Dol Guldur is one of those albums that completely ignores the usual rules of black metal and somehow becomes more convincing because of it. The guitars, primitive drum machine rhythms, harsh vocals and especially the keyboards create a strange, medieval atmosphere that feels less like a metal record and more like the soundtrack to a journey through some forgotten kingdom.

The repetition can be excessive, and the production is undeniably dated, but those weaknesses are also part of its charm. Tracks like “Nightshade Forests,” “Elfstone,” “Khazad Dûm,” and “Over Old Hills” slowly build their melodies rather than chasing immediate impact. Given time, the simple riffs become hypnotic, and the cheap-sounding synthesizers start to feel almost nostalgic.

It isn't an album for someone looking for aggression or technical fireworks. Its strength is atmosphere: huge, melancholy, heroic and occasionally wonderfully cheesy. Dol Guldur feels completely sincere in what it is trying to create, and that sincerity makes its eccentricities work. ... See More

Summoning’s Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame is less a black metal album than an epic fantasy soundtrack wearing black metal’s clothes. The guitars and harsh vocals are there, but the real heart of the record lies in its grand keyboards, martial drums, haunting melodies, and medieval atmosphere. It feels ancient, heroic and strangely melancholic at the same time.

The album’s biggest strength is its sense of scale. Tracks like “In Hollow Halls Beneath the Fells” and “Runes of Power” build patiently, repeating simple ideas until they become almost hypnotic. “Farewell” is the obvious climax, with its triumphant clean vocals and sweeping arrangement giving the record a genuinely emotional ending.

It can be repetitive, and some of the programmed drums and synth sounds have aged noticeably. But those imperfections are also part of Summoning’s identity. Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame doesn’t try to sound like a polished metal production; it creates its own strange world and invites you to stay there. ... See More

Oath Bound is less an album you simply listen to and more one you disappear into. Summoning build enormous, slow moving soundscapes from raw black metal guitars, distant vocals, marching drums and layers of keyboards, creating something that feels ancient, cold and strangely majestic.

The album can be repetitive, and some tracks take a little too long to reach their destination, but that patience is also part of its appeal. The music feels deliberately cinematic without losing its grim black-metal character. Land of the Dead is the obvious high point, closing the album with a genuinely haunting sense of scale and melancholy.

It isn't Summoning's most immediate record, but few albums capture that feeling of wandering through a vast, forgotten world quite as convincingly. Atmospheric, immersive and unapologetically epic. ... See More

Hope is one of those albums where the title feels almost cruel. Swallow the Sun take the idea of hope and bury it under crushing guitars, mournful melodies, deep growls and an atmosphere that seems permanently stuck somewhere between grief and resignation.

What makes the album work so well is the balance between heaviness and melody. The riffs can be absolutely massive, but there is always a fragile, beautiful melody underneath them. The clean vocals add another layer of vulnerability, especially when they suddenly give way to those enormous death-doom growls. Tracks like “Hope,” “The Justice of Suffering” and “Don’t Fall Asleep” are particularly effective at creating that feeling of being completely swallowed by the music.

The only real weakness is that the album can become somewhat uniform if you listen to it all at once. Its slow, melancholic approach demands the right mood, and this is definitely not background music.

Still, Hope is a remarkably cohesive doom album. It doesn't try to make sadness sound pretty; it makes sadness feel enormous, almost physical. Dark, melodic, heavy and genuinely moving. ... See More

New Moon is Swallow the Sun at their most atmospheric and emotionally heavy. The album moves between crushing death/doom riffs, fragile melodies, gothic melancholy and occasional bursts of black metal intensity without ever losing its bleak identity.

The strongest moments are the ones where beauty and heaviness collide: “Falling World” and the title track are hauntingly melodic, while “These Woods Breathe Evil” and “Lights on the Lake” show the band at their most powerful and dramatic. The album does occasionally drag, with a few songs stretching ideas further than necessary, but the atmosphere is so strong that it remains easy to get lost in.

It may not be their most consistent record, but New Moon has a cold, lonely character that rewards repeated listens. It feels less like an album you simply play and more like a place you disappear into for an hour. ... See More