Wonderbox Metal

Avulsed – Phoenix Cryptobiosis (Review)

Avulsed are a Spanish death metal band and this is their seventh album, (or eighth, if you include Deathgenerations).

It’s been sooooooo long since the last Avulsed album. 2013, in fact – Ritual Zombi. The band haven’t been totally dormant though, as 2015 brought us the EP Altar of Disembowelment, and then over the following two years we were subjected to a whole a feast of gore in Deathgenerations and Night of the Living Deathgenerations. Arising from personal tragedy, 2023 then teased us with the two-track Extraterrestrial Carnage, which whet the appetite for more quite considerably. And more, we now have. Continue reading “Avulsed – Phoenix Cryptobiosis (Review)”

The Origin of Madness Tour – Enterprise Earth/Distant/The Last Ten Seconds of Life/Harbinger – Rebellion, Manchester – 27/02/25 (Live Review)

I didn’t want to miss the chance to see Distant and Enterprise Earth, so I have been looking forward to this show. The latter in particular keep impressing me, to the point where they are now easily one of my favourites when it comes to the deathcore and related styles.

It’s not one of the busiest shows I’ve been to unfortunately, (although it certainly wasn’t as empty as some), but for those in attendance it was riotously good fun. Continue reading “The Origin of Madness Tour – Enterprise Earth/Distant/The Last Ten Seconds of Life/Harbinger – Rebellion, Manchester – 27/02/25 (Live Review)”

Oversize – Vital Signs (Review)

This is the debut album from UK rock band Oversize.

Oversize play a mix of alternative rock, post-hardcore, grunge, and shoegaze, and Vital Signs delivers 32 minutes of their personable brand of music. This album takes me back many, many years, yet still offers something worth paying attention to in 2025. Continue reading “Oversize – Vital Signs (Review)”

The Grey – Kodok (Review)

This is the third album from UK post-metal band The Grey.

The Grey blend post-metal with stoner doom riffery and post-rock grace. Kodok spends 42 minutes building a variety of sonic soundscapes that are immersive and absorbing. Stylistically, we’re in the territory of acts such as Pelican, Red Sparowes, Mountain Caller, Russian Circles, Bossk, and similar, at least as a rough starting point for Kodok. Continue reading “The Grey – Kodok (Review)”

Ocultum – Buena Muerte (Review)

This is the third album from Ocultum, a doom band from Chile.

Buena Muerte is a 39-minute doom record that takes influence from the stoner and sludge styles. Ocultum have big presence, heavy riffs, a filthy sound, and crushing songs. What’s not to like? Continue reading “Ocultum – Buena Muerte (Review)”

Cryfemal – Puro Carbon (Review)

Cryfemal are a Spanish black metal band and this is their latest release.

Despite it being their ninth album, I only got into Cryfemal last year, on 2023’s La Gran Victoria del Mal, and I’ve still got much catching up to do. Apparently there’s no rest for the wicked though, as the band are already back and raring to go, with their 23-minute new release Puro Carbon. Continue reading “Cryfemal – Puro Carbon (Review)”

Primrose Path – Ruminations (Review)

This is the debut album from Australian progressive metal band Primrose Path.

The promo blurb says this is for fans of Opeth, Tesseract, Mastodon, and Gojira, which should give you a starting point for approaching the 43-minute Ruminations. Now here’s an underground gem that likely won’t stay underground for long. Continue reading “Primrose Path – Ruminations (Review)”

Telepathy – Transmissions (Review)

This is the fourth album from UK post-metal band Telepathy.

What do we have here then? The promo blurb Pelagic Records recommends Telepathy for fans of Tool, Deftones, Russian Circles, and The Ocean, which, coupled with the fact that it’s on the ever-interesting Pelagic Records, meant I couldn’t pass this by without checking it out. Let’s get stuck in then. Continue reading “Telepathy – Transmissions (Review)”

Vacuous – In His Blood (Review)

This is the second album from UK death metallers Vacuous.

2022’s Dreams of Dysphoria was a record that stood out from the crowd with its own take on a darker version of old-school death metal. As a result, I’ve been really looking forward to In His Blood. Can lightning strike twice? Continue reading “Vacuous – In His Blood (Review)”

Grima – Nightside (Review)

This is the sixth album from Russian black metal band Grima.

2022’s Frostbitten was an enjoyable record of atmospheric black metal, so I was looking forward to hearing Nightside. It’s a collection of mood-rich tracks that offers an enthralling journey into the cold blackened night. Continue reading “Grima – Nightside (Review)”