Domain of Orcus

Welcome to my Domain

  • Review: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

    By: Bethesda

    Genre: Adventure RPG

    Release Date: May 12, 2026

    Platform used: Nintendo switch 2

    Rating: 4.5/5

    One thing that rubs Orcus the wrong way is how nintendo is marketing this as a shooter. Orcus the Vile being as pragmatic in combat as any mage cornered without spells to rely on almost immediately tried to shoot a guard upon learning he has a gun. He was greeted by the sound of a blackshirt blowing a rape whistle in the distance and a shout of “Finally some action” and then the blackshirts and their terrible billy clubs descended upon Orcus with their feral mutts like a the hordes of Atilla the Hun himself. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is significantly more intelligent than some common shooter and that specific gameplay instance shows it. Let’s get one thing straight though – the term immersive sim has been thrown around with this game a lot when it was first released. It is not an immersive sim. It is amazingly immersive and even the adventuring and secretive cults in the Vatican makes you want to go out there and do some investigative journalism – but Orcus the Vile would make a poor stand in for John Constantine or the Winchester Brothers – he is too high on the occult pecking order and too weak to his own true name to be of much help versus greater demons. If they haven’t dealt with me yet they will sense my presence from a mile away. Hours of daydreaming orb pondering follows my every venture into this game. The story, the gameplay and the complexity is enough to warrant the return to the game over and over. Orcus recommends turning adventure mode on instead of using guidance regardless of your other difficulty settings – the puzzles are not as hard as you think and if taken as an adventurer simulator, which this essentially is, it punches in the true triple A game market.

    Now the bad. On switch there are a few visual glitches as well as some occasional fussiness with the detection in enemies when you are stealthed. Sometimes the control latency feels a little high but that is possibly because how demanding this game must have been to port. But in terms of a port – it is as good as they get. It begs the question why lock this game for PC behind ray tracing when the graphics themselves aren’t even that state of the art compared to other games like the latter era final fantasy visual high art? It locks out a wider audience to this gem of a game.

    Orcus the Vile can not recommend this game enough. If you have a switch 2 get it. It is the full console experience on switch 2 at long last. And the game itself if it even reaches a large enough audience (thanks graphics card industry), it may well become a classic of adventure games. For the first time I will introduce a new feature to my reviews, and just for this game’s incredible quality. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle gets Orcus the Vile’s Golden Cabalistic Seal of approval. Even if you can’t get the game, support let’s players for the story. Its worth it.

  • Review: Pre-Historic Metal

    By: Darkthrone

    Date: May 8, 2026

    Format Used: Digital

    Rating: 2.5/5

    Darkthrone is like old Orcus himself in many ways. Evil, cold, likes festering in the underground like the lurking horrors we are. Yes, while Orcus the Vile was never a huge Darkthrone listener, he can respect a fellow dark cabal (but remember – there is no cabal). The release of prehistoric Metal is fascinating in it occupies a region that is a little less serious than what the rest of Darkthrone’s output is. And make no mistake – Fenriz does not take himself too seriously. He can be self-aware when he chooses to. And neither he nor his band is above levity – which is good because it used to be said back in the day when the Black Hordes were still patrolling the grim lands up north that the Black Metal acts of yore were too serious.

    But this album is something else. Compared to the other Darkthrone material Orcus has given a listen to – this album is practically a confession to every accusation thrown at Black Metal the last few years, which is saying something because it is still very uncompromising in its unashamed old-school tendencies. And playing into the meme of “oh this is old music” is one thing but then all of the music here is solidly conventional and orthodox Black Metal grimness. I guess points must be given for authenticity since Fenriz may have been offering this sound that is for current era Darkthrone almost regressive as an ultimate fuck you to their critics. And at the end of the day, that earned my respect most of everything on this album.

    The lyrics and riffs are mostly black metal stereotypy, there’s occasional glimpses of wit and creativity but I feel like this opus was mostly meant as an act of rebellion against the criticisms leveled at “old man’s music”. Now I’m fairly certain Fenriz himself will never read this review, but he has been known to support smaller musical creatives so I will offer one kernel of fetid hatred as a fellow undead ancient wight: I find it commendable that the hate was worth writing an entire album just to take a stand against the outsiders – but at the end of the day Fenriz likes musical experimentation. Keep experimenting despite the slings and arrows because ultimately that is something they will hate more than celebrating what they fear.

