Reviews – Page 467 – Wonderbox Metal

Warped Cross – Abbot of Unreason (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)”

Rue des Cascades – Odes to Love, Flames to Paris (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)”

Chalice of Suffering – For You I Die (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 – Remembrance (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)”

Wayfarer – Old Souls (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 – Over the Dying Stars (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)”

Fractured Insanity – Man Made Hell (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)”

Vanhelgd – Temple of Phobos (Review)

Vanhelgd are a Swedish death metal band and this is their fourth album.

The band’s third album Relics of Sulphur Salvation was solid, authentic Swedish death metal with chainsaw guitars and a sharp sense of melody.

On this new album the band continue to play the style that made their previous release so enjoyable, only I’d say that Continue reading “Vanhelgd – Temple of Phobos (Review)”

Cough – Still They Pray (Review)

This is the third album from Cough, a doom metal band from the US.

Cough. It’s a funny name for a band. Still, I’ve heard worse, a lot worse.

If you’re a fan of bands like Yob, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Candlemass and the like, then you’ll probably already know that Cough create the kind of repetitive, hypnotic doomscapes that you’re gonna love. Continue reading “Cough – Still They Pray (Review)”

Whitechapel – Mark of the Blade (Review)

Whitechapel are from the US and play deathcore/metal. This is their sixth album.

2014’s Our Endless War saw Whitechapel effectively combining their death metal/deathcore roots with their more further-developed modern metal approach from their previous release into an album that made the most out of both of these influences.

Mark of the Blade continues where Our Endless War left off, providing a large chunk of heavy, aggressive music with modern, groove and djent parts welded onto their thoroughly metal core. However, the band have also progressed and expanded Continue reading “Whitechapel – Mark of the Blade (Review)”