Doom – Page 25 – Wonderbox Metal

Besvärjelsen – Atlas (Review)

Besvärjelsen are a Swedish doom band and this is their second album.

This hefty release has a doom metal base that’s then mixed with grunge, and has heavy, stoner, blues, and psychedelic rock elements liberally sprinkled over everything. Some songs lean into certain influences more than others, which leads to a decent amount of variety across the album. The promo blurb mentions Alice in Chains and Windhand, and that’s a decent picture of Besvärjelsen’s sound, albeit an incomplete one. Continue reading “Besvärjelsen – Atlas (Review)”

Cities of Mars – Cities of Mars (Review)

This is the third album from Swedish doom metal band Cities of Mars.

Cities of Mars offers a richly textured doom experience that combines elements of sludge, stoner, and ambient into itself. The promo blurb says that Cities of Mars is for fans of Mastodon, Kylesa, Sleep, Baroness, and The Sword, and that’s as good a place as any to start with. Continue reading “Cities of Mars – Cities of Mars (Review)”

Assumption – Hadean Tides (Review)

This is the second album from Italian death/doom band Assumption.

Following on from 2014’s The Three Appearances and 2018’s Absconditus, Hadean Tides contains 56 minutes of new material from Assumption. Continue reading “Assumption – Hadean Tides (Review)”

Come to Grief – When the World Dies (Review)

Come to Grief are a sludge band from the US and this is their debut album.

Formed by ex-members of Grief, When the World Dies contains 38 minutes of harsh ugliness for fans of Grief, Fistula, Eyehategod, Yatra, Burning Witch, Iron Monkey, and Thou. Prepare yourself, as Come to Grief take no prisoners. Continue reading “Come to Grief – When the World Dies (Review)”

Famyne – II: The Ground Below (Review)

This is the second album from UK doom band Famyne.

II: The Ground Below offers a modern take on the traditional doom metal sound. Across 45 minutes Famyne incorporate a few elements from other subgenres into their sound, complementing their core style well. Continue reading “Famyne – II: The Ground Below (Review)”

Ufomammut – Fenice (Review)

Ufomammut are an Italian doom band and this is their ninth album.

The follow up to 2015’s Ecate and 2017’s 8, Fenice offers up a change of direction for Ufomammut’s in some ways. Continue reading “Ufomammut – Fenice (Review)”

Wo Fat – The Singularity (Review)

Wo Fat are from the US and this is their seventh album of doom metal.

With seven tracks and a duration of 76 minutes, this is a mammoth album. Wo Fat’s style can be described as a mix of psychedelic, stoner, and blues-infused doom metal. Continue reading “Wo Fat – The Singularity (Review)”

Pyreship – Light Is a Barrier (Review)

Pyreship are a post-metal band from the US and this is their second album.

This is my first encounter with Pyreship after hearing and enjoying their contribution to their split with Forming the Void. The band appear to have picked up Continue reading “Pyreship – Light Is a Barrier (Review)”

Soldat Hans – Anthaupt (Review)

Soldat Hans are a doom band from Switzerland and this is their third album.

Es Taut came out of nowhere in 2018 and blew me away. Its multifaceted sound was as impressive and emotive as it was accomplished and well-delivered. No wonder it appeared high on my end of year list. Due to this, Anthaupt had a great deal of expectation placed upon it before I even heard a single second of its 66-minute duration. Continue reading “Soldat Hans – Anthaupt (Review)”

Alunah – Strange Machine (Review)

This is the sixth album from Alunah, a doom metal band from the UK.

Both 2017’s Solennial and 2019’s Violet Hour were solid examples of Alunah’s art, and Strange Machine carries 42 minutes of new tunes to enjoy. At this point in their career Alunah know how to play this sort of music; a Sabbathian mix of doom, hard rock, and stoner that’s based around good songs and a strong singer. What can go wrong with a formula like this? Continue reading “Alunah – Strange Machine (Review)”