Gjoad are an Austrian post-rock band and this is their debut album.
This is nature-inspired music that’s highly evocative and atmospheric. Shades of post-rock, ambient, doom, and folk inform the bulk of the material here. There’s a clear black metal influence too, although this is mostly apparent Continue reading “Gjoad – Samanōn (Review)”
This is the debut album from US black metal band Heretical Sect.
Heretical Sect’s sound combines blackened ferocity with doom misery. Specifically, traditional black metal and 90s death/doom. It’s a combination that works well, yielding some gruesome rotten fruit over the course of six grim tracks. Across Continue reading “Heretical Sect – Rapturous Flesh Consumed (Review)”
This is the second album from French black metal band Hyrgal.
2017’s Serpentine was an enjoyably aggressive cold slab of melodic darkness. Three years later, and the band return, and they’ve clearly been busy. Continue reading “Hyrgal – Fin de Règne (Review)”
November was a pretty great month for metal, as far as I’m concerned. Any one of the records below is worthy of your attention, especially if you’re a fan of black metal or doom. Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of November 2020”
This is the debut album from Pneuma Hagion, a death metal band from the US.
Ugly and heavy, death metal like this feels like it should be able to swallow stars. You can hear influences from both black and doom metal, but mostly you can hear the sound of brutal nightmares forged into music. Continue reading “Pneuma Hagion – Voidgazer (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Czech band Panychida, who play black metal.
I enjoyed 2013’s Grief for an Idol, and especially liked 2016’s Haereticalia – The Night Battles, so when it came once more to partake in a further round of Panychida’s brand of black metal, I couldn’t resist. Continue reading “Panychida – Gabreta Aeterna (Review)”
This is the debut album from Varde, a Norwegian black metal band.
Fedraminne contains 59 minutes of black metal that mixes folk influences into an atmospheric journey. Continue reading “Varde – Fedraminne (Review)”
This is the second album from Greek black metallers Isolert.
Isolert specialise in Scandinavian-style second wave black metal, and I like the way they play it. Thus far, 2015’s Isolated Soul, 2016’s No Hope, No Light…Only Death, and 2017’s Towards the Great Dissolution, (a split with Insanity Cult), all satisfied, and now the band are back Continue reading “Isolert – World in Ruins (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Soulburn, a black metal band from the Netherlands.
Following up from 2016’s Earthless Pagan Spirit, (via an EP I hadn’t heard, but is actually included here as bonus tracks), Noa’s D’ark is 47 minutes of music with snarling attitude and infectious guitars. Continue reading “Soulburn – Noa’s D’ark (Review)”
This is the second album from Déluge, a French post-black metal band.
This is the follow up to 2015’s striking Æther, which was a powerhouse of violence and atmosphere. Five years later, and the band are not the same beast anymore, not completely anyway. Ægo Templo takes the Continue reading “Déluge – Ægo Templo (Review)”
