Gaahls Wyrd – Braiding the Stories (Review)

Gaahls Wyrd - Braiding the StoriesThis is the second album from Gaahls Wyrd, an avant-garde/dark metal band from Norway.

I really liked both 2019’s Gastir – Ghosts Invited and 2021’s The Humming Mountain, so the 42-minute Braiding the Stories is gratefully received. This is not music to be casually experienced, but an experience to be explored at length. Continue reading “Gaahls Wyrd – Braiding the Stories (Review)”

Serpents of Pakhangba – Air and Fire (Review)

Serpents of Pakhangba - Air and FireThis is the second album from Indian avant-garde metal band Serpents of Pakhangba.

Air and Fire is an ambitious album, in more ways than one. Across 54 minutes you’ll find a wealth of creativity and ideas, all delivered with skilled performances and detailed songwriting. Serpents of Pakhangba are resolutely not your average band. Continue reading “Serpents of Pakhangba – Air and Fire (Review)”

Crimson Veil – Hex (Review)

Crimson Veil - HexCrimson Veil are a progressive metal band from the UK and this is their debut album.

Across 56 minutes Hex offers up a hybrid style that’s interesting and absorbing.  Crimson Veil have made a very favourable impression with their first album, one that I urge you to take the time to explore. Continue reading “Crimson Veil – Hex (Review)”

Ihsahn – Ihsahn (Review)

ihsahn - ihsahnThis is the eighth album from Ihsahn, a legendary black, progressive, and avant-garde metal artist.

Ihsahn has never lacked talent or ambition, but on this latest release he has really outdone himself. Ihsahn offers up two album’s worth of material. Each is 49 minutes in length – one is a progressive metal album with orchestral layering, while the other is a fully orchestral version. Continue reading “Ihsahn – Ihsahn (Review)”

Vvon Dogma I – The Kvlt of Glitch (Review)

Vvon Dogma I - The Kvlt of GlitchThis is the debut album from Canadian experimental metal band Vvon Dogma I.

The Kvlt of Glitch contains 45 minutes of modern music that combines aspects of progressive, technical, avant-garde, industrial, and nu-metal. Elements of djent, electronica, ambient, and orchestral sounds enrich the music too, making for a very textured, unusual, and multifaceted release. Continue reading “Vvon Dogma I – The Kvlt of Glitch (Review)”

In the Woods… – Diversum (Review)

In the Woods... - DiversumIn the Woods… are a Norwegian progressive metal band and this is their sixth album.

Diversum contains 50 minutes of avant-garde metal that takes elements of the progressive, pagan, doom, and post-black metal styles into its sound to produce a compelling collection of tracks. Continue reading “In the Woods… – Diversum (Review)”

Disillusion – Ayam (Review)

Disillusion - AyamThis is the fourth album from German progressive metal band Disillusion.

Ayam offers 59 minutes of idiosyncratic progressive metal. Highly melodic, with atmospheric, symphonic, and avant-garde touches, Disillusion have created a big, epic album, in more ways than one. Continue reading “Disillusion – Ayam (Review)”