Saltwound – The Temptation of Pain (Review)

Saltwound - The Temptation of PainSaltwound are a death/metalcore band from the US and this is their debut album.

The Temptation of Pain provides us with a brutal and intense hybrid form of deathcore and metalcore. Saltwound spend 29 minutes abusing and punishing with their destructive brand of heaviness. Continue reading “Saltwound – The Temptation of Pain (Review)”

Alpha Wolf – Half Living Things (Review)

Alpha Wolf - Half Living ThingsAlpha Wolf are an Australian metalcore band and this is their third album.

I thoroughly enjoyed 2020’s A Quiet Place to Die, as well as 2022’s split with Holding Absence The Lost & the Longing, so more new material from Alpha Wolf is very well-received. I dislike the album art, but ignoring that, what do Alpha Wolf have in store for us this time around? Continue reading “Alpha Wolf – Half Living Things (Review)”

Defocus – There Is a Place for Me on Earth (Review)

Defocus - There Is a Place for Me on EarthDefocus are a German metalcore band and this is their second album.

Following on from 2021’s In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same comes There Is a Place for Me on Earth, bringing us 32 minutes of aggressive new material. Continue reading “Defocus – There Is a Place for Me on Earth (Review)”

Borders – Bloom Season (Review)

Borders - Bloom SeasonBorders are a modern metal band from the UK. This is their second album.

Borders impressed with their 2017 EP Diagnosed, which they followed up with the enjoyable Purify in 2019. Now the band are back with 31 minutes of new material on Bloom Season, and they sound bigger and more ambitious than ever. Continue reading “Borders – Bloom Season (Review)”

Holding Absence & Alpha Wolf – The Lost & the Longing – Split (Review)

Holding Absence & Alpha Wolf - The Lost & the LongingAlpha Wolf are an Australian metalcore band and Holding Absence are a UK modern rock band. They have teamed up for this split release.

Alpha Wolf, (check out A Quiet Place to Die), give us two songs, lasting just over six minutes in total. Continue reading “Holding Absence & Alpha Wolf – The Lost & the Longing – Split (Review)”

Sentinels – Collapse by Design (Review)

Sentinels - Collapse by DesignThis is the debut album from US technical metal band Sentinels.

Collapse by Design features 47 minutes of contemporary heaviness. The band mix elements of metalcore, mathcore, progressive metal, djent, and technical metal, and do so really rather well. Alongside this they also play around with melodic and Continue reading “Sentinels – Collapse by Design (Review)”

Defocus – In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same (Review)

Defocus - In the Eye of Death We Are All the SameDefocus are a German metalcore band and this is their debut album.

The songs on In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same focus on heavy grooves and crushing rhythms, but are not purely restricted to these. Unusually for a band of this sort, Defocus actually know how to play fast when the need arises. Continue reading “Defocus – In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same (Review)”

Distant – Dusk of Anguish (Review)

Distant - Dusk of AnguishThis is the latest EP from Distant, a deathcore band from the Netherlands.

Distant never seem to disappoint. From 2019’s Tyrannotophia to 2020’s Dawn of Corruption, they’ve revealed themselves to be a reliable and enjoyable exemplar of modern hyper-heavy deathcore. Continue reading “Distant – Dusk of Anguish (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of September 2020

There was an unreasonably unreasonable (?) amount of good music to be had in September. So check out the below and let me know your favourite, (it goes without saying you should also be listening to The Ocean and Oceans of Slumber, so I won’t mention those again). Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of September 2020”