{"id":514467,"date":"2026-04-05T16:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T16:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/514467\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T16:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T16:05:12","slug":"ep-split-single-roundup-of-2025-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/514467\/","title":{"rendered":"EP\/Split\/Single Roundup of 2025, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
It\u2019s me again! This will ideally be posted on a much tighter schedule following Part 1, which is just as well, because we\u2019ve gathered some truly wonderful gems for you guys in this one.<\/p>\n

Something that just occurred to me about what makes EP\u2019s so lovely is their lower sense of commitment. My executive dysfunction is assuredly apparent thanks to the lateness of these posts, which I addressed in Part 1, and that can affect my listening habits as well. Albums are long, and I want to turn on my brain to give them the active listen they deserve, and as such it can feel almost embarrassingly intimidating to try and listen to the endless deluge of new albums. EP\u2019s, on the other hand, are at just the right length that I never feel any irrational stress about digging into them; they\u2019re always just right. So, if you\u2019re anything like me and you struggle to find the correct time to listen to long albums where the weather is just right and you\u2019re not too hungry and the stars align into the shape of my huge beard, then take after me and revel in the miraculous accessibility of EP\u2019s, Splits, and Singles.<\/p>\n

My apologies to the writers who had to wait so long for these to be published, and allow me to briefly puppet the Dolphin Whisperer-shaped homunculus I made for an occasion such as this: \u201cHello, thank you for enjoying our selection of EP\u2019s. Let us know which is your favorite in the comments. My thanks to Mystikus for letting me know I can rely on him, and for making me realize how much I love Subsignal. I will be giving everybody who reads this one thousand dollars.\u201d Ah, that lovable scamp. Enjoy! \u2013 Mystikus Hugebeard<\/p>\n

\"\"Panopticon \/\/ The Poppies Bloom For No King<\/a> \u2013 Comprising two expectedly epic-length songs: the title track, and a 2022 re-recording of \u201c\u2026Speaking\u2026\u201d (from the 2008 self-titled album), this is a capsule of Panopticon perfection. \u201cThe Poppies Bloom For No King\u201d is almost indescribably intense and gorgeous, with waltzing, trembling strings swelling with the tides of crashing percussion and ardent cries, featuring a poetic, heartfelt speech written and performed by a Persian-American friend of Austin Lunn. Riding on the wave of heartbreak and quiet hope, the ethereal tremolos that open \u201c\u2026Speaking\u2026\u201d take you under a flood of atmosphere, and carry you through the endless emotional peak of devastated melody and grieved screams. \u201c\u2026Speaking\u2026\u201d has been my favourite Panopticon song from the first time I heard it, and the new recording only increases its transcendental emotional weight; \u201cThe Poppies Bloom For No King\u201d strikes me with a similar instant indescribable connection\u2014similarly crippling in every facet, whilst lifting my soul out of my body as I dissociate due to its supernatural brilliance. The songs are also linked conceptually as protests on behalf of the oppressed, but \u201ca call to compassion,\u201d with \u201c\u2026Speaking\u2026\u201d lamenting our careless exploitation of non-human animals, and \u201cThe Poppies\u2026\u201d the difficulties facing undocumented immigrants in the US. Lunn is even donating 75% of the profits to give legal defense to families deported by ICE. There\u2019s plucking heartstrings, and then there\u2019s Panopticon, carefully unthreading and pulling them out one by one until I\u2019m a bleeding mess, crying my eyes out. At this rate, I\u2019m going to have no tears left, but I\u2019m always happy to give them to Panopticon. \u2013 Thus Spoke<\/p>\n

