Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2017

2017 was an amazing year for music, with so many top-notch albums seeing the light of day. I pretty much say this every year, of course, but that doesn’t seem to stop it being true. With this in mind, the 2017 list was especially hard to put together, and I agonised over this one more than I did for any of the lists in previous years.

As is traditional, I also want to mention some releases by bands that could easily have made it onto the list, and should have by many rights, if only I could have somehow managed to fit them all in –

Abhorrent DecimationAmenra, Apes, Artificial BrainAu-Dessus,

CelesteDesecrate the FaithEarth RotEarth WitchFalls of Rauros,

Full of HellGnawGutslitHelplessHenry Kane,

Hundred SunsIngurgitating OblivionInto OrbitJohn FrumKarne,

KvalLividMorbid AngelPrimitive ManCraven Idol,

SlowSoulskinnerThe Kennedy VeilUlsectWildspeaker.

I urge you to check out all of the above releases, in addition to the ones in the actual list below. I could probably keep adding more bands you should give a listen to, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, I suppose.

So, without further ado, let’s get right down to it… Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2017”

Siberian Hell Sounds/Convulsing – Split (Review)

Siberian Hell Sounds ConvulsingSiberian Hell Sounds and Convulsing are both non-standard black metal groups from Australia and they have teamed up on this split release.

I enjoyed Siberian Hell Sounds’ last EP Svengali, so it’s great to hear some new material from them. Svengali contained five tracks and lasted under 18 minutes in total, so when I saw that their side of this split contained just one 20-minute song, I knew I had to make listening to it a priority. Continue reading “Siberian Hell Sounds/Convulsing – Split (Review)”

Faustian Dripfeed – Faustian Escapades (Review)

Faustian DripfeedThis is the latest EP from Faustian Dripfeed, a Norwegian melodic death metal band.

Having enjoyed the band’s debut EP Between This and Death, it’s great to catch up with Faustian Dripfeed once more for this new EP. Continue reading “Faustian Dripfeed – Faustian Escapades (Review)”

The Stone – Teatar Apsurda (Review)

The StoneThe Stone are a Serbian black metal band and this is their eighth album.

After an enjoyable 2014 release in Nekroza, The Stone are now back with a further 49 minutes of aggressive black metal. The Stone prefer their black metal dark and sinister, with an atmospheric component that works really well; this album is a great addition to their discography. Continue reading “The Stone – Teatar Apsurda (Review)”

Decaying – To Cross the Line (Review)

DecayingThis is the fourth album from Finnish death metal band Decaying.

Following on from 2014’s One to Conquer, Decaying continue their eternal warfare on this newest release with a further 39 minutes of battle hymns. Continue reading “Decaying – To Cross the Line (Review)”

Vhorthax – Nether Darkness (Review)

VhorthaxVhorthax are a Russian death/black metal band and this is their debut EP.

What foul incantations and rituals resulted in the birthing of this release, I wonder? This is old-school, atavistic black metal, shot through with equally moribund death metal influences. Continue reading “Vhorthax – Nether Darkness (Review)”

Druid Lord – Grotesque Offerings (Review)

Druid LordDruid Lord are a death/doom metal band from the US and this is their second album.

I wonder what rotten, infested crypt this has crawled out of? Druid Lord manifest themselves as shambling ghouls, full of the horrors of the night and the terrors that lurk just at the edges of your vision. Continue reading “Druid Lord – Grotesque Offerings (Review)”

Morbid Angel – Kingdoms Disdained (Review)

Morbid AngelMorbid Angel are a legendary death metal band from the US and this is their ninth album.

After a much-maligned previous full length, Morbid Angel are back with a new lineup and 48 minutes of classic death metal. Continue reading “Morbid Angel – Kingdoms Disdained (Review)”

Revenge Prevails – False Hope Cruelty (Review)

Revenge PrevailsThis is the second album from Swedish black/death metal band Revenge Prevails.

This is a band that takes a sturdy, Satyricon-esque second wave foundation and builds on it with some solid death metal bricks. Continue reading “Revenge Prevails – False Hope Cruelty (Review)”