Ov Sulfur are a blackened deathcore band from the US and this is their debut album.
The Burden ov Faith is a brutal slab of deathcore that takes a blackened and symphonic approach to its blasphemous heaviness. Ov Sulfur spend 44 minutes dealing out punishment of a form that’s surprisingly rich in delivery. Continue reading “Ov Sulfur – The Burden ov Faith (Review)”
Viscera are a death/metalcore band from the UK and this is their second album.
Carcinogenesis follows on from 2020’s Obsidian, which was a record I loved, so I have been really looking forward to hearing this new one. It has not disappointed. Continue reading “Viscera – Carcinogenesis (Review)”
To the Grave are an Australian deathcore band and this is their second album.
In part of the promo blurb for this album it mentions To the Grave’s ‘accessible extremity’, which is a great way to describe what the songs on Director’s Cuts offer. This music provides the absolutely brutal heaviness that I love, while also delivering actual Continue reading “To the Grave – Director’s Cuts (Review)”
This is the third album from Distant, a deathcore band from the Netherlands.
Tyrannotophia, Dusk of Anguish, and Dawn of Corruption – all thoroughly crushing examples of modern downtempo deathcore brutality. How could I not want to check out Distant’s newest? At 47 minutes in duration it’s on the longer side for something like this, but in this case the quantity is backed up by the quality. Continue reading “Distant – Heritage (Review)”
So here we are again. It’s December, and year end lists are flying around like shrapnel. Due to the inherent subjectivity of music it’s always interesting to see what people have made of the preceding year.
For me, I made a concerted effort to drag myself away from the depths of black metal’s always-enticing abyss to spend some more time with other genres and styles that I also love. I said something similar last year, but I feel this year I was more successful in achieving that end. Of course, I still love black metal, still listen to it constantly, and you’ll still find some great examples of the blackened arts in the list below.
2022 was a strong year for death metal for me, and I enjoyed more death metal bands in a deeper way than I have done for some time. In every year there are standout releases, but I felt this year the standard was raised throughout. Possibly I was simply more receptive to it. Either way, you’ll find more death metal-related acts, and in higher spots, in this selection than you’ll have seen in my lists for a while.
As with last year, grindcore was largely absent from my year, disappointingly, as was hardcore. Additionally, the sort of lengthy, ugly, abyssal doom that I love so much has been largely lacking too. It’s all probably out there somewhere, but I didn’t catch it.
The top two spots this year are both claimed by albums/bands/styles that I simply could not have predicted would be at the pinnacle of my list by the year’s end, (one of the bands I hadn’t even heard of in January). I hope you enjoy these excellent records even half as much as I do.
Lastly I just want to say a big thank you to any and all that might read this site. It’s only a small endeavour, and I do it purely for the love of all things METAL and to support bands that I enjoy in whatever minor way I can, but if this is you, a heartfelt thank you for enduring my scribblings.
On to it! Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2022”
Bonecarver are a Spanish deathcore band and this is their second album.
After the thoroughly brutal Evil from only last year, Bonecarver are back already with Carnage Funeral, but they’re not the same band that we met only recently. This 40-minute record showcases the band as they develop their sound further; Carnage Funeral is Bonecarver’s next evolutionary step. Continue reading “Bonecarver – Carnage Funeral (Review)”
And the floodgates were opened! October boasted so many strong metal albums that I have just really, really fallen for, it’s ridiculous. Choosing which ones to showcase here was hard, and I dislike leaving out so many other good releases. However, in the interests of brevity, here are my top picks for October… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of October 2022”
This is the sixth album from UK death metallers Ingested.
Ingested’s albums are always good for some brutal bloodthirsty fun – check out 2018’s The Level Above Human and 2020’s Where Only Gods May Tread for two prime examples. This new album offers a 44-minute rebirth of sorts, with the band broadening their sound, but without losing what made them so enjoyable in the first place. Continue reading “Ingested – Ashes Lie Still (Review)”
This is the second album from US deathcore band A Wake in Providence.
The promo blurb states that this is for fans of bands like Osiah, Signs of the Swarm, and Aversions Crown, and who am I to disagree with that? Okay, well maybe a little. I’d mention bands like Lorna Shore, Mental Cruelty, and Worm Shepherd too, as A Wake in Providence Continue reading “A Wake in Providence – Eternity (Review)”
This is the third album from Danish blackened deathcore band Cabal.
A new Cabal album is very welcome. 2020’s Drag Me Down was murderously good fun, so it’s great to greet Magno Interitus‘ 36 minutes with big expectations. But have Cabal once again delivered the goods? Continue reading “Cabal – Magno Interitus (Review)”
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