July was packed with strong releases. With some quality highly anticipated albums seeing the light of day in July, (Defeated Sanity, Gaerea, Imperial Triumphant), I decided to focus on some of my favourites from last month that were less likely to get loads of media coverage, (and it was a struggle to limit the selection to five). So, with that in mind, my highlights are below. What are yours? Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of July 2020”
Sepulchral Curse – Only Ashes Remain (Review)
This is the debut album from Sepulchral Curse, a Finnish death metal band.
It seems an age since 2016’s At the Onset of Extinction, but we are now treated to some new material from Sepulchral Curse. Well, I’m pleased to report that the wait has been worth it. Featuring members of Solothus, (including their impressive singer), Only Ashes Remain contains 45 minutes of blackened death metal that will surely be one of the year’s death metal highlights. Continue reading “Sepulchral Curse – Only Ashes Remain (Review)”
Drouth – Excerpts from a Dread Liturgy (Review)
This is the second album from Drouth, a black/death metal band from the US.
This is sinister black metal that has had its delivery deepened by death metal’s gnarled bite. It’s a sinister and menacing 40 minutes, but a richly textured one also, ripe with atmosphere and expressive feeling. Continue reading “Drouth – Excerpts from a Dread Liturgy (Review)”
Imperial Triumphant – Alphaville (Review)
This is the fourth album from US avant-garde black/death metal band Imperial Triumphant.
Referring to Imperial Triumphant as a black/death metal band, (as I’ve just done here for sake of brevity), is highly misleading really, as this is one of the more individual and unique bands in existence. They play an avant-garde, experimental mix of styles that includes, (but is not limited to), black metal, death metal, progressive metal, doom, jazz, and post-everything. Continue reading “Imperial Triumphant – Alphaville (Review)”
Question – Reflections of the Void (Review)
This is the second album from Mexican death metallers Question.
I enjoyed both 2014’s Doomed Passages and 2017’s Gnosis Primordial, so now that we have Reflections of the Void, with its new 36 minutes of material, I knew I had to dig in. Continue reading “Question – Reflections of the Void (Review)”
Katalepsy – Terra Mortuus Est (Review)
This is the third album from Katalepsy, a Russian death metal band.
2016’s Gravenous Hour was a superior release, and now Terra Mortuus Est continues the band’s developmental pathway that they are on. Katalepsy play the sort of modern death metal that grabs you by the throat and squeezes hard right before the beating starts. These guys don’t mess around. Continue reading “Katalepsy – Terra Mortuus Est (Review)”
Soulrot – Victims of Spiritual Warfare (Review)
This is the second album from Soulrot, a death metal band from Chile.
I enjoyed 2017’s Nameless Hideous Manifestations, which was a solid slab of underground Swedish-influenced old-school death metal. Boasting 40 minutes of material, what does Victims of Spiritual Warfare hold for us? Continue reading “Soulrot – Victims of Spiritual Warfare (Review)”
Draghkar – At the Crossroads of Infinity (Review)
Draghkar are a US death metal band and this is their debut album.
I’m a big fan of Draghkar’s work, (here, here, here), and have really enjoyed watching the band develop over the years, from a one-man act, (see also Azath), to a fully-fledged band, (featuring the singer of Vastum, as well as musicians from other Continue reading “Draghkar – At the Crossroads of Infinity (Review)”
Hexivoid – The Beckoning of Celestial Tendrils (Review)
Hexivoid is a one-man UK black metal band and this is his second album.
Hexivoid’s music is a mix of modern darkness and Burzum-esque atmosphere. It manages to balance an atmospheric delivery with one that also seethes with dissonance and feral aggression. Continue reading “Hexivoid – The Beckoning of Celestial Tendrils (Review)”
Gaerea – Limbo (Review)
Gaerea are a Portuguese black metal band and this is their second album.
The follow up to 2018’s hugely accomplished Unsettling Whispers, Limbo is much-anticipated, and contains 52 minutes of new material. The band’s sophisticated modern black metal has developed further on Limbo, crawling into longer compositions that drip with darkness and misanthropy. Prepare yourself for Limbo. Continue reading “Gaerea – Limbo (Review)”
