This is the second album from Alluvial, a modern death metal band from the US.
Sarcoma contains 38 minutes of progressive death metal. Alluvial fuse their modern approach to the style with technical, progressive, and atmospheric flourishes, yet do so in a restrained song-based way. This results in songs that are atypical expressions of Continue reading “Alluvial – Sarcoma (Review)”
This is the debut EP from Empty Throne. a blackened death metal band from the US.
After giving the promo email the once over, how could I not want to give Glossolalia a spin? Recommended for fans of bands such as At the Gates, God Dethroned, Dark Tranquillity, and Carpathian Forest? Containing current/ex-members of Possessed, Decrepit Birth, Black Crown Initiate, The Kennedy Veil, and Angerot? Listening to this was always going to happen. Continue reading “Empty Throne – Glossolalia (Review)”
Continuum are a technical death metal band from the US, and this is their second album.
Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Decrepit Birth, Scour, Deeds of Flesh, Arkaik, Allegaeon, Inanimate Existence, Pathology, and Rings of Saturn, before even listening to Designed Obsolescence you know that there’s a wealth of extreme metal experience that’s gone into its forging. Continue reading “Continuum – Designed Obsolescence (Review)”
Dysmorphic are a death metal band from France and this is their second album.
Dysmorphic play a mix of technical and brutal death metal, meaning that they fuse straightforward extremity with wandering basslines and intricate guitar complexity that probably requires more fingers than the average human possesses. Continue reading “Dysmorphic – An Illusive Progress (Review)”
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 Decimation, Amenra, Apes, Artificial Brain, Au-Dessus,
Celeste, Desecrate the Faith, Earth Rot, Earth Witch, Falls of Rauros,
Full of Hell, Gnaw, Gutslit, Helpless, Henry Kane,
Hundred Suns, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Into Orbit, John Frum, Karne,
Kval, Livid, Morbid Angel, Primitive Man, Craven Idol,
Slow, Soulskinner, The Kennedy Veil, Ulsect, Wildspeaker.
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”
This is the latest EP from US black metal band Scour.
Containing members and ex-members of bands such as Pig Destroyer, Decrepit Birth, Cattle Decapitation, Down, Pantera, Misery Index, and many, many others, before you even listen to this you know that a lot of experience has gone into it. Continue reading “Scour – Red (Review)”
Blood of the Prophets are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.
This is a modern brand of extremity, one that mixes elements of modern, melodic, technical death metal, and deathcore together into a sci-fi themed 24 minutes. Continue reading “Blood of the Prophets – The Stars of the Sky Hid from Me (Review)”
Decrepit Birth are a death metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.
This is death metal that fuses together a heavy and brutal approach in its delivery with both technical and progressive aspects, resulting in a Continue reading “Decrepit Birth – Axis Mundi (Review)”
Atlas Entity is a one-man Progressive Death Metal project from the US.
This is a short EP, a taster really, at 16 minutes in length, featuring colourful Progressive/Technical/Melodic Death Metal with a textured delivery and an open, exploratory approach to the sub-genre.
There’s enough bite here to satisfy fans of aggression, but there’s also a side to the band that’s more restrained and considered, as well as one that likes to let loose with all kinds of guitar-mayhem.
Featuring a couple of different guests as well as the drummer of Decrepit Birth, the musicianship on Enceladus is first-rate and provides plenty of substance to get your teeth into as the playing time passes.
The vocals are a mix of deeper growls and high pitched screams, both performed well and with passion. When the screams are ringing out, the drumming speeds up and the melodics go into overdrive the songs take on their Melodic Death Metal aspect; this works really well as it then frequently collapses back into more technical or Progressive territory, allowing the songs a wide-reach when it comes to bases covered.
There’s a lot to enjoy on this EP and the tracks sell themselves well. These are not simple songs and it’s clear that a lot of time, love and attention has gone into them. It seems to have paid off, and I recommend you give Enceladus a few spins to see what you think.
Wonderbox Metal 