Let me say right off the bat that Hamvak has evolved a lot musically since the self-titled demo. As a result, the black metal feel has been completely faded and the death metal emphasis has been maximized. Now the music is much darker, reminiscent of a combination of early Incantation, Immolation and Grave material. It's also more complex, with some of the aforementioned Immolation influences here and there, especially when the dissonant guitar harmonies appear, but also with a touch of Gorguts and Morbid Angel. The production is pretty cool, I like the sound of the drums, but also the bass tone is something special when it comes to the low strings, so it's definitely an interesting sound on this debut album. Prior to this cassette release, Hamvak's debut album was officially released on CD in 2022 by an alliance of two Polish labels, Morbid Chapel Records and Rotten Tomb Records. This current cassette edition is limited to 150 copies. The good-looking black cassette contains 3 songs per side and comes with a black and white J-card with all the important information about the release. Dávid Vadkerti-Tóth (all instruments & vocals) did an amazing job in creating this obscure death metal material, so hats off to his creativity and musical vision. Other guest appearances include Patrik Pusztai (additional vocals) in "Arrows of Vengeance" and Tibor Hanyi's tortured guitar solo in "Savage Blasphemous Incantation". The cover artwork was created by Grafit és Hamu, which faithfully reflects the dark and destructive musical atmosphere of "Maelstrom of Abhorrent Incantations". This cassette release has a small flaw on the B side, which affects the panorama sound, where the left and right channels are swapped. But apart from that, it's an absolutely killer debut album and I highly recommend it to fans of the death metal bands listed above!!!

Holt's debut demo introduces us with a very sick doom/death metal mix. The Hungarian formation concentrates on the emptiness of life, the suffering during existence and above all on the darkest and evilest aspects of death and beyond. The opening intro of the cassette, with its morbid proclamation about the crematorium and the importance of the cremation process, is simply hilarious. You have to understand the Hungarian language to understand its sickly, black humor-infused nature. This is followed by "Hamu" (5:47), the first half of the song is quite slow, with an absolute doom metal feel, while the second half is more death metal, but the overall effect is just really sick, and the ultra-low growls are just brutal throughout the whole composition. The third chapter of "Métely" is entitled "Pecsét" (8:10), a more varied song, especially in terms of drumming, and the death metal side is more pronounced here, but still showcases all the traditional elements of doom metal. The last piece of the demo is an outro, in which we hear the process of covering the grave with earth, and the chants during the burial are in Hungarian. The 4-track demo lasts over 19 minutes and is repeated on both sides of the tape. "Métely" was recorded, mixed and mastered at Rock Out Studio in 2023. It sounds very good and will definitely appeal to all fans of the doom/death metal genre. As a side note, Holt belongs to the Bone Chapel Collective, and as such, their membership and all their activities are veiled. As a result, the black cassette comes with minimal information on the J-card, but with the lyrics to the songs "Hamu" and "Pecsét". Of course, we know that this cassette edition is limited to 150 copies, so if you are interested, please contact Obscure Disharmony Records using one of the links below.

This strange band, or rather project, was formed by members of Mutilation Case, Rém, Boru and Casketgarden. For what purpose, you might ask? Well, I guess just for fun. The trio's debut album is entitled "Italia Violenta" and is dedicated to Italian horror films. If all this wasn't strange enough, I would add that the guitar sounds like a chainsaw in the best Swedish tradition. Well, musically they fall into the death metal category, with a simple approach to riffing. There are 8 songs in total, four per side, with a playing time of nearly 31 minutes. Seven of these are evoked by films about demons, zombies, witches and the darkest side of the human mind. All members of this horror fraternity use nicknames, in Italian of course, and these are Martino (vocals), Baggio (guitar) and Giorgio (guitar, bass & drums). Their songs are quite cliché-soaked and definitely boring to listen to, but the packaging of the cassette is very pretty. It has a fully printed shell and contains a bonus O-card in addition to the standard J-card. The cassette edition is limited to 60 copies, but is also available on CD thanks to a collaboration between Pest Records and Metal Ör Die Records. If you're looking for a traditional Swedish death metal album in Italian by Hungarians, this is definitely it, don't even try to look any further, ha-ha...

"Ov Bones and Darkness" is the debut album of Komor Romok from Szombathely. The band was formed in 2008, and prior to the album they released a 4-song EP called "Cryptworm" in 2017. The Hungarian quintet's debut album consists of 7 songs, forging a hypnotic and rather monotonous blend of black metal. The gorgeous looking all over print cassette contains 4 songs on side A and 3 songs on side B. The production is fantastic, but to be honest I found the kick drum to be quite loud and would prefer to add more overheads and snare to the mix, but that's just something I'd prefer. However, the sound is very enjoyable, and all instruments and vocal parts are clearly audible. The music itself is not complicated at all, but rather focuses on spellbound moods that at one point make their repertoire meditative. There are no super-fast drum parts and riffs, instead it's the guitar melodies that are brought to the fore. The album was recorded by András Timár and mixed by Ól Recording. To be honest, I found their stuff quite boring, definitely lacking in catchy ideas, but black metal fans who like monotony and cold soundscapes might prefer the songs on "Ov Bones and Darkness". The cassette, which is over 38 minutes long, comes with a color J-card featuring the cover image, a photo of the band and the obligatory information about the recording. If you claim to be a fan of Komor Romok, hurry up, because this cassette edition is limited to 50 copies!!!

