On A Light So Dim, German titans Ultha further expand on their black metal sound, embracing a heavy gothic grandeur to striking effects.
Release date: April 2, 2026 | Vendetta Records | Website | Bandcamp | Instagram
2026 is shaping up to be the year of the shadow album drops. The king of all kings here is, of course, the majestic Neurosis comeback album; but Converge also pulled a rabbit out of their hat with a second record set for release less than four months after Love Is Not Enough. The latest group to join the trend, making me suspect that all of these dudes have a joint group chat where they planned this in advance, is Germany’s Ultha, who dropped their fifth full-length album, A Light So Dim, in April, without any announcement, singles, or PR campaigns.
For the uninitiated, Ultha has been around for over a decade now, bursting into the European post-black scene with their 2015 debut, Pain Cleanses Every Doubt. Built on years of grindcore, sludge, and hardcore experience, with members having done time in Planks, Goldust, and Atka, the band’s first years showcased an apt, muscular, and suffocating sound that was very much of its time. Think 10+ minute songs, massive crescendos, and a sonic palette that owes just as much to Cult of Luna as it did to, say, Satyricon.
That early period in the band’s life positioned them at the forefront of the Decibel Magazine/Roadburn Festival axis of German black metal bands for hardcore vets and natural wine drinkers (and I mean that in the best way possible), along with fellow countrymen Yellow Eyes and Unru. So, it was only logical that in 2018 they announced the addition of Lars Ennsen, who was a member of both bands, on guitar. From that point on, they’ve set on a curious career arc, which saw them moving from Vendetta Records, whose sound they’ve very much epitomized, to Century Media — a much less natural fit in terms of sound, background, and image — only to return to Vendetta Records for their fourth full-length release, All That Has Never Been True.
That record put them back on my radar after years of not paying as much attention as I should have, with its austere collage artwork and adventurous approaches to new sonic territories, to mixed but overall successful results. One trick the band always had in its bag was the ability to write parts that stick to your head for weeks, and that record had that to spare. What makes this new record so great, in fact, is that this time, they decided to pull on that lever even harder. After already putting out one of my favourite records of 2022, Ultha dropped my top contender for album of the year so far, and they did it by making a record that knows how to stretch towards new sonic directions without losing sight of its identity and strengths.
Just take the one-two punch that kicks the album off: “The Unseen World” takes its sweet intro time, building a ghostly Victorian penny dreadful atmosphere with otherworldly synth pads and wind chimes. (No, I did not expect to have ‘gothy black metal record with wind chimes’ as my favourite record of 2026 either.) The band then lunges into a full-throttled black metal attack with “Love As We’re Falling Down”, a pummeling rager that opens up to include full-bellied shouted vocals and the intro refrain, reaching a galloping, epic majesty, and showcasing just how talented and self-assured Ultha sounds a decade plus into their existence.
Though the electronic sounds were an essential element of their previous record, their use on A Light So Dim is levels above. It’s a shift the band signalled when it added Timm Maximilian (also of Unru) on synths, and in the splits it released between All That Has Never Been True and A Light So Dim, which included covers of Samhain and Ministry. Yes, these guys are in their eighties goth era, and the more they lean into those influences, the stronger their material turns out to be. Their ability to successfully meld these sonic touchpoints with the rest of their musical elements, mainly black metal and post-metal, is what sets them apart from many of their peers in the scene.
That actually brings me to the one point of weakness this album has: the times it leans too hard on its guest appearances. “What’s Yours Is Yours To Carry”, despite the strong vocal performance by Pardis Latifi of Daevar, is ultimately pretty forgettable; and “The Quiet Current”, which features Pieter Uyttenhoven of The Black Heart Rebellion and Annelies van Dinter of Takh, never really sticks its landing. Both songs are the only two fillers on an otherwise immensely strong and varied album. Considering its run time clocks in at over 70 minutes, skipping them both has been my go-to approach after the first three listens.
So, if you’re looking for a cold, black-hearted record that’s heavy on blastbeats, synths, and catchy post-punk flourishes, I cannot recommend this release enough. This is the album that should pull new audiences to Ultha, as it has both a strong crossover appeal, and a heaviness that should appease longtime fans. Most bands tend to lose momentum this far into their careers, but not these guys. I’ll be playing this one for a long time, and I can’t wait to hear what they conjure up next.
