{"id":679402,"date":"2026-01-07T07:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T07:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/679402\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T07:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T07:13:12","slug":"missed-album-review-strigiform-aconite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/679402\/","title":{"rendered":"Missed Album Review: Strigiform – Aconite"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Andy<\/strong><\/a> on January 6, 2026January 6, 2026<\/p>\n

\"\"Artwork by: Joonas R\u00e4s\u00e4nen (EvM)<\/p>\n

Style: Avant-garde black metal, dissonant black metal, technical black metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Ad Nauseam<\/a>, Blut Aus Nord<\/a>, Vale of Pnath, Mare Cognitum
Country: Italy
Release date: 14 November 2025<\/p>\n

The forms in Joonas R\u00e4s\u00e4nen\u2019s biomorphic abstractionist painting drip with an alien organicity befitting of Strigiform<\/strong>\u2019s debut Aconite. At a glance, a heart, a ribcage, a fetus, and a spine materialize, but those images are the wishful thinking of a human brain designed to thoughtlessly fill patterns; Aconite\u2019s cover is still uncomfortably body-like, painted in the reddish hue of an inside-out human. Strigiform<\/strong>, formed from members of Vertebra Atlantis<\/strong><\/a> and backed by I, Voidhanger Records, live in the same realm as their debut\u2019s cover art.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Strigiform<\/strong> are fluid, with recognizable motifs and styles in the periphery while rarely stagnating into something wholly distinct. Tight angular riffs define Aconite, yet the transitions between them are smooth as polished bone. Just as you can spot elements resembling body parts in the cover, so Aconite is also an\u00a0 \u201cI spy\u201d of inspiration taken from several different weirdo black metal bands with very distinctive riff styles. \u201cScorched and Hostile\u201d begins with barbed riffs clambering up and down the fretboard in disharmony in a manner similar to Thantifaxath<\/strong>\u2014Strigiform<\/strong>\u2019s contribution to the twisting scale exercises collide is an unnerving clean guitar that peeks above the top. The cosmically massive tremolo picking on \u201cObsecration\u201d brings to mind Blut Aus Nord<\/strong>\u2019s masterful Disharmonium duology. It gives the track an imposing sense of scale, an atmosphere unmatched across the rest of the record. \u201cPrismatic Delirium\u201d takes cues from both Mare Cognitum<\/strong>\u2014the scorching guitar tone is similar to Solar Paroxysm\u2014and SkyThala<\/strong>\u2014at around four and a half minutes into the track, the riff is the closest I have ever heard to the Tennessee black metal group\u2019s insane style.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Although Strigiform<\/strong> borrow from their legendary peers, Aconite is never derivative or larcenic. Strigiform<\/strong> merge their intricate technicality with atmosphere better than any of the above. This mastery of both aspects is on display in the weighty closer \u201cKnell of Nethermost Withdrawal,\u201d which begins with hyperventilating tremolos behind Modern classical piano work, before jumping headfirst into dizzying dissonance. In one channel, the first guitar ascends and descends the scale, while in the opposite channel, the second guitar pops in and out at will with chaotic timing in order to combat with the first in strange intervals. In contrast to the challenging riffing, the longest melodic section is the guest solo courtesy of album producer Gabriele Gramaglia on \u201cHypnagogic Allure\u201d\u2014it\u2019s dreamy, as the title suggests, and his tone is a fantastic throwback to 90s death metal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The biggest separator between Strigiform<\/strong> and their peers is Strigiform<\/strong>\u2019s wholehearted embrace of the bass. With a strong presence in the mix, the fat bass takes the lead all over the place, allowing the band to have contorted threesomes of string parts all across the sonic range. Everything glides forward at a technical death metal pace, too, and the drum performance from Morte Rossa is notable for how well it glues together the mercurial guitar parts. Everything sounds crisp as a fall morning, too, organic like leaves beginning to decay. Gramaglia did a stellar job; the bass and lead guitars, in particular, sound better than about any dissoblack album I\u2019ve ever heard.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The French get a lot of (deserved) credit for avant-garde metal, leaving the Italian scene sneakily underrated, but if more bands like Strigiform<\/strong> emerge, they won\u2019t be underrated for long. Two of the absolute best avant- metal labels are Italian, I, Voidhanger Records and Avantgarde music, and bands as diverse as Ad Nauseam<\/strong><\/a> to Bianca<\/strong><\/a> to Bedsore<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>hail from the boot of Europe. The land of pasta, pizza, and over-the-top Euro power metal is also an absolute hotbed for dissonant weirdo music, and Aconite places Strigiform<\/strong> right at the forefront. Beautiful, violent, organic, and alien, Aconite is a trip worth taking and among the best avant-garde\/dissonant metal releases of 2025.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: Scorched and Hostile, Hypnagogic Allure, Knell of Nethermost Withdrawal
You may also like: SkyThala<\/a>, Thantifaxath, Fleshmeadow, Vertebra Atlantis<\/a>, Hebephrenique<\/a>, Aseitas<\/a>, VoidCeremony<\/a>
Final verdict: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: I, Voidhanger Records<\/a><\/p>\n

Strigiform<\/strong> is:
\u2013 Saprovore \u2013 Songwriting, guitars, synths, vocals, lyrics
\u2013 Aiakos \u2013 Bass
\u2013 Morte Rossa \u2013 Drums, lyrics
\u2013 N \u2013 Vocals
With guests<\/strong>:
\u2013 Gabriele Gramaglia \u2013 guest solo in \u201cHypnagogic Allure\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n