This Gift Is a Curse are a blackened sludge band from Sweden and this is their third album.
Here we have 45 minutes of hateful extremity that combines black metal, sludge, and hardcore. It’s violent, world-ending music that’s wreathed in both aggression and atmosphere most foul. Continue reading “This Gift Is a Curse – A Throne of Ash (Review)”
Bather are a sludge metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
I like hybrid bands that are hard to easily tag, and Bather qualify. Bather play a violent metal/sludge/hardcore style that involves Continue reading “Bather – Bather (Review)”
Wormwitch are a Canadian black metal band and this is their second album.
Heaven That Dwells Within features 46 minutes of black metal that’s accessible, catchy, and memorable, while still retaining underground aesthetics, dark atmospheres, and grim intent. Continue reading “Wormwitch – Heaven That Dwells Within (Review)”
Dispyt are a blackened crust band from Finland and this is their debut album.
Featuring members of Finntroll & Ondfødt, Den Ständigt Närvarande Ångesten contains 27 minutes of crust, punk, d-beat, and hardcore nastiness, all realised through a second wave black metal filter. Continue reading “Dispyt – Den Ständigt Närvarande Ångesten (Review)”
Endorphins Lost are from the US and play grindcore. This is their second album.
My first encounter with Endorphins Lost was on their split with Osk, and I enjoyed their brief, violent take on crust/hardcore-infused grind. Their songs on that split only lasted four minutes, so it’s great to be able to find out what the band can do with 21 minutes of material. Continue reading “Endorphins Lost – Seclusions (Review)”
Downfall of Gaia are a German post-black metal band and this is their fifth album.
Downfall of Gaia are an impressive proposition. Their blackened brand of atmospheric sludge metal is channelled into post-black metal songs that are both satisfying and immersive. We last encountered them on 2016’s Atrophy, and now they grace us with 40 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Downfall of Gaia – Ethic of Radical Finitude (Review)”
Hekata are a Russian death metal band and this is their debut album.
Hekata play a virulent mix of death metal, black metal, hardcore, crust, and grind. It’s quite the mix, and essentially results in songs that merge these influences into blackened slabs of Scandinavian-influenced deathcrustcore. Or something. You get the idea, I’m sure. Continue reading “Hekata – Ruin (Review)”
Sågverk are a Finnish blackened crust band and this is their second album.
This is the follow up to the belligerent Sahataan ne Kaikki from 2015. Like Royalty finds Sågverk in fine form. They have managed to take what made their debut album so enjoyable and refine and develop it further into the very satisfying 38 minutes of music that they have given us here. Continue reading “Sågverk – Like Royalty (Review)”
Ancst are a blackened crust band from Germany and this is their latest EP.
I always enjoy catching up with Ancst. This prolific band seem to almost always have a new release coming out. Continue reading “Ancst – Abolitionist (Review)”
Cult Leader are a progressive hardcore/crust band from the US and this is their second album.
A Patient Man gives us 48 minutes of dense, chaotic violence and intensity, but also much more than this. Continue reading “Cult Leader – A Patient Man (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 