The Poppies Bloom For No King (EP) by Panopticon<\/a>
\"\"Sindre Nedland \/\/ Embers <\/a>\u2013 Almost exactly one year ago, I proclaimed<\/a> In Vain\u2019s Solemn<\/a> my Record o\u2019 the Year for 2024. A huge reason for this decision was Sindre Nedland\u2019s stellar vocal performance, and I was crushed to learn shortly thereafter that he passed away after a battle with cancer. To my bittersweet surprise, he had been working on a solo EP, Embers, in his final months, which was recently released posthumously. The melancholic rock is fittingly composed to accentuate Sindre\u2019s voice. As ever, he exhibits excellent vocal range and authentic emotion. His timbre is so rich that it almost sounds like he\u2019s harmonizing with himself at times (\u201cHold the Night\u201d). The piano is utilized to convey feeling in a way words cannot, like the slick, upbeat tune of \u201cMy Melancholy Muse\u201d (which contrasts poignantly with the grim lyrics about fighting cancer) or the gorgeous swan song of final track \u201cAnd I.\u201d While the music alone is absolutely worth a purchase, I should note that all sales proceeds go to Sindre\u2019s children, which is a very noble cause. \u2013 Killjoy
Embers by Sindre Nedland<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Unto Others \/\/ I Believe in Halloween II \u2013 October is far behind us and even further in front, but anyone who\u2019s not a complete jerk knows that Halloween is a state of mind anyway. Gothic hard rockers Unto Others get this, and it shows on the second entry of their I Believe in Halloween EP series. I Believe in Halloween II\u2019s three original tracks cover classic horror topics perfectly suited for Halloween: robo assimilation in the groovy, boppy \u201cRobots,\u201d alien invasion in the vocally-layered and sneakily earwormy \u201cThey Came from Space,\u201d and running over little kids with your car on the crossover thrash-inspired \u201cWhat I Did\u2026\u201d The closing punk cover duo of Misfits\u2019 \u201cHalloween\u201d and Ramones\u2019 \u201cPet Semetary\u201d were already Halloween staples in their own rights, and Unto Others capture the originals\u2019 attitudes and ghoulish fun with aplomb. Very campy, uncommonly catchy, I Believe in Halloween II is at once pitch-black-humored and exceptionally easy listening in the way only Unto Others know how to be. Damn the calendar, believe in Halloween, now! \u2013 Andy-War-Hall<\/p>\n

I Believe In Halloween II (24-bit HD audio) by Unto Others<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Beh\u00f6lder \/\/ Tower of the Broken God \u2013 From the first booming thud of Andrew Julkowski\u2019s drums, I knew Philly\u2019s epic doom dungeon-crawlers Beh\u00f6lder had a true barn-burner of a single in store for us with Tower of the Broken God. Breaking from Dungeons & Dragons, singer John Yelland (Judicator) and guitarist Carlos Alvarez take on Robert Howard in their lyrical depiction of the classic Conan tale \u201cThe Tower of the Elephant.\u201d Everything about this single is huge, from the aforementioned monstrous tom grooves to the absolute wall of backing vocals to the guitar riffs and leads, both exotic and beefy. Guided by Yellands\u2019 ever-charismatic voice, Beh\u00f6lder navigates dynamic musical turns that match its narrative ones perfectly, making this the best metal adaptation of Conan the Barbarian since last year\u2019s Nemedian Chronicles<\/a>. Paired with a solid cover of Savatage\u2019s \u201cThe Dungeons Are Calling,\u201d Tower of the Broken God is a heftier morsel of metal goodness than its runtime would suggest. An epic to Beh\u00f6ld. \u2013 Andy-War-Hall<\/p>\n

Tower Of The Broken God by Beh\u00f6lder<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Pythia \/\/ V, Pt. 1: Unhallowed<\/a> \u2013 This past May, Pythia released their first-ever EP in their 18-year history, six years after their last LP dropped. That record, The Solace of Ancient Earth<\/a>, at first earned a glowing review from the Spongy One, but he later showed contrition<\/a> with a stark downward score revision. I offer no opinion on whether this was the correct move, as V, Pt. 1: Unhallowed is my first experience with the band, and it has proven a solid introduction. Pythia doesn\u2019t play the campy power metal of Angus McSix<\/a> nor the cheerful variety of Fellowship<\/a>. This is a well-executed power metal of the semi-serious, semi-dark variety, featuring plenty of galloping riffs and mid-tempo drum beats. The smattering of piano keys, such as those heard on \u201cUnhallowed\u201d and \u201cA Curse in the Blood,\u201d give off a fantastical feel that falls just short of whimsy. Sophie Dorman\u2019s voice provides the melody, and while she\u2019s not a technically great vocalist, her sound fits in perfectly with what Pythia does. V, Pt. 1: Unhallowed is a narrative-driven record, but it does allow for occasional power metal flourishes such as spontaneous, if short-lived, solos (\u201cBright Flames,\u201d \u201cA Curse in the Blood\u201d), and its overall darker tone breaks out into the light on the energetically catchy \u201cMuses of the Night.\u201d This record ended up being a nice surprise that got better with each spin, so I don\u2019t see any contrition in my future. \u2013 ClarkKent<\/p>\n

