Terminal Nation – Echoes of the Devil’s Den (Review)

Terminal Nation - Echoes of the Devil's DenTerminal Nation are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.

Terminal Nation play hardcore-infused death metal, delivering 40 minutes of the stuff over 12 songs on this record. The promo blurb tells us that Echoes of the Devil’s Den is for fans of All Out War, Bolt Thrower, Earth Crisis, Maul, Xibalba, Kruelty, Fuming Mouth, and Gatecreeper, so this should give you a good idea of where Terminal Nation are coming from. Continue reading “Terminal Nation – Echoes of the Devil’s Den (Review)”

Necrot – Lifeless Birth (Review)

Necrot - Lifeless BirthNecrot are a death metal band from the US and this is their third album.

2020’s Mortal was an enjoyable slab of old-school death metal carnage, and now Necrot are back to reap more limbs with the 40-minute Lifeless Birth. It’s a step up a level for Necrot, one you must listen to if you’re a fan of bands such as Gatecreeper, Bolt Thrower, Undeath, Incantation, Blood Red Throne, Autopsy, Grave, Tomb Mold, Outer Heaven, Genocide Pact, etc. Continue reading “Necrot – Lifeless Birth (Review)”

Yersin – The Scythe Is Remorseless (Review)

Yersin - The Scythe Is RemorselessYersin are from the UK and play crust/metal. This is their second album.

Yersin play a hybrid style that combines grindcore, crust, death metal, black metal, and thrash metal into 25 minutes of sludgy filth and fury. This may be a short album, but it packs a punch. Continue reading “Yersin – The Scythe Is Remorseless (Review)”

Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2023

Welcome to my annual attempt to make sense of the ridiculous amount of good metal albums out there, awaiting discovery by intrepid metal explorers.

2023’s best of list has been one of the more difficult ones to put together, placing-wise, which is one of the reasons that I’m posting it later than I usually do. Even more so than normal many of the slots are interchangeable, and I especially struggled with positions two-nine – if such a thing were possible, they all deserve to be higher! In the end I decided to stop overthinking it and go with my gut, but the usual caveat of these lists being very subjective and subject to change depending on mood, feelings, etc. is larger than normal here.

There are some notable acts missing form the below. Not because they’re not worthy of inclusion, but because there are only so many spaces to be had. In fact, I almost ended up limiting this list to 20, rather than the now-customary 30, as I found it really difficult to know who to include and who not to. In the end I went with the standard 30 so that I could promote a few extra bands, as they absolutely all deserve it.

As for the top position, I wasn’t expecting it to be filled by a band I’d never heard before, playing a style that I don’t listen to as much as I used to. However, I suppose after last year, I shouldn’t have been too surprised.

I do hope you enjoy this list and find some new music to obsess over. Like always, thanks for your support if you have ever visited this site before, and here’s to a great 2024 for as many of us as possible. Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2023”

Asinhell – Impii Hora (Review)

Asinhell - Impii HoraThis is the debut album from international death metal band Asinhell.

Impii Hora is a 39-minute love letter to Swedeath’s golden days. Asinhell clearly know the style intimately, and across these 10 tracks lay waste with their song-focused approach to death metal carnage. Continue reading “Asinhell – Impii Hora (Review)”

Disguised Malignance – Entering the Gateways (Review)

Disguised Malignance - Entering the GatewaysDisguised Malignance are a Finnish death metal band and this is their debut album.

Disguised Malignance serve up 34 minutes of disgusting old-school death metal, and they do so with undisguised talent. Entering the Gateways is shockingly good fun. Continue reading “Disguised Malignance – Entering the Gateways (Review)”

Undergang – De Syv Stadier af Ford​æ​rv (Review)

Undergang - De Syv Stadier af Ford​æ​rvUndergang are a death metal band from Denmark and this is their latest EP.

As the name might suggest, De Syv Stadier af Ford​æ​rv contains seven tracks, with a total duration of 21 minutes. Continue reading “Undergang – De Syv Stadier af Ford​æ​rv (Review)”

Abolish – …From the Depths (Review)

Abolish - ...From the DepthsAbolish are a death metal band from Turkey and this is their debut album.

Featuring the vocalist of Inhuman Depravity, …From the Depths unleashes 44 minutes of old-school death metal on the listener. Continue reading “Abolish – …From the Depths (Review)”

Ripped to Shreds – 劇變 (Jubian) (Review)

Ripped to Shreds - 劇變 (Jubian)This is the third album from US death metallers Ripped to Shreds.

Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Azath, Disincarnation, and Spinebreaker, 劇變 (Jubian) contains 36 minutes of meaty death metal heaviness. Continue reading “Ripped to Shreds – 劇變 (Jubian) (Review)”

Vacuous – Dreams of Dysphoria (Review)

Vacuous - Dreams of DysphoriaThis is the debut album from UK death metallers Vacuous.

Dreams of Dysphoria presents us with 34 minutes of hideous old-school death metal. At least, that’s the simplistic summary. The harsh and terrifying reality is that Vacuous offer something a little different, a little darker than that of your average old-school death metal act. Continue reading “Vacuous – Dreams of Dysphoria (Review)”