This is the debut album from French post-black metallers Jours Pâles.
Jours Pâles have an interesting and in some ways non-standard sound. Not because they’re especially avant-garde or experimental, but because of the way that they combine a few different ingredients from different musical brews into something of their own making. Continue reading “Jours Pâles – Éclosion (Review)”
Iotunn are a progressive metal band from Denmark, and this is their debut album.
Full disclosure – when I saw that this band is fronted by the singer of Barren Earth and Hamferð, I got quite excited and it immediately made me hungry to listen to their album. The man has one of my favourite voices in metal, and on Access All Worlds, he puts it to damn fine use. Continue reading “Iotunn – Access All Worlds (Review)”
This is the debut album from US black metallers Aylwin.
Here we have a single 30-minute track that’s a mix of atmospheric and post-black metal. The track is a nature-influenced apocalyptic soundscape that combines elements from the Cascadian style of black metal with mournful post-metallic aspects. Continue reading “Aylwin – The Arch Holder (Review)”
This is the second album from Suffering Hour, a blackened death metal band from the US.
Now here’s a release I’ve been looking forward to. I’m a big fan of Suffering Hour’s past work, (2013’s Foreseeing Exemptions to a Dismal Beyond, and then 2017’s immense In Passing Ascension), and their newest album simply takes their musical progression so far to its logical conclusion. Having learned plenty of lessons Continue reading “Suffering Hour – The Cyclic Reckoning (Review)”
This is the second album from Australian black metal act Spire.
Temple of Khronos offers a dark mix of atmospheric, progressive, and psychedelic black metal. It’s as if the classic style that we know and love has been mutated and warped into something even darker and more malefic. Continue reading “Spire – Temple of Khronos (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Austrian post-black metallers Harakiri for the Sky.
I always enjoy a new Harakiri for the Sky record. Both 2016’s III: Trauma and 2018’s Arson were first-rate albums from a first-rate band, and Mӕre is no different. Continue reading “Harakiri for the Sky – Mӕre (Review)”
Sur Austru are an atmospheric black/folk metal band from Romania and this is their second album.
2019’s Meteahna Timpurilor was a very enjoyable collection of songs, so I knew I wanted to listen to Obârșie as soon as I could. The band feature ex-members of Negură Bunget, and a current member of Kultika. Continue reading “Sur Austru – Obârșie (Review)”
Ad Nauseam are an avant-garde death metal band from Italy, and this is their second album.
Don’t let the death metal tag fool you, this is not your average deathly proposition. Ad Nauseam’s vision of what extreme metal should be is unorthodox and esoteric. The band play a sort of avant-garde progressive technical death metal, while also throwing in some elements of black metal, sludge, doom, Continue reading “Ad Nauseam – Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (Review)”
This is the debut album from French one-man black metal band Blurr Thrower.
I enjoyed 2018’s Les Avatars du Vide, so was already keen to check out Les Voûtes, but then when I saw that it boasted such a damn fine cover, I knew I had to. Disappointed, I have not been. Continue reading “Blurr Thrower – Les Voûtes (Review)”
This is the debut album from Anguis Dei, a black metal band from Japan.
If you have a craving for old-school symphonic/orchestral black metal in the style of bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Cradle of Filth, then Angeist is one for you. Across 45 minutes Angus Dei transport Continue reading “Anguis Dei – Angeist (Review)”
