Blood Incantation – Hidden History of the Human Race (Review)

Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human RaceThis is the second album from US death metal band Blood Incantation.

2016’s Starspawn was a very notable album, making it onto my end of year list for that year too. As such, there’s been plenty of excitement and expectation for Hidden History of the Human Race. Despite only having four tracks, this new release has not disappointed at all. Continue reading “Blood Incantation – Hidden History of the Human Race (Review)”

Strigoi – Abandon All Faith (Review)

Strigoi - Abandon All FaithThis is the debut album from UK death metal band Strigoi.

Brought to us from the guitarist of Paradise Lost, rising out of the ashes of his Vallenfyre project, he’s joined on Srigoi by members of both bands, (one of which is also an ex-member of Extreme Noise Terror), giving us 44 minutes of engaging and individual death metal. Continue reading “Strigoi – Abandon All Faith (Review)”

Fjords – Onirica (Review)

Fjords - OniricaFjords are a progressive metal band from the UK and this is their debut album.

Onirica is an interesting and wide-ranging album, spanning, as it it does, elements of melodic doom and death metal, (think bands such as Katatonia, Opeth, and Agalloch), as well as more modern progressive and atmospheric metal. The end result is a curious mix of old and new, wrapped up in a professional, polished package that allows the band to be displayed in their best light. Continue reading “Fjords – Onirica (Review)”

Unfathomable Ruination – Enraged and Unbound (Review)

Unfathomable Ruination - Enraged and UnboundThis is the third album from UK death metallers Unfathomable Ruination.

Enraged and Unbound is a contains a monstrous 43 minutes of brutal, technical death metal. Continue reading “Unfathomable Ruination – Enraged and Unbound (Review)”

Lord Mantis – Universal Death Church (Review)

Lord Mantis - Universal Death ChurchLord Mantis are from the US and play Blackened Sludge Metal. This is their fourth album.

2014’s Death Mask was a tortured nightmare of evil sludge, pretty much as foul as the style gets. Five years later the band have returned, infecting the world with 44 minutes of new material that’s as virulent and as nasty as ever. Continue reading “Lord Mantis – Universal Death Church (Review)”

Avatarium – The Fire I Long For (Review)

Avatarium - The Fire I Long ForThis is the fourth album from doom rockers Avatarium, who are from Sweden.

2017’s Hurricanes and Halos was a quality album that stood out from other ostensibly similar bands playing this sort of style. On The Fire I Long For, however, there’s the impression that the band have really come into their own. Continue reading “Avatarium – The Fire I Long For (Review)”

Earth and Pillars – Earth II (Review)

Earth and Pillars - Earth IIThis is the third album from Italian black metal band Earth and Pillars.

2016’s Pillars I consisted of four monolithic tracks that made a very good impression. A release full of dark delights, it was a memorable album that still holds itself very well three years later. Continue reading “Earth and Pillars – Earth II (Review)”

Drift into Black – Anthems from the Darkest Winter (Review)

Drift into Black - Anthems from the Darkest WinterThis is the second album from Drift into Black, a solo, (with guest musicians), death/doom metal act from the US.

Anthems from the Darkest Winter contains 56 minutes of material, (including a Pink Floyd cover). The music mixes death, doom, and Gothic metal together into songs that have a good balance between all three strains of heaviness. Continue reading “Drift into Black – Anthems from the Darkest Winter (Review)”