Swampcult are a doom metal band from The Netherlands, this is their second album.
The Festival is a H. P. Lovecraft-themed release, completely built and fashioned around one of his stories of the same name.
This is heavily atmospheric doom metal and sees the band mixing elements of classic proto-black metal into their cauldron and Continue reading “Swampcult – The Festival (Review)”
This is a split between two sludge/doom bands – Mares of Diomedes from Ireland and Dreich from Denmark.
Mares of Diomedes start us off with two songs of bastard-heavy metal, lasting 13 minutes.
This is fuzzed-up and harsh, with colossal riffs drenched in distortion being unleashed like they are going out of fashion. With Continue reading “Mares of Diomedes/Dreich – Split (Review)”
This is the debut release from Kalloused, a UK blackened sludge/doom band.
Kalloused have a powerfully heavy sound that they still manage to insert nuance into when the need arises. This release features a plethora of textured riffs that manage to show a certain degree of subtlety and finesse even when they’re smashing your skull in.
The band have a black metal element Continue reading “Kalloused – Damn You Believer (Review)”
Memoirs of a Secret Empire, (otherwise known as MOASE), are a post-metal band from Portugal, and this is their debut album.
This is expansive and progressive post-metal that creates mood and feeling through instrumental songs that belie the fact that there’s only three members of the band.
Well, I say instrumental – there are some Continue reading “Memoirs of a Secret Empire – Vertigo (Review)”
Morrow are a UK-based doom/sludge/crust band. This is their latest album.
This is one of those releases that will likely infuriate those who like music that’s easily classifiable. According to the band, they’re emo crust, and I can see why they’d say that. In my opinion, describing Morrow as a d-beat influenced crust band may be superficially correct in some ways, but there’s so much more than that going on here. They have a cello Continue reading “Morrow – Covenant of Teeth (Review)”
This is the debut album from Spirit Adrift, a one-man doom metal band from the US.
Chained to Oblivion has got some very tasty riffs on it. Oh yes. It’s a right old riff-fest, actually. The fact that these riffs combine to form songs that hit the mark with a lot of accuracy, is even better.
With a warm, heavy sound, these five tracks impress from the start, and seem to go from strength to Continue reading “Spirit Adrift – Chained to Oblivion (Review)”
Swamp Witch are a doom/sludge band from the US. This is their debut album.
Sludge heaviness mixes with psychedelic hypnotic grooves to create slow, torturous music that takes the listener on a tour through forgotten swamps, populated by hideous witches, (do you see what I did there?).
Deep growled vocals act as a guide on this foul journey, paving a path through the murk with sheer force of diseased will. Continue reading “Swamp Witch – The Slithering Bog (Review)”
Sadhus “The Smoking Community” are a sludge/doom band and Agnes Vein are a blackened sludge band. Both are from Greece.
Sadhus “The Smoking Community” start us of with their track, Abduction, which is almost six minutes of heaviosity.
This is slow, lazy and heavy, just as sludgy doom should be. It gives a strong impression of the band on stage, heads down, peeling off heavy riffs with stoned concentration and Continue reading “Sadhus “The Smoking Community”/Agnes Vein – Split (Review)”
Svlfvr are an Italian blackened doom metal band. This is their latest album.
What we have here is essentially a doom metal band that have fallen to darkness and embraced black metal as a secondary influence. There are some other influences detectable in their sound too, (old Anathema), and they all converge together quite nicely over these 56 minutes.
The songs on Shamanic Lvnar Cvlt have muscular guitars and plenty of dark presence. The old-school black metal influences make for a darker sound than most doom metal bands, but the traditional doom metal aspect of their sound means that they don’t wander too Continue reading “Svlfvr – Shamanic Lvnar Cvlt (Review)”
Inter Arma are a US post-metal band and this is their third album.
Well, here we have something that has a massive amount of expectation attached to it, at least from me. Their 2014 release The Cavern was a single 45 minute track that came close to attaining perfection. It was, quite simply, the best thing I heard that year, which is why it was my album of the year for 2014.
So, it’s with no pressure, (hehe), that I pressed play on their latest release, and let the band’s involved soundscapes take me away. Continue reading “Inter Arma – Paradise Gallows (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 