Mordeo – Mordeo (Review)

Mordeo - MordeoThis is the debut album from US sludge metal band Mordeo.

Mordeo is a 41-minute slab of ugly crusty darkness. Fuelled by punk aggression and sludge hatred, this is music that wants to rend and destroy. Mordeo have unleashed a Continue reading “Mordeo – Mordeo (Review)”

Wildernesses – Growth (Review)

Wildernesses - GrowthWildernesses are a post-rock/shoegaze band from the UK and this is their debut album.

Growth is a 44-minute record that brings together post-rock and shoegaze into a something unexpectedly special. The music of Wildernesses is detailed and textured, offering a vision of post-rock to the listener that’s Continue reading “Wildernesses – Growth (Review)”

Antrisch – Expedition III: Renitenzpfad (Review)

Antrisch - Expedition III RenitenzpfadThis is the second album from German black metal band Antrisch.

Expedition III: Renitenzpfad is a 48-minute black metal album that’s spliced with a few different influences. Across these seven tracks Antrisch take the listener on a journey into history, and as they do so they Continue reading “Antrisch – Expedition III: Renitenzpfad (Review)”

Hanging Garden – Isle of Bliss (Review)

Hanging Garden - Isle of BlissThis is the ninth album from Finnish melodic death/doom band Hanging Garden.

Isle of Bliss contains 48 minutes of engaging material. Hanging Garden’s mix of death and doom metal is heavily melodic, carries a Gothic flavour, and has an occasional blackened edge. It makes for a compelling record that should appeal to fans of a Continue reading “Hanging Garden – Isle of Bliss (Review)”

Winterfylleth – The Unyielding Season (Review)

Winterfylleth - The Unyielding SeasonWinterfylleth are a UK black metal band and this is their ninth album.

2024’s The Imperious Horizon feels like it came out yesterday, but here we are again anyway, a brand new Winterfylleth record. Whereas its predecessor was icy, The Unyielding Season Continue reading “Winterfylleth – The Unyielding Season (Review)”

Iron Firmament – In the Land of Pre-Human Kings (Review)

Iron Firmament - In the Land of Pre-Human KingsThis is the third album from US black metal band Iron Firmament.

In the Land of Pre-Human Kings contains 42 minutes of atmospheric black metal, brought to the world by a band that clearly understand the style. Iron Firmament bring a range of influences together on this record, resulting in music that’s sure to Continue reading “Iron Firmament – In the Land of Pre-Human Kings (Review)”

Kal-El – Astral Voyager Vol. 2 (Review)

Kal-El - Astral Voyager Vol. 2This is the seventh album from Norwegian doom/stoner metal band Kal-El.

Hot on the heels of Astral Voyager Vol. 1 from last year, Kal-El have now returned with the promised second instalment of this double album. Astral Voyager Vol. 2 brings us 43 minutes of new material, so get ready to rock. Continue reading “Kal-El – Astral Voyager Vol. 2 (Review)”

Egregore – It Echoes in the Wild (Review)

Egregore - It Echoes in the WildThis is the second album from Canadian death metallers Egregore.

It Echoes in the Wild is brought to us by current/ex-members of Mitochondrion and Funeral Circle, and is a light-swallowing maelstrom of black/death metal horror. Egregore have a well-developed personality, and this record allows them 48 minutes to express this freely. The results are Continue reading “Egregore – It Echoes in the Wild (Review)”

Gaerea – Loss (Review)

Gaerea - LossThis is the fifth album from Portuguese metal/post-black metal band Gaerea.

It’s been very interesting to watch Gaerea develop over the years, peaking their black metal assault on 2022’s Mirage, before adding in a few different textures and influences on 2024’s very well-received Coma. The latter was the band’s biggest stylistic shift until that point. Loss delivers an even larger Continue reading “Gaerea – Loss (Review)”

Poison the Well – Peace in Place (Review)

Poison the Well - Peace in PlacePoison the Well are a hardcore band from the US and this is their sixth album.

When such an iconic band releases a brand new record 17 years after their last one, it’s a time of expectation, hope, and excitement, but also concern, and even suspicion. Can Poison the Well come close to their previous quality levels? Will time have dulled their unique edge? Do we need another Poison the Well album? Continue reading “Poison the Well – Peace in Place (Review)”