AVKRVST are a Norwegian progressive rock/metal band and this is their second album.
Following on from 2023’s The Approbation, AVKRVST have now returned with the 45-minute Waving at the Sky. The band have taken the sound that their debut album embraced and individualised it further, making for a confident step forward, and an enjoyable record to boot. Continue reading “AVKRVST – Waving at the Sky (Review)”
The Haunted are a Swedish thrash metal band and this is their tenth album.
The first album from The Haunted since 2017’s Strength in Numbers is a big deal, at least around these parts. Containing 41 minutes of blistering high-octane thrash, The Haunted have returned, big style. Continue reading “The Haunted – Songs of Last Resort (Review)”
Vildhjarta are a Swedish progressive metal band and this is their third album.
Following on from 2021’s Måsstaden Under Vatten, Vildhjarta have returned with the 59-minute + Där Skogen Sjunger Under Evighetens Granar +. As much as I liked its predecessor, I like this one better. Continue reading “Vildhjarta – + Där Skogen Sjunger Under Evighetens Granar + (Review)”
This is the debut album from Estonian modern metallers Pridian.
Venetian Dark is a 44-minute contemporary metal album that ably showcases Pridian’s skillset. The band’s music is an amalgam of metalcore, nu-metal, djent, and progressive metal. Think a mix of acts such as Meshuggah, Tesseract, Mnemic, Spiritbox, Gojira, and Make Them Suffer, as a rough starting point. Continue reading “Pridian – Venetian Dark (Review)”
This is the debut album by solo Chinese avant-garde extreme metal act Smiqra.
Brought to us by the artist behind the Ὁπλίτης (Hoplites), Smiqra take the more avant-garde aspects of the last Ὁπλίτης release Παραμαινομένη and runs with them. Rgyaɡ̇dźé! is a 42-minute explosion of avant-garde metal that’s dizzying. Continue reading “Smiqra – Rɡyaɡ̇dźé! (Review)”
This is the fifth album from UK metallers Employed to Serve.
With every release Employed to Serve just seem to be getting better. This culminated in 2021’s Conquering, a record that made it onto my best of list of that year. Which is why expectation is high for the band’s latest 48-minute record Fallen Star. Continue reading “Employed to Serve – Fallen Star (Review)”
This is the third album from Australian post-metal solo band Cave Sermon.
On Fragile Wings the artist behind Cave Sermon has created an interesting and enjoyable 4o minutes of music. It’s a hybrid style, combining death, black, sludge, progressive, and post-metal, resulting in an album that covers a lot of bases in a well-blended, immersive way. Continue reading “Cave Sermon – Fragile Wings (Review)”
This is the third album from US extreme metal band Kardashev.
Kardashev return, after the acclaimed Liminal Rite from 2022. The self-styled deathgaze band have provided us with 43 minutes of new material on Alunea. Continue reading “Kardashev – Alunea (Review)”
In the Woods… are a Norwegian progressive metal band and this is their seventh album.
I thoroughly enjoyed 2022’s Diversum, so was pleased when Otra appeared on the horizon. Across 47 minutes In the Woods… deliver a richly engaging album, full of textured and high quality songcraft. Continue reading “In the Woods… – Otra (Review)”
This is the seventh album from US power metallers Judicator.
2020’s Let There Be Nothing was a good album, but 2022’s The Majesty of Decay was a revelation. It was my favourite album from that year, and is simply a fantastic record. It’s rare for lightning to strike twice though, so I tried to go into the 50-minute Concord with expectations tempered, especially as Judicator now have a largely new lineup and a less-personally themed album. Continue reading “Judicator – Concord (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 