This is the second album from Canadian death metal act Altered Dead.
Altered Dead play old-school death metal that’s raw, filthy, and exceedingly nasty. Rising from the underground like some form of malformed monster, Returned to Life is a 35-minute slab of ugly death metal that is highly enjoyable. Continue reading
Regnvm Animale are a black metal band from Sweden and this is their latest EP.
Regnvm Animale play black metal with a crust influence. As far as EPs go, Ignis Sacer is longer than some albums at 27 minutes in length. Due to my intense dislike of anything spoken word, the intro is a complete waste of space for me, but the remaining four tracks certainly aren’t. Continue reading
Yoth Iria are a Greek black metal band and this is their debut album.
Containing ex-Rotting Christ and ex-Varathron members, Yoth Iria play a form of Hellenic black metal, as would be expected, but don’t limit themselves to this completely, (there’s a strong occult atmospheric component to the music, for example, as well as a classic heavy metal one – think Iron Maiden in particular). Continue reading
Therion are a Swedish symphonic/operatic metal band and this is their seventeenth album.
Where do you go after a three-hour metal opera marathon such as 2018’s Beloved Antichrist? Well, in Therion’s case, you condense, you prioritise arena-friendly catchiness, and you produce 46 minutes of thoroughly enjoyable material. Continue reading
This is the third album from Finnish black metallers Aethyrick.
Well, I wasn’t expecting a new Aethyrick album so soon. Gnosis only came out less than a year ago, (Jan 24, 2020), and Apotheosis will come out on Jan 22, 2021 – it seems there’s been little rest for Aethyrick. Still, as a fan of the band’s work, (also check out 2018’s Praxis), I’m not complaining. Continue reading
Bhleg are a Swedish black metal band and this is their third album.
Having enjoyed 2014’s Draumr Ást and 2018’s Solarmegin, I knew that I had to check out Ödhin when it appeared. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, Bhleg’s music is a form of black metal that’s full of atmosphere and folk influences. Continue reading
This is a collaboration between post-rock/folk solo artist Emma Ruth Rundle and doom/sludge metallers Thou, both from the US.
This is the second collaboration between these two artists, although sadly I managed to miss out on the full album that the two released together last year. On the strength of The Helm of Sorrow, this is a real shame, as something special appears to have been created here. Continue reading
This is the debut EP from French black metal band Bacchus.
Bacchus feature current and ex-members of Dysylumn and Antropofago, and deliver us 29 minutes of atmospheric black metal.
This is music with an occult, ritualistic feel. It differentiates Continue reading
This is the third album from Irish doom metal band Dread Sovereign.
I really like Dread Sovereign’s work, (see 2014’s All Hell’s Martyrs and 2017 For Doom the Bell Tolls), so listening to Alchemical Warfare was a must. Across 52 minutes the band kick out some of their best jams, so trust me when I say that if you’re at all into this style then you should make Alchemical Warfare a priority. Continue reading
Ruins of Elysium are an international symphonic metal band and this is their second album.
Containing 73 minutes of symphonic power metal, Amphitrite: Ancient Sanctuary in the Sea is an epic work that covers a range of different aspects of power and heavy metal, all lusciously prepared with a rich symphonic and operatic coating. Continue reading
