Atmospheric Death Metal – Wonderbox Metal

An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City (Review)

This is the third album from Swedish atmospheric death metal band An Abstract Illusion.

Now here’s a very highly anticipated album. The Sleeping City is An Abstract Illusion’s follow up to their highly acclaimed 2022 album Woe, which was so good it made it onto my year end list. Yes, expectations are high for this record, but there’s also trepidation too – how can An Abstract Illusion possibly meet the high standards they have now set for themselves? Continue reading “An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City (Review)”

Fallujah – Xenotaph (Review)

This is the fifth album from US death metal band Fallujah.

Fallujah have a storied list of releases at this point, (The Flesh Prevails, Dreamless, Undying Light, Empyrean), all worth getting your teeth into. After the slight dip in quality that was Undying Light, Fallujah returned very strong with Empyrean. All of which means I have been interested to see what the 42-minute Xenotaph brings us this time around. Continue reading “Fallujah – Xenotaph (Review)”

Jade – Mysteries of a Flowery Dream (Review)

This is the second album from international death metal band Jade.

As a subgenre, atmospheric death metal never really took off like its black metal counterpart did. However, if you want a good example of what it might look like, then look no further than Jade. Making a good impression with 2022’s The Pacification of Death, and cementing this with last year’s split with Sanctuarium, the 43-minute Mysteries of a Flowery Dream is one I’ve been looking forward to. Continue reading “Jade – Mysteries of a Flowery Dream (Review)”

Necronos – Charred Tongue (Review)

Necronos are a Mexican death metal band and this is their debut album.

Charred Tongue is a 33-minute death metal album bursting with chaotic aggression that’s been tempered by a keen sense of worldbuilding. Mixing atmospheric, progressive, technical, and dissonant death metal together with skilled ability, Necronos have crafted an album that showcases their talents well. Continue reading “Necronos – Charred Tongue (Review)”

Devenial Verdict – Blessing of Despair (Review)

This is the second album from Finnish death metal band Devenial Verdict.

Following on from 2022’s very enjoyable Ash Blind comes Blessing of Despair, which contains 51 minutes of new music. Prepare yourself for an onslaught of crushing atmospheric dissonant death metal. Continue reading “Devenial Verdict – Blessing of Despair (Review)”

Construct of Lethe – A Kindness Dealt in Venom (Review)

This is the third album from US death metal band Construct of Lethe.

Construct of Lethe’s last album Exiler came out in 2018, and was a brutal affair of merciless death metal. The band have moved on since then, and A Kindness Dealt in Venom offers up a mix of death and black metal, with touches of doom, and further enriched by electronics, synths, and industrial elements. Its foundation is a death metal one, but it’s not limited to purely this genre. Continue reading “Construct of Lethe – A Kindness Dealt in Venom (Review)”

Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God (Review)

This is the seventh album from New Zealand death metal act Ulcerate.

Following on from 2016’s Shrines of Paralysis and 2020’s Stare into Death and Be Still, the mighty Ulcerate have now returned with the 58-minute Cutting the Throat of God. Continue reading “Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God (Review)”

The Omega Swarm – Crimson Demise (Review)

This is the debut album of German black metal band The Omega Swarm.

Brought to us by a member of Sulphur Aeon, Crimson Demise contains 41 minutes of hybrid death metal. The Omega Swarm throw a lot of ingredients into their recipe, resulting in a feast of atmospheric blackened death metal for listeners to chow down on. Continue reading “The Omega Swarm – Crimson Demise (Review)”

Hideous Divinity – Unextinct (Review)

This is the fifth album from Italian death metallers Hideous Divinity.

I do enjoy Hideous Divinity‘s brand of technical brutality. 2014’s Cobra Verde, 2017’s Adveniens, and 2021’s LV-426 were all solid slabs of death metal muscle and intricate aggression, so it’s with expectation that we turn to Unextinct and its 51 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Hideous Divinity – Unextinct (Review)”

Convulsing – Perdurance (Review)

This is the third album from Convulsing, a solo death metal band from Australia.

I haven’t caught up with Convulsing since their immense 2017 split with Siberian Hell Sounds, so we’re well overdue. Perdurance lasts 48 minutes, (56 with the bonus Porcupine Tree cover), and is a monster of avant-garde death metal. Continue reading “Convulsing – Perdurance (Review)”