Portrayal of Guilt – …Beginning of the End (Review)

Portrayal of Guilt - ...Beginning of the EndPortrayal of Guilt are a blackened hardcore band from the US and this is their fourth album.

…Beginning of the End is the sound of Portrayal of Guilt pushing their sound harder and deeper. Across 31 evocative minutes, the band reach across genres and styles to grasp what they want in an unyielding iron grip. …Beginning of the End brings a lot to the table. Continue reading “Portrayal of Guilt – …Beginning of the End (Review)”

Abrams – Loon (Review)

Abrams - LoonAbrams are a rock band from the US and this is their sixth album.

Loon offers up a tight 37 minutes of infectious rock music, although this is not completely the same Abrams that we’ve encountered previously. Loon showcases a different facet of the Abrams sound, and it does this exceedingly well. Continue reading “Abrams – Loon (Review)”

Converge – Love Is Not Enough (Review)

Converge - Love Is Not EnoughConverge are a hardcore band from the US and this is their tenth album, (or eleventh if you count their collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe).

Love Is Not Enough is the hotly anticipated follow up to 2017’s The Dusk in Us and 2018’s Beautiful Ruin. It must be stated early on that Converge have not disappointed – Love Is Not Enough is excellent. Continue reading “Converge – Love Is Not Enough (Review)”

Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience (Review)

Agenbite Misery - Remorse of ConscienceThis is the debut album from Agenbite Misery, a US black/death/sludge metal band.

Okay, it’s to the promo blurb for this one – “…the band began with a deceptively simple idea: to adapt James Joyce’s Ulysses into an experimental metal album. What emerged from that idea is a 55-minute odyssey of layered sonic aggression and literary depth, an album that blends blackened sludge, dissonant death metal, post-punk, ambient drone, and more into a singular, genre-defying statement of purpose.” So there you have it. Continue reading “Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience (Review)”

Irk – The Seeing House (Review)

Irk - The Seeing HouseIrk are a noise rock band from the UK and this is their second album.

I got to The Seeing House far later than I wanted to or should have. Despite earmarking it for review, it somehow slipped through my Carefully Crafted and Highly Professional reviewing process, only surfacing once more to shout in my face about a month and a half or so after I should have written about it. D’oh! Ah well, better late than ever, eh? Continue reading “Irk – The Seeing House (Review)”

Pupil Slicer – Fleshwork (Review)

Pupil Slicer - FleshworkThis is the second album from UK mathcore band Pupil Slicer.

Following on from 2023’s well-received Blossom, Pupil Slicer have returned with the 36-minute Fleshwork. In this review I’ll make the case that this is peak Pupil Slicer so far. Fleshwork is a monster. If a mix of bands such as Converge, Deafheaven, Heriot, Rolo Tomassi, and Svalbard, sounds good, then this is one for you. Continue reading “Pupil Slicer – Fleshwork (Review)”

Turian – Blood Quantum Blues (Review)

Turian - Blood Quantum BluesThis is the fourth album from US metallic hardcore band Turian.

Blood Quantum Blues contains 38 minutes of music that mixes together punk, metal, and hardcore, with electronics and progressive elements thrown in for extra flavour and texture. Turian have produced an album that rages and snarls, but does so with skill and ability. Continue reading “Turian – Blood Quantum Blues (Review)”

Eyes – Spinner (Review)

Eyes - SpinnerEyes are a hardcore band from Denmark and this is their third album.

Throwing together noise rock and metal into a hardcore melting pot, Eyes have produced the 24-minute Spinner. Brought to us by members of the mighty LLNNSpinner is the sort of album that’s an immensely fun and satisfying listen. Continue reading “Eyes – Spinner (Review)”