this photograph, we can see a very emaciated human body topped by a subtle flower and its petals. The album runs just under forty minutes, consisting of seven songs, each titled "Lament Pierwszy," "Lament Drugi," and so on, reaching track six, as the final track has a completely different title, "Morbus Animus II," which I'll discuss later in this review. From the very first seconds of "Lament," hatred for the human race and this valley of tears pours out of the speakers. The greatest contribution to this is made by Greg's lyrics and vocals, which, without losing the black metal roots of the grime in the vocals, st...

Nowy Artykuł! This album is dedicated to a man absorbed in the ideas of Polish Black Metal to such an extent that, although he did not create music, the BM elite decided to pay tribute to him by including their recordings on this compilation... This album is dedicated to a man so immersed in the ideas of Polish Black Metal that, even though he didn't create music, the BM elite decided to pay tribute by including their recordings on this compilation. The release is by **Dark Blaze Stronghold**, and Syrragh, responsible for the release, has done a great job packaging the CD in a superbly presented digipack, complete with lyrics and a story about Herr Burzum. The rendition is beautiful and tasteful, although the booklet's thickness makes it a bit of a pain to close. The lineup includes 11 artists, including **BATTLEMOON, DARK FURY, NECATOR, SELBSTMORD, PLAGA, KRIEGSMASCHINE, INFERNAL WAR, SUNWHEEL, WOLFF, LEGACY OF BLOOD, and MERETRIX IMMACULATE**. As you can see, the vast majority are very distinguished bands. I must admit that until now I hadn't heard of BATTLEMOON and WOLFF (and the former delivered a truly excellent track here!). The situation is different with **MERETRIX IMMACULATE**, which is included on this compilation due to its relationship to Herr Burzum, being the deceased's cousin. This rather weak performance is treated as a bonus track. The bands performed their first, previously unreleased songs, with the e...

Nowy Artykuł! A unique interview with the creator of the Hatefrost project. Hatefrost is a mysterious, grounded Polish project playing raw, cold black metal, formed by veterans of the Polish scene. S...: 1. Hatefrost is a project created under somewhat mysterious circumstances. You don't seek publicity, you don't provide details about the lineup, you're not on social media anywhere, yet you regularly release good material on physical formats for over 10 years. I'm all the more glad that you decided to give a few answers for Grim Chronicles, which makes our conversation truly unique. Does Hatefrost intend to remain this inaccessible? Are you consciously rejecting platforms like Facebook and promotion on them? B: Hello... I think Hatefrost will remain where it is, which is underground and inaccessible as you wrote. Those who want to reach us will reach us... Yes, we're rejecting platforms like Facebook etc... although I know that labels promote our releases on Facebook, but that's no longer my concern. 2. Hatefrost is created by scene veterans. Only a few know who's behind it ;). You remember the old days, the 90s and the whole atmosphere surrounding black metal, so let's recall how it all looked? Young people know those times only from stories, and we operated underground without the internet. We learned about new releases from flyers and zines, and to listen to a new band ...

Nowy Artykuł! Release year (2025) Aftoktonia has become a prolific project this year, paying homage straight from the Norwegian underground and paying absolute tribute to the Norwegian scene of the 90s, with a touch of bands like Paysage d'Hiver. Sarkhildr, the band behind this band, has already released five albums this year, including two full-lengths. Today, however, I'll focus on the split with the equally fresh Greek outfit Hoffnungslos, who have released only an EP, a single, and the split album we'll be discussing today. Unspoken Psalms Carved in Shadows is a short shot straight from the cold basements of Norway and the ruined ancient monuments of the south. Hoffnungslos plays three songs on this split, including one shorter, more of an intro, while Aftoktonia plays only two, slightly longer than their predecessor. The Greek attack begins with a keyboard-driven intro that lasts over two minutes, immediately establishing a dark and symphonic atmosphere. This lays the perfect foundation for the songs that follow. As the intro fades into the abyss of darkness, the first full-fledged track, Thorns of the Black Flame, unfolds. From the very beginning, it's clear that this isn't a sweet song. Harris Leontiou, who...