\ufeffV PT.1: Unhallowed by Pythia<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Old Nick \/\/ The \u201cWhere Poison Apples Grow\u201d EP<\/a> \u2014 As the chipmunk voice announces at the start of this EP that \u201cThis is where poison apples grow,\u201d Old Nick introduces the whimsy of their latest, a collection of songs that appear to take inspiration from dark fairy tales. The \u201cWhere Poison Apples Grow\u201d EP plays a highly energetic style of Old Nick\u2019s signature raw black\/synthy metal. Yes, the guitars sound muffled and odd, but the drums, synths, and various other instruments have a punch to them that\u2019ll get your head bobbing and your mouth grinning. Opener \u201cWhere Poison Apples Grow\u201d and closer \u201cTears of a Crying Wolf\u201d take a more synth-forward approach. Both songs feature incredibly infectious synth beats, and \u201cTears of a Crying Wolf\u201d in particular takes on a more poppy note that, coupled with a howling wolf, took me back to my days spinning Shakira\u2019s She-Wolf. The guitars largely lay a rhythm as the synths play some catchy tunes. Meanwhile, \u201cThe Hat Man\u201d and \u201cApple Dolls of the Lonely Witch\u201d are more riff-forward\u2014and what killer riffs they are. \u201cApple Dolls\u201d in particular has a standout black \u2018n roll riff backed with blast beats and laser-like synths. There\u2019s a bit of catchy folk thrown in the mix as well, with a variety of instruments ranging from the xylophone in \u201cThe Hat Man\u201d to the accordion in \u201cApple Dolls.\u201d This eclectic set of tunes showcase Old Nick at their best and most fun. \u2013 ClarkKent<\/p>\n

\ufeffOld Nick \u2013 The \u201cWhere Poison Apples Grow\u201d EP by Old Nick<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Olde Bard \/\/ Sons of the Swamp<\/a> \u2014 Forgoing the synths used by fellow Grime Stone Records colleagues, Olde Bard goes for the jugular with some straight-up, riff-heavy black \u2018n roll. They announce their intent immediately on the frenzied riff salad of \u201cWe,\u201d which could almost fit in with Fell Omen\u2019s latest record<\/a>. Yet Olde Bard proves to be no one-trick pony, as they infuse this swampy album with plenty of atmosphere. The remaining songs capture a more stoner and grunge vibe reminiscent of a much rawer Kyuss. While Johnny Ugly\u2019s guitars often dominate, Ghandi\u2019s bass takes charge on \u201cUnwrapping Mummies\u201d and \u201c(Endless) Swamp Cemetery.\u201d This makes for a shockingly groovy experience, but it also helps ground all that reverb from Ugly\u2019s guitars. Hearing how good these instruments sound, including Jonathan\u2019s often galloping blast beats and clacking cymbal taps, makes you wonder how this could be classified as raw. Well, Ugly answers that with some fuzzy, lo-fi, echoing vocals that sound like they\u2019re coming from deep within a tunnel. At times, Olde Bard\u2019s mix sounds incongruous\u2014the leap from black \u2018n roll to the haze of stoner rock to the funk of psychedelia\u2014but they play with such confidence and non-stop kinetic energy that it just works. Don\u2019t be afraid\u2014go ahead and jump in the swamp! \u2013 ClarkKent<\/p>\n

