Strafk are a Russian black metal band and this is their second EP.
Their début EP, Phaseshifting, was experimental black metal, all dark, menacing guitars and free-form malevolence.
There are two tracks on this new release, with the entire EP lasting under 10 minutes in total, and it has a different feel to it than Phaseshifting.
Up first is a track named Φόβος, and starts off with a sinister Continue reading “Strafk – Entomophobia (Review)”
This is the third album from this one-man US atmospheric post-black metal band.
Last year’s Entropy was a jaw-dropping release that was chock-full of atmospheric blackened goodness. It was a highly accomplished album and Elusion continues the theme.
Like Entropy, this is very atmospheric and richly textured music. It has elements of psychedelic, progressive and depressive Black Metal, as well as aspects of doom and post-metal. This all manifests in well-realised songs that follow Continue reading “Echoes of the Moon – Elusion (Review)”
This is the second album from VIII, an Italian black metal band.
VIII have produced an ambitious release that spans 50 minutes across three sprawling, ugly tracks. This is not an album for people who like polished, shiny music. Oh no. This is the sound of dying, decay and forgotten dreams.
Decathexis sees the band playing raw, underground black metal with a mean, dispirited edge. Alongside the Continue reading “VIII – Decathexis (Review)”
Warped Cross are a sludge metal band from Germany and this is their début album.
This is underground filthy sludge metal that takes inspiration from bands like Eyehategod, Crowbar, Down, Corrosion of Conformity, Cathedral and Electric Wizard. There’s a hint of, (dirtied-up), grunge in their sound, (not too dissimilar from the recent Boss Keloid album), as well as some pinches of old-school punk. There’s even a touch of Type O Negative in places.
This is raw and utterly unpolished, but Continue reading “Warped Cross – Abbot of Unreason (Review)”
This is the début album from this Swiss post-hardcore/sludge band.
There are only two tracks on this release, but lasting 39 minutes in total there’s more than enough content to keep people happy. Although, as we’ll see, happiness might not be the best term used in conjunction with the music on here.
So what do we have here, then? Rue des Cascades play music that combines ambient/post-rock quietness with louder post-hardcore/sludge sections. This is quite atypically done, though, and isn’t a case of simply juxtaposing clean/distorted or Continue reading “Rue des Cascades – Odes to Love, Flames to Paris (Review)”
This is the début album from US doom metal band Chalice of Suffering.
Across this 72 minute release Chalice of Suffering offer up their brand of misery-laden funeral doom for the delectation of listeners everywhere.
For You I Die is slow, dark and atmospheric. The songs take Continue reading “Chalice of Suffering – For You I Die (Review)”
Harrower are from the US and play black metal.
Harrower play a raw form of black metal that occasionally branches out into post-metal waters.
Remembrance sounds cold and sharp, and has a lot more of a raw, underground feeling than a lot of black metal bands that also dabble in post-black metal. I think it works really well, and the sound they Continue reading “Harrower – Remembrance (Review)”
This is the second album from this US atmospheric post-black metal band.
Children of the Iron Age introduced us to Wayfarer’s quality, interesting black metal and was a pretty damn stunning début album in many ways.
Old Souls is not as long as their first album, (18 minutes shorter), but we still get some epic, sprawling tracks.
Wayfarer have a Continue reading “Wayfarer – Old Souls (Review)”
Morthus are an old-school blackened death metal band from Poland. This is their début album.
Now this is quite exciting. I’ve been looking forward to hearing something more from this band ever since their début EP The Abyss arrived in 2014 and floored me with its combination of death, black and classic metal. Continue reading “Morthus – Over the Dying Stars (Review)”
This is Fractured Insanity’s third album. They are a death metal band from Belgium.
Fractured Insanity play brutal death metal that’s intense and well-written. Although this is predominantly on the brutal end of the spectrum, there’s also elements of technicality at play here, which just adds further depth to the music.
Think a combination of Nile, Behemoth, Severe Torture, Malevolent Continue reading “Fractured Insanity – Man Made Hell (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 