Review: Apolaustic – No Plenitude Without Suffering

Review by Sandre the Giant Released: 3rd April 2026 Formed as a solo side project from former Stortregn vocalist and guitarist Romain Negro, Apolaustic look to channel the Swiss masters of melodic black/death metal and add a more personal vision to his sound. I’ve always quite enjoyed Stortregn’s work, so I think that Apolaustic could have some real potential. Their debut record, ‘No Plenitude Without Suffering’ (plenitude means abundance or fullness by the way, save you looking that up because I certainly had to) is out now through Transcending Obscurity. Opener ‘Devouring the Past’ comes roaring from the gates with an intense yet supremely melodic assault of blackened death metal, combining the serpentine gallop of Dissection with an atmospheric touch not dissimilar to Thulcandra. Romain Negro is channelling everything he learned in Stortregn through the wonderful dynamic passages of ‘Shining Amidst the Lights’, over the frostbitten kingdom of ‘Testimony of an Obsolete World’ and…