Tonight, Manchester gets a severe case of The Doom. Stygian Bough Volume II is an excellent record that should have had pride of place on last year’s end of year list, (but frustratingly, there always seems to be one that slips through the cracks), so the opportunity to see it played live tonight was too good to miss. Added bonus – 40 Watt Sun. An unlooked for treat that’s Continue reading “Stygian Bough (Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin)/40 Watt Sun – Rebellion, Manchester – 09/02/26 (Live Review)”
Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin are both artists from the US, and they have teamed up once more to bring us a new outing of mournful doom.
2020’s Stygian Bough Volume I was one of my favourites from that year, so I was very excited by the appearance of Stygian Bough Volume II. Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin have impressed in the past, but can they do so again? Continue reading “Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin – Stygian Bough Volume II (Review)”
This is the eleventh album from US experimental band Kayo Dot.
The tag experimental is frequently not a very useful one, but then Kayo Dot aren’t a band that invite easy categorisation. Every Rock, Every Half-Truth under Reason contains 66 minutes of music, and a range of styles and influences have gone into its creation. Continue reading “Kayo Dot – Every Rock, Every Half-Truth under Reason (Review)”
Coltsblood are a doom band from the UK and this is their third album.
Following on from 2019’s split with Un, (which I thoroughly enjoyed), it’s great to have a new album from Coltsblood to get to grips with. It’s four songs, 42 minutes of hideous blackened doom nastiness. Continue reading “Coltsblood – Obscured into Nebulous Dusk (Review)”
Corpus Offal are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
I had no idea that Cerebral Rot had split up. If you don’t know them, check out 2019’s Odious Descent into Decay and 2021’s Excretion of Mortality, both very fine slabs of hideous death metal. Why is this relevant here? Because Corpus Offal have arisen from the decayed corpse of Cerebral Rot – the guitarist and guitarist/vocalist have been vomited forth into this new incarnation, and they have brought a new bassist and drummer with them, (the former ex-Demoncy, the latter from Autophagy/Bell Witch). Continue reading “Corpus Offal – Corpus Offal (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swedish post-metal band A Swarm of the Sun.
An Empire offers up a daunting 71 minutes of music to explore. It’s a lot to absorb, but is worth the time investment, as the dark soundscapes that A Swarm of the Sun create are utterly captivating. Continue reading “A Swarm of the Sun – An Empire (Review)”
This is the fourth album from UK black metallers Gråt Strigoi.
Despite being four albums deep into their career, I’ve never heard of Gråt Strigoi before the wonderful Fiadh Productions put them on my radar. It’s seriously been my loss, as this stuff is so far up my alley it hurts. The Prophetic Silence contains 56 minutes of black metal that’s so good you should just stop reading this now and go and listen to it. Continue reading “Gråt Strigoi – The Prophetic Silence (Review)”
Mumuksu/Iravu are both solo acts from Malaysia. The latter plays black metal, and the former doom.
I thoroughly enjoyed Iravu’s debut album from last year – A Fate Worse Than Home – so knew I wanted to check out this split. It contains three tracks and has a total duration of 55 minutes. The first two songs are by the individual artists, and the final is a collaboration between them both. Continue reading “Mumuksu/Iravu – Sudra – Split (Review)”
Now here’s an interesting show. A bill of extremes, from the deathgrind mayhem of Knoll to the funeral doom crawl of Bell Witch. How could I miss such a compelling reason to journey to one of my favourite venues in Manchester once more? Continue reading “Bell Witch/Knoll – Rebellion, Manchester – 14/04/24 (Live Review)”
This is the second album from US death/doom band Spectral Voice.
Featuring members of Black Curse and Blood Incantation, Spectral Voice play the sort of humungous death doom that crushes mountains and destroys villages. Sparagmos boasts 46 minutes of material that’s as distressing as it is rewarding. Continue reading “Spectral Voice – Sparagmos (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 