\ufeffSons of the Swamp by OLDE BARD<\/a><\/p>\n

Sallow Moth \/\/ Blue Permutations<\/a> & Deformity in Ceremony<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Sallow Moth? Again? Damn right. Mere months after dropping one of my favorite albums of the year, Garry Brents has the audacity to spoil us with a dual drop of EPs described as \u2018Mossbane Lantern<\/a> side quests.\u2019 Rather than just expanding Mossbane\u2019s storytelling by another fifty-four minutes, Blue Permutations and Deformity in Ceremony wander into new sonic terrain without ever losing the idiosyncratic edge that makes Sallow Moth so eccentrically essential. Deformity in Ceremony dives further into brutality (\u00e0 la Cryptopsy<\/a> or Aborted<\/a>) and welds it with the likes of Dead Can Dance\u2019s folksy darkwave, though the style shifts don\u2019t vacillate at the madcap velocities heard on Mossbane Lantern. Blue Permutations, meanwhile, takes the jarring complexity of Akercocke<\/a> and the progressive dynamism of Edge of Sanity<\/a>, then marries them with the jazzy electronica of Squarepusher and the psychedelic haze of Tortoise. It would be easy to assume that Sallow Moth carelessly grabs genres and patches them together into a mottled hodgepodge, yet that is a disservice to the intricate fabric being stitched. Once again, Brents entices with his sleight of hand as seemingly unconnected puzzle pieces join together in a show of coherent, oddball derring-do. Twice! \u2013 Grin Reaper<\/p>\n

Blue Permutations by Sallow Moth<\/a>
\ufeffDeformity in Ceremony by Sallow Moth<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\" Crypt Sermon \/\/ Saturnian Appendices<\/a> \u2013 Remember the best doom album last year<\/a>? Apparently, there\u2019s no rest for the wicked, as Crypt Sermon is keeping their newfound momentum going right away. Saturnian Appendices offers four new songs that were cruelly and unusually snubbed during the sessions of The Stygian Rose. Though a bundle of B-sides isn\u2019t always the strongest sell, great bands edit enough to leave some top tier material on the cutting room floor, and you need look no further than the first two tracks for evidence. Not only does \u201cOnly Ash and Dust\u201d prove the existence of the mythical beast known as \u2018fast doom,\u2019 it\u2019s a crushingly heavy and dramatic tune that rivals the strongest tracks of the year. The second half isn\u2019t as mind-blowing but does feature some ambitious layering, and the band even goes on a fool\u2019s errand trying to make a Mayhem song sound good. And it is a significant improvement! Regardless, the riffs and vocals are gargantuan as usual, and the strength of the first two tracks alone makes this a force to be reckoned with. I hope this signals another magnum opus full-length coming up in the future. \u2013 Baguette of Bodom<\/p>\n

Saturnian Appendices by Crypt Sermon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s me again! This will ideally be posted on a much tighter schedule following Part 1, which is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2325,85405,179772,28214,179773,38349,179774,22286,179775,6448,179776,96,22288,29433,89073,179777,128,39189,179778,179779,73025,13419,179780,179781,128626,179782,179783,179784,179786,179785,122469,114817,179787,56,54,55,95265,25282],"class_list":{"0":"post-514467","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-2325","9":"tag-atmospheric-black-metal","10":"tag-beholder","11":"tag-black-metal","12":"tag-black-n-roll","13":"tag-blog-post","14":"tag-blue-permutations","15":"tag-crypt-sermon","16":"tag-deformity-in-ceremony","17":"tag-doom-metal","18":"tag-embers","19":"tag-entertainment","20":"tag-epic-doom-metal","21":"tag-gothic-metal","22":"tag-hard-rock","23":"tag-i-believe-in-halloween-ii","24":"tag-music","25":"tag-old-nick","26":"tag-olde-bard","27":"tag-panopticon","28":"tag-post-metal","29":"tag-power-metal","30":"tag-pt-1-unhallowed","31":"tag-pythia","32":"tag-sallow-moth","33":"tag-saturnian-appendices","34":"tag-sindre-nedland","35":"tag-sons-of-the-swamp","36":"tag-the-poppies-bloom-for-no-king","37":"tag-the-where-poison-apples-grow-ep","38":"tag-things-you-might-have-missed","39":"tag-things-you-might-have-missed-2025","40":"tag-tower-of-the-broken-god","41":"tag-uk","42":"tag-united-kingdom","43":"tag-unitedkingdom","44":"tag-unto-others","45":"tag-v"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}