“Heterotopia” is cinematic and quite surprising at times – there’s a lot of music here, and the way one song weaves to the next flows really well. It’s an album that’s meant to be listened to in one sitting from start to finish, and in that way, they’re upholding the art form of the album, unlike the trend these days to curate music specifically for short form content and loops. You get to explore a shifting sonic palette, and that alone tells a story aside from the main lyrical method of narrative delivery. The music tells the side story and provides context and movement to the story here, and the way the band shifts dynamics from powerful, aggressive sounds to haunting and borderline disturbing ambient sounds serves the storytelling marvelously.

The title track is symphonic in its arrangement, starting almost like a horror movie cue with a simple yet harrowing piano line and then unleashing the might of this metal orchestra. The deliberate dissonances in the riffs and how they descend chromatically create a terrifying spiral of sound. The intermission that breaks off the song into two halves features ominous drones and breathing sounds that add to the disturbing atmosphere invoked by the lyrics, and then when the band comes back in full force, it just makes that much more impactful.

“Immaculate” has an intro riff that sounds like someone blowing into Gjallarhorn itself, ushering in the indescribable evil that emanates from the lyrics like ancient words that aren’t supposed to be spoken out loud. Their voices screaming “Immaculate reflection!” sounds like a thousand frenzied demons shrieking, and the legendary bassist Steve Di Giorgio tearing it up in the breakdowns make this one of the heaviest tracks on the album. The performances here are immaculate indeed.

“Begotten” is an example of those surprising tracks I mentioned. It starts off with drones and what sounds to my ears like Mongolian throat singing, and it builds to a relentless blast beat as the main vocalist trades vocals with Camilia Bayazi’s soaring vocals. The relentlessness crashes down to an ambient section with a saxophone in a borderline jazz noir-inspired section that conveys desolation and hopelessness. The ambient section is very similar in function to the intermission in the title track. The band knows their strengths, and they are playing to them.

Heterotopia is the kind of record that rewards the listener who gives it the full, uninterrupted sit-down it asks for. Primordial Black is operating in a space where extreme metal, cinematic atmosphere, and genuine compositional ambition don’t cancel each other out – they compound. For a band this young in their discography to already have this kind of control over texture, pacing, and darkness, the only real question is where they go from here.

In a year that saw Darkside Records solidify its position as the leading independent metal label in the Maghreb, these numbers represent more than statistics; they are proof that raw, uncompromising North African metal has gone global.

TOTAL IMPACT – ALL 5 ARTISTS COMBINED

• 6,706 monthly listeners
• 21,888 streams
• 1,341 hours listened
• Music played in 282 countries

2025 TOP PERFORMER

PRIMORDIAL BLACK – Darkside Records’ undisputed flagship act of the year

• 3.8K monthly listeners
• 9.2K streams
• 612 hours listened
• 95 countries reached

THE 2025 WARRIORS

• GALLOGLAIGH – 1.6K listeners | 7.8K streams | 440 hours | 78 countries (released less than one month ago)
• ANEMOYA – 1.2K listeners | 3.9K streams | 243 hours | 80 countries (released two months ago)
• ANTIQUUS INFESTUS – 787 streams | 35 hours | 16 countries (released one month ago)
• BABEL – 201 streams | 11 hours | 13 countries (released two months ago)

Darkside Records continues to champion the most exciting heavy music emerging from North Africa and the Middle East, building a bridge between the underground and the world stage.

The cover was discovered and shared by Schuldiner’s nephew, Chris Steele, who unearthed the recording while sorting through personal items. Steele, reflecting on the find, shared: “Found this today going through some things. Chuck recorded this in the early stages of his battle with cancer, I remember it well. Chuck sitting in his bedroom with his stealth and a drum machine. I’m not sure how many people outside of the family and a few friends have heard this but it’s all yours. Chuck’s version of Madonna’s 1998 single ‘Frozen’.”

