wonderboxmetal

Record Label Interview – Gerald Milani of Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions

There is a wealth of top quality extreme metal located in France, and Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions is one of my favourite French labels that’s primarily dedicated to uncovering it. I’ve watched them develop and flourish over the years, producing some first-rate albums that I regularly listen to and enjoy. To my mind, if it’s being put out by Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions, then it’s almost certainly going to be worth listening to.

The label has almost been around for ten years at this point, so it seemed like a fitting time to get to know a bit more about the label that has been responsible for unleashing so much quality underground music on the world.

Below are some words from the label manager Gerald Milani. So sit back, have a listen to the label’s sampler, and learn a bit about Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions…

Continue reading “Record Label Interview – Gerald Milani of Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions”

Venom – ‘Assault!’ Box Set (Review)

Venom are a legendary metal band from the UK, and this is a compilation box set containing six out of print EPs that were released between 1985-1987 – Canadian Assault, American Assault, French Assault, Japanese Assault, German Assault, and Scandinavian Assault.

The songs in this collection have Continue reading “Venom – ‘Assault!’ Box Set (Review)”

Extravaganza – Priepuoliai (Review)

Extravaganza are a Lithuanian post-black metal band and this is their debut album.

Extravaganza offer up 70 minutes of post-black metal on their debut album, weaving depressive and atmospheric elements into their music. Continue reading “Extravaganza – Priepuoliai (Review)”

Enhailer – Dumb Enough to Care (Review)

This is the latest EP from US doom band Enhailer.

Containing just one 18-minute track this EP straddles genres and styles, but ultimately falls under the doom heading most of all. Continue reading “Enhailer – Dumb Enough to Care (Review)”

Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2017

2017 was an amazing year for music, with so many top-notch albums seeing the light of day. I pretty much say this every year, of course, but that doesn’t seem to stop it being true. With this in mind, the 2017 list was especially hard to put together, and I agonised over this one more than I did for any of the lists in previous years.

As is traditional, I also want to mention some releases by bands that could easily have made it onto the list, and should have by many rights, if only I could have somehow managed to fit them all in –

Abhorrent Decimation, Amenra, Apes, Artificial Brain, Au-Dessus,

Celeste, Desecrate the Faith, Earth Rot, Earth Witch, Falls of Rauros,

Full of Hell, Gnaw, Gutslit, Helpless, Henry Kane,

Hundred Suns, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Into Orbit, John Frum, Karne,

Kval, Livid, Morbid Angel, Primitive Man, Craven Idol,

Slow, Soulskinner, The Kennedy Veil, Ulsect, Wildspeaker.

I urge you to check out all of the above releases, in addition to the ones in the actual list below. I could probably keep adding more bands you should give a listen to, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, I suppose.

So, without further ado, let’s get right down to it… Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2017”

Blæck Fox – Morasth – Split (Review)

This is a split release between two sludge/doom/post-metal bands from Germany – Blæck Fox and Morasth.

Blæck Fox present us with 15 minutes of layered blackened gloom. Spread over two tracks, Blæck Fox bring the darkness with enviable ability. Continue reading “Blæck Fox – Morasth – Split (Review)”

Interview with WVRM

WVRM’s latest EP Can You Hear the Wind Howl may only last a very brief nine minutes, but it’s 9 minutes of savage darkness and cutting, lethal ferocity. Hyper-aggressive and full of the kind of pitch-black extremity we can’t get enough of here at Wonderbox Metal, WVRM have seriously impressed with this very enjoyable collection of malignant, brutally nasty tunes.

Yes, this was very definitely a band to find out more about… Continue reading “Interview with WVRM”

Drawn into Descent – Drawn into Descent (Review)

Drawn into Descent are an atmospheric black metal band from Belgium and this is their debut album.

Full of sombre sounds and dark moods, this is 46 minutes of obscure, atmospheric music. Continue reading “Drawn into Descent – Drawn into Descent (Review)”

Antzaat – The Black Hand of the Father (Review)

This is the debut EP from Belgian black metallers Antzaat.

It’s so hard to dislike something like this.

Here we have 22 minutes of cold, Continue reading “Antzaat – The Black Hand of the Father (Review)”

Siberian Hell Sounds/Convulsing – Split (Review)

Siberian Hell Sounds and Convulsing are both non-standard black metal groups from Australia and they have teamed up on this split release.

I enjoyed Siberian Hell Sounds’ last EP Svengali, so it’s great to hear some new material from them. Svengali contained five tracks and lasted under 18 minutes in total, so when I saw that their side of this split contained just one 20-minute song, I knew I had to make listening to it a priority. Continue reading “Siberian Hell Sounds/Convulsing – Split (Review)”