Black metal – Wonderbox Metal

The Mist from the Mountains – Monumental – The Temple of Twilight (Review)

The Mist from the Mountains are a Finnish black metal band and this is their debut album.

Monumental – The Temple of Twilight contains 38 minutes of 90s-influenced nature-inspired black metal. The promo blurb mentions bands from that era such as Old Man’s Child, Gehenna, Dimmu Borgir, and Borknagar, which, coupled with the enticing album art, meant I definitely had to give The Mist from the Mountains some of my attention. Continue reading “The Mist from the Mountains – Monumental – The Temple of Twilight (Review)”

Celeste – Assassine(s) (Review)

Celeste are a French blackened doom/sludge/hardcore band and this is their seventh album.

This is the follow up to 2017’s Infidèle(s), which I enjoyed a great deal. Clocking in at 41 minutes, this is on the shorter side for a Celeste album, and Assassine(s) finds the band focused and sharp. Continue reading “Celeste – Assassine(s) (Review)”

Tyhjä – Valtakunta (Review)

This is the second album from Tyhjä, a black metal band from Finland.

We’ve met Tyhjä before on their 2017 debut EP. Apparently they had an album out in 2019, which I completely missed, so this is my first exposure to them since that first release. Continue reading “Tyhjä – Valtakunta (Review)”

Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards (Review)

Wolfbastard are from the UK and play blackened crust. This is their third album.

Wolfbastard play the sort of sick and depraved blackened crust punk that you know you probably shouldn’t like, but you can’t help it as the songs are just so damn infectious. Seriously, the band can write a good hook, even if it is covered in grime and filth. Continue reading “Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards (Review)”

Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road (Review)

Wiegedood are a Belgian black metal band and this is their fourth album.

Featuring current and ex-members of Living Gate, Amenra, and Oathbreaker, There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road features 44 minutes of new material. I really, really liked 2017’s De Doden Hebben Het Goed II, so I was looking forward to this new one, (apparently there was also an album after this from 2018, which I somehow managed to miss out on). As we’ll see below though, the Wiegedood of 2022 is a different beast to the one I knew. Since I last heard them Wiegedood’s sound has changed, and they have now become more extreme and more idiosyncratic. Continue reading “Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road (Review)”

Oar – The Blood You Crave (Review)

This is the debut album from Australian post-black metallers Oar.

Oar’s brand of post-black metal is expressive and dark. There is a sizeable doom influence, which is great to hear and works really well in the band’s blackened context. Elements of blackgaze and hardcore can also be heard, and these succeed in broadening the palette with which Oar paint their soundscapes. Continue reading “Oar – The Blood You Crave (Review)”

Antimony – Ending (Review)

This is the debut album from US one-man black metal act Antimony.

Antimony’s black metal is a combination of the progressive, atmospheric, and melodic styles. These are mixed together to produce lengthy songs that describe a journey into existential dread. The promo blurb states that it’s reminiscent of Moonsorrow, Mgła, and Drudkh, and this should give an appropriate starting reference for the style you’ll find on Ending. Continue reading “Antimony – Ending (Review)”

Pakkt – To Brocken Heights Where Witches Dance (Review)

Armed only with the album cover and the briefest promo blurb I’ve probably ever seen simply identifying this as black metal, I decided to take a chance on it. In fact, I’ll reproduce the promo text in its entirety here – Continue reading “Pakkt – To Brocken Heights Where Witches Dance (Review)”

Tardigrada – Vom Bruch bis zur Freiheit (Review)

Tardigrada are a black metal band from Switzerland and this is their second album.

Vom Bruch bis zur Freiheit is 59 minutes long and contains four massive songs. Before each one of these sits a brief intro/interlude track, and against all expectations these are actually decent moments of rare calm and reflection amidst the atmospheric and emotive storms of the main songs. Continue reading “Tardigrada – Vom Bruch bis zur Freiheit (Review)”

Funeral Mist – Deiform (Review)

This is the fourth album from Swedish black metal solo act Funeral Mist.

The follow up to 2018’s vicious Hekatomb, Deiform contains 54 minutes of new material. It is an atmospheric and immersive release, filled with grandeur and weighty concepts and themes. Continue reading “Funeral Mist – Deiform (Review)”