๐ถ๐ฎ April 2025 Roundup
You guys, April has been absolutely stacked! I probably had more albums to listen to this month than all the three previous months combined. This has sadly resulted in me not actually getting to listen to it all properly. I get the feeling that some of them might carry over into next month. The list below will have the three albums that stood out the most to me personally in a month chock full of great music. You'll find the honorable mentions at the end.
IRL there was also a lot of stuff going on; Some birthdays, Easter holiday, and a lot of work had to be done around the house and the garden to get ready for summer. I tell you, I'm so fucking sick of trimming hedges. I also had to change the tires on my car before the May 1st deadline, as per usual.
All in all, I have to say that I feel like I haven't had much time to digest most of the media that I've come across since last time, and this particular roundup feels a little rushed to me. But I'm trying to ignore that feeling of stuff being "incomplete" as I'd rather be done in order to be able to move on to the next one.
Let's get into it!
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The Games
Blue Prince
Adventure / Puzzle / Roguelike, 2025 (PC/Steam)
Like every other proper gaming enthusiast I've been playing Blue Prince for most of April. I can't say that I've finished it, and I don't think I will before April is over, but it's still keeping me thoroughly engaged and interested.
It's quite a unique experience, both aesthetically and mechanically, and as a lover of Hidden Knowledge games like Myst, Outer Wilds, Tunic, etc., this is definitely up my alley.
But by God, the amount of notes that this game forces you to keep is insane. My Obsidian notes for this game are now at a total of 2200+ words, and is still growing, not to mention the 115 screenshots that I've taken so far. At the time of writing I've played the game for 14 hours, and I feel like I'm not even halfway to beating it. I've even been pruning my notes and separating some into their own documents in order to keep everything as organized as possible. I'm sure some of the notes I still have are superfluous or unnecessary, but I can't know that yet. ๐
Anyway, this game is shaping up to be one of those "must play" games that quickly become part of gaming history, at least among the people who have a love for video games beyond mere entertainment. Some games are intricate and passionate works of art, and this is definitely one of those.
Check it out if you can.
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The Music
Eyes - SPINNER
Metallic Hardcore, 2025
This release has been boggling my mind since I heard it for the first time a couple of days ago. Even though you can definitely tell what kind of music this is, there are so many deviations from the regular sounds and songwriting techniques you'd find in the genre that it easily stands out from the rest.
There's a ferocity here coupled with intricate guitar work and harmonies that keeps the record interesting throughout. It can go from massive groovy breakdowns to simple discordant melodic passages, providing a dynamic listening experience in pretty much every track. All while staying clear of any form of clean vocals, which tends to be a plus for me.
My favorite track is probably Deflating Rooms. It starts out as fairly standard hardcore-fare, but that quick sweep in the guitars less than half a minute in lets you know that this is not a standard track by any means. The groove that drops halfway through is just perfect for music like this, and the last half has one of the most fun hardcore riffs I've heard in a long time. This one's had quite a lot of repeat listens the past few days.
The entire album can be found both on Youtube and Bandcamp.
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TROLD - I Skovens Rige
Folk Metal, 2025
I am very picky when it comes to folk metal. If it's not playful and upbeat, I'm usually out. When it has, like, flutes and bagpipes and accordions and fiddles and shit, I'm usually in --- but it needs to have some bite.
This Danish band has perfected that balance between being heavy and being cheerful all while not taking themselves too seriously, and that is a fine line to tread in this genre. The entire album is just a blast from start to finish, and you should listen to it!
The tracks Tusind ร r I Dvale, Til Gilde Under Bรธgen or Gamle Ask should convince you, if you need convincing.
The entire album is available on Bandcamp.
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ORIA - This Future Wants Us Dead
Progressive Groove Metal, 2025
This has definitely been the most musically interesting record I had the opportunity to listen to this month. The coolest album artwork too!
Hailing from Greece, this fairly unknown band somehow manages to take all the best aspects of the genres they're playing with, and making a new sound all their own. In addition to Progressive and Groove, there's even some Melodeath. I found this album to be very dynamic and varied to the point where I never actually felt like skipping any of the songs, which is very unusual for me.
Even though there are clean vocals, they're the kind that I actually like; There's still a harshness to the voice and the melodies don't fall in the trap of using pop chords. Even a smidge of throat singing in there for good measure, which I absolutely love! Not to mention the all around excellent musicianship on display here.
I get the feeling this record will be up there on my AOTY list come December. As for specific track recommendations, I don't really have big favorites here as I think they're all pretty good, but they have a music video on YouTube for Guided by the Hand of G.O.D.S., so go watch that!
The entire album can be streamed and bought on Bandcamp.
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Here's the list for Music I know was good but couldn't give enough attention to before writing the blogpost:
- Dormant Ordeal - Tooth & Nail (Blackened Technical Death Metal)
- Cytotoxin - Biographyte (Tech Death)
- Eluveitie - รnv (Folk Metal)
- Kardashev - Alunea (Progressive DM, or as the band calls it: Deathgaze)
- Exterminatus - Echoes From A Distant Star, Pt. 1 (Tech Death)
- Crawling Chaos - Wyrd (Death Metal)
- Heaven's Gate - Tales From A Blistering Paradise (Brutal Death & Roll)
- Viagra Boys - viagr aboys (Rock)
- Employed to Serve - Fallen Star (Metalcore)
- Cabal - Everything Rots (Deathcore)
- Crypts of Despair - We Belong in the Grave (Death Metal)
- XweaponX - Weapon X Demo 2 (Hardcore)
Also, shout out to Rise Of The Northstar with their "groovecore meets hip-hop" single Neo Paris that is delightfully reminiscent of the groovy nu-metal raunchiness of 2000's bands like Limp Bizkit and KoRn. Cool music video too.
That's it for this one!
Remember to follow me on Bluesky. I hope you have a nice and sunny May. โ๏ธ