Cult of Luna – Page 3 – Wonderbox Metal

Huntsmen – The Dry Land (Review)

Huntsmen are a US progressive metal band and this is their third album.

Leaving a lasting mark with 2018’s striking American Scrap, Huntsmen made a strong first impression with their debut record. They followed this up with 2020’s Mandala of Fear, which saw the band go big in many different ways, living up to their early promise. It’s now four years later and here we have The Dry Land, which gives us 42 minutes of new material. What does the Huntsmen of 2024 provide us with? Continue reading “Huntsmen – The Dry Land (Review)”

Dvne – Voidkind (Review)

Dvne are a progressive post-metal band from the UK and this is their third album.

I fell hard for Dvne on their 2017 album Asheran, which they then followed up in 2021 with the critically acclaimed Etemen Ænka. Which brings us to the much-anticipated Voidkind, an album that boasts 58 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Dvne – Voidkind (Review)”

Cosmic Void – Subterranean Rivers (Review)

This is the debut album from German post-blackened doom metal band Cosmic Void.

Subterranean Rivers contains 61 minutes of material that brings together black, doom, and post-metal influences into a compelling whole. For a starting point for what you can expect to encounter on Subterranean Rivers, imagine a combination of bands such as Cult of Luna, Enslaved, Minsk, Mizmor, Ruins of Beverast, and Amenra. Continue reading “Cosmic Void – Subterranean Rivers (Review)”

Guhts – Regeneration (Review)

This is the debut album from US post-metal band Guhts.

Guhts play post-metal that benefits from avant-garde, sludge, doom, and shoegaze elements that allow the band to build and sustain compelling musical vistas over time. It’s all about emotion and atmosphere with Guhts, and across 46 minutes Regeneration is soaked to the core with feeling. Continue reading “Guhts – Regeneration (Review)”

Distances – Abstruse (Review)

Distances are a post-metal band from the US and this is their fifth album, (assuming you count 2016’s covers album Rip Offs).

Eagerly awaited after 2018’s hugely impressive Diableries, which rightfully made it into the top 3 of my album of the year list for that year, its follow up is finally here. Abstruse contains 41 minutes of new material, and finds the band altered, but full of fire and creative passion. Continue reading “Distances – Abstruse (Review)”

Leonov – Procession (Review)

Leonov are a Norwegian doom/post-metal band, and this is their third album.

It’s been some time since 2018’s Wake, but now Leonov have returned with new opus Procession. Will it attain the gloomy heights of its predecessor? Continue reading “Leonov – Procession (Review)”

Sâver – From Ember and Rust (Review)

This is the second album from Norwegian post-metal band Sâver.

Sâver made a good impression on me with their 2021 split with Psychonaut, so this new release was a great opportunity to see what they are capable of with a full album to play with. Continue reading “Sâver – From Ember and Rust (Review)”

Damnation Festival 2023 – BEC Arena, Manchester, 04/11/23 (Live Review)

It’s Damnation o-clock once more! This is always such a good festival to attend. The line up is an interesting and varied one, with some bands I’m less interested in, some that are an essential experience, and some frustrating clashes. I missed some great bands today, unfortunately, but that’s always going to be the case with such a jam-packed festival. Continue reading “Damnation Festival 2023 – BEC Arena, Manchester, 04/11/23 (Live Review)”

Morne – Engraved with Pain (Review)

This is the fifth album from US doom band Morne.

Engraved with Pain combines elements of doom, sludge, post-metal, and crust, to create a 41-minute album of bleak emotion and textured heaviness. Continue reading “Morne – Engraved with Pain (Review)”

Briqueville – IIII (Review)

This is the fourth album from Belgian post-metal band Briqueville.

IIII contains 39 minutes of dark, enigmatic music. Briqueville’s style is deeply atmospheric, and IIII is the sort of album that will drag you into the darkness as it hypnotises with its shifting walls of rich mood. Continue reading “Briqueville – IIII (Review)”