Italian black metal band Heruka started back in 2000, but really began to put out releases in 2018, and haven't stalled since. Their latest history lessons, 'Panacea' EP, came out in March 2025. The band carry historical topics in the lyrics, and somehow also their sound emits moods from the early modern European period (16th and 17th centuries). The sound the band have created is one of their strongest of fortes.

But not the only one, as their song writing has always been solid and interesting. Heruka do have variety inside their songs, unlike many black metal bands/entities, even though for example every track here is under four minutes in length. Mainly the band's mood fluctuates between aggressive and melancholic. Fast parts are rabid (tremolo riffing, discordant open-string patterns, which are not droning), slower parts can be very melodic, and they fluently stride through it all. They have added a hint of heavy metal elements into some of these compositions to, which helps a listener to hop on and also gives the band a certain kind of drive. Even though Heruka have familiar black metal elements in their music, they sound very characteristic. However, this is the band's fifth EP/album release since 2018, and they all sound rather similar compositions-wise. I hope they can step outside their familiar sonic terrains next time around.

Not only moods-wise is Heruka a peculiar band, but also the performances count a lot. The bass guitar is up there, and one cannot miss it, because of wild Steve Harris style bouncy playing. The bass guitar also provides melodic elements while guitars do their black metal thing. The drums are basically everywhere; relentless yet expressive as hell with so many different beats and patterns, without forgetting explosive energy. The guitar tone is scalding; cold and slashing. All the lyrics are in Italian, which sounds totally fitting here. The vocals are mostly growled with lacerating voice, from rather high to lower pitches, and not a lot of typical black metal shrieking is heard. Also some spoken passages are included for good measure.

The production sounds organic and is full-bodied, supporting all the elements to shine equally. This is another fine Heruka release, for sure, but my biggest critique is the similarity to previous material (2018 onward). Still, it doesn't take much away from how good this release is, because at the moment the EP length is better for the band. Inspect is you want to find a black metal band with characteristic sound (the digipak CD version is limited to only 100 copies, and still available from the band).

Rating: 8 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
02/02/2026 19:58