Darkest Hour – Wonderbox Metal

Arrival of Autumn – Kingdom Undone (Review)

This is the third album from Canadian metalcore band Arrival of Autumn, (who feature a member of Alterbeast).

Containing 39 minutes of material Kingdom Undone is an easy album to like if you were raised on 00s metalcore, yet want a modern update. To be fair, Arrival of Autumn’s sound has more older components and influences than newer ones, but that seems to have worked out for the best as the band have impressed with a very enjoyable album. Continue reading “Arrival of Autumn – Kingdom Undone (Review)”

For I Am King – Crown (Review)

For I Am King are a metal band from the Netherlands and this is their third album.

For I Am King play a style of heavy music rooted in melodic death metal and the more merciless strains of metalcore. Think a mix of bands like Darkest Hour and Arch Enemy, with a touch of The Black Dahlia Murder and you’ll be on the right lines. Continue reading “For I Am King – Crown (Review)”

Blackwater Drowning – Sonder//Satori (Review)

Blackwater Drowning are a melodic death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Featuring a member of Final Curse, Blackwater Drowning play melodic death metal with good riffs, hooks, and vocals. Sonder//Satori contains 33 minutes of material, and ably showcases what the band are capable of a in a tight, professional package. Continue reading “Blackwater Drowning – Sonder//Satori (Review)”

Dying Wish – Fragments of a Bitter Memory (Review)

This is the debut album from US metalcore band Dying Wish.

Now this is what I’m talking about. This is right down my alleyway. Here we have a 35-minute album that sounds like it has risen out of the ashes of 00s era NWOAHM. Yep, this is melodic death metal-infused hardcore mayhem the likes of which you don’t tend to hear very much of these days. Continue reading “Dying Wish – Fragments of a Bitter Memory (Review)”

Irist – Order of the Mind (Review)

Based in the US, Irist are a modern metal band and this is their debut album.

Irist’s recipe is one that takes a wide range of influences and works them into a comprehensive modern metal framework. Loosely stated, Irist take elements of hardcore, thrash metal, and progressive/post-hardcore/metal, and hone them into song-based packages of metallic heaviness. Continue reading “Irist – Order of the Mind (Review)”

Boundaries – My Body in Bloom (Review)

Boundaries are a metal/hardcore band from the US and this is their latest EP.

Boundaries are heavy. Like, crush your skull into a bloody pulp heavy. Add to this the fact that they can also write a good song, and you have a pretty damn satisfying EP. Continue reading “Boundaries – My Body in Bloom (Review)”

Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt (Review)

Mammoth Grinder are a death metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Darkest Hour, Iron Reagan, and Power Trip, it seems like an age since we’ve had a new album from this group of metallic miscreants, but now the wonderfully named Mammoth Grinder are Continue reading “Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt (Review)”

Metalcore is a much maligned sub-genre, usually for good reason; there’s a lot of generic dross out there, sadly. However, if you’re looking for a ripping example of how to do metalcore right in 2017, your sights should immediately land on Shattered Sun. Continue reading “Shattered Sun – The Evolution of Anger (Review)”

Tag: Darkest Hour