V/A - "Crimean Cult of Rawness vol.1" [2025]

Title: Crimean Cult of Rawness vol.1

Genre: Black Metal, Dungeon/Keller Synth

Country: Russia

Release date: 2025

Track List: 

1. Kurgaan - В тихом омуте
2. Захряпа - Чох, полаз и птичий грай
3. Захряпа - Гугай
4. Doros - There Was Life in The Mansion
5. Doros - The Countess's Lament
6. Slahar - Среди извечных ветров
7. Slahar - Заброшенный дом на отшибе
8. Noire Petre - Никому не нужный хлам прошлого 

"Crimean Cult of Rawness vol.1" is a mini compliation by TemnoRecords, a small underground label rum by a person known as Bisavrük from Krasnodar. Yes, the region isn't the most "trve & kvlt", but Bisavrük's main band Kurgaan surely is. Describing themselves as "steppe black metal", Kurgaan is one of the most interesting new Russian BM projects, inspired by the ancient history and nature of the Pontic steppes. The other projects on the compilation also feature Bisavrük and his friends, and play mostly dark ambient/dungeon synth with black metal overtones. Bisavrük also has several post-punk/goth rock and folk rock projects (, which I haven't checked out yet, but based on what I heard from Kurgaan, I have pretty high expectations for them too.

 

 

Dismal Gateways - "Astral Forge of Supreme Evil" [2026]

Artist: Dismal Gateways

Title: Astral Forge of Supreme Evil

Genre: Symphonic Black Metal

Country: Russia

Release date: 2026

Here's the first interesting discovery of 2026 - sympho black metal that feels and sounds like The Kovenant/Covenant or Arcturus on their classic reseases of the second part of the 90s, but it's from mid-2020s Moscow. "Astral Forge of Supreme Evil" is only an 11 minutes long maxi single, but I'm already eager to hear something bigger from Dismal Gateways, since it's cosmic black metal made the way I like it, and it's quite different from most bedroom black metal releases of the last decade:

"Cosmic landscapes appear before us in dreams and myths. Astral planes and stardust castles are our abode. We build our empire from kaleidoscopic fragments of the Black Grail, where we find inspiration. The dark gates by which the Path lies are the myriad stars in the firmament.

He who follows this Path leaves far below him the pitiful chatter of politics and the egoism of nations. He indifferently steps over dreams of glory and recognition. Without debating the usefulness of truth, he boldly enters the realm of the ultimate cold of cosmic space in search of forgotten knowledge and ancient ways. Beyond the North lie ice and death."