Morgh is a relatively new Hungarian black metal project, formed sometime in 2023. The project features experienced members of acts such as Nadir, Our Existence Is Punishment, Drow and Mortem, to name a few. In Morgh they use nicknames, notably Unholy (vocals/lyrics), Almighty Black (drums/music) and Priest Hunter (bass). Their aim is primarily to pay homage to the black metal genre. The 4-song debut material was originally released digitally in December 2023, but thanks to FTP, it was given a decent 50-copy limited edition cassette release in 2024. The 14-and-a-half-minute recording is available on both sides of the cassette, which has a shell in a combination of 2 colors, silver and black. At first glance, the visual effect is a bit strange, but why not. Now to the music itself. "Malum" begins with an eerie intro based on acoustic/distorted guitar sounds and background effects. This is a short piece, just over a minute long. Then comes "Vulnera", a very dynamic song with catchy guitar melodies and varied vocal parts. The lyrics were written in Hungarian and are about human evil, war, crime and the cruelty of the world. While "Vulnera" shows the melodic side of Morgh, the next track "Bellum" is pure hell, with plenty of blast beats and unrelenting brutality. Despite the wild rush, towards the end of the song they switch to a moody keyboard passage that sounds very Dimmu Borgir. The fourth and final composition is the title track. This song combines the essence of the previous two tracks, a kind of balanced version between atmospheric keyboards, melodic guitar riffs, crushing blast beats and blood-curdling screams. I definitely like Morgh's debut EP and can only recommend it to fans of atmospheric black metal. The cassette comes with a simple J-card, but nevertheless contains all the mandatory information you need to know about "Malum". Now all I have to say is visit the Morgh bandcamp page or their label's site and order your copy before it's too late!!!

I received an advance copy of Обрій's long-anticipated debut album, codenamed "Йосип", directly from lyricist and former guitarist Василь Лавер. Based in Uzhhorod, the band was formed in 2013, and until this glorious moment they have released quite a lot of material, mostly in the form of EPs, splits and singles. Their music has changed from release to release, but the core has always been death metal, and to make their sound even heavier and deadlier, they added the so-called Swedish HM-2 guitar sound to their arsenal a little later. As far as influences go, well, definitely Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Hail of Bullets, At the Gates, Dismember and similar hordes from the beloved death metal underground, although the members were pretty much focused on that from the start. Now on to the material on the debut album. First of all, "Йосип (Joseph)" is a conceptual album, all the lyrics are about Stalinism and the crimes of the Stalinist Soviet regime, more or less in chronological order, and the song titles are taken from book titles related to the subject of the song. Secondly, the band has improved a lot in terms of songwriting and sound, the latter largely thanks to Дмитро Бастанов. Let me say right away that this album has a huge sound production and is perfectly balanced, and that's no exaggeration. There are 8 songs in total (4 per side) and the playing time is 35:41. They were recorded by Микола Мага (vocals), Віталій Лендєл (guitars), Олександр Рогов (bass) and Петро Будай (drums). After a short intro, the massive and groovy riffs of "Як гартувалася сталь (How the Steel Was Tempered)" kick in. It's a great headbanging track with lots of melodic parts and a moody solo. The vocals are still far from the standard death metal growls or screams; I would describe them more as harsh hardcore shouts. This song has a slightly Scandinavian feel to it, with some truly memorable moments. The second cut is called "Жовтий князь (The Yellow Prince)". It's all about nasty thrash metal riffs and pounding drumming, spiced up with some catchy Bolt Thrower-esque guitar motifs, the solo is a bit out of place, but thankfully doesn't spoil the overall mood of the song. This is followed by the "Сад Гетсиманський (The Garden of Gethsemane)". Another headbanging track with lots of double bass drumming, dynamic riffing and again strong Bolt Thrower influences. The last song on Side A is called "Ніч ополудні (Darkness at Noon)". It's a pretty groove-oriented piece with cool kick drum patterns and great tom fills. Side B opens with the melancholic acoustic guitar melodies of "День М (M-Day)". Next up is "Чорні ешелони (Black Echelons)", which combines the distinctive melodies of At the Gates with some energetic Slayer riffs in the middle. The 7th song is called "Терпіння (Patience)" and it's my favorite. It starts off with slow, creeping, doomy guitar melodies, which after a while switch to the album's most terrifying riff, a dynamic downpicking frenzy that is repeated once more at the end of the song. These are moments of genius that I warmly recommend listening to. The last song on the album is also the longest at 6:34. "Архіпелаг ГУЛАГ (The Gulag Archipelago)" starts off with an epic vibe, which soon turns into hellish grooves and punchy kick drum attacks. Of course, the Bolt Thrower effect could not be avoided there either, but what can you do. All in all, this is a solid first full-length album from Обрій that death metal fans should definitely listen to. I personally really liked the sound, especially the way the drums and cymbals cut through the massive wall of distorted guitars. Ярослав Гроб has captured the essence of the lyrical aspects quite well, so the visual effect is also provided by the cover he designed. We had to wait a long time for this album, but it was totally worth it, that's for sure!!!