    If you don’t like the old Darkthrone sound you won’t like this. But this is a love letter to the old guard and will deliver if you’re the right audience.

  • The Outsider

    By: Old Sorcery

    Date: January 26, 2026

    Format used: digital

    Rating: 3/5

    Not until after I wrote up this review did I come to understand that Old Sorcery’s The Outsider is part of a trilogy that started with the Escapist. Normally, for better critical cohesion I would revisit a trilogy in anticipation of a release if possible, but this time I was blindsided and for that reason a dozen acolytes will be strung up on saint andrew’s crosses in my basement. Rest assured, Orcus the Vile will not make such a mistake again. But now on to the review. The Outsider is distinctly darker than its predecessor, both in terms of art and in terms of subject-matter. Unfortunately, the music itself does not have this same dark edge to it. Rather, the music is simply more sorrowful and atmospheric with the occasional glimpses of insanity through wailing ambient passages and moments of tension that are resolved in the most eerie way possible. The majority of the darkness on this album comes from this dissonance technique and from the themes itself. But you cannot carry musical darkness through imagery alone. It is the exact reason why Death SS is considered child’s play by today’s standards. The album does carry the hallmark of all good dungeon synth – it feels like a desolate melancholic eulogy performed in a dismal dungeon. But fundamentally, the use of guitars that are surprisingly acoustic this time around – as well as the tendency for more mellow sounds – makes the music a little less potent than you would expect.

    One thing I should bring up is the individual tracks themselves are usually good enough as shorter numbers, but the 20 minute “Magickal triumph” is to blame for a lot of the album feeling mundane. It drags on for longer than it should have and delivers less inspired music than if we were to combine the other tracks into one song. I understand we say that one track should just be one song – but for the love of the Great Duke Abrasax – don’t be afraid to vary it up. Orcus the Vile would need to cast a spell of temporal warp and only then will the song go at the same level of quality as the others. We could perhaps shorten “Magickal Triumph” or make this work an EP instead of a full length album if need be. However, if you can focus on just this music or use it as study music you absolutely will not be distracted I guarantee you that. Although in the former case, you will need to enter a trance to sustain your focus.

  • Goat Simulator 3

    By: Coffee Stain

    Genre: Sandbox

    Release date: April 1, 2026

    Platform used: Nintendo Switch 2

    Rating: 1.5/5

    Let me go ahead and say this as clearly as I can so the impact of my words an register: in the past, when we upgrade a nintendo switch game to nintendo switch 2 we pay maybe a fiver for it. Advanced graphics, increased features (if we’re lucky), better frame rates. Nothing wrong with that. Consider: an xbox game can run on an xbox 360 without needing to buy an xbox live update. For nintendo, we also have ds games running on the 3ds without needing to pay extra. That’s fine. But hey some digital games want to lock us out of features by selling season passes and the like – so I understand charging for an upgrade. Except wait – we are not paying for an upgrade. This time we are buying a game which “released” separately with ads and hype and everything, but it is the same exact game we got for switch in 2025. For this review we will pretend that goat simulator 3 was never released for swtich – which is what nintendo no doubt wants. But make no mistake, this scummy remake culture and absence of real games is the symptom of a bigger disease that we, as consumers, are not treating. We are just letting our defective train chug along without any service whatsoever because apparently it hurts us to think or it takes effort to change our lifestyles. But it doesn’t have to be the only way – at Father Orcus’s monastery of the frozen mists you can revitalize your spirit with freezing…. Oops, can’t start dropping the propoganda yet. Need to continue building loyalty first.

