Oryx are a sludge metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.
I enjoyed 2021’s Lamenting a Dead World a great deal, so I knew I had to check out Primordial Sky. Across 41 minutes Oryx once again deliver a weighty slab of blackened sludge doom that’s more expressive than most. Continue reading “Oryx – Primordial Sky (Review)”
This is the second album from US death/doom metal band Mother of Graves.
2021’s In Sombre Dreams marked Mother of Graves as ones to watch, a band playing affecting doom/death that showed great promise. The following year they delivered on this promise with the impressive Where the Shadows Adorn. Now, two years later, The Periapt of Absence appears, providing us with 45 minutes of new material to explore. Let’s dig in and see what Mother of Graves have for us this time around. Continue reading “Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence (Review)”
This is the second album from Austrian death/doom metal band Endonomos.
Endonomos II – Enlightenment contains 49 minutes of death/doom, although this tag is a bit misleading. Endonomos’ music is far richer and more emotive than many playing that style, and benefits from a base of traditional doom that’s unexpected. This makes Endonomos II – Enlightenment a much rarer gem than you’d normally find within the death/doom arena. Continue reading “Endonomos – Endonomos II – Enlightenment (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swiss black metal solo act Ashtar.
I enjoyed both 2015’s Ilmasaari and 2020’s Kaikuja, so wanted to check out Ashtar’s latest. Since those albums the band have become a solo endeavour, and I missed the artist’s 2023 album Wandering Through Time somehow. A little over a year since that record though and we have The Return of the Frozen Souls, which features 45 minutes of black/doom metal, (including a Samhain cover). Continue reading “Ashtar – The Return of the Frozen Souls (Review)”
This is the second album from UK doomgaze band Sugar Horse.
The Grand Scheme of Things contains an hour of idiosyncratic and expressive music. The style overall can be thought of as doomgaze, although it has a variety of ingredients, including indie, shoegaze, sludge, doom, drone, and post-rock/metal. Continue reading “Sugar Horse – The Grand Scheme of Things (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Portuguese doom band Sinistro.
I enjoyed 2018’s Sangue Cássia, and when I saw Vértice appear I assumed I’d missed out on a couple of albums between the two. Apparently not, as this is Sinistro’s first new recorded output since then. They are back now though, and have a new bassist and singer in tow as well. Continue reading “Sinistro – Vértice (Review)”
This is the seventh album from UK doom metal band Alunah.
Alunah seem to be on an upward trajectory. From 2017’s Solennial to 2019’s Violet Hour to 2022’s Strange Machine, there doesn’t seem to be any stopping the band. Strange Machine I loved in particular. This makes Fever Dream hotly anticipated over here, although bittersweet, as apparently it’s to be the last album featuring the band’s excellent singer Siân Greenaway, which is a huge shame. Continue reading “Alunah – Fever Dream (Review)”
This is the fourth album from UK doom/post-rock band 40 Watt Sun.
Following on from 2022’s highly emotive Perfect Light comes the 45-minute Little Weight, and let me tell you it’s quite the record. It’s a journey into richly crafted emotion, one that aches with affecting depth. Continue reading “40 Watt Sun – Little Weight (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swedish post-metal band A Swarm of the Sun.
An Empire offers up a daunting 71 minutes of music to explore. It’s a lot to absorb, but is worth the time investment, as the dark soundscapes that A Swarm of the Sun create are utterly captivating. Continue reading “A Swarm of the Sun – An Empire (Review)”
This is the second album from Swiss sludge/doom band Norna.
Norna contains 41 minutes of dark heavy ugliness, brought to us by the ex-singer of Breach and two members of Ølten. Norna’s music will surely satiate fans hungry for the heavier, darker side of sludge/doom/post-metal. Continue reading “Norna – Norna (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 