Review: Ad Hominem – Totalitarian Black Metal

Review by Dagon M.

Ad Hominem – Totalitarian Black Metal

Record Label: Osmose Productions

Year: 2025

Rating: 8.5/10

Ad Hominem is a one-man Black Metal project coming out of France, with Kaiser Wodhanaz being the mastermind behind everything. Since 2002, he has released 6 full-length albums, with trademark releases such as “A New Race of a New World” & “Dictator – A Monument of Glory”, managing to establish a ferocious Black Metal identity while gaining the attention of legendary label Osmose Productions.

After 7 years of waiting, Wodhanaz returns with his latest opus, “Totalitarian Black Metal” released in February 2025. This album is a display of returning to the Black Metal roots with a fierce and straightforward approach. Pummeling blast beats along with razor sharp riffs and guttural vocals create a hostalenvironment, filled with hatred, reminiscent of the early Black Metal days. “Snort the Ashes of God” sets the tone with an industrial atmosphere as this ominous instrumental prelude leans towards chaos because the first punch in the face comes in with “Gas Mask Devastation”. A standout from the very beginning, bringing the signature Ad Hominem groove, with a relentless drum assault and thunderous riffs, creating an old school Brutality. The title track “Totalitarian Black Metal” possesses a dubious hook that will stick in your head and a blitz of high-speed attack, while maintaining a strange kind of melody.

Ad Hominem

Moving on, we are introduced to “Choke the Woke” and the album shows that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A combination of dark humor with nihilistic themes through which Wodhanaz showcases his hatred for modern-day mediocrity. “The Nuclear Solution” is complete and utter madness, with the blast beats hammering on the collision in a fit of nihilistic meltdown. “Black Stone Circle Pit” eases things down a notch, having a groove feeling through tempo shifts and a menacing breakdown. Following in the same path, “Dekontamination” is a mid-paced multidimensional composition, groovy and heavy to the core. “Saturday Night Gulag” has a militant feel with a marching rhythm, being brutal and unforgiving. Finally, “Stairway to Oven” is another example of a dark, humorous title, having a satirical undertone yet maintaining its brutality through ominous riffing throughout.

Overall, the album maintains a constant aggression, having no filter and not letting up on the gas. Its groovy and heavy dimension in some of the tracks adds a refreshing diversification in an otherwise total glorification of early Black Metal. This fact is further highlighted with the dynamic tempo shifts that offer a brute contrast in total balance with the theme of the album. As expected, the album has a lo-fi production fitting to its style, raw and gritty yet clear enough to maintain a punching dynamic with a chaotic atmosphere. The provocative and humorous themes bring on a fresh feeling, in an age when everyone seems to feel obliged to find deep meaning in everything and take themselves too seriously, but can also be a bit edgy and shallow at times.

“Totalitarian Black Metal” is a cohesive assault with a 9-track blitz of chaos in just over half an hour of brutality and rawness that delivers just what the album title stands for. It is an album appropriate for both old school fans and newcomers seeking the thrill of raw intensity.