The Viking in the Wilderness - reviews and news

(37:25; Dione) Track list: 1. Astrolatry 7:28 2. Black Discord 3:16 3. Prometheus, Thou Absorbing the Starlight 4:36 4. Project Zero 4:03 5. Hesperia Planum 3:28 6. Lament of the Forgotten 5:46 7. Solar Apex (The Visceral Ode to Beta Herculis) 2:58 8. Contemplating Space and the Pearllike Miasma 5:50 Line-up: Krystian Lukaszewicz - vocals, guitars, bass, piano with: Robin Stone - drums Polish project Dione is the creative vehicle of composer and artist Krystian Lukaszewicz, and in essence this is a one man band as far as permanent members go at least. This venture kicked off back in 2023 with the EP "Cosmosphere", and now in 2025 the debut album "Astrolatry" has been self-released by the artist. It is a little bit of a lo-fi sounding venture into the extreme metal realm we have here, with the main man handling all technical aspects of the album itself in addition to the vocals and the greater majority of the instrument roles. Very much a self made creation in other ...

(53:10; Fastball Music) Track list: 1. Shuddap 3:40 2. Invitation 3:35 3. Fake 3:51 4. Just a Song 3:30 5. Fading Love 4:13 6. Rage Intro 0:59 7. Rage 3:35 8. Cruisin II 3:43 9. Illusion 3:45 10. Creeper 4:27 11. Stormbringer 3:50 12. Lover's Lip 3:19 13. Inferno 3:35 14. A Man 3:25 15. Relief 3:43 Line-up: Olav Däumling - vocals Seraina Schöpfer - vocals Christoph Teuschel - guitars Fred Jacobssen - bass Sebastian Lanser - drums Switzerland based project DerHerold is the creative vehicle of artist, composer and vocalist Olav Däumling, and while this venture didn't officially launch until 2024 it seems apparent that this is a creation that has been in development for quite some time. This spring the first in a series of three planned concept albums was released through German label Fastball Music. The name of this first chapter is "Arcanum I - Rage". This is an artist that appear to have a great and passionate love for the music of the 1980s in general and heavy metal...

(39:05; ΠΚmusic) Track list: 1. Anapolo 4:39 2. Behind Closed Doors 6:07 3. Introversion 5:38 4. Love Song 4:41 5. Dragonfly 6:29 6. Poni Tis Panayias 5:23 7. Departed 6:08 Line-up: Maria Manousaki - violin Dimitris Verdinoglou - piano Michael Evdemon - bass Alekos Roupas - percussion with: Christos Rafalides - vibraphone Ziv Ravitz - drums Andreas Polyzogopoulos - trumpet Thomas Meleteas - oud Stratis Skarakis - vocals Petros Klampanis - bass Kyriakos Stavrianoudakis - lute According to the artist home page, Maria Manousaki is a mainly US based artist, but also an artist that appears to be at home on more of a globetrotting scale. But while her stated main residence is stated as being in the US, for my sake at least I do get the impression that this is an artist whose soul resides in Crete to a great extent. With numerous involvements in the cultural scene of Crete over a substantial amount of years. As a solo artist, Manousaki released her first album back in 2020. And five years lat...

(25:54; M&O Music) Track list: 1. Dans La Gueule 2:04 2. N°1 3:41 3. Ecchymose 3:17 4. No Man's Land 3:49 5. Git Gud Scrub 2:39 6. Toxiq 3:50 7. Le Paradis 3:01 8. Shrapnel 3:33 Line-up: Cristobal Aliaga - bass Didiel Aliaga - drums Diego Aliaga - vocals with: Vikie - vocals Kourros  - vocals French band Karavane has been around in a few different forms ever since they started out back in 2020, with the threesome also releasing their debut mini-album back in their formative year. The band has been affiliated with French label M&O Music ever since they started out, and now in 2025 the current incarnation of this band have released their second mini-album "Thousand Yard Stare" through that label. I'm not at all as well versed in nu-metal and rap metal as I probably should have been, hence I'll probably bring a few oddball references to the table here. But I know what I like at least, and I appreciate a lot of what this band has up their collective sleeves. W...

(38:35; M&O Music) Track list: 1. Shattered Lands 4:17 2. Forgotten Sun 3:57 3. Rise From the Ruins 3:40 4. We Are 5:14 5. Lavender Turned into Ashes 2:21 6. How Far 5:46 7. Primordio Solis 2:47 8. Behind the Gate 3:20 9. D'ocre et de sang 3:36 10. The Calling 3:37 Line-up: Paul Gonzalvez - vocals, guitars Michael Jarrie - vocals, bass Pablo Malbec - guitars Antoine Dineur - drums French band Areis was formed back in 2019 or thereabouts, and one year later they signed with Italian label Wormholedeath for the release of their self-titled debut album. Since then the band have moved back home, so to speak, and have signed with French label M&O Music for the release of their second studio production "The Calling". I guess that this is a band that many will file somewhere inside of the extreme metal category, as these guys opt to include quite a few elements from this tradition into the landscapes they explore. But this isn't a purebred extreme metal venture, but r...

(39:47; Adam Ben Ezra) Track list: 1. Heavy Drops 3:36 2. Play It Cool 3:57 3. Cosmic Nomad 3:23 4. Rise Up 5:13 5. Free Fly 3:35 6. Hazy Steps 4:04 7. Portrait of Natalie 3:18 8. Taming the Bull 4:21 9. Escape Route 3:26 10. Lazy Butterfly 4:54 Line-up: Adam Ben Ezra - bass, keyboards, vocals, flute Michael Olivera Garcia - drums, percussion with: Omer Mor - guitars Portugal based artist Adam Ben Ezra has nurtured his solo career for the past decade and a bit, with his first album under his own name appearing back in 2015. As of 2025 he has 5 studio productions to his name. The most recent of these is "Heavy Drops", which was self released at the end of February 2025. Ezra specialize in the double bass as an instrument, and he has a creative and expressive manner in which he makes use of the properties of this instrument. A rich and resonant bass sound used to establish infectious grooves is a bit of a speciality it would seem, and that the compositions tend to have an uplif...