Schuldiner, often hailed as the “Father of Death Metal,” founded the seminal band Death in 1983 (initially under the name Mantas) and revolutionized the genre with groundbreaking albums like Scream Bloody Gore (1987), Leprosy (1988), and Symbolic (1995). His work pushed the boundaries of technical proficiency, lyrical depth, and progressive elements, influencing countless artists in metal and beyond. In 1999, Schuldiner expanded his vision with Control Denied, releasing *The Fragile Art of Existence*, which leaned into more melodic and progressive territory. Diagnosed with pontine glioma in May 1999, Schuldiner continued creating music amid his illness until his passing on December 13, 2001, at the age of 34. His legacy endures as a symbol of innovation, resilience, and artistic integrity, with fans and peers remembering him as a visionary who elevated death metal from its raw origins to a sophisticated art form.

“This discovery highlights Chuck’s boundless creativity and his willingness to explore music outside traditional metal confines,” said a representative from Relapse Records, Death‘s longtime label partner. “It’s a poignant reminder of his humanity and passion during one of the toughest periods of his life.”

While fans have long speculated about unreleased material from Schuldiner’s archives—including unfinished tracks for a second Control Denied album—no other covers of non-metal songs have been publicly identified or released to date. This “Frozen” rendition stands as a unique gem, blending Schuldiner’s signature guitar style with the atmospheric essence of Madonna’s original electronic ballad.

The track is now available for streaming on platforms like YouTube and has been shared via Death’s official social media channels. Fans are encouraged to revisit Schuldiner’s catalog to celebrate his enduring impact on music.

This song is dedicated to all those for whom a moment has come in life when everything is not on time. When snow falls on autumn leaves or when winter soil is sprinkled with rain. When you put off important things/words/feelings simply because you think it’s all at the wrong time. When you yourself live at the wrong time and everything around you seems wrong. When you are afraid to make a mistake, and therefore you do nothing and plunge deeper into the abyss of “wrong time”.

Also, fans of The Elder Scrolls lore will find pleasant references in this song.

This is the first track where you will hear recorded extreme vocals, ethnic tagelharpa and kantele from mastermind of the project Olga Kann. Here you will also hear backing extreme vocals performed by Alexander Rabets and some guest participants – clean vocals from Giovanni Antonio Vigliotti from Somnent, guitars from Astaroth Mercurius from Raventale. Koliopanos Filippos (Ocean Of Grief, ex-On Thorns I Lay) worked on the sound, cover art from Olga Kann.

At the moment the project has one full-length album under its belt. “The Endless Journey” released in 2021 on the Finnish label Naturmacht Productions. The material for the second full-length release is also completely ready, news about which is just around the corner.

⇒ PRE-SAVE HERE! ⇐

Although, I haven’t listened to any extreme metal for quite some time I still enjoy its banging vibes for sure. Diseased Earth is one of the bands that we enjoyed their music in previous features before, and here they come again with a stunning Death Sludge hit, Splitting The Tongues Of Man. Let’s find out and headbang!

To everybody’s surprise, Mythos managed to outdo themselves and sound even heavier one more time. On “Abomination” you have a lengthy intro that takes you into the depths of a hidden dungeon within an Egyptian temple. The dissonant guitars with the well-timed attacks and blasts of the rhythm section induced both goosebumps and terror in me at the same- that’s just how much chemistry renowned bassist Gasser Helal and celebrity drummer Ahmed El Kholy have with one another. The spacing of the orchestration on a regular interval like that added to the sense of impending doom that the band’s axemen Shady Mohamed and Amr El Gendy are known to bring. The Ancient Egyptian intro fades out and the song transitions into a complex and percussive riff with some crushing death growls. 

The verses have some deep and low-pitched growls performed by Mr Ahmed Hassan (AKA Psychopathic)  that fit with the destructive and dystopian theme of the lyrics. In a chic and sophisticated manner, Ahmed El Kholy plays fast and complicated blast beats throughout the verse, and then he and the rhythm section all transition into a more breakdown-y and spaced beat for the pre-chorus – it’s elements like these that keep the Mythos sound both remarkable yet unpredictable at the same time. I love how you can’t separate the lead lines of the track from the rhythm; which makes this a big and heavy wall of sound throughout most of its duration. 

