Wonderbox Metal

Miserable Failure – Hope (Review)

This is the brand new 4 track, 4 minute EP from Miserable Failure.

This is scathing Grind designed to attack and maim quickly and efficiently, with no wasted movements.

Short and to the point; each track goes for the throat with vigour and a rusty bite. It’s not all blast though as the band inject a bit of groove and hardcore-esque guitar into the tracks for a bit of added dynamics.

The vocals are mainly demented, high pitched vocal chord-scrapings that probably leaves the singer sucking throat sweets for hours after making the noises he makes. The deeper vocals are merely for added flavour.

Surely you can spend four minutes of your time to check out these worthy Grinders?

Chthonic – Bú-Tik (Review)

Melodic Black/Death Metal from Taiwan; I haven’t heard Chthonic since their excellent Seediq Bale album so I was looking forward to seeing what Bú-Tik had to offer.

Chthonic embody orchestration and fury. Highly melodic and razor sharp, the songs are flourished like swords as only a master can.

Precise, tight riffing and swathes of keys and strings are combined with folk-Asian influences to produce songs that are reminiscent of the symphonic Dimmu Borgir’s and Cradle of Filth’s of the world but with the origins of the harmonies coming from a much different background. Chthonic very much have their own character.

The drums and multi-layered venomous vocals dominate this release, with the orchestration pitched at the right level. The guitars are sheets of serrated steel working underneath everything, and the bass is muted at best.

With good songwriting and an expert understanding of this genre Chthonic have once again produced a well-rounded and thoroughly enjoyable release. There’s an intensity to these tracks and the molten Metal barely lets up until the album fades. With a whole hat-full of ideas and quirks rolled into their sound repeated listens are recommended. The direct assault of the songs works immediately, but after that has gone you’re left with the insidious harmonies stalking you when you least expect it. Symphonic Black Metal earworms indeed.

An impressively realised album that has obviously had a lot of work put into the compositions and structure of the tracks. Check them out and see what you think; just beware the pointy bits – those swords are sharper than they look…

Sunn 0))) & Ulver – Terrestrials (Review)

This is a collaboration between Sunn 0))) and Ulver, both well-respected artists in their own right. This is a worthy collaboration resulting in brilliance.

The first track Let There Be Light starts off slow and minimalistic, with a lone saxophone forlornly reaching out from a fog. It builds up and up until the only real way to describe it is to use words such as epic and cinematic. So there we are – epic and cinematic music.

Second song Western Horn is an ominous journey through dark corridors where the lights have all been smashed by persons unknown, for reasons unknown. It’s an eerie place and even though you suspect that you can sense salvation just on the edge of your hearing the overarching feeling of black despair is weighing down on you. You end up crawling through the maze of abandoned doorways crying to yourself, hoping that someone will save you and fearing that they will not. This song sounds like that.

The third and final track Eternal Return is a lengthy foray into ghostly melodics and features the only vocals on the album. Feeling like a twisted, warped version of Laura Palmer’s Theme by Angelo Badalamenti from the Twin Peaks soundtrack; it evokes similar feelings and drips hypnotic beauty.

An album for lonely nights. An album for sleep’s dark embrace.

Lalu – Atomic Ark (Review)

This is French Progressive Metal group Lalu with their second album Atomic Ark. Helmed by just one man, the album boasts a plethora of well known names from the Progressive/Power Metal genres as both band members and guests.

Big sound, big songs. It’s like Threshold and Kamelot have collaborated together with the express purpose of making an album to please just me.

It’s also heavier than you might expect. The drums are solid and the guitars are thick. When they’re not being used for lightning molten-Metal solos of course.

A huge amount of talented people are involved in this album, and it would be a disappointment, (to say the least), if it was all for nothing. I’m pleased to say that all the hard work, years of development and obvious enthusiasm and ability of the contributing musicians has paid off handsomely and this is as fine a slab of Progressive/Power Metal as you’re likely to hear.

With the exception of the final track, (the hugely epic 19 minute extravagance that is Revelations), the songs are all relatively short. The vast majority barely worry at the 4 minute mark, but not a single second is wasted. Efficient and concise; the songs are instant hits yet retain enough meat to the bones to satiate for some time.

The vocals are highly accomplished, as you would expect, and the melodies and harmonies of the songs are very pleasing.

The keyboard-work on this album merits special mention and is more than just an atmospheric addition; certainly they fulfil this purpose admirably but they are also integral to the songs themselves.

One interesting thing about this release is that for all of the calibre of the musicians who contributed to it, the technicality is never too overt or flashy. It’s there of course, just beneath the surface, enhancing the songs and playing its role. Rather than attempting to play centre stage and steal all of the limelight; the playing never attempts to upstage the actual songs.

Achieving the rarest thing of being both catchy and full of depth, this is an exemplary example of just how brilliant and life-affirming Progressive Metal can be when done right.

Mahogany Head Grenade – Return to the Point of Departure (Review)

Progressive Metal from the US; Mahogany Head Grenade offer us 31 minutes of virtuoso Instrumental Metal.

This is a very guitar-driven release played by people who obviously know how to play; and play they do.

The guitar sound is crisp and precise, which goes for the rest of the instruments also. The songs mainly hover about the 6-7 minute mark and are well thought-out compositions. There are some good flourishes in the songs and interesting parts aplenty.

The melodies used are easy to listen to and the band, (a trio), gel together nicely so that everything seems to be moving as one, even when there is a lot going on.

There are a multitude of samples used on the tracks, which in some way are used in place of a vocalist. They do the job well enough and fit the style of the music.

