This is the tenth album from German progressive metal band The Ocean.
After the colossally good Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic and Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic from 2018 and 2020 respectively, can The Ocean continue their run of stellar records with new outing Holocene? Continue reading “The Ocean – Holocene (Review)”
This is the debut album from Black Cross Hotel, an industrial band from the US.
Hex initially caught my eye due to Black Cross Hotel containing a member of Stabbing Westward. On closer inspection it seems there are also members of The Atlas Moth, Corrections House, Minsk, and Broken Hope in the band, all of which attracted me further. All very intriguing. However, Continue reading “Black Cross Hotel – Hex (Review)”
This is the second album from German doom band Might.
Might play an atypical form of doom metal with elements of post-rock, sludge, punk, grunge, and noise rock. Abyss is an unusually varied album, and operates in a lot of genres and styles, sometimes all at once. Continue reading “Might – Abyss (Review)”
This is the sixth album by US alternative rock band Helms Alee.
It turns out that a member of Helms Alee was in Harkonen. I loved 2002’s Shake Harder Boy, so it’s great to hear his work once more, albeit in an indirect altered fashion. Continue reading “Helms Alee – Keep This Be the Way (Review)”
Yes, it’s that time of year again! 2021 gave us some very, very good metal, and I feel honoured to have been able to have listened to as much of it as I have done. There are some notable absences, (for me at least), from the below list, but there’s just not enough time or space for everything, dammit!
2020 was a very blackened year for me; I listened to a lot of black metal, and the list for that year reflected that. At the start of 2021 I decided I’d consciously try to ensure I cast my net a bit wider again, reconnecting more deeply with some of many other styles of metal that I enjoy. 2021’s list reflects this. However, I’ve still ended up with much more of a black metal presence in the list than I was initially expecting. What can I say? I’m a sucker for all of the myriad blackened flavours of the style. However, there’s also a lot of other stuff here that I hope you’ll dig into and enjoy too. I felt that there was a notable absence of grindcore in 2021, as well as some of the more extreme styles of doom. What do you think?
I hope you enjoy perusing some of my favourite records from this year, and I hope you find something new to tickle your fancy. What’s your number one this year? Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2021”
This is the third album from French industrial band Crown.
I’m unfamiliar with Crown’s past work, but apparently The End of All Things is a complete departure from their older sound. Fair enough. If you’re new to the band like me, (or even if you’re not), Crown’s new album contains 46 Continue reading “Crown – The End of All Things (Review)”
Årabrot are a Norwegian rock band and this is their ninth album.
Norwegian Gothic is a complex, multifaceted listen. Årabrot specialise in a dark, avant-garde form of music that may take a diverse array of influences into itself, (noise rock, experimental, pop, punk, soul, metal, folk, industrial, etc.), but ultimately Continue reading “Årabrot – Norwegian Gothic (Review)”
Årabrot are from Norway and this is their latest EP. They play Noise-Rock.
I have no idea what’s going on in the album cover, but it’s very striking nonetheless. Combined with the name of the EP, which I love, this is something I was itching to listen to. Having never encountered Årabrot before I was unsure what to expect.
It starts off with Cannibal Manifesto, which is a dramatic spoken word performance. I’m not a fan of this kind of stuff, so this is not a good start.
However, once you get past this pointless intro track and onto the first song proper, Time to Pull the Sticks, things are looking up.
Here we have some charismatic Rock with some nice Therapy?-esque riffs and vocals that carry high performance levels.
The music is Experimental Rock that still manages to be catchy and memorable. The songs have Punk undertones and a nervous energy to them.
I hear elements of bands like Therapy? and Smashing Pumpkins mixed up with their own brand of Rock ‘n’ Roll. There’s even some Progressive Rock influences, especially on the last song It’s Hot Drop It.
Once you get past the first track, this is a very enjoyable collection of songs and is even better than I was hoping for.
Check them out.
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