Standard Interrogation Techniques: Five Questions for Celeste (Interview)

Although I’d ideally love to be able to conduct hard-hitting, in-depth interviews, who has the time these days? In lieu of this, I’ve thrown together the below question template, hopefully to gather some interesting and informative results, without taking up too much of anyone’s time.

Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

Hi! I’m Guillaume and I’ve played guitar in Celeste since the beginning of the band in 2005. Even if our creative process is very collaborative, I’ve always been the main songwriter until Infidèle(s) (2017), our previous album. Since then, I’ve shared this responsibility with Johan, the singer and bass player in the band. Continue reading “Standard Interrogation Techniques: Five Questions for Celeste (Interview)”

Mur – Cut the Rivers Vein (Review)

Mur - Cut the Rivers VeinThis is the fourth album from one-man blackened doom act Mur.

Cut the Rivers Vein spends 51 minutes mixing together doom, post-metal, and black metal, with elements of folk, ambient, and drone, to great effect. Continue reading “Mur – Cut the Rivers Vein (Review)”

Sonic Assault – Neon-Lit Metropolis (Review)

Sonic Assault - Neon-Lit MetropolisThis is the debut album from Swedish progressive thrash metal band Sonic Assault.

Sonic Assault’s music contains elements of hardcore, (primarily in the vocals), and black metal, but mostly the style is one of progressive/technical thrash, played with conviction and skill. Continue reading “Sonic Assault – Neon-Lit Metropolis (Review)”

Tine – Mergae Maris Profundi (Review)

Tine - Mergae Maris ProfundiThis is the second album from US solo symphonic black/death metal act Tine.

Tine’s debut album – The Forest Dreams of Black – was one that I enjoyed a great deal, and I can’t quite believe that it came out seven years ago. I’m pleased to say that we now have a new album on the horizon – Mergae Maris Profundi – which provides us with 54 minutes of blackened death metal to hungrily consume. Continue reading “Tine – Mergae Maris Profundi (Review)”

The Mist from the Mountains – Monumental – The Temple of Twilight (Review)

The Mist from the Mountains - Monumental - The Temple of TwilightThe Mist from the Mountains are a Finnish black metal band and this is their debut album.

Monumental – The Temple of Twilight contains 38 minutes of 90s-influenced nature-inspired black metal. The promo blurb mentions bands from that era such as Old Man’s Child, Gehenna, Dimmu Borgir, and Borknagar, which, coupled with the enticing album art, meant I definitely had to give The Mist from the Mountains some of my attention. Continue reading “The Mist from the Mountains – Monumental – The Temple of Twilight (Review)”

Celeste – Assassine(s) (Review)

Celeste - Assassine(s)Celeste are a French blackened doom/sludge/hardcore band and this is their seventh album.

This is the follow up to 2017’s Infidèle(s), which I enjoyed a great deal. Clocking in at 41 minutes, this is on the shorter side for a Celeste album, and Assassine(s) finds the band focused and sharp. Continue reading “Celeste – Assassine(s) (Review)”

Tyhjä – Valtakunta (Review)

Tyhjä - ValtakuntaThis is the second album from Tyhjä, a black metal band from Finland.

We’ve met Tyhjä before on their 2017 debut EP. Apparently they had an album out in 2019, which I completely missed, so this is my first exposure to them since that first release. Continue reading “Tyhjä – Valtakunta (Review)”

Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards (Review)

Wolfbastard - Hammer the BastardsWolfbastard are from the UK and play blackened crust. This is their third album.

Wolfbastard play the sort of sick and depraved blackened crust punk that you know you probably shouldn’t like, but you can’t help it as the songs are just so damn infectious. Seriously, the band can write a good hook, even if it is covered in grime and filth. Continue reading “Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards (Review)”

Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road (Review)

Wiegedood - There's Always Blood at the End of the RoadWiegedood are a Belgian black metal band and this is their fourth album.

Featuring current and ex-members of Living Gate, Amenra, and Oathbreaker, There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road features 44 minutes of new material. I really, really liked 2017’s De Doden Hebben Het Goed II, so I was looking forward to this new one, (apparently there was also an album after this from 2018, which I somehow managed to miss out on). As we’ll see below though, the Wiegedood of 2022 is a different beast to the one I knew. Since I last heard them Wiegedood’s sound has changed, and they have now become more extreme and more idiosyncratic. Continue reading “Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road (Review)”

Enterprise Earth – The Chosen (Review)

Enterprise Earth - The ChosenThis is the fourth album from US metal/deathcore band Enterprise Earth.

Enterprise Earth walk a line between modern death metal, deathcore, and metalcore, and on The Chosen the band deliver a whopping 71 minutes of meaty material for listeners to get their teeth into. Continue reading “Enterprise Earth – The Chosen (Review)”