This is the second album from Pig’s Blood, a death metal band from the US.
Here we have 32 minutes of raw, underground death metal, dripping with filth and agony and reeking of unholy energies. This is brutal, gnarled, and thoroughly evil. Continue reading “Pig’s Blood – A Flock Slaughtered (Review)”
Children of Bodom are a melodic death metal band from Finland and this is their tenth album.
My relationship with Children of Bodom up to this point can be summarised like so –
And now we have Hexed. Yes, there are other albums too, in addition to the ones mentioned above, but you get the general idea.
Hexed contains 45 minutes of rocking melodeath, which consists of ten new tracks and, curiously, a reworking of an older song, (Knuckleduster). My verdict? It seems Children of Bodom have returned to the quality levels of the late 90s/early 00s. Yes, you read that right.
Prominent, expressive keyboards work wonders with the material. Songs that are catchy and memorable tear out from the music like bladed predators scything through the airwaves. Old school rock and metal elements are captured in the band’s electrifying songs, especially in the melodies used. Aggressive, energetic, and melodic, Hexed is full of good tunes and confident attitude.
I’m impressed. I’m very pleased to say that the band sound revitalised, despite how much of a cliché that probably comes across as. The album art suggested something along these lines when I first saw it, but the music firmly backs it up.
Hexed is Children of Bodom’s best album in years. I feel like I’ve rediscovered an old friend.
Cripple Bastards are an Italian grindcore band and this is their seventh album.
2014’s Nero in Metastasi was not only a top quality grindcore release, but one that I’ve frequently returned to over the years. Continue reading “Cripple Bastards – La Fine Cresce da Dentro (Review)”
Downfall of Gaia’s recently released fifth opus Ethic of Radical Finitude has rapidly become one of my favourites of 2019 already. It’s a very strong album of post-black metal and I implore you to spend some time with it.
Guitarist/vocalist Dominik Goncalves dos Reis gave me some more information about the process that saw the creation of the album… Continue reading “Interview with Downfall of Gaia”
This is the thirteenth album from veteran Swedish metallers In Flames.
Now here’s a band that should need no introduction, and by this point most people will probably already have an opinion of this album before they’ve even heard a single note off it. Continue reading “In Flames – I, the Mask (Review)”
Eremit are a doom/sludge band from Germany and this is their debut album.
As I’m sure many reviews will point out, Carrier of Weight is aptly named, as this is an album of substantial heaviness, both in the sense of sheer heaviosity and weighty atmosphere. Either way, it crushes. With only three tracks, but a total playing time of 68 minutes, Carrier of Weight is a monster of atmospheric heaviness. Continue reading “Eremit – Carrier of Weight (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swiss doom metal band Wolf Counsel.
The promo blurb states that this album is for fans of Cathedral, Candlemass, Trouble, and Solitude Aeturnus, and that’s a fair assessment. Continue reading “Wolf Counsel – Destination Void (Review)”
Minors are a hardcore/sludge band from Canada. This is their second album.
It only seems like yesterday that 2017’s Atrophy was unleashed on an unsuspecting world, providing those in the know with a visceral, harsh hit of aggressive hardcore/sludge that left a firm mark. Well, Minors are now back with another 30 minutes of material that sees them in fine form once more. Continue reading “Minors – Abject Bodies (Review)”
This is the second album from Norwegian symphonic death/doom band Abyssic.
Ever since listening to and loving the band’s debut album A Winter’s Tale that was released in 2016, I’ve been hungry for more Abyssic. Well, it’s finally here, and it’s a monster. Continue reading “Abyssic – High the Memory (Review)”
Continuum are a technical death metal band from the US, and this is their second album.
Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Decrepit Birth, Scour, Deeds of Flesh, Arkaik, Allegaeon, Inanimate Existence, Pathology, and Rings of Saturn, before even listening to Designed Obsolescence you know that there’s a wealth of extreme metal experience that’s gone into its forging. Continue reading “Continuum – Designed Obsolescence (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 