Month: August 2019

Ledge – All I Hope For (Review)

Ledge - All I Hope ForThis is the second album from Ledge, a one-man sludge metal band from the US.

Playing abrasive sludge metal with some elements of stoner thrown into the mix, All I Hope For is 39 minutes of harsh, hateful heaviness. Continue reading “Ledge – All I Hope For (Review)”

Polemicist – Zarathustrian Impressions (Review)

Polemicist - Zarathustrian ImpressionsPolemicist are a black/death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Polemicist mix black and death metal with a heavy metal influence, to create songs that have an epic feel, but without the epic lengths. Continue reading “Polemicist – Zarathustrian Impressions (Review)”

Culted – Vespertina Synaxis: A Prayer for Union & Emptiness (Review)

Culted - Vespertina Synaxis - A Prayer for Union & EmptinessCulted are an international blackened doom band and this is their latest EP.

I really enjoyed 2014’s Oblique to All Paths, and have been waiting for a new Culted release ever since. Well, now it’s here in the shape of this 27-minute EP. Boasting three tracks, Vespertina Synaxis: A Prayer for Union & Emptiness is a sinister exploration of Culted’s world. Continue reading “Culted – Vespertina Synaxis: A Prayer for Union & Emptiness (Review)”

Crimson Moon – Mors Vincit Omnia (Review)

Crimson Moon - Mors Vincit OmniaThis is the fourth album from US black metallers Crimson Moon.

This is the follow up to 2016’s Oneironaut, which I enjoyed so much that it placed on my end of year list for that year. Mors Vincit Omnia contains 54 minutes of music spread out over 8 tracks. This time the band’s mastermind has a main group of three, including himself, along with guest drums, (Aosoth/Antaeus), and several guest vocalists, (Absu, Archgoat, Demoncy, Kawir). Continue reading “Crimson Moon – Mors Vincit Omnia (Review)”

Witch Vomit – Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave (Review)

Witch Vomit - Buried Deep in a Bottomless GraveWitch Vomit are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.

Now this is the stuff. Featuring members of Torture Rack and Dagger Lust, I’ve long been a fan of the foulness that Witch Vomit unleash into the world. 2016’s A Scream from the Tomb Below and 2017’s Poisoned Blood were both underground gems of fetid old-school death metal, and Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave is no different in this regard. Continue reading “Witch Vomit – Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave (Review)”

Warcrab – Damned in Endless Night (Review)

Warcrab - Damned in Endless NightThis is the third album from UK death/sludge metal band Warcrab.

Scars of Aeons was a very enjoyable mix of sludge and death metal, so when I found out that this new album was on the horizon, I prepared myself accordingly. Damned in Endless Night is a bigger monster than Scars of Aeons was though, with double the tracks and a total duration of 52 minutes. Continue reading “Warcrab – Damned in Endless Night (Review)”

Hexis/Zatokrev/Marw – Rebellion, Manchester – 18/08/19 (Live Review)

Hexis Zatokrev Header

Hexis and Zatokrev are both bands I’ve liked for many years, but filed in the “bands I’ll probably never get to see live” category. I do so enjoy being wrong. On a more negative note, tonight is one of the most sparsely attended gigs I’ve ever been to, which is a huge shame for the bands. Continue reading “Hexis/Zatokrev/Marw – Rebellion, Manchester – 18/08/19 (Live Review)”

Hope Drone – Void Lustre (Review)

Hope Drone - Void LustreHope Drone are an Australian post-black metal band and this is their second album.

This is easily one of my most anticipated releases of 2019. 2015’s Cloak of Ash was a colossal work, one which I’ve grown to enjoy more and more over the years, and a new album is long overdue. Delivering 64 minutes of material across five new songs, Void Lustre has been worth the wait. Continue reading “Hope Drone – Void Lustre (Review)”

Aktaion – Above Empires (Review)

Aktaion - Above EmpiresThis is the third album form Swedish modern metal band Aktaion.

I’ve been a fan of Aktaion ever since their debut album Throne in 2015. They then followed this up with the improved The Parade of Nature a year later. The bigger gap between that album and Above Empires seems to have paid off, and the band’s third album truly sees them blossoming even bigger. Continue reading “Aktaion – Above Empires (Review)”