I have noticed that the guitars play some fast and heavy picking techniques during the chorus, which are more akin to black metal, but still very characteristic of the Mythos sound that we have grown to love and enjoy. The first verse is repeated, followed by one last breakdown that’s sure to be a crowd-pleasing moment.

L to R: Gasser Helal, Shady Mohamed, Ahmed Hassan, Amr El Gendy, and Ahmed El Kholy.

Between the haunting intro, the fabulous drumming, and the breakdowns that are set to break some necks, this song is set to be a hit among long-time Mythos fans as well as lure in some new following. That is mostly because of the top-tier production that’s shown on this single which gives every instrument and every element to be polished, without outshining its counterparts. I can’t say that I’ve heard the band play a track with this heaviness and intensity before, but there’s no denying that they’ve built a sound fingerprint with very unique and identifiable elements for their band throughout years of composing and playing together. If you’ve been living under a rock and never had a chance to hear these giants before, then this single is a great place to start.

“Sorrows of Yesterday, we hope serves as a reminder that not everything is lost regardless of how you feel and is a middle finger salute to negativity”

We were lucky to have a chat with them about their influences, future plans, and latest singles, so let’s see how it went.

• As seasoned musicians who’ve been part of different projects before Misophonia, I’d like to know more about your influences? And what made you choose extreme, melodic metal as your sound?

Jay – Originally Cristina and I were working together trying to ressurect a former Industrial metal project of mine. It was however very generic, simplistic and very dated.  As well as my multitude of Industrial influences I also had a growing love for melodic death metal such as Dark Tranquillity, Children of Bodom and Arch Enemy.  These melodeath influences were coupled with a love for Black and Doom metal. Influences here being My Dying Bride, Paradise lost, Evadne, Behemoth,  Primordial and Satyricon. When the Industrial metal project was laid to rest it was only natural that I try to evolve, just as my musical tastes were evolving.

MIS – Even here in 2022 almost 2023 we are still trying to find ‘our’ sound. The influences amongst past and present members have always been vast and varied. We have always gone with a very definitive ‘we don’t want to be a carbon copy of our influences’ approach. We just want to try and create something dark and unique.

• What’s the story behind the band’s name MisophoniA?

Jay – The origin of the band name actually goes way back to 2014-2016 when Cristina and I were working together on an EP for TRAUMa INC (the aforementioned industrial metal project). This EP was to be called Misophonia… The actual  definition of Misophonia  varies,  but is essentially  a disorder in which certain sounds trigger negative emotional psychological responses, the music I was writing was creating a lot of the above. (Other definitions put it hand in hand alongside Melophobia which is a morbid fear of sound.)

When it came to starting a new project, Misophonia was too good a name and too good a concept to not use as the new band name and Misophonia was born…

• How does usually your writing process go? And with the release of your epic 2 part single “Sorrows of Yesterday” , can you tell us more about what influenced its writing?

MIS – The writing process is normally quite simple. A typical song with us usually starts with a rifff or a full blown idea shared via email, be it be something written by Jay or Neil (as much as Jay is vocalist and keys player he also writes on guitar for the band, guitar is just not his live instrument of choice). If a song is good then the band will work on it as a unit. If it is just a simple riff or a collection of guitar tracks that have been put forward, Jay usually steps in and arranges them in to a song demo/idea using programmed drums, adding and layering with keys or vocal melodies, then he will share that with the band and we will then work on structuring from home, such is the joy of modern technology the band don’t need to be together in a room to progress with things.  Everything can be done individually  and then we meet at practice with songs ready to go and we simply tighten it up as a band.

MIS – Sorrows was originally 2 separate pieces, that were brought to the band by former guitarist Justin Laidlaw, Jay being Jay was messing about and put the tracks side by side and played the songs back to back and in his mind it worked as a 2 part piece. The song originally utilized a very poor attempt at a clean vocal throughout, but the clean vocal was ultimately dropped for a frantic and pleading harsh vocal but coupled  with an emotive almost spoken word chorus but breaking with the emotion it was trying to convey.

