New Metal Review - In Perfect Stillness by Domhain

Album Name - In Perfect Stillness

Band Name - Domhain 

Genre - Atmospheric Black Metal/ Post Metal / Blackgaze

Label - These Hands Melt 

Release Date - February 20, 2026

Line Up -

  Andy Ennis - vocals, bass

  Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan - drums, vocals & cello

  Mete Aker - vocals

  Ashley Irwin - guitars, backing vocals

Black Metal can be the most constrictive genre in the hands of unskilled musicians; it can also be the most diverse genre of extreme metal in the hands of musicians who are passionate and who dare to experiment and broaden their perceptions in terms of creating something evocative and memorable. And in their debut album 'In Perfect Stillness', Domhain once again proves that Black Metal can be one of the most beautifully crafted genres when you set your mind to it.

Any band that reminds me of the likes Agalloch, Primordial and Alcest within five minutes of starting my listen deserves to be appraised carefully. I did spend quite a lot of time listening to this five track album of only 35 minutes, and still I long to return to its landscape of soothing yet aggressive brand of fusion of post metal, atmospheric black, blackgaze/shoegaze and even some doom metal inspiration; that Domhain have created in their first full length release.

Andy Ennis gives a masterclass performance in varied vocals delivery with both melodic clear singing and aggressive black metal growls dispersed throughout the album, which is accompanied and accentuated by Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan creating a sense of duality in singing which helps with the creation of the emotionally drenched atmosphere. 

Nathan Irvine does most of the guitar work with a thick and moody layer of post metal chords, but he is also helped by guitar work of Ashley Irwin who also provides some backing vocals. In addition to her vocals Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan is also responsible for drums and cello, working like a machine. While Andy Ennis also contributes with bass, adding into the background yet another layer creating the soundscape.

The album opens with a sparse and bare opener with a cello infused vocalization. Then begins the first real track 'Talamh lom' which is a piece of well-crafted post black track with haunting vocals and oozing atmosphere. Then comes my favorite track 'Footsteps II' with its beautiful tunes incorporating piano and cello with traditional metal instruments and melancholy dual vocals. 'In Perfect Stillness' is a much more straightforward black metal track reminding me of the later day aggressive Agalloch containing some angry growls and blistering drumming. Then the album closes with majestic 'My Tomb Beneath the Tide', which incorporates everything the band has to offer with calming intro and outro and the band showing their varied skill set all throughout the track.

And immediately after finishing it, I was gripped with listening to it again. Wanting to re-experience some bits or remember a particularly haunting section. This is the greatest strength of any good album, dragging you into its embrace once more after you finished listening to it.

Overall Score - 

                                 9 out of 10.

For more info check out the bands official website and their metal-archives page -

https://domhain-band.bandcamp.com/

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Domhain/3540531779

Weekend Shorts - Sing by Jules Bly

Name - Sing

Written by - Jules Bly

Published on - Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #448, January 8, 2026

I came upon this short accidentally, and am quite glad to have read it. It is a simple tale with a beautiful message. There is no over-complicated structure or convoluted plot but rather the tale of a man who has to keep singing no matter what happens to him.

This is yet another tale written mostly in second person. This is the tale of a man who is burdened with the responsibility to keep singing till his death or the world is bound to vanish. This is his tale of finding love and peace, and finally him finding out that fate is not inevitable despite his initial belief.

This one teaches us to try to find a better future for ourselves, teaches us that we can make our own fate if we try hard. This tale also teaches us to do the right thing despite it being uncomfortable and to try to find peace in simplicity, and also to try to be adventurous once in a while.

"You sing a different song.

You act recklessly.

The world does not vanish."

The only little gripe is some repetitive use of phrases to emphasize a point across was a bit unnecessary in my opinion.

