This is the second album from Finnish death metal band Proscription.
Desolate Divine contains 44 minutes of blackened death metal. This, right here, is the good stuff. Proscription landed on my radar with 2020’s Conduit, (which I could have swore I’d reviewed, but apparently not), but Desolate Divine has destroyed my expectations. Yep, I like this.. Continue reading “Proscription – Desolate Divine (Review)”
Imperishable are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Brought to us by current/ex-members of Aurora Borealis, Enthean, Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation, Nile, and Olkoth, Imperishable have a wealth of experience available to them. What do they do with it? They unleash the 32-minute Revelation in Purity, and you’d better get out of its way, lest you be left a bloody smear on the floor. Continue reading “Imperishable – Revelation in Purity (Review)”
This is the debut album from Italian black metal band Blutsauger.
Nocturnal Blood Tyrants contains 34 minutes of primal, atavistic black metal. Blutsauger play it hard, nasty, and grim. It may be 2025, but around these parts it’s 1993. I liked this one a lot. Continue reading “Blutsauger – Nocturnal Blood Tyrants (Review)”
This is the debut album from US black metal band Execrari.
Containing a member of Relentless, Execrari’s style is rooted in black metal’s second wave, while also showing some contemporary influences and progressive, melodic, and avant-garde tendencies. Desolation Manifest has come out of nowhere to really impress. There are six songs, spanning 47 minutes, and each track is a powerful reminder of just how potent black metal can be in the right hands. Exciting even, despite its ancient roots. Continue reading “Execrari – Desolation Manifest (Review)”
Phosphorus are a German post-black metal band and this is their debut album.
I came across this randomly as a recommendation on a forum, and I’m glad I checked it out. Phosphorus play a hybrid style, bringing us 37 minutes of compelling material on Frail Grasp of Broken Hands. Continue reading “Phosphorus – Frail Grasp of Broken Hands (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Austrian solo black metal band Rauhnåcht.
My last encounter with Rauhnåcht was 11 years ago (!) on Urzeitgeist, so I’m long overdue a visit to these pagan black metal lands. Across 41 minutes of material, Zwischenwelten reveals an artist that has apparently only continued to refine and improve his art over time. Continue reading “Rauhnåcht – Zwischenwelten (Review)”
Defacement are an international death metal band and this is their fourth album.
I enjoyed 2021’s Defacement, but then totally managed to overlook its follow up from last year – Duality. This oversight ends now, as a year on from that release we have the 41-minute Doomed. Continue reading “Defacement – Doomed (Review)”
Malevich are a screamo/sludge metal band from the US and this is their third album.
Under a Gilded Sun is the 39-minute follow up to 2019’s Our Hollow, and reveals a band that have spend their time wisely between albums. Malevich have impressed with this latest collection of songs. Continue reading “Malevich – Under a Gilded Sun (Review)”
This is the third album from US black metal solo act Blackbraid.
Following on from 2022’s Blackbraid I and 2023’s Blackbraid II, Blackbraid III contains 52 minutes of music, (including a Lord Belial cover), and continues to meet the benchmark of high quality black metal that its predecessors set. Continue reading “Blackbraid – Blackbraid III (Review)”
Psycroptic, Ghost Bath, and Underdark were originally part of a larger event, (with a pretty damn sexy lineup), that got cancelled for reasons unknown. In its place is this very enticing show, with only these three bands surviving the cut. It was a relatively late change, with the tickets not transferring, so I was hoping that this new event would have sold enough tickets in its own right to have a decent-sized crowd for the bands. Regardless of the turnout, I’ve been looking forward to this, Psycroptic especially, as I’ve never seen them and they’re one of the best tech death bands in existence. Continue reading “Psycroptic/Ghost Bath/Underdark – Rebellion, Manchester – 02/08/25 (Live Review)”
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