Caliban are a German metalcore band and this is their twelfth album.
Caliban play metalcore that combines the hardcore and modern metal ingredients in ways that taste quite idiosyncratic. There’s a darkness at the heart of Dystopia, and that manifests in a collection of songs that hit the spot very nicely. Continue reading “Caliban – Dystopia (Review)”
This is the fourth album from US black metallers Feral Light.
Feral Light impressed me with both 2020’s Life Vapor and the short EP Ceremonial Tower the year after. Psychic Contortions continues the band’s impressive run, showcasing Feral Light doing what they do best across 36 captivating minutes. Continue reading “Feral Light – Psychic Contortions (Review)”
This is the third album from US black metallers Vanum.
The promo blurb states that Legend is for fans of Ultha, Wiegedood, Ash Borer, Fell Voices, Turia, Fluisteraars, Wode, Yellow Eyes, Bathory, Rotting Christ, and epic heavy metal. This is as good a place as any to start with for this record. Continue reading “Vanum – Legend (Review)”
Spill Your Guts are a blackened hardcore band from China and this is their second album.
The promo blurb states the following bands as influences on Spill Your Guts – Turbonegro, Kvelertak, Trap Them,
Every Time I Die, The Bronx,
All Pigs Must Die, Refused, and Shai Hulud – and these serve as a decent starting point for approaching the 31 minutes of material that makes up The Wrath It Takes. Continue reading “Spill Your Guts – The Wrath It Takes (Review)”
Soldat Hans are a doom band from Switzerland and this is their third album.
Es Taut came out of nowhere in 2018 and blew me away. Its multifaceted sound was as impressive and emotive as it was accomplished and well-delivered. No wonder it appeared high on my end of year list. Due to this, Anthaupt had a great deal of expectation placed upon it before I even heard a single second of its 66-minute duration. Continue reading “Soldat Hans – Anthaupt (Review)”
Skull Fist are a Canadian heavy metal band and this is their fourth album.
Paid in Full boasts 34 minutes of true, old-school heavy metal, and it’s good to hear.
Skull Fist are a band that were Continue reading “Skull Fist – Paid in Full (Review)”
This is the debut album from Notturno, an Italian black metal band.
Featuring the vocalist of Eyelessight, Notturno play a mix of depressive and atmospheric black metal that also contains elements of doom. There are three epic-length songs on Obsessions, delivering 37 minutes of material in total. Continue reading “Notturno – Obsessions (Review)”
Corpsessed are a Finnish death metal band and this is their third album, (or fourth, depending on your perspective).
I do so enjoy Corpsessed’s material, (check out 2014’s Abysmal Thresholds and 2018’s Impetus of Death). Four years after their last release, regular as rotten clockwork, they have returned with new platter Succumb to Rot. This release features the band’s most colourful artwork, as well as their shortest running time, (36 minutes). Continue reading “Corpsessed – Succumb to Rot (Review)”
This is the sixth album from Alunah, a doom metal band from the UK.
Both 2017’s Solennial and 2019’s Violet Hour were solid examples of Alunah’s art, and Strange Machine carries 42 minutes of new tunes to enjoy. At this point in their career Alunah know how to play this sort of music; a Sabbathian mix of doom, hard rock, and stoner that’s based around good songs and a strong singer. What can go wrong with a formula like this? Continue reading “Alunah – Strange Machine (Review)”
Grayscale Season are a Swedish metalcore band and this is their second album.
Grayscale Season have written a hypercompetent, professional, and engaging collection of tracks on Do You Like Violence. This is metalcore with a firm eye on creativity and diversity. You’ll find thundering groove, harsh vocals, and heavy riffs, as you would expect, but there’s also a lot of other ideas, sounds, and influences here. There are post-metal and post-hardcore elements spread across the album too, further increasing its variety. Grayscale Season are certainly not what I’d call your average band. Continue reading “Grayscale Season – Do You Like Violence (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 