The songs hold attention and are full of enjoyable Progressive Metal that is written well enough to not need a singer to be the anchor point. Here’s to more of this in the future.

Gigan – Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery And Super Science (Review)

So you fancy some futuristic Progressive Technical Death Metal do you? Well look no further than US band Gigan as they have what you’re looking for!

This is no easy listening though; it requires repeated spins to truly absorb what is going on here. And even then there is still more to discover.

This may be touted as Technical Death Metal, and it is as far as descriptors go; but it’s not your average Tech Death that’s for sure.

Riffs wash over you like a sea of cosmic rays and thousands of quantum fluctuations assault your senses in forbidden mathematical equations. In a way the cover is all you need to know about this release as it captures the essence of the album very well, if not the raw visceral chaos of the songs themselves.

The tracks are lengthy and involved, and the production is dense and gritty; the nuances are plentiful and easy to overlook on first listen. There is simply so much content in every minute that it can be hard to know which part to focus on. Never let it be said that Gigan aren’t giving enough.

This is interesting and innovative in the way that only ground-breakers and rule-smashers can be. On a bumpy, mind-numbing journey through outer space, I can’t think of any better guide than Gigan.

Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery And Super Science can be befuddling and unapproachable; but those who persevere will be rewarded. Great stuff.

Mord’A’Stigmata – Ansia (Review)

This is Polish Black Metal from Mord’A’Stigmata; their third full-length.

This album features long exploratory tracks that are based in Black Metal but have spread out like a ravenous plague to devour tasty chunks of Post-Metal and Doom.

The riffs and melodies are involving and well-considered, drawing the listener into a maze of blackened misanthropy and trapping them there forever to stare at a twisted reflection of a real world they will never inhabit again.

When the band are playing furious Black Metal they do it perfectly well, but when they are playing parts that are rooted around slower and more emotive riffs this is where they truly shine.

The more Post-Metal moments are studied examples of atmosphere and mood done right, and the blackened riffs are hypnotic and enticing.

The vocals are either Black Metal shrieks of the usual variety, or a more haunting, droning clean vocal that ramps up the atmospheric quotient when crooned over the expressive music.

The vocals and music combined make this a hugely impressive album with lots to like and lots of replay value.

This is an excellent release from a band that deserves a higher status than they currently have. If you like well-crafted and intelligent music with a cold, dark core then I defy you to not like this.

Agrimonia – Rites of Separation (Review)

Agrimonia play a magnificent and fairly unique mix of Sludge, Post-Metal and Crust all crushed up in a darkened Metal palette ready for the artist to use in the creation of something astounding.

The band are adept at channelling this proverbial artist and therefore know how to expertly build up a song into a complete soundscape full of sights and wonders. At the end of the album each of the sprawling tracks has left an impression like a different country visited. Experience and sense are everything in Agrimonia’s world of visceral sound.

This is intelligent Metal crafted with a loving hand and filled with emotive passages and feeling aplenty. Many of the riffs are alive with pulsating energy and the album almost has its own heartbeat.

The singer has a blood-curdling voice and her vocals add a level of harshness and intensity to the blackened beauty of the music. She puts in a performance to be commended and is the icing on the musical cake.

Rites of Separation is ambitious and bold, and succeeds in creating a masterpiece of shading and involvement. This is an album that everyone should have.

Omnizide – Death Metal Holocaust (Review)

Omnizide are from Sweden and play Black Metal with a hint of Old-School Death Metal.

The band favour the type of Black Metal riffery of older Dark Funeral or Marduk, (but without the all-out speed of some of their assaults), combined with a Carpathian Forest feel to some of their work. Mix this with some rotten Old-School Death Metal and you’ll have a general idea of where Omnizide are coming from.

Even though the band call themselves Death Metal, and the album title has it in its name; this is still predominantly a Black Metal release for me. A lot of the riffs, the production and sound, the raspy vocals, the general feel of the songs – it all has Black Metal stamped over it in large indecipherable letters as far as I’m concerned. Not that it really matters of course; all that matters is that as soon as you play this you’re instantly transported to times past and you can really feel the darkness and hate flowing into your system.

The songs rage and chew their way through the running time. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, always reeking of antagonism and contempt. This is very authentic music. There is nothing fake or staged going on here. You can almost taste the blood on the singer’s lips as he shreds his vocal chords in the name of his art.

Overall a very good album that anyone who likes this kind of music should be able to get something from, and it just gets better with repeat listens.

Iron Tongue – The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown (Review)

Iron Tongue

Iron Tongue play Stoner/Blues Rock and this album is all about the depth and feeling.

Morose and hallucinogenic without being maudlin or depressive; this album is rough around the edges in exactly the right way.

This is earthy, organic and honest music straight out of a Southern backroom bar. When first playing track one, (Ever After), it’s almost hard to imagine these songs will have or even need a Metallic content, as it really sounds like it doesn’t require it, reminding most of all of a band like Soulsavers.

When the distortion does appear though it gels perfectly with the rest of the song that all other thoughts are swept aside as you are presented with the full smoke-ridden package of musical depth and character.

Each song is veritably dripping with feeling and pain; the soulful vocals spinning out into the ether while the weighty guitars come crashing down in a tsunami of emotion. The highly talented backing female vocals adding further personality and Southern feelings to the passion-rich tracks.

A powerfully memorable release that will be sticking around the playlist for some time to come. If you have a passion for soulful Southern-tinged Rock then Iron Tongue are destined to become one of your favourites.