Outright – Keep You Warm (Review)

Outright - Keep You WarmThis is the second album from metallic hardcore band Outright.

Described in the promo blurb as a mix of Walls of Jericho and Slayer, this is as good an introduction as any to Outright’s sound, (I’d also throw in a bit of Capra too, as a more recent reference point). Continue reading “Outright – Keep You Warm (Review)”

Inhuman Condition – Fearsick (Review)

Inhuman Condition - FearsickInhuman Condition are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.

Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Death, Deicide, Massacre, Obituary, Six Feet Under, Venom Inc., and Wombbath, you know a lot of experience and skill has gone into Fearsick. Across 36 minutes Inhuman Condition subject us to a competent collection of songs that are just plain fun. Continue reading “Inhuman Condition – Fearsick (Review)”

Battering Ram – Second to None (Review)

Battering Ram - Second to NoneThis is the second album from Battering Ram, a Swedish hard rock/metal band.

Battering Ram play a combination of old-school hard rock and classic heavy metal that is then wrapped up in a modern delivery. Second to None is 36-minutes of raw fun and polished talent. Continue reading “Battering Ram – Second to None (Review)”

Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture (Review)

Ashenspire - Hostile ArchitectureAshenspire are a post-black metal band from the UK and this is their second album.

Holy crap. This is not your standard album, not at all. It’s striking, individual, shockingly emotive, and relentlessly harsh in atmosphere and tone. To set the scene somewhat – Ashenspire play a form of post-black metal with strong avant-garde, experimental, and progressive tendencies. Featuring current and ex-members of Barshasketh and Falloch, Hostile Architecture is a 44-minute journey into the contemporary urban heart of darkness. Continue reading “Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture (Review)”

Antigama – Whiteout (Review)

Antigama - WhiteoutThis is the eighth album from Polish grindcore band Antigama.

I always enjoy hearing Antigama, as no matter what they’re doing you know you’re going to at least get a good base level of quality (see MeteorThe Insolent, and Depressant as good examples). Continue reading “Antigama – Whiteout (Review)”

Maul – Seraphic Punishment (Review)

Maul - Seraphic PunishmentThis is the debut album from US death metal band Maul.

Across 38 minutes Seraphic Punishment torments us with nasty death metal that will not only leave a bad taste in your mouth, but a rusty meat cleaver too. Savage and brutal, the band’s music offers a crushing display of murderous death metal carnage. The style mixes the classic Swedish style with equally classic USDM, to create a hybrid of the two that lacks the strengths of neither. Continue reading “Maul – Seraphic Punishment (Review)”

Mantar – Pain Is Forever and This Is the End (Review)

Mantar - Pain Is Forever and This Is the EndThis is the fourth album from German blackened metal act Mantar.

This is the follow up to 2018’s The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze, (if you ignore the band’s cover album from 2020), and contains 41 minutes of new material. Pain Is Forever and This Is the End is the next logical evolution of Mantar’s sound, bringing a more direct song-focused approach to the music, while Continue reading “Mantar – Pain Is Forever and This Is the End (Review)”

Cerebral Extinction – Escape from Illusion (Review)

Cerebral Extinction - Escape from IllusionThis is the third album from Italian brutal death metallers Cerebral Extinction.

Escape from Illusion delivers a punishing technical assault across 47 minutes of brutal material. Continue reading “Cerebral Extinction – Escape from Illusion (Review)”

Behold! The Monolith – From the Fathomless Deep (Review)

Behold! The Monolith - From the Fathomless DeepThis is the fourth album from US doom/sludge metallers Behold! The Monolith.

It seems like an age ago that it came out, but 2015’s Architects of the Void stood out from the crowds that year, (and made it into my year end list), and I had wondered if we’d ever hear from the band again. They’ve now reappeared though, and with a new singer to boot, to bring us 46 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Behold! The Monolith – From the Fathomless Deep (Review)”

Scarcity – Aveilut (Review)

Scarcity - AveilutScarcity are a black metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Consisting of one 47-minute song, (which is divided into five tracks), Aveilut is an experimental black metal journey into the expansive and creative vision of Scarcity, (who contain a member of Pyrrhon/Seputus handling vocals). Continue reading “Scarcity – Aveilut (Review)”