Jay – Cliché as it is, depression is a powerful tool when utilized properly… As soon as I heard what is now known as Sorrows of yesterday pt i, I was blown away by the piano work and fell in love with the piece, the same goes for pt ii as soon as I heard the guitars the lyrics came quite easily. The piece is essentially falling into the darkness (Sorrows pt 1) and escaping into the light and being born anew (Sorrows pt 2).

READ HERE ‘SORROW OF YESTERDAY, Pt. I & II’ REVIEW

• Can you give us a glimpse of what to expect from your upcoming album? How can you describe its sound?

Jay – With regards to what to expect. Recently Misophonia have experienced  a lot of uncertainty with who we are and what we want to achieve. As a result of this we parted ways with both our short term guitarist John and longer term drummer Ken (of whom had been with us since 2020) The album therefore has a dark, hopeless and heavy emotional uncertainty about it. However there is also a welcome change and closure. With Ken departing the band a window was closed and  fortunately opened the door for our original drummer to return and reclaim their place behind the kit. Even though she has been away from the band since 2019, having her back behind the drums though, it is as if she never left. The band has a reinforced/re-invigorated energy about it again. The recent drum demos for the hopeful album tracks feel 1000% above what they were previously. Ideally this album will release and show us as a band emerging through a dark time but also once again with an awakened sense of purpose and hunger, essentially a reason for us to feel alive again.

• If you would select one song off your catalogue for someone who wants to get into Misophoniawhat would it be?

Jay – I think everyone’s track selection here will be different. Our catalog is so diverse, but for me it would be ‘Grieve’ from our live from the studio release Exposed ii  – A Live Trilogy.  If I could add a second track I would go with ‘The abandoned babes of Tuam’ (Tuam for short) The whole horrifying historical fact based lyrical concept for that song could take up a page and maybe even an album of its own and the track composition is sublime.

Cristina – The abandoned babes of Tuam, we are yet to record this in a fully realized form but we are very very confident of this being portrayed as such on the album.

Jura –  Good question. I feel that The abandoned babes of Tuam, being more progressive and epic, this type stuff is more the direction we’re going in now so probably that.

Neil – Still Feel As blind was the song that made my ears perk up and go that is interesting that is different, I can get onboard with this. Here we are 5 years doing what we do but with a record deal and a label behind us now.

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• Your music projects a lot of energy and emotions and I believe this drives people crazy in your live shows. Are you planning any gigs/tours in 2022/2023?

Mis – Unfortunately the heavy metal scene in Scotland don’t really ‘understand’ or ‘get’  the band it seems. We struggle to get shows unless we book them ourselves, even then it is a struggle with our work life balance. The Scottish heavy metal scene is currently thriving, but there is still no interest towards us, so fans and shows for us are almost non-existent in the UK.

however…

When we released our single

‘El Silencio Serà Eterno’ back in April we saw next to no reaction from the UK, except from 2 radio shows, however that song saw us land radio airplay in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, America, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. The same single also saw us offered 3 record deals from various European labels. It seems we have an audience everywhere but home…

JAY – Fortunately for us our label Sliptrick Records have an amazing Europe wide booking and promotion agency at their disposal who are both available to us should we wish to turn some heads and hit the road… The band have talked about a potential summer festival run, so we may be seen hitting a few Festivals in Europe but all in due timE for now we have an album to record.

MIS – Lastly before we go we just want to say thank you for your time  and for wanting to interview us, we hope we didn’t disappoint. Also mega shout out to Sliptrick Records and a few friends of ours Profit Zero, InGraves, Bastyon, Anomos, Corrupt the System, Godthrymm,

Oceans on fire and Nocturne Wulf.

Also shout out to  our recording engineer and producer Ronin@Lachunkystudio, mastering engineer extraordinaire Andy@BlackCave and an extra special shout out to our good friends and avid supporters Teri Morris of EGH Rocks Radio, Enzo, Mark and Marcin of @Comharra and @ComharraMusic without whom none of this would have been possible!!

MisiphoniA  Dec 2022

Jay – Vocals, keys, programming

Cristina – bass

Neil – Guitars

Jura – Drums

Looking forward to more from you guys, cheers!  

