Devourer are a Swedish/Russian black metal band and this is their fourth album.
I really enjoyed 2017’s Across the Empty Plains and 2019’s Dawn of Extinction, so upon receipt of Raptus it was a must-listen.
Ever since first hearing Devourer back in 2017 I was immediately Continue reading “Devourer – Raptus (Review)”
This is the debut album from US black metallers Abhoria.
So, here we have a 42-minute black metal release that claims inspiration from Immortal, Dark Funeral and Emperor. How could I resist sampling its dark delights?
Abhoria present their second wave-influenced assault with a Continue reading “Abhoria – Abhoria (Review)”
This is the third album from UK death metallers Venom Prison.
Venom Prison have made a sterling reputation for themselves with their 2016 debut album Animus, their 2019 follow up Samsara, as well as some scorching live appearances.
Erebos is the band’s longest Continue reading “Venom Prison – Erebos (Review)”
This is the debut album from The Final Sleep, a progressive metal band from the US.
Vessels of Grief has an interesting and engaging sound that works well for the band. Mixing a range of influences together into six songs that have a strong old-school feel to them, The Final Sleep still manage to avoid sounding dated or tired, despite this. Continue reading “The Final Sleep – Vessels of Grief (Review)”
This is the second album from Mass Worship, an extreme metal band from Sweden.
The Mass Worship formula for delivering a crushing metal album is one of finding the best ratio of metal, death metal and hardcore. At the Gates, Meshuggah, and Mastodon are all mentioned as influences, and these help appreciate where Mass Worship are coming from. Continue reading “Mass Worship – Portal Tombs (Review)”
Abysmal Dawn are a death metal band from the US and this is their latest EP.
Abysmal Dawn are always worth checking out, in my humble opinion. Their brand of modern death metal is heavyweight and satisfying, and their latest EP offers 19 minutes of meaty aggression to satisfy fans of the style. Continue reading “Abysmal Dawn – Nightmare Frontier (Review)”
This is the second album from US one-man post-metal band Breaths.
Here we have 35 minutes of music that’s described as a mix of post-metal, black metal, doom metal, shoegaze, post-rock, progressive metal, and post-hardcore, and recommended for bands such as Alcest, Deftones, Deafheaven, and Sleep Token. Believe it or not, this wide mix of genres actually makes sense within the context of the bands mentioned, so a picture can start to form of what the Breaths sound is like before you encounter the artist’s emotive metal. Continue reading “Breaths – Though Life Has Turned out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt (Review)”
This is the debut album from Belgian black metal band Darkest Mind.
Oracle of Death saw the light of day at the end of last year, and I confess that I overlooked it largely due to its cover. Not that it’s bad artwork by any means, but the bright colours didn’t inspire me to check it out. My loss. Having now had the album brough to my attention once more, Continue reading “Darkest Mind – Oracle of Death (Review)”
Skinliv are from Denmark and Vermisst are from Poland, both play black metal and they have teamed up for this 38-minute split.
Skinliv open up the split, with four tracks across 19 minutes.
Skinliv’s blackened assault is Continue reading “Skinliv/Vermisst – Split (Review)”
Although I’d ideally love to be able to conduct hard-hitting, in-depth interviews, who has the time these days? In lieu of this, I’ve thrown together the below question template, hopefully to gather some interesting and informative results, without taking up too much of anyone’s time.
Hi! I’m Guillaume and I’ve played guitar in Celeste since the beginning of the band in 2005. Even if our creative process is very collaborative, I’ve always been the main songwriter until Infidèle(s) (2017), our previous album. Since then, I’ve shared this responsibility with Johan, the singer and bass player in the band. Continue reading “Standard Interrogation Techniques: Five Questions for Celeste (Interview)”
Wonderbox Metal 