“Ydos” by Lithuanian outfit Black Spikes has been on heavy rotation on our players for quite a while now, and it’s hard not to be captivated by the band’s rather peculiar approach. We’re talking avant-garde metal here, but labels really don’t do this record justice , “Ydos” is an album whose elusive, theatrical, at times ambiguous nature both enchants and unsettles us. Agni‘s voice is that of a perverse minstrel, leading us by the hand through ten tracks where the honeyed atmospheres, steeped in Eastern European heritage, conjure a spectral, disquieting vision. The languid ride of “Dulkės“ (Dust) and “Motima” (Mother), with a pronounced industrial streak, are two of the most emblematic moments on a record that, however, really shows its best side when listened to in one sitting. The atmosphere conjured by “Ydos” is the most intriguing aspect of a record that pulls us straight into an imaginative world that’s genuinely hard to put into words, mysterious, unsettling, and one that certainly won’t leave you indifferent.
Ydos (2026 – Napalm Records)