Can you tell us the details of your single ‘Siren of Truth’? What is thetheme? How long did you work on it, what’s been your inspiration?

‘Siren of truth’ was actually a simple song in terms of writing. Composition didn’t take more than a few sessions to put together and jam it out. We wanted to go for a more “in your face” approach to our music with this one and we think it came out pretty good. The track is about a fictional creature, a siren, that is appears to be a beautiful and wise being but is actually a destructive force on its world that damages anything in its path.

Tell us more about your upcoming album?

We’re aiming to have the album complete by mid 2016, we have a good number of tracks and a strong lyrical theme, but it still has a long way to go before it’s complete. This album will mostly be about the problems we as humans are creating in this world. There will be a lot of imagery and fantasy in the way the stories are told, but at the core of each will be some truth relevant to the way the world is today.

Congratulations for 10 years of being a band in Bahrain – can you give us tips on what it takes to be a successful metal band in the Middle East?

It’s really a matter of constant hard work and a humble attitude that got us through for this long. Be supportive of the scene around you and let the music do the talking.

How are you celebrating 10 years as a band?

We celebrated it by releasing our single, ‘Siren of Truth’, on the date the band came to life 10 years ago, and also launching our website.

What has been your greatest achievement in the past 10 years?

Being recognized for what we do is the best thing a band can ask for. Over the past 10 years, we have opened up for bigger bands, communicated with a lot of important people from the global metal industry, and honored to have actually been a part of the rise of metal from this part of the world.

What are your aspirations for the next 10 years?

Same as it has always been. Put out more good music, meet new people, and discover new places.

Any shows outside the Middle East?

As of right now, all our shows have been in Bahrain and Dubai. Outside this region, we have been offered a few opportunities but the cost can become too much to handle as a lot of these offers don’t cover all expenses to get us there.

Are you the original members of the band?

Mardus, Void, and Busac are among the founding members.

What does a band need to do to stick together in your opinion?

The best thing that has worked for us is to realize that disagreements are part of what shape the final masterpiece. Many of us struggle to find good enough musicians and it’s even harder when you need someone that can share your vision and your sound. Many of us are so protective of that vision that it becomes difficult to allow other people to complete it in their own way. Secondly, it’s a responsibility. It’s a hobby that needs to be treated as a job. Hard work, honesty,and camaraderie!

Of all the things you could have been in life, why an extreme death metal musician?

Because why not 🙂
All of us need to express ourselves in the way that best represents us. We’re proud of this music, we listen to it all the time, and we’re huge death metal fans.We didn’t choose this style for any specific reason; it’s simply where our passion.

Have you guys had any plans or recent news in the past month?

We’re continuing the writing process for the upcoming album. Been experimenting with a lot of new sounds and concepts and it’s really starting to take shape.

Would you like to tell us about what happened with Nader Sadek‘s concert?

The event took place and was a success. We regret that we weren’t able to make it due to some personal circumstances that prevented us from traveling. Rest assured that we’re definitely planning a strong comeback

How do you promote the band in terms of marketing and gigs? How does itwork out for you in the Middle East?

Using gigs, as a promotion tool is a little trickier in our case because we don’t getto play in as many shows as we’d like to. Sadly this is due to the small number of shows we can put together successfully in Bahrain. Instead we rely mostly onsocial media, like any other band.

Which bands do you want to share the stage with?
Slayer, Vader, Venom, Marduk. Just to name a few.

Tell us about your favorite concert.

In terms of performance, maybe the strongest show we put on was at theResurrection Dubai gig (March 2015). The feeling was intense and theperformance went really well. But truthfully speaking, nothing beats a show in ourhome country. The Metal Meltdown gig in Bahrain (March 2013) was really anamazing memory; to be surrounded with friends all supporting your art isincredible. No amount of words can express our gratitude for that kind of support.

What makes you stand strong than other Arab metal bands out there?

This is not something that we get to decide. The fans are the ones that make thatdecision. All we do is try to give it our best and time does the rest.

Interviewed by: Natsky D. and NJ Bakr