The A side of this split is reserved for the Hungarian one-man band Rém. The music that Mr. N. creates resembles a kind of raw punk-influenced black metal. His own songs, "Primitív metál", "Emberparazita" and "Szekta" are not overthought at all, the structures are simple yet have catchy guitar melodies and grooves. The lyrics are in Hungarian, but very explicit, as most hardcore and punk bands like it. And nothing demonstrates his affinity for the aforementioned styles better than his rather mechanical, yet innovative cover of Cro-Mags' "Life of My Own". On side B there are 4 songs by SuperFrost, and yes, it's also a one-man band, led by the mastermind Azak Azakthoth. According to some sources, SuperFrost plays black metal with punk elements, but this stuff is pretty thrash metal oriented. Yes, the vocals and production are definitely more towards black metal, but the guitar riffs and hooks are something completely different if you ask me. The 3 own songs ("Mártírhalál", "Vér, tûz, halál" and "Felégetni a világot") come with Hungarian lyrics. The fourth song is, not surprisingly, a cover of Testament's "C.O.T.L.O.D.". Needless to say, SuperFrost has given this classic a rather dark and cold interpretation. The cassette itself has a fully printed shell, which looks killer. It also comes with a full-color J-card containing individual photos of the members, all the lyrics except for the cover songs, and the necessary information about both recordings. This split release was limited to 60 copies, so hurry if you want to get your hands on this terrorizing onslaught of blackened old skulls!!!

As the title suggests, this cassette release is a meticulously selected collection of songs from Siculicidium's sound archive spanning 20 years. This collection was officially launched in digital form in December 2023, but the physical release had to wait until now. Well, it's finally here, and needless to say, it was worth the wait. The more than 93-minute-long audio material is a good representation of the different stages of the Transylvanian black metal entity's career. In short, you can follow the evolution of the band from their first demo to the present day, as well as the qualitative changes in their musical style and sound. The compilation includes a lot of unreleased material, different versions of songs, instrumental recordings, in other words, special things that the band's hardcore fans will surely appreciate. What's more, in addition to the fantastic looking cassette and J-card, you'll also get a special Fekete Terror fanzine issue dedicated exclusively to the work of Siculicidium. The 88-page, A5 format issue, which is of course entirely in Hungarian, includes a foreword by FTP chief Dr. A and a rather lengthy interview with Béla Lugosi and Pestifer, which takes up half of this special issue. The other half is filled with interviews and reviews by others. This combo (cassette + fanzine) is limited to 100 copies and is a must-have for Siculicidium fans worldwide.

I've already written about the 2LP and 3CD reissues of "Tapping the Vein", but I felt I should write a few lines about this 2MC reissue as well. Unfortunately, as with the other formats, I found a few things screwed up with the cassette version. First of all, the booklet says that the first cassette has the remastered version of the original "Tapping the Vein" album, but it doesn't, because it has the Redux version. I don't have a big problem with that, I'm just saying it's wrongly mentioned in the booklet. Secondly, it doesn't even have the Redux version as it is on the vinyl, as it has the alternate remix version of "Reincarnation" with Tom's standard vocals, which was included as a bonus on the digisleeve and bookpack CD versions, along with the other two alternate remix versions, "Body Parts" and "Wachturm". Well, I'm pretty sure that this error happened because the cassettes were dubbed directly from the Redux version CD, which unfortunately has the alternate remix version of "Reincarnation" on it twice. The second cassette contains the "Live in Tokyo 1992" concert, with a total of 12 songs, 6 songs per side. I can't complain about it at all, nice live show with good sound quality and a great setlist, but somehow I'd rather see a remastered version of "Tapping the Vein" on the second cassette. This is just my personal opinion, I mean, if it was limited to 2 cassettes, the perfect combo would be the remastered and Redux versions together. Well, as you may know, the latter version was mixed by Andy Brings, and it's a great gift for Sodom fans. Thanks to him, we get a completely different approach to the whole "Tapping the Vein" album, which overall feels fantastic! The cassettes have black shells and screws, but the quality of the normal position Type I tape inside is not good at all, I would say it is quite poor and doesn't last long. The 4-panel J-card looks awesome, but unfortunately, as it's based on the CD booklet, it omits the lyrics to the songs "Hunting Season" and "Reincarnation", which is a shame. And since the remastered version of the original album was not used for this release, I personally would have preferred to see the artwork of the Redux version on the cover. So, as you can see, for me this edition is far from perfect, which is a pity, because it could have been with care. I mean, a band like Sodom and a masterpiece like "Tapping the Vein" deserves it, and at the highest level, don't you think?!!!