    Now that I’ve said my sermon let me delve into the game itself. It has the emotional depth of a unwashed pipette and plays like the developers were trying to provide the ragdoll equivalent of hardcore adult entertainment. Which, if you have access to a spell of levitate, have an absorb shield, and another mage of equal power is in fact a form of hardcore adult entertainment. My acolytes say moshing should not be referred to as such, but I’m just saying when Orcus the Vile is in the mosh pit children beware – because bodies will fly! That being said, the game is pretty amusing. A cadaverous ogre such as I can enjoy the game for its idiotic simplicity, its crude humor, and simplistic challenges and gradual sense of unlocking a tower of evil. But this is a critical review, and those features are not indicative of good games even if the game itself is a form of comedy. And really there is no plot, unless you enjoy the mindless chaos, the only sense of progress is artificial by virtue of the tower you need to complete in game and the cosmetics you can unlock. There really is nothing for you here if you can’t just enjoy the mindless chaos. I can – but most gamers can’t unless they’re in a very specific mood.

    This is the sort of game you either sink hours into to complete, or play once or twice for the jokes and quit after sinking a few hours into (interesting that this one doesn’t get an upgrade isn’t it nintendo?). You have to ask yourself though – do you have 30 dollars to waste on a joke? Because if so, I can charge you 30 dollars for robbery. Its a delightful little joke. You pay me thirty dollars – I pick you up by the toes and shake you down until every single loose piece of change is on the floor. If you’re the target audience you will love this game. And if you’re in the smaller and more committed members of the target audience you might finish the game.

    What are the redeeming elements I hear you ask? The humor is good, it will get a few chuckles even if this is not your form of humor, and the minigames are genuinely entertaining. But this game does feel like a huge time sink. Every time I sit to play it I get so distracted wrecking stuff and raising hell I find forty minutes have passed easily – yet nothing gets done. And I feel that is my final verdict on this game. A fun guilty pleasure, a marker for a more serious condition in the market, and generally something to ease your mind at times of too much cognitive activity. I know that sounds pessimistic but hey, Die Hard is more popular on Christmas than Santa. And some of us have multiple heads! But if you’re looking for a meme filled with memes, you can definitely do worse than goat simulator. Do yourself a favor though and wait until its on sale. Don’t pay thirty bucks for an upgrade just because they try to go out of their way to convince you its a new release.

  • Review: Into Oblivion

    By: Venom

    Date: May 1, 2026

    Format used: Digital

    Rating: 3/5

    As can be expected for a long delayed comeback by a classic band, Venom’s return Into Oblivion is marked by their trademark sound, more nostalgia than is good, and surprisingly, more fresh and creative ideas than you would expect for the men who wrote the textbook for the first wave black metal movement. But that was then, this is now, the old is new, and the dead are stirring in their graves. Seriously, I nearly cancelled my Order’s Beltane sacrifice just to listen to this album. Luckily. after the second century of death you tend to realize your impulses are just as futile as everything else.

    Futility does not, however, describe this album. Futility would be creative stagnation. And we do have some new lyrical territory equally evil and sometimes even as dark as their usual forays into devil worship. With songs of dragons, myths, and folklore, there is yet some poetic codices to be unearthed at the temple of Venom. And I will say, as somebody who have heard every single minstrel tread this territory back in the olden days – and having impaled the worst of them as public spectacle – Venom will be honored guests at Orcus the Vile’s feasts for years to come. But do not expect any Power Metal leaning bardic shams from Venom, there is nothing but raw aggressive Metal here – and curiously, without the punk sensibilities this time. Now make no mistake – Venom was always a Metal band first – but in my undead opinion, their early music would be inseparable from punk both in ethos and in terms of musical approach. And while in the past they have been criticized for simplicity, it must be said all the robes and incense in my compound makes a fiend yearn for just that simplicity. What we have found instead is, merely well tested and battle hardened classic Metal riffs. Unfortunately, due to the simplicity and raw attack of the music, Venom have failed to make the riffs take on a life of their own. I don’t mind those riffs, and at a certain point all Metal riffs have their backbones in something that came before, but we need to consider how we lend voice to these foundational Metal licks. It has a classic sound, but Venom needs to either add a little complexity and layering just to give it their own voice, or bring in some of that hardcore punk sound and lean more fully in the direction of something resembling the Thrash Metal they helped influence (without losing their own identity of course).

