Black metal – Page 185 – Wonderbox Metal

Arkona – Lunaris (Review)

Hailing from Poland, Arkona are a veteran black metal band and this is their sixth album.

Lunaris boasts 48 minutes of the kind of second wave black metal that would be right at home had it actually been released in the 90s, probably about the time that Arkona actually formed.

This is an album based on the classic black metal template of the time, forged through experience and the hands of people that have been doing this long enough to know how to write good black metal. And it is very, very good.

Blackened riffs of frosted hate seep Continue reading “Arkona – Lunaris (Review)”

Sepulchral Curse – At the Onset of Extinction (Review)

Sepulchral Curse are a blackened death metal band from Finland. This is their second EP.

Do you fancy a bit of old-school death metal that’s been infested with a Scandinavian black metal influence? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

With a firm, strong sound that avoids Continue reading “Sepulchral Curse – At the Onset of Extinction (Review)”

Spirit of the Forest – A Void into the Fields of Silence/La Nature Oubliée (Review)

This is Spirit of the Forest’s third album. They play atmospheric melodic black metal and hail from Canada.

Are you a fan of Emperor, Dissection, Windir and Borknagar? If you are then I’ll happily point you in the direction of Spirit of the Forest and let you listen to their very satisfying new release.

For others that might require a bit more convincing, let me Continue reading “Spirit of the Forest – A Void into the Fields of Silence/La Nature Oubliée (Review)”

Uburen – Frå Døden Fødes Liv (Review)

This is the second album from this Norwegian black metal band.

Their debut album Withered Roots was Viking-themed black metal with a touch of death metal now and again, and very enjoyable it was.

As with their debut release, this album plays to the more extreme end of the Viking metal sub-genre, essentially to the point where they’re a purestrain black metal band really. Continue reading “Uburen – Frå Døden Fødes Liv (Review)”

Anaal Nathrakh – The Whole of the Law (Review)

Anaal Nathrakh are a UK black metal band and this is their ninth album.

This is the follow up to 2014’s Desideratum. Continuing their slow-burning evolution of merging the underground filthy side of black metal with something altogether more modern and epic in scope, The Whole of the Law is their Continue reading “Anaal Nathrakh – The Whole of the Law (Review)”

Insanity Cult – As My End Unfolds… (Review)

Insanity Cult are a black metal band from Greece and this is their debut album.

This is raw, underground black metal filled with negative energy. The album has a melancholic feel that spills over to full-blown depressive black metal on occasion, although they’re not fully embedded in this particular sub-genre.

Frosted black metal riffs rendered out of Continue reading “Insanity Cult – As My End Unfolds… (Review)”

Damnation Festival Preview

The UK’s Damnation Festival is fast approaching. Saturday 5th November will see a plethora of top metal bands, large and small, take to the stage in Leeds to show off their music, and there’s a lot to be excited about.

With a whopping 4 stages and a wealth of metal talent spread across many genres and drawn from all over the globe, there’s bound to be something here to satiate even the most jaded of metal tastes. There’s a very good reason it’s my favourite UK festival and seems to only be going from strength to strength every year. Continue reading “Damnation Festival Preview”

Singularity – Void Walker (Review)

This is the latest EP from US black metallers Singularity.

Singularity are an interesting beast. They play technical black metal, which by itself is a relatively unusual sub-genre. Add in a symphonic side to this and their self-titled debut album was an atypical and enjoyable release. Continue reading “Singularity – Void Walker (Review)”

Crystalmoors – The Mountain Will Forgive Us (Review)

Crystalmoors are a Spanish pagan/folk black metal band and this is their third album.

This is a double-album release consisting of two different parts. The first is named The Sap That Feeds Us and the second is named La Montaña.

The Sap That Feeds Us is pagan/folk black metal that should find fans in any that favour the work of Dissection, Primordial, Agalloch and Drudkh.

I like the blackened Continue reading “Crystalmoors – The Mountain Will Forgive Us (Review)”

Jagged Mouth – Louring (Review)

This is the debut album from Jagged Mouth, a sludge/doom metal band from the US.

With the kind of scathingly high-pitched vocals that can strip skin at 100 paces, Jagged Mouth don’t mess around. This is slow and heavy sludge/doom that doesn’t care for being nice or pleasant in any way. Continue reading “Jagged Mouth – Louring (Review)”