Release Date June 26th, 2026
Format CD/LP/Cassette
Genre Black Metal
Origin Finland
Morgal emerged from Finland in 2018 with a self titled EP, created while two members were not yet twenty and built around frantic black metal, heavy metal melody and a reckless early attack. The young band gained international notice quickly, then took three years to issue its debut album, “Nightmare Lord”, which exchanged part of that initial frenzy for firmer song construction and a more refined studio presentation. That album marked the end of the original trio era. During the five year interval before “The Seventh Circle”, Morgal added vocalist and bassist Tomb Nekrophiler along with second guitarist Killhammer, expanding the lineup to four.
Founding guitarist Crusher and founding drummer SS Exiler remain at the center, linking the current formation to the musicians behind the earliest releases. The present lineup has two guitars available for harmonized leads, solo trades and stacked riff layers, while Nekrophiler’s dual role reshapes the front line and lower frequencies. Morgal enters its second album as a changed band, retaining the speed and infernal outlook of its earliest material while working across longer compositions.
Released through Werewolf Records, “The Seventh Circle” lasts about thirty four minutes and contains six tracks, most stretching beyond four minutes, leaving space for extended riff chains, frequent lead exchanges and abrupt changes in pace. The sessions took place at Darkness between August and October 2024, with production by Petri Puheloinen and Morgal, mixing by Puheloinen, and mastering at Trollhouse Audio.
The resulting sound places SS Exiler’s drums high in the attack, spreads the guitars far enough apart for Crusher and Killhammer to trade feverish solos, and lets Tomb Nekrophiler’s bass reinforce the rapid lower end beneath his scorched screams. Much of the album runs at rabid black metal speed, drawing power from first wave extremity and traditional heavy metal, then dropping into martial, mid paced riffs before the faster current returns.
Those slower turns stop the longer songs from becoming shapeless, and the guitar harmonies add hooks that survive the barrage, with playing that is wild on the surface and precise underneath. A few extended riff cycles run past their ideal point, the constant red line tempo compresses the emotional range, and the vocal approach offers little variation, leaving part of the album harder to separate on first contact. “The Seventh Circle” is a substantial second album, savage, tuneful and carefully assembled, with enough rhythmic turns and twin guitar fire to rise above routine retro black metal.
|7.5
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