Venues – Transience (Review)

Venues - TransienceThis is the third album from Venues, a modern metal band from Germany.

2018’s Aspire was good, but 2021’s Solace was where Venues really came into their own. The more I listened to it, the better it got, and it’s still a record that’s great when you want anthemic and catchy modern metal.

Now we have Transience, so let’s dive in. Continue reading “Venues – Transience (Review)”

Sons of Alpha Centauri – Pull (Review)

Sons of Alpha Centauri - PullThis is the forth album from UK metal band Sons of Alpha Centauri.

I’ve very much enjoyed seeing the development and progression of Sons of Alpha Centauri over the years, and you never quite know what you’re going to get from them. From stoner rock to collaborative experiments, to 90s-influenced alternative metal, what do we get this time? Continue reading “Sons of Alpha Centauri – Pull (Review)”

Sacrificial Vein – Black Terror Genesis (Review)

Sacrificial Vein - Black Terror GenesisSacrificial Vein are a black metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Containing the singer of Nothingness in their ranks, Sacrificial Vein play avant-garde/dissonant black metal. Black Terror Genesis is a 47-minute journey into darkness. Continue reading “Sacrificial Vein – Black Terror Genesis (Review)”

Apparition – Disgraced Emanations from a Tranquil State (Review)

Apparition - Disgraced Emanations from a Tranquil StateApparition are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.

Featuring an ex-member of Nails, Apparition play progressive death/doom metal. On Disgraced Emanations from a Tranquil State they deliver 38-minutes of music that hits the spot. Continue reading “Apparition – Disgraced Emanations from a Tranquil State (Review)”

Udåd – Udåd (Review)

Udåd - UdådThis is the debut album from Norwegian solo black metal act Udåd.

Brought to us by the artist behind Mork, Udåd contains 47 minutes of raw, old-school black metal. Udåd contains primal blackened energies that are channelled directly from the early 90s, but given a creative twist of the knife by the artist’s keen vision. Continue reading “Udåd – Udåd (Review)”

Wormwitch/Sadistic Ritual – Split (Review)

Wormwitch Sadistic Ritual - SplitWormwitch are a black metal band from Canada and Sadistic Ritual are a thrash metal band from the US.

Barring a couple of singles in 2022, this is the first we’ve heard from Wormwitch since 2021’s Wolf Hex, (also make sure you check out 2019’s Heaven That Dwells Within if you haven’t already), so these three songs – 16 minutes of new material – are a welcome sight. Continue reading “Wormwitch/Sadistic Ritual – Split (Review)”

Aberration – Refracture (Review)

Aberration - RefractureThis is the debut album from US death metal band Aberration.

Hot on the heels of January’s split with Diabolic Oath comes the hideous 42-minute Refracture. After that release, I was looking forward to hearing more from both bands, but I wasn’t expecting something so soon. Continue reading “Aberration – Refracture (Review)”

Dödsrit – Nocturnal Will (Review)

Dödsrit - Nocturnal WillThis is the fourth album from Swedish black metal band Dödsrit.

Whereas each of Dödsrit’s well-regarded previous albums, (including 2018’s top notch Spirit Crusher), contained four songs, Nocturnal Will breaks with tradition and delivers six tracks in total, (although to be fair one is a sub-minute interlude). Continue reading “Dödsrit – Nocturnal Will (Review)”

Civerous – Maze Envy (Review)

Civerous - Maze EnvyThis is the second album from US death metallers Civerous.

We last met Civerous on their 2020 split with Stygian Obsession, so it’s great to be able to hear a full album from them. Brought to us by members of Aylwin and TzompantliMaze Envy contains 42 minutes of cavernous death that’s wrapped around doom and black metal elements. Continue reading “Civerous – Maze Envy (Review)”

Acathexis – Immerse (Review)

Acathexis - ImmerseThis is the second album from Acathexis, an international black metal band.

Acathexis is given dark life by Jacob Buczarski(, the artist behind the amazing Mare Cognitum), the insanely prolific Déhà, (COAGCult of Erinyes, Silver Knife, Slow, We All Die (Laughing), and many others), and a singer from some bands I don’t know, (Dany Tee, from Los Males del Mundo and Seelenmord). Immerse may only have four songs, but with a total duration of 50 minutes, there’s a lot here to delve deeply into. The album is Well-named, and the songs are sprawling and immersive. Continue reading “Acathexis – Immerse (Review)”