Nevertheless, I will give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Weekend Shorts - Really and truly dead by Emma Burnett

Name - Really and truly dead

Written by - Emma Burnett

Published on - Flash Fiction Online October 2026

Well, to my understanding, this one has all the ingredients that make a flash piece shine and stay memorable long after it's read. There is somewhat unreliable yet sympathetic narrator, a suitable mystery and hints at poking jabs at our current reality with its problems despite its speculative setting.

Our narrator starts the story in a room full of dead and also ends it there. In between, by the use of an unusual second-person perspective, describe how the world around them has changed into something sinister.

I really loved this little paragraph, detailing how uncertain and illogical life under a fascist regime is for someone suddenly thrust into it, "You knew nothing about it until after the soldiers attacked, clearing out the people and claiming the resources in the name of a state that isn’t this city, but isn’t not this city. All the villages are being emptied out, their residents fleeing to the city. All the resources are now owned by the state, which feeds the city. You don’t understand how this helps anyone."

The story also features an interesting twist at the end, leaving the reader wanting to learn more about the character and their world.

This is an almost perfect flash piece, thus gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

New Comic Reviews - Midnight Universe Descends

It was really surprising to see Marvel ending its very successful new Ultimate Universe line so suddenly, abruptly and unexpectedly.

But, they somehow decided to end it and start a new imprint, the 'Midnight Universe' from this month.

So I also decided to do a new thing and review the first issues of the three new Midnight series together here.

Name: Midnight Spider-Man #1

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artist: ScieTronc

Colorist: Neeraj Menon

Based on the first issues, this is my pick of the lot. It has a teenage Peter Parker with a much more tragic and horrific childhood, yet brought up with a healthy dose of principles who tries to fight the fascist and corrupt corporations as a social media activist.

The start has much room for maneuvering and the side characters that appeared so far seem to be presented in a very promising way so far. The new and twisted motto of 'Power makes monsters' also gives the setting an interesting nudge in a new direction.

I liked what the art on offer so far with its Asian manga inspired style and some unusual choices. The coloring also adds to the horrific effect and the stylistic charm.

I give this opening issue 4 out of 5 stars.

Name: Midnight Fantastic Four #1

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Artist: Kev Walker

Colorist: Frank D'Armata

Well, this is a bit unusual in its choice of direction so far. I loved the Lovecraftian bits and the jump scares, but some story bits like how Victor was taken to Latveria and how Reed is so uncaring regarding the harm that befalls others due to his whimsical attitude and the mysterious pills need some explanation in future to make this right.

I hope the author gives all the characters enough room for development rather than focusing too much on the reimagined dynamics between Reed and Storm, despite enjoying the changed roles.

The art is as unorthodox as the story at times, but the eerie drawings do add to the cosmic horror angle that the team tried to convey so far. Maybe it needs a bit more nuance in my opinion.

3.5 out of 5 stars, based on what's on offer here.

Name: Midnight X-Men #1

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Artist: Matteo Della Fonte 

Colorist: Arthur Hesli

What Hickman produced with 'HoX/PoX' was something I enjoyed quite a lot. Despite how Krakoan age has both fans and haters, the initial dual mini-series did something incredible, made use of the vast lore available, and made people interested in X-Men comics after a long time.

But, it was also very convoluted and required much prior knowledge to fully appreciate. What 'Midnight X-Men' starts in first issues is not so much old lore heavy. Rather it is a gothic and moody piece introducing readers to the new universe and its status quo. It doesn't do anything really spectacular or original, but it has time and scope it it's future issues for development.

This issue has the best drawing of the three so far, in my opinion. Matteo Della Fonte used his prowess with style to create quite an engrossing and dark atmosphere. I just hope he gets to draw more characters in the future and Hickman decides to use the depth of available characters in the X-Men universe to create something memorable.