    It was a dangerous tightrope and Venom navigated it well enough considering how easy it could have been to just recycle old music and lyrical tropes specific to their brand (you’re a band of musicians not a company right oh champions of the old guard?). Well – strictly speaking, they do recycle their most impactful song culturally, “Black Metal”, with the very derivative “Lay Down Your Soul” which is a nice song to be true, but if it were not for greater tracks, it would not exist on its own virtue. Luckily, that is about the extent of the pandering, the problem is just how Venom struggle to find a voice, and how they lean too heavily on pre-existing Metal riffs without innovation. Lyrically, in terms of ideas, and in terms of translating their no-frills aggression into a modern album – this is quite the well executed release. There are just a few hiccups technically speaking that hold this album back from being the enduring classic the rest of their catalogue was upon release.

    Who are we kidding though? Venom is grunt music. Can you expect the salt of the Earth hellraisers who wrote songs entitled “Aaaaaarrghh” or “Women, Leather and Hell” to care about criticism any more than notoriously critic-proof footballers and part-time musicians Iron Maiden? I think not. But I have said my piece and I will now offer a benediction unto Venom. Carry on Venom. Keep showing that you only need a few good ideas, passion, instruments, and some friends to make something the legions of hell can march to war to.

    This is a good return for Venom, but I hope not the end of the line for them. Even if there may have been murmurings of the sort. Murmur is a lesser demon anyway, abjure him with all the names of the godhead says I! If you enjoyed this review be sure to return in two days for my next review.

  • Update – next reviews

    For the next review we will be doing Venom’s new release Into Oblivion as it is a return by such a well respected and influential band as Venom. We will then try to work on some newer projects for a few posts – which will give us some millage given that this domain is updated every other day. After that we will resume our Manilla Road deep delve with every other post. For future posts, there may be updates if we decide to swap to new content instead of retrospectives for a period. Stay tuned for the Venom album coming on May 2nd.

  • A Cry for the Slain

    By: Cnoc an Tursa

    Release Date: April 24th, 2026

    Format Used: Digital

    Rating: 3.5/5

    Ah yes, the Scots, an unruly bunch bunch of Mountain Celts who felt that a single hillfort would not suffice to protect them from the invaders besieging them since the Romans was thoroughly cowed by the ginger maniacs and built a wall to keep them in. How unfortunate that the English were not so easily beaten back. Yes the plight of the Scots is indeed sad, and it is therefore appropriate that Cnoc an Tursa’s latest release has a sorrowful, melancholic sound that permeates every song. We also see the clean female vocals – because apparently we need that beauty and the beast vocal gimmick here – in addition to the slight metalcore leaning rasps that has marked Cnoc an Tursa’s debut album as well.

    Every song on this release is long. I have personally find it dragging in places and I am a certified alumi of mage college! The songs have enough variety and creativity but the sections of the song tend to plod a little bit as we sit on the opposite end of our seats awaiting the next lead or vocal section. The atmosphere is more than decent, and it reminds me a lot of Saor, another band with “scottish sensibilities” – so to speak.

    One strong element of the album is that we do have keyboards and other musical ornamentation clearly audible in the mix. And this is no small feat mind you, as some Folk Metal bands – who do this as their forte – do not always have all the little embellishments pop up. I do find the clean vocals thrown in to add to the overall experience, even if I feel like the contrast isn’t as stark as you would have with say even more guttural death metal vocals.

    Their lyrics have less swaggering nationalistic pride this time around, and there are some interesting forays into mythology and folklore. I’m not sure how to feel about “Am Fear Llath Mór” – have the Scots finally discovered I open portals into the mists of their highlands to abduct the frail and the weak? I would need my acolytes to look into this, but at least from the song it appears that they have not yet guessed at my nefarious purposes yet. Regardless, the eerie subject-matter and more lamenting tone of the obligatory pride songs make this album feel much fresher than it would otherwise.

    Between this album and their debut, I feel Giants of Auld is still stronger. I will be looking at their sophomore effort next just because this album is good enough to make you want to see if the last part of the trinity also holds up. If you like atmospheric Black Metal, give this release a listen.

  • Update:

    Due to weather conditions and Mars not being well enough exalted we will not be doing a review today. The next review will be on April 30th and will be for Cnoc an Tursa’s cry for the Slain. Other things we have in the works are the next entry in our deep dive of Manilla Road’s music entitled Mystification, as well as some dungeon synth from Old Sorcery.