Nowy Artykuł! If you think you're rebelling against the system by posting on a platform that trades your data and censored content at the behest of advertisers, then you have no idea what black metal was. **Black metal has become a circus.** There's no point pretending otherwise. You turn on any streaming playlist and hear hundreds of clones that sound the same, look the same, and have nothing to say. Their opinions, if any, are limited to shouts of "hail satan." This isn't the same beast and machine that bit the hand that fed it in the '90s. Today, black metal, for many, is just an Instagram aesthetic, a hood from a chain store, and a logo that doesn't even need to be drawn by hand because a generator will do it. We have a flood of pseudo-bands. Recording material used to require skill, determination, and equipment that cost sacrifice. Today, any kid with an audio interface and a VST plugin pretending to be "basement sound" produces an album in a weekend. And they flood the market with it. There's no selection. There's no entry point. This leaves the gems drowning in a cesspool of mediocrity. Quality used to be determined by cassette tapes, zines, and word of mouth – a slow but ruthless mechanism for poseurs. Today? All you have to do is buy likes from a farm in Asia and suddenly you're on stage. I look at Facebook and see a paradox. On the one hand, yes, it helped at first. It w...

W skrócie: Kataxu wypusci nowy album "North", który zawiera nagrane na nowo stare kompozycjie z lat 90. Muzyka ma mroczny, ezoteryczny charakter—jak odkrycie dawno zapomnianego, tajemniczego miejsca. To nie jest po prostu reedycja czy powrót do korzeni, ale wydobycie czegoś, co przez lata czekało w ukryciu. "Kataxu wkrótce odsłoni "North"—nową, pełnowymiarową inkantację wyrzeźbioną z najbardziej ukrytych żył zespołu. To ezoteryczny black metal w najczystszej postaci: nagrania pomysłów po raz pierwszy stworzonych w latach 90., zapieczętowanych i teraz wynurzających się jako jeden, spójny rytuał. North porusza się jak lodowaty prąd pod skórą—fragmentaryczne wizje, pradawny zamiar i powolne, nieuniknione przyciąganie ku temu, co niewidzialne. To nie powrót, nie nostalgia, ale otwarcie dawno zamkniętej komnaty." "Kataxu will soon unveil “North”—a new full-length incantation carved from the band’s most hidden veins. This is esoteric black metal in the truest sense: recordings of ideas first conceived in the 1990s, sealed away and now resurfacing as a single, coherent rite. North moves like a cold current beneath the skin—fragmentary visions, ancient intent, and a slow, inevitable pull toward the unseen. Not a return, not nostalgia, but an opening of a long-closed chamber"

W skrócie: Zespół zapowiada swój nadchodzący album jako agresywny, symfoniczny black metal zainspirowany ideami z lat 90., który jest jednocześnie brutalny i majestatyczny. Nie jest to po prostu powrót do starych czasów, ale odświeżenie tamtej energii i nienawiści w nowej, potężnej formie. "Sunwheel wkrótce nadejdzie jako wściekły, pełen nienawiści atak black metalowy—symfoniczny w swojej potędze, druzgocący swoją siłą. Powstał z pomysłów, które po raz pierwszy zrodziły się w latach 90., a jego istota była noszona przez lata jak klątwa, wyostrzona przez czas zamiast stłumiona. Aranżacje uderzają jak burza z żelaza i ognia: wrogie, zdyscyplinowane i bezlitosne. To nie jest nostalgia—to stary jad, który dostał nowe życie, brutalny rytuał podniesiony do rangi monumentu." "Sunwheel will soon descend as an angry, hateful black-metal assault—symphonic in its grandeur, crushing in its weight. Forged from ideas first envisioned in the 1990s, its core has been carried forward like a curse, sharpened with time rather than softened by it. The arrangements surge like a storm of iron and fire: hostile, disciplined, and unrelenting. This isn’t nostalgia—it’s old venom given new breath, a violent rite made monumental."