Ὁπλίτης (Hoplites) – Παραμαινομένη (Paramainomeni) Review

Hoplites is a one-man Chinese black metal/hardcore band that emerged out of nowhere and proceeded to release three full lengths over the course of 2023. I thought each release was slightly better than the last, but none of them really had memorable moments, instead feeling like an aimless jam session each time that threw elements at the wall to see what stuck. Where does that leave the new album? Find out in this review…

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Demoncy – Black Star Gnosis Review

A new challenger for “most boring black metal act in 2023” has entered the arena, however, and its name is Demoncy. An old school Black Metal band from the USA, Demoncy had a brief period of activity in the 1990s before vanishing for the better part of a decade until the early 2010s. Black Star Gnosis is their first outing on the modern juggernaut label of the underground, Dark Descent Records. Why won’t they reply to our asks for a victory speech?

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