Newsletter

The Grim Digest: December 2025

The Grim Digest: December is live! Catch up on every crushing review published last month, perfectly formatted for a quick read. Start reading now!

Roberto

Roberto

— 6 min read
The Grim Digest: December 2025

Before we start off, the staff of BMZ wants to wish all of you a Happy New Year and may 2026 be filled with lots of great new black metal releases, and concerts.

So it's a new year and a new month, and you all know what that means. The end of the holiday season and the end of December so it's time for the monthly Grim Digest again.

The staff is also working on their Album of the Year lists, so we will publish that article soon. But without further ado, below you'll find an overview of all the reviews we published last month.

As always, you are welcome to let us know in a comment on the website/article what you think of the albums you like, or drop us a line on social media.

Review: WitcheR - Öröklét
WitcheR’s Öröklét (7.5/10). This Atmospheric Black Metal opus delivers majestic classical influences and profound emotional depth. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineRoberto
Review: Haimad - When Night Rode Across the North
Haimad’s long-awaited debut, When Night Rode Across the North (8.5/10), is a strong return to cold, mid-90s Swedish Melodic Black Metal. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: Suffering Hour – Impelling Rebirth
Suffering Hour’s Impelling Rebirth (9/10) is a dissonant BM EP driven by neoclassical melody and jarring tech-thrash. Read the full story!
Black Metal ZineTalvipaivanseisaus
Review: Lamp of Murmuur - The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy
Lamp of Murmuur’s The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy (8.5/10) is a symphonic, melodic opus of clean vocals and fallen gods. Experience the whirlwind! Read more.
Black Metal ZineKevin
Review: 1914 - Viribus Unitis
1914 - Viribus Unitis (8/10). The Ukrainian Blackened Death/Doom war machine delivers an unyielding onslaught of vicious riffs and historical horror. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineEmma
Review: Adorn - Adorn
Adorn - Self-titled (7.5/10). This self-titled release mixes elegant, uplifting black gaze riffs with intricate, lush orchestration, inviting you into a gorgeous 17th-century world. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineAnthony
Review: Bloedmaan - Vampyric War in Blood (2025)
Bloedmaan’s Vampyric War in Blood (8/10). This Atmospheric Black Metal album delivers cold, melodic sound with a haunting vampiric aesthetic. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineRoberto
Review: Stworz - U Śmierci na Komornem (2025)
Stworz’s U Śmierci na Komornem (7,5/10). This folk-infused Polish Pagan BM album is a solemn meditation on heritage and mortality. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: 1349 - Winter Mass (2025)
1349’s Winter Mass (8.5/10) is a ferocious live album, capturing the Norwegian Black Metal band’s uncompromising aural hellfire. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: GraveRipper - From Welkin to Tundra (2025)
GraveRipper - From Welkin to Tundra (9/10). This Blackened Thrash/Speed Metal album hits like a merciless sprint: fast, caustic, and vicious, delivering pure forward motion. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineRoberto
Review: Nordicwinter - Solitude (2025)
tnorNordicwinter’s Solitude (8/10). This Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal opus maintains a cold, consistent atmosphere of isolation and sorrow. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: Autrest - Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves (2025)
Autrest’s Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves (8/10). This Brazilian Atmospheric BM opus balances ferocity with introspection, delivered through rich, nature-driven soundscapes. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: Gravplåga - Maliferous Portents (2025)
Gravplåga’s debut EP, Maliferous Portents (6.5/10), is a solid return to traditional, raw Swedish Black Metal with melodic riffs. Read the full review!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: Skjønnhet - Sailing into the Drowning Horizon (Single)
Skjønnhet’s Sailing into the Drowning Horizon (8/10). This Indonesian Atmospheric Black Metal single delivers moody melodies. Read more!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: Enthroned - Ashspawn (2025)
Enthroned’s Ashspawn (9/10). These Belgian Black Metal veterans return with a brutal, mid-paced masterpiece of demonic atmosphere and top-tier production. Read more!
Black Metal ZineKevin
Review: Lunar Amulet - Self-titled EP (2025)
Lunar Amulet’s self-titled EP (7/10). This US Atmospheric Black Metal debut is a patient, dreamlike journey of beauty and restraint. Read more!
Black Metal ZineMichael
Review: Unviâr - Disglaç (2025)
Unviâr’s Disglaç (9/10). This Italian Black Metal debut is a pummelling, deeply evil masterpiece of atmospheric finesse and unique variation. Read more!
Black Metal ZineAnthony
Review: Mitternacht - Self-titled EP (2025)
Mitternacht’s self-titled EP (7.5/10). This US Black Metal solo project delivers a punishing, orthodox statement of raw, purposeful aggression. Read more!
Black Metal ZineMichael

It's been a busy month in December, and we are all looking forward to the new releases of January 2026.

Your thoughts on The Grim Digest: December

We love to hear your opinion on this article. You can do so by becoming a member and comment on this post.

Or share your opinion and thoughts on our social media channels, or join the discussion on our Discord—where we talk about all things black metal. Don’t forget to follow our Facebook page, Black Metal Zine, for updates on our latest articles, and have a look at our Instagram @blackmetal.zine for concert photos and more!

Read more