Review by Greg on September 23, 2025.

In a scene saturated with a plethora of up-and-coming acts, young thrash bands need to immediately step up their game, in order to leave their mark on listeners around. Some, on the other hand, choose a different path altogether, like Sweden's Tuck from Hell, which opted for a total revamp of their mission statement, starting from their name, to an unexpected frontman change. Now, perhaps first impressions aren't Rifforia's forte – monikers with the word 'riff' in them often sound cheap and rarely intrigue me, to say nothing of the equally corny title and artwork of their official debut Axeorcism. Luckily, music is what really matters, and discovering what lies behind the presentation is definitely more interesting – not much for its thrash/power formula per se, but for the cool parenting story behind it. The band indeed features well-known vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson, recruited by his son Nils Fredrik who plays drums here, and while I can't help but picture him as one of those wannabe-cool dads who try to bond with their sons by embarrassingly doing young people things, his pedigree (including all kinds of power metal bands like Wuthering Heights, Astral Doors, or Civil War) more than speaks for him, just like it worked for Steve Souza and Max Cavalera in the past.

While this isn't something you hear every day, neither Axeorcism is. Unsurprisingly, the elder Johansson brings his traditional timbre to the table, and he's pretty much a dead ringer for Ronnie James Dio, of all people (seriously, the way he says the word 'light' on 'Sea Of Pain' had me double-checking if he hadn't resurrected unbeknown to me – fyi, seems like he sadly didn't). Sounds interesting? At least it did to me. I don't recall any other band attempting this blend of styles, and I sure as hell have never heard somebody doing it this way. Tracks like 'Sea Of Pain' and 'Death Row Child' wouldn't be out of place on an album like Flotsam and Jetsam's I Am the Weapon, or would be easy highlights on Heathen's Empire of the Blind, if you prefer. The former, in particular, is one hell of a scorcher – frantic, light-speed riffs saw through with a massive guitar tone and never let go, it's one of those tracks that wouldn't sound any less heavy if Sabrina Carpenter was behind the mic.

So why the relatively low score, if it seems I'm about to get carried away altogether with enthusiasm? Well, a part of the reason might be that, simply, those are the only two songs in that style. Hearing what was more or less a novelty in modern thrash, and most of all rather digging it, makes me wonder why the hell Rifforia didn't go all in with it. The Axeorcism's EPK stating that the album was technically ready-to-serve, and only lacked vocals before the metal dad stepped in, doesn't 100% convince me; it's a premise that would make one expect, you know, loads of this full-throttle modern thrash attacks with clean vocals, with maybe even a couple moments where the latter didn't really fit in, but worth overlooking. Instead, the remaining tracks mostly consist of chunky midtempo riffs, and I can't believe that, say, opener 'A Game You Don't Understand' wasn't at least partially modeled on Nils Patrik's voice, instead of the average screamer they had previously.

On the upside, it's definitely more of a personal disappointment than a huge complaint, as most of them are enjoyable, and the leads consistently awesome. Refrains are brutally simple and bluntly memorable, coupled with the sometimes awfully generic lyrics ('The constitution is so corrupt/I hate humanity'), and all of them linger in your memory, although at times not for good reasons (as in 'Welcome To Hell' or 'The Devil's Sperm', where Nils Patrik theatrically wanders as if unsure of which note he'll sing next). Elsewhere, there isn't much to go wrong with, like the muscular 'Built To Destroy', or the compact and effective (but really which track isn't? Talk about Scandinavian efficiency) 'Evilized'. As an end result, not knowing beforehand that the stupidly catchy 'CC Cowboys' was a cover of an obscure 80s song, I'd still never have guessed it, given how seamlessly it blends with the rest of the tracklist, Swedish language notwithstanding.

Closing, let's not understate the news that one can still listen to thrash albums coming out in 2024 and find something new and rarely (if ever) heard of. By this logic already, Axeorcism is really a warm recommendation. But if they manage to write a second album with 10 different versions of 'Sea of Pain', they'll likely satisfy this grown-up baby right here more.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Krys on September 2, 2019.

What we have here is a brand-new project by the name The Ember, The Ash from Canadian multi-instrumentalist 鬼, whose signature is the kanji for 'ghost'. Some of you might be familiar with this gentleman's work from blackgaze/post-black metal band Unreqvited but with The Ember, The Ash he reveals his darker side and offers the perfect outlet to the pain and personal struggles. 

"Consciousness Torn From The Void" is a depressive, atmospheric black metal that is laid on solid foundations that came from years of experience composing post-black soundscapes for his main project (Unreqvited). Every band in this genre characterizes by piercing screams and cutting riffs but what sets this opus apart are layers of emotional grandiosity represented by lush cinematic-like soundscapes. This man knows how to weave the somber and depressive layers and yet by the end of the record generate sense of hope and relief. Starting with ambient intro to the title track 'Consciousness Torn From The Void' and ending with clean guitar strumming on 'From Marrow To Essence', ghost uses all instruments at his disposal to build the atmospheric landscape that immerses listener on his musical journey. For example, 'He Who Wove the Stars and Moons' that starts with mid pace, head-banging, melodic riff goes into an overdrive with blasts and double-bass interlaced with keyboard lines composed so well into the track that reminds me of best days of old, symphonic black metal. But after the storm, last 2 minutes of the song close with clean tone of classic guitar that calms the rough sea and brings hope. 

There's something about the delicate melodies throughout the whole album that on one hand are very pleasant-sounding, at times even catchy, but at the end still build the somber nature of the record and keep depressive mood at the forefront of the music. Not everything is perfect though; maybe because I'm not much of an ambient style fan, but 'Restoration' didn't have any effect on me as well as ending to 'Creature of No Mass'. I guess kudos for trying different elements but for my taste it didn't work out in the grand scheme of things. Thankfully 'From Marrow To Essence' brings back the rollercoaster of emotions with all music elements previously described to close this impressive record. 

"Consciousness Torn From The Void" is more than a solid debut from this one-man project, with blends of emotions and comprehensive musical maturity fans of atmospheric black metal will devour this record with passion and yearn for this void to never end. 

Rating: 8 out of 10