Return to Earth – Oblivion (Review)

Return to Earth - OblivionThis is the third album from US industrial metal band Return to Earth.

Industrial metal is a rather nebulous and potentially misleading genre tag when applied to Return to Earth. Oblivion is a very diverse and idiosyncratic record, with elements of metal, post-hardcore, industrial, progressive rock, and electronica all present in the music. This Continue reading “Return to Earth – Oblivion (Review)”

Aara – Triade II: Hemera (Review)

Aara - Triade II HemeraThis is the fourth album from Swiss black metallers Aara, (who feature members of Modern Rites and Porta Nigra).

Following hot on the heels of last year’s Triade I: Eos comes Triade II: Hemera, which gives us 42 minutes of new material. Aara play a hybrid form of black metal that combines the atmospheric and the melodic styles into their own brand of scathing darkness. Continue reading “Aara – Triade II: Hemera (Review)”

Cage Fight – Cage Fight (Review)

Cage Fight - Cage FightThis is the debut album from Cage Fight, a metal/hardcore band from the UK.

Featuring a guitarist from Tesseract and an ex-singer of Eths, Cage Fight are here to smash your face unceremoniously into the concrete, over and over again. Prepare yourself. Continue reading “Cage Fight – Cage Fight (Review)”

Ante-Inferno – Antediluvian Dreamscapes (Review)

Ante-Inferno - Antediluvian DreamscapesThis is the second album from UK black metal act Ante-Inferno.

Ante-Inferno play atmospheric black metal, and on Antediluvian Dreamscapes they deliver 43 minutes of contemporary blackened darkness. Continue reading “Ante-Inferno – Antediluvian Dreamscapes (Review)”

Katharos – Of Lineages Long Forgotten (Review)

Katharos - Of Lineages Long ForgottenKatharos are a Swedish black metal band and this is their second album.

Featuring the drummer of Wormwood, Of Lineages Long Forgotten contains 49 minutes of symphonic black metal. The band take clear influence from the likes of Dimmu Borgir and the legendary Emperor, while also carving their own path through Continue reading “Katharos – Of Lineages Long Forgotten (Review)”

Misery Index – Complete Control (Review)

Misery Index - Complete ControlMisery Index are a death metal band from the US and this is their seventh album.

Complete Control is the follow up to 2019’s Rituals of Power and contains 34 minutes of death metal carnage. Yep, Misery Index can always be relied upon to deliver some crushing grind-laced death metal. Complete Control is a masterclass in death metal with a hardcore edge and grindcore intensity. Continue reading “Misery Index – Complete Control (Review)”

Gwendydd – Censored (Review)

Gwendydd - CensoredThis is the second album from Bulgarian metallers Gwendydd.

Blending aspects of melodic death metal, nu-metal, industrial, and metalcore into 32 minutes of charismatic metal, Gwendydd have produced an enjoyable album in Censored. Continue reading “Gwendydd – Censored (Review)”

Label Roundup: Satanath Records and Grimm Distribution – Atra Haeresis, Ukronakh, Veldraveth, and Wintaar (Reviews)

Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This new column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

This edition of this column is split between label Satanath Records and partner label Grimm Distribution. Both have released some fine records over the years, so I thought it as good a time as any to shed some light in their particular corner of the underground. Continue reading “Label Roundup: Satanath Records and Grimm Distribution – Atra Haeresis, Ukronakh, Veldraveth, and Wintaar (Reviews)”

OU – One (Review)

OU - OneThis is the debut album from Chinese progressive rock band OU.

OU have a very striking and unusual sound. Dynamic, vibrant, and atypical, One is an album made for those looking for something a bit different from their music. Continue reading “OU – One (Review)”