Style: Progressive Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, Djent (Mixed Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Early Leprous, DVNE, Ihlo
Country: Serbia
Release date: 6 March 2026

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We’ve all hit a wall at some point in our progressive listening journeys that made us go, “Man, I love [insert favorite band name here] a lot, but I want something fresh”. If you’ve never had that thought, stop reading now and go listen to more prog. After listening to my favorite band, The Ocean, almost non-stop for four years, I began searching for a new band that blended progressive, post, and sludge elements in a similar way to the Pelagic Records giants. I’ve discovered many of the bands I hold dear to my heart on this journey, but few of them combine the signature raw talent and dark composition I hoped to rediscover—that is, until I found a thirst-quenching oasis in the form of the upcoming band Black Idol.

​Hailing from Serbia, Black Idol burst out of the gates with their debut EP, Woes Are Legion. Debuting with an EP can be challenging: less runtime often means the music needs to be tighter and more cohesive than on a full-length record in order to prove a band’s worth. Black Idol quickly verify that they can rise to the challenge of proving their worth with limited runtime. Woes Are Legion effortlessly shepherds despondent and moody compositions to life—one would think that the band has been in the industry for years¹.

Black Idol’s moody composition greatly shines through its intricate details; tasteful and almost jazz-like drumming not only marks time throughout, but adds a dynamism of its own with cymbal work and deceptively simple rhythmic creativity (“The Great Triumph”, “Thespian”). Dig deep into the crystal-clear production and you’ll uncover extended down-tuned bass melodies that root Woes Are Legion in its dark timbre. Black Idol’s rhythm section moves like honey²; although the music generally embodies the slow, doomy post-metal aesthetic, every bit of distortion, rhythm, and accompanying melody is sweet to the ear (tongue). Woes Are Legion’s intricacies come together to make tracks that are easy to jam to, but have subtleties that can only be discovered with repeated listens. 

With a strong rhythm section established, it becomes the job of the melodic instruments to draw in and retain the audience. Because the concept of Woes Are Legion touches on introspection, purpose, and belief, vocalist Aleksa Matic’s blend of exposed and pensive singing elevates the EP’s conceptual mood. Matic’s voice modulates between grittier delivery for emphatic lyrics and softer falsetto for slower, reflective moments. Synths, distorted guitars, and even brass complement Matic’s silky performance, weaving rhythm and melody together to create a single atmospheric soundscape. Matic treats the listener to harsh vocals throughout Woes Are Legion, but they are represented best on “The Great Triumph”, a track that deviates from the doomy aesthetic to offer higher-energy music that would please fans of later Tesseract and Karnivool.

While Woes Are Legion has a solid sound overall, the EP is a textbook example of  “safe” progressive music. The grooves are quite competent, but there are moments in which riffs fall flat or an ambient section goes on for too long. Black Idol’s use of caesuras and changing time signatures is engaging but not expansive enough—they don’t provide anything new. Woes Are Legion demonstrates Black Idol’s technical skill, but frustratingly, the music is not as experimental as it can be. “Thespian” and “Son of No Desire” are great tracks, but they sound formulaic to each other. There is an experimental progressive band with the power to deliver engaging riffs hiding behind Woes Are Legion, and my only desire is that they break free with future releases.

Despite my wish for more progressiveness in the music, the above transgression is (mostly) set aside in the final track of Woes Are Legion, “Annihilate”. Being the die-hard Ocean fan that I am, seeing Loïc Rossetti (ex-The Ocean) contribute vocals on this track had me jumping for joy—and I sure did feel joyous when listening to this austere finale to Woes of Legion³. Atmosphere is the name of the game in “Annihilate”; the pairing of distorted guitars and prominent, spacey synths sets up a soundstage to spotlight the rest of the band. Jarring marcato chords in the bass and rhythm guitar support the low-end drums, all while Rossetti’s signature vocals soar alongside Matic’s heavy growls. Instrumental solos bounce off each other in an ambient bridge, as the unrelenting synths continue to give the track a transcendental feel. Black Idol took the saying “save the best for last” to heart, as the final four minutes of “Annihilate” showcase a culmination of the best of Woes Are Legion’s sound. The darkness that Black Idol carry is finally unleashed in a crushing climax, with a subsequent cooldown that offers a moment to soak in the otherworldly end of “Annihilate”.

For those who need a new dose of music from the progressive/post-metal melting pot, Woes of Legion should be your next listen. While it’s not genre-bending or mind-blowing, it will temporarily satisfy that thirst for new music⁴ with the EP’s blend of exciting riffs and introspective thematics. In the same breath, Black Idol need to take their own advice for the future: stop “holding back all that [they] could be” and write an album that is unsafe and a reflection of their truest musical potential. Until then, enjoy the pensive atmosphere of foreboding metal that they have successfully brought to life in Woes Are Legion.

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Recommended tracks: Thespian, The Great Triumph, Annihilate
You may also like: Anciients, Uneven Structure, Intronaut
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Black Idol is:
– Aleksa Matic (Vocals)
– Uroš Savic Kain (Guitars, lyrics)
– Timur Barsukov (Drums)
– Vasily Shabrov (Bass)
– Alexsandar Bojkovic (Guitars, recording, production)
– Ricardo Borges (Mixing, additional production)
With guests:
– Loïc Rossetti (Vocals, lyrics on “Annihilate”)

1. Although it may not have been progressive music at first, vocalist Aleksa Matic and guitarist Uroš Savic Kain have been playing music together since childhood, and the musical chemistry between them is obvious. ↩︎
2. During the writing of this review, I was enjoying a cup of tea with black (idol) seed honey. New merch idea, Black Idol? ↩︎
3. Sad, angry, dirgey music is often enjoyed by the happiest people! ↩︎
4. Although, can this thirst ever really be quenched? ↩︎