Exist – So True, So Bound (Review)

ExistExist are a progressive/technical death metal band from the US and this is their second album.

Exist have taken the torch from forerunners such as Atheist, Death, and Cynic, and are truly running with it. This means we get an old-school influenced version of the progressive/technical death metal style, as laid down by the aforementioned masters, despite the modern veneer and sparkling production. Continue reading “Exist – So True, So Bound (Review)”

Gravewards – Subconscious Lobotomy (Review)

GravewardsGravewards are a Greek death metal band and this is their debut EP.

You’ve got to love some old-school death metal, especially when it’s played like it is here and so gloriously represents the esoteric 90s style. Continue reading “Gravewards – Subconscious Lobotomy (Review)”

Igorrr – Savage Sinusoid (Review)

IgorrrIgorrr is a one-man project, (with guests), and this is his fourth album.

How to describe this? It’s not easy. Well, I think I’ll just sidestep the entire issue and call it a metal album and be done with it. Then I’ll run away and hide. So, ‘metal’ loosely covers it in a general sense, I suppose, but what an injustice a simple genre tag can be.

This is an album that’s as insane as the album cover. Continue reading “Igorrr – Savage Sinusoid (Review)”

Onryō – Mūto (Review)

OnryoOnryō are an Italian grindcore band and this is their debut EP.

Described in the press blurb as a mix of deathgrind and mathcore, Mūto is pretty much exactly that. It’s good stuff. Very good stuff, in fact. Continue reading “Onryō – Mūto (Review)”

Risin Sabotage – Planet Dies (Review)

Risin SabotageRisin Sabotage are a Ukrainian stoner doom band and this is their second album.

Here we have 45 minutes of exploratory stoner doom, creating vibrant soundscapes full of all manner of enjoyable fuzzed-out vibes. Continue reading “Risin Sabotage – Planet Dies (Review)”

Devourer – Across the Empty Plains (Review)

DevourerDevourer are a black metal band from Sweden and this is their second album.

With an album cover that screams old-school death metal to me, this is actually equally old-school black metal, raw and cold. Continue reading “Devourer – Across the Empty Plains (Review)”

Faunus – Where Everything Begins with an End (Review)

FaunusFaunus is a one-man Greek black metal band and this is his debut album.

This is atmospheric black metal, with long songs that are inspired by the natural world. Each track is dedicated to a season and has its own atmosphere and character dedicated to exploring this theme; the artist seems to have gone to great lengths in an attempt Continue reading “Faunus – Where Everything Begins with an End (Review)”