This is the debut album from Sol Kia, a Belgian experimental black metal band.
Zos Ethos features a member of Neptunian Maximalism, and contains 45 minutes of experimental psychedelic black metal. Continue reading “Sol Kia – Zos Ethos (Review)”
Dead Soul Alliance – Behind the Scenes (Review)
This is the debut album from Canadian death metallers Dead Soul Alliance.
2017’s EP Slaves to the Apocalypse was a solid slab of death metal, and I’m glad to now be hearing their first record. Behind the Scenes is a 34-minute old-school death metal album, one that takes in elements of the US and Swedish styles. Continue reading “Dead Soul Alliance – Behind the Scenes (Review)”
Hooded Menace – The Tritonus Bell (Review)
This is the sixth album from Finnish death/doom band Hooded Menace.
Following on from 2015’s Darkness Drips Forth and 2018’s Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed, The Tritonus Bell is another gruesome slab of death/doom, only this time it has been infused with a greater amount of classic heavy metal influences. Continue reading “Hooded Menace – The Tritonus Bell (Review)”
Lady Beast – Omens (Review)
Lady Beast are a heavy metal band from the US and this is their latest EP.
Lady Beast play classic heavy metal, with no frills, no filler, and no messing around with gimmicks or pointless intros, etc. There are four originals here and a Rainbow cover. Omens is a lean 20-minute ride into the old-school, and it’s a great way to escape the horrors of the modern world for a while. Continue reading “Lady Beast – Omens (Review)”
Wormwood – Arkivet (Review)
This is the third album from Swedish black metallers Wormwood.
This is Swedish melodic black metal that exists within a post-black metal framework, with the latter allowing the former a broader range than it usually benefits from. Wormwood’s music has an epic streak, an atmospheric proclivity, and a good grasp of emotion and depth. Arkivet is a mix of the classic and the contemporary, and the band have balanced these influences very well to produce an evocative and compelling album. Continue reading “Wormwood – Arkivet (Review)”
Feral Lord – Purity of Corruption (Review)
This is the debut album from US black metal band Feral Lord.
Recommended by the promo blurb for fans of bands such as Oranssi Pazuzu, Odraza, and Deathspell Omega, I couldn’t resist giving this a listen to see if it hooked me. Well it did, as you can probably tell by the fact I’m reviewing it. To the above list I’d also add parts of bands like Suffering Hour and Mourir as reference points for Purity of Corruption too. Continue reading “Feral Lord – Purity of Corruption (Review)”
Venues – Solace (Review)
This is the second album from Venues, a modern metal band from Germany.
Following up their solid 2018 debut album Aspire, Venues are now back with a new lineup in tow and 42 minutes of new material.
The band’s dual vocal approach has never sounded better. Harsh Continue reading “Venues – Solace (Review)”
Headshrinker – Callous Indifference (Review)
Headshrinker are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Headshrinker play old-school death metal that incorporates in varying doses, crushing doom, dark black metal, and intricate technicality. Theirs is an atypical approach to death metal, yet one that still benefits from the raw visceral nature of the style. Imagine a cross between Tomb Mold and Ulthar on one hand, and Pyrrhon and Imperial Triumphant on the other, and you’ll be on the right lines for a decent idea of what this album’s 38 minutes hold. Continue reading “Headshrinker – Callous Indifference (Review)”
Windfaerer – Breaths of Elder Dawns (Review)
Windfaerer are a black metal band from the US. This is their fourth album.
I enjoyed Windfaerer’s second album from 2105 Tenebrosum, but it’s taken me until now to catch up to the band again, so I missed its follow up. I was determined not to miss Breaths of Elder Dawns when I saw it appear though, and I’m very glad that I didn’t. Continue reading “Windfaerer – Breaths of Elder Dawns (Review)”
Wormwitch – Wolf Hex (Review)
This is the third album from Canadian black metallers Wormwitch.
Wolf Hex is the 34-minute follow up to 2019’s very well-received Heaven That Dwells Within, but it’s somewhat of a different record to its predecessor. Although obviously the same band, (but with a different lineup), Wolf Hex is rawer and less-polished, and owes more to the underground scenes; it sounds loose, organic, and unforced, and the songs benefit from this approach throughout the album. Continue reading “Wormwitch – Wolf Hex (Review)”
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