So far, I am not overly impressed and will give this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

New Book Review - Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Name - Thornhedge 

Written by - T. Kingfisher 

Narrated by - Laurel Lefkow 

Published by - Tor Books / Titan Books

Audiobook by - W. F. Howes Ltd 

Another Hugo Winner read, it seems I am somehow into the flow of reading award winning stuff. 'Thornhedge' is a novella that is much more than a simple retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. It is also much more than a tale of the witch who has cursed the beauty to eternal sleep in a new light. The story of Toadling has so much more to offer than a fairy tale done differently, it is the story of becoming more than what you were supposed to, learning to love people despite appearances, and letting go of your prejudices to try to do the right thing even if it's hard. And above all, it's a mesmerizing and fun tale.

It is hard to come up with new things to say for a work as thoroughly talked about as this one, so instead I will just write about the things I felt about it, things I picked out thinking back on it after finishing listening to it. It is apparent from the title that this book is about the barrier that Toadling has kept erect between her and the outside world for a long time, about the hedge of thorns she kept strong all throughout her life, making it impossible for her to truly connect with anyone from the earthly realm.

Toadling was stolen by the Fae, which was tragic; then she was brought up by the Greenteeth, who loved her in their own peculiar way and made her feel she belonged. But things again turned bad when she was tasked with dealing with her replacement, Fayette. This eventually began her predicament, as she spent over two centuries guarding the changeling while she slept in the tower behind a wall of thorns. But one day a curious and unusual knight appears to learn the truth of the magic in the tower and from here her new story begins.

The main character is so different from humans, yet she is utterly humane. She tries to find joy in being loved, being part of something, acknowledges that she is ugly but decides to find the truth of beauty in her monstrous companions. Even when she is tasked with protecting others from the harms that the change might cause, she tries to appease everyone somehow. She also thinks about mourning for everyone lost or dead. 

Yet she has a purer way of seeing the world, trying to find goodness and understanding in all the corners, trying to inflict no harm to anyone she encounters, and simply trying to hide behind her power of being able to transform into a toad. She slowly through beautifully poetic prose by Kingfisher experiences the world around her using her unique way of seeing things, and learns to love herself with the help of others.

Halim, while having that core goodness, is a quite a different character from her. He is a Muslim knight who might just be too curious for his own good. He is very optimistic in his every undertaking, tries to solve all problems by himself and trusts Toadling despite everything. I really enjoyed Kingfisher adding his perspective about his mother; as being a Muslim, I really felt it a nice addition that she acknowledged how much sons respect and adore their mothers and are influenced in every decision-making by their guidance in our culture.

The setting of Thornhedge is very similar to our world in some aspects while vastly different in others, especially dealing with the Faerieland and its inhabitants. But I loved the use of medieval tropes like knights, religions, and crusades to make the setting more adherent to our own convoluted histories. It would have been nicer if the setting were explored a bit more but this is Toadlings story, not the lands, so I guess it's fair.

This was surely a deserved Hugo Winner and it would be so much fun if the author decides to write more about this cast. But it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

Weekend Shorts - The Not-Dog-Thing by Corey Farrenkopf

Name - The Not-Dog-Thing 

Written by - Corey Farrenkopf

Published on - Bourbon Penn August 2026 (issue 39)

That was a weird one. This short story was predictable where it was going almost from the start. Yet, Corey Farrenkopf somehow managed to create a unique tale that kept me interested all throughout with engaging prose and making me care for his characters. 

The story was a weird piece. Told through the form of an edited interview for an online forum in which a man talks about his missing father, mostly through the depiction of the TikTok videos he used to make to pass time after his wife died. There is a creepy not-dog creature that his father found in the woods which transforms into something sinister yet oddly familiar.

There is a keen sense of family dynamic dispersed between the weird tale, how they miss their dead loved one. How they fail to communicate their grief in a meaningful way, to get the closure they crave. I really liked these lines, "I don’t tell my father that every once in a while, I can almost picture Mom’s eyes in the face of a nuthatch, or a bluejay, or a wren. He wasn’t the only one allowed to see Mom in the wild."