  • Retrospective: The Deluge

    By: Manilla Road

    Date: February 25, 1986

    Format used: Digital

    Rating: 3.5/5

    Whether or not Manilla Road still was at their creative peak in the 80s is of little importance. The Deluge does not suffer from any one particular shortcoming, rather it is a weakening of all the strengths that make Manilla Road’s music great.

    Case in point, the lyrics are less florid, less epic, and while there is a case to be made for why this stripped down approach to songwriting was taken, I can guarantee you, if this was their format from them start of their career – the most well-known and well respected music Manilla Road has ever produced would only have a fraction of the majesty and excellence that made their budding underground releases so impactful.

    The songwriting itself is not bad, but they lift just as much from the canons of mid-era Bathory with a hint of Cirith Ungol as they contain their own touch. And there is still a distinct lean towards the grittier thrash sound that started on Open the Gates. The thrash metal influences are a lot clearer on this release, and they are appropriately accompanied by a down-toned and somber vocal delivery by Mark Shelton. Subject-matter is also a lot darker, and we see a more ballsy stance being taken against religion, with the poets lambasting specific historic ills in their verse. Its no longer just “religion is illogical” or “Religion is slavery” it’s “the church burned heretics” and “this holy war is considered a national disgrace to this day”. It is always nicer when bands take a specific stance when they begin making music with more venom.

    Although there is a cost to this change in their music. There is a more lemming-like tendency for songs on this album to entrench themselves firmly in 80s underground metal orthodoxy. And in truth, Manilla Road’s strength has always been that they can deliver the goods without being constrained by the comfort zone of other metal bands.

    That being said, Manilla Road are far from creatively spent. They still have some excellent riffs, and their are even some moments of excellent atmospheric keyboard interludes – which more than justifies the instrument the band has historically distanced themselves from.

    Overall, the Deluge is an album of experimentation for Manilla Road, much like Invasion was. And as we go forth into the middle of a new decade for the Kansas outfit,we will hopefully see a whole new sound for Manilla Road emerge. But only time will tell if it holds a candle to what came before.

    I would recommend this album for any fan f 80s Metal really, since it plays it so safe, but there are some qualities that could be used to get the Thrash audience appreciating the more traditional sensitivities of Manilla Road.

  • Echoes of a Time Long Past

    By: Wolfchant

    Release Date: February 13, 2026

    Format used: Digital

    Rating: 3.5/5

    There are many words you could use to describe Wolfchant’s latest album. Epic, melodic and catchy are three. Shiny, overproduced, and bombastic are three others. Nay, Orcus the Vile has never particularly gravitated towards Wolfchant. To be sure, they’ve written some amazing albums. Bloody Tales of Disgraced Lands stirred Orcus to furore. And I have rallied my hordes to songs off A Pagan Storm. It’s simply that the early material – while good – did not have the staying power of other bands. And their newer releases are real crowd pleasers in the same way that Powerwolf’s releases are.

    Especially on this album we have some real catchy poetry. “Dem Sturme Vorause” is just real treat isn’t it? Just makes you want to belt that Germanic opera right at the top of your lungs until your gut collapses inwards and gives you a forced gastric bypass (what do you mean that doesn’t happen? I’ve gotten a hernia that way in 1906!).

    Honestly, the second half of the album really makes the rest of it worth the effort in terms of raw aggression and evil undertones. I just don’t know why we preface it with all these shiny symphonies and electronic tomfoolery. I hope Wolfchant doesn’t think their audience would lack the attention span to stay throughout the entire album. Because that would be too cynical – and I am saying that as a notorious eater of cynics (and they did taste like dogs in the olden days).

    Yet while the second half of the album is still more presentable and sounds less like a weird Power Metal-Melodeath fusion, Wolfchant still doesn’t offer us anything less shiny – and their addiction to symphony orchestras makes us wonder why they didn’t just get a full-time quartet to beef up their admittedly impressive keyboard plinking.

    That’s Echoes of a Time Long Past. In terms of symphonic metal and melodeath you can do worse, but you can also do much better. And while I will definitely revisit some tracks in the future, this album will most likely fail to make a long-term impression. Either that or it will become a slow-burn guilty pleasure that takes time to sink in. Only time will tell if this album becomes a mere echo of a time long past.