Feature / Music
Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2025)

Teitanblood remain masters of fusing black/death extremity with a Lovecraftian aura. On From the Visceral Abyss, they embrace chaos without sacrificing precision—every blast and twisted riff serving the singular goal of self-annihilation. Their world is still terrifying, its atmospheric depths eerie and otherworldly, paving the way for a ritual of poisonous melodies, processional pacing, and oppressive grandeur.

Following 2024's Samsara, Painkiller return with a ritualistic, chaotic, and genre-defying continuation of their legacy in The Equinox. The trio of Zorn, Harris, and Laswell balances between free-jazz fury, industrial atmospheres, and dub mechanics in a work steeped in Crowleyan mysticism. While it does not reach the same heights as Execution Ground, it remains a compelling and poignant release.

A relentless return, Iron Lung pick up right where they left off 12 years ago with White Glove Test. Adapting // Crawling revisits their extensive toolbox, where old-school hardcore grooves collapse into metallic post-hardcore structures. Their foundational powerviolence remains furious, now extended with heavier, sludge-infused mechanics and industrial undercurrents. The result is a work of constant, focused ferocity that refuses to let you catch your breath.

Mar de Deriva sees Vauruvã evolve from their earlier raw, folk-infused improvisations to reach a progressive rock maturity. Here, their black metal looks into the cosmic and mystical, incorporating traditional Brazilian percussion and acoustic guitars to stand alongside the explosive distorted riffs. The result is not only a densely layered work that draws from Krallice's mechanics and Panopticon's ethos, but also an emotionally resonant journey of evolution and maturity.

Circuit des Yeux go through another major stylistic shift, this time moving toward electronica and industrial textures. The key theme of Halo On The Inside is the interplay between organic and inorganic, the human and the machine. To that end, the distorted component, endless feedback, and precise rhythms are intertwined with tribal elements and Haley Fohr's singular vocal delivery. It results in a deeply introspective and meditative work that balances between the intimate and the detached, marking another fantastic entry in Fohr's discography.