Then comes the predictable yet finely executed ending leaving the narrator wondering if things could have turned differently if they just talked about how they felt. 

"There are too many questions. Not enough answers.

I wish my father had been better at talking to me.

Some things need to be discussed at length.

Not everything can be settled in silence."

That ending left me wondering if all that creepy creature stuff was just a metaphor that the author created to describe the darkness that grief, loneliness, and distance can bring in us.

I will give this one 4 out of 5 stars. Corey Farrenkopf has certainly become a writer to check out in the future for me.

Promising Books being published on October 2026

September was such a busy month for me, so I am a bit late with the list for October. This month has releases from some big names of the genre writing circle. And also some relative newcomers as well. These are my picks from the promising stuff.

"The Thrice-Bound Fool (Blacktongue #2)" by Christopher Buehlman from Tor Books/ Gollancz

Professional thief and inveterate trickster Kinch Na Shannack has always enjoyed a good book. But now his life, and the future of all of Manreach, depends on him deciphering a very bad book indeed; a stolen, sentient tome that tries to kill him every time he opens it—and often when it’s closed.

Galva, veteran of the goblin wars and death’s sworn handmaiden, has vowed to protect Kinch while he mines the book for its dark magic and even darker secrets. She does so not for Kinch’s sake—though the cheeky bastard is growing on her—but because the book is the key to stopping the shadowy tyrants out to kill the queen she serves, and loves.

The ruthless, all-seeing Taker’s Guild dogs their every step, and thief and knight must flee the known world entirely if they hope to succeed in their mission. But trouble finds Kinch wherever he goes, and the pair may have traded the devil they know for horrors far darker and hungrier as they enter lands unknown.

[ I still haven't read the first book yet, but meaning to check out this highly acclaimed series. ]

"Legacies of Betrayal (The Tales of Witness #3)" by Steven Erikson from Tor Books / Bantam UK

Endless training, gruelling marches, and the frenzy of battle against more enemies than can be counted-such is the life of a marine in the Malazan Empire.

Year by year, month by month, week by week, day by day, moment by moment. Skills are honed to deadly precision, the secret language of the soldier in a world drowning in perpetual discontent, the eternal conflict against the fates. And we should forget the seemingly inevitable interference of mischievous gods and more often than not, the resurrected remains of ancient and once believed long-dead entities.

As a new holy war starts sparked in the fire-blackened cauldron of Seven Cities, the Fifth and Sixth squads are about to embark a mission they don't want for a cause they don't care about. Not that anybody asked their opinion. They can only hope that their objective isn't as hopeless as it seems, and that they aren't simply being used as pawns—a strategic sacrifice, if you will, in the machinations of their betters.

So what's life like as a marine in the Malazan Army?

Well, let's see, shall we...

[ I don't know when I will be able to get back into the Malazan world. But I remember it so fondly still.]


"Off the Reservation (The Only Good Indians #2)" by Stephen Graham Jones from Saga Press / Titan Books

Five years have passed since the massacre on the Blackfeet reservation in Stephen Graham Jones’s breakout bestseller The Only Good Indians. Nathan Yellow Tail, one of the survivors of the revenge murders, finds himself in the hospital after a terrible accident that should’ve killed him and that nearly killed his best friend, Sebby, who is hanging on to life in a room a few doors down.

Nate’s life is out of balance, so when he is given the chance to reset his life, and maybe save Sebby in the process, Nate steps up, again. This time it’s into a camper van that is almost as run down as his broken body, filled with three older Blackfeet, to find the bones of the lone Blackfeet boy who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School—where many Indigenous children were abused—and repatriate this boy home. The problem is, when they get the bones, something terrible has escaped with them.

By turns terrifying and deeply moving, Off the Reservation is a haunting American Indian novel of survival, reckoning, and redemption, shining light on the dark corners of this country’s history while also showing the desperate choices people make when they’re put up against a wall.

[ The second book in another acclaimed series. Should read this soon as well, I think.]

