Soliloquium – Soulsearching (Review)

Soliloquium - SoulsearchingThis is the fourth album from Swedish death/doom metallers Soliloquium.

It’s always a pleasure to hear new Soliloquium. Betwen 2018’s Contemplations and 2020’s Things We Leave Behind the band have quickly amassed an enviable discography, and now we have Soulsearching to add to this impressive list. Continue reading “Soliloquium – Soulsearching (Review)”

Oar – The Blood You Crave (Review)

Oar - The Blood You CraveThis is the debut album from Australian post-black metallers Oar.

Oar’s brand of post-black metal is expressive and dark. There is a sizeable doom influence, which is great to hear and works really well in the band’s blackened context. Elements of blackgaze and hardcore can also be heard, and these succeed in broadening the palette with which Oar paint their soundscapes. Continue reading “Oar – The Blood You Crave (Review)”

MØL – Diorama (Review)

MØL - DioramaMØL are a post-black metal band from Denmark and this is their second album.

I really liked 2018’s Jord, so it’s great to have some new material from MØL.

MØL play an effervescent blend of post-black metal and blackgaze, and on Diorama they deliver 47 minutes of the stuff. Continue reading “MØL – Diorama (Review)”

Label Roundup: Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions – Limbes, Mütterlein, Aorlhac, & Hegemon (Reviews)

Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This new column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions has released some very strong albums over the years, so I always like to keep up with what they’re putting out. Imagine my horror when I discovered that I was a good couple of months behind with their releases. To rectify, I’ve collected the three below for your delectation… Continue reading “Label Roundup: Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions – Limbes, Mütterlein, Aorlhac, & Hegemon (Reviews)”

Ennoven – Empty Passes, Silent Trails (Review)

Ennoven - Empty Passes, Silent TrailsThis is the second album from Polish one-man post-black metal band Ennoven.

This is the follow up to 2014’s Redemption, which was a very enjoyable debut record. Empty Passes, Silent Trails, however, is on another level entirely. It contains only four tracks, but lasts 47 minutes, and spans a world of emotion and mood. Continue reading “Ennoven – Empty Passes, Silent Trails (Review)”

Noctule – Wretched Abyss (Review)

Noctule - Wretched AbyssNoctule is a one-woman black metal band from the UK, and this is her debut album.

Brought to us by the singer/guitarist of Svalbard, Wretched Abyss is a 42-minute Skyrim-themed album that takes some of the darker and melodic elements you can hear in Svalbard’s sound, and wraps them around a blackened core. Continue reading “Noctule – Wretched Abyss (Review)”

Olhava – Frozen Bloom (Review)

Olhava - Frozen BloomOlhava are a Russian black metal band and this is their fourth album.

Frozen Bloom is a 59-minute exploration of loss and mournful intensity. The band’s post-blackened brew is concocted from the bones of atmospheric black metal, blackgaze’s warmth of emotion, dark ambience, and synth-driven drone. Continue reading “Olhava – Frozen Bloom (Review)”