"Find Me Where It Ends" by Cassandra Khaw from Tor Nightfire / Titan Books

Antigone is no stranger to death.

For the women of her family, death always comes in the form of a black dog.

When Antigone’s own black dog arrives, she isn’t afraid. She invites it inside, where it soon becomes a daily source of companionship and comfort. It also forces her to reflect on the life she’s led—the parts of herself she’s hollowed out for the sake of others, and the bone-deep exhaustion that’s hounded her every step.

Her Death’s arrival must be a sign, permission to finally let go. To rest. Because while mortality is inevitable, living is a choice.

But a good death comes at a price.

[ A promising short horror read. I always fancy these.]

"Frankenstein Rex" by Adam Roberts from Gollancz

Frankenstein is the name of the maker, but we always think of the monster...

And what a monster he is. Frankenstein is a splendid creature, in almost every respect superior to humanity: smarter, stronger, and able to endure extremes of heat and cold that would kill a normal person. He is also effectively immortal.

Such a being, released into our world, would sooner or later come to rule it. Welcome to FRANKENSTEIN REX.

The monster's ugliness is a positive advantage: his towering height and ghastly face scream power; and people, who understand that power is never pretty, that it is brute and unpleasant and that our best chance is to have it on our side rather than set against us, flock to follow him. In a few years the monster conquers Europe, and in a matter of decades he rules the whole world.

But although generations come and go believing their world-dictator to be immortal, the creature himself now understands that he is dying. The creature re-opens Frankenstein's original research, to re-discover those lost skills and techniques and so to create for himself an heir.

[ Well, this has a very interesting premise. Somehow I feel like I am going to enjoy this.] 

"The Fist of Memory" by Whole Talabi from DAW books / Gollancz 

Fist Of Memory is simultaneously a near-future thriller and a meditation on the nature of memory, legacy, and connectedness.

When a strange and non-communicative alien spacecraft suddenly appears in the night sky, approaching Earth at an impossible velocity, the established world order is thrown into turmoil.

But for Tope, a principled and extremely effective Nigerian assassin with a bionic arm and talent for lethality who works for anyone willing to pay her oga - the mysterious witchdoctor known only as 'Baba' - it's all just business as usual. That is, until a routine job goes sideways, and she gets caught up in a high stakes game of power and politics.

Tope is joined by Itumeleng, a South African astronomer who has seen her and the alien craft in his dreams and, like her, is haunted by a complicated past. Now they must both survive long enough to navigate their way through the maze of competing agendas and understand how they, and all of humanity, are connected to the alien craft before it lands and the world changes forever.

But it won't be easy. There are powerful, sinister forces determined to kill them, including a strange and motivated supernatural assassin obsessed with a single memory . . .

[ Another one with such a well thought out setting and characters, at least it seems so on the surface. Hopefully it is as good as it sounds. ]

"The Scarlet Ball" by Nghi Vo from Tor Books / Del Rey

Pick a face, pick a fate.

Judith Ban, former convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief, is on the lookout for her next identity. The daughter of a Vietnamese adventuress and a French naval officer, she’s no stranger to risk, but she’s unprepared for the secrets of New York’s legendary Four Hundred, or for the women who build their power at the city’s heart through blood-soaked, gold-etched rituals of demonic marriage.

In exchange for enough wealth to outrun her past, Judith strikes a deal with the matriarch of the powerful Howard family: she will stand in for the missing Howard granddaughter, who was poised to make her debut when she disappeared. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith is white, rich, and about to risk body and soul in the deadly games that determine which girls will find a match—and which will be devoured. If she can keep her wits and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power who will be hers to command... so long as she can keep his infinite hungers fed. But to survive the season, Judith will have to seduce a storm in the shape of a man, before the night to which everything has been leading—the Scarlet Ball where the demons choose their brides.

[ Vo has been on my reader for a while now. A promising new standalone should be a good place to start.]