Primordial – How It Ends (Review)

Primordial - How It EndsPrimordial are an Irish metal band and this is their tenth album.

Primordial are a reliably enjoyable band that found a voice of their own early on in their career. They have some top quality albums, the most recent of which was 2018’s Exile Amongst the Ruins. Playing a blackened form of heavy metal and doom, new album How It Ends delivers 66 minutes of Primordial’s inimitable material. Continue reading “Primordial – How It Ends (Review)”

Blackbraid – Blackbraid II (Review)

Blackbraid - Blackbraid IIThis is the second album from black metal solo act Blackbraid.

Blackbraid I was a very enjoyable album, which showcased the work of a talented new artist. Now though we have the immense Blackbraid II to absorb ourselves in. With a length of 66 minutes,(which includes a Bathory cover), it’s almost double the duration of its predecessor, and reveals that Blackbraid’s debut was no one-hit wonder. Continue reading “Blackbraid – Blackbraid II (Review)”

Slomatics – Strontium Fields (Review)

Slomatics - Strontium FieldsSlomatics are a doom metal band from the UK and this is their seventh album.

They’re heavy, they’re doomy, they’re Slomatics. This is a band that I really, really like. Haven’t heard them? As well as this new record, make sure you check out Future Echo Returns, Canyons, and their splits with Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard/MWWB and Yanomamo. Continue reading “Slomatics – Strontium Fields (Review)”

Broken Pillars – Of Pillars and Primordial Myth (Review)

Broken Pillars - Of Pillars and Primordial MythBroken Pillars are an Iranian black metal band, and this is their debut EP.

To start with I’m going to just lazily regurgitate some of the promo blurb for Of Pillars and Primordial Myth, as it sets the scene nicely for this EP – “Broken Pillars’ music can be described as the Persian response to Hellenic black metal. The songs contain slow yet deliberate doomy-sounding guitar riffing accompanied by grandiose symphonic arrangements. The music can be described as chants trying to reawaken an empire lost to the cruelties of time.” Continue reading “Broken Pillars – Of Pillars and Primordial Myth (Review)”

Spirit Adrift – Ghost at the Gallows (Review)

Spirit Adrift - Ghost at the GallowsThis is the fifth album from the US heavy metal band Spirit Adrift.

I’ve always enjoyed what Spirit Adrift offer, (check out Chained to Oblivion, Curse of Conception, Divided by Darkness, and Enlightened in Eternity), so new album Ghost at the Gallows is most welcome. Continue reading “Spirit Adrift – Ghost at the Gallows (Review)”

The Circle – Of Awakening (Review)

The Circle - Of AwakeningThe Circle are a German black metal band and this is their second album.

Of Awakening is a 33-minute black metal album of sorts that incorporates elements of doom, ambient, symphonic, and post-black metal. While black metal is the obvious tag for this, and it’s superficially the correct one, it doesn’t tell the whole story of Continue reading “The Circle – Of Awakening (Review)”

Godthrymm – Distortions (Review)

Godthrymm - DistortionsThis is the second album from Godthrymm, a doom metal band from the UK.

2020’s Reflections was a high quality slab of old-school doom, so it’s with great pleasure that I welcome Distortions into my life. Across 60 minutes Godthrymm once again demonstrate why they’re head and shoulders above most contemporary doom metal acts. Continue reading “Godthrymm – Distortions (Review)”

Urne – A Feast on Sorrow (Review)

Urne - A Feast on SorrowUrne are a metal band from the UK and this is their second album.

Having loved Urne’s 2021 debut album Serpent & Spirit, it’s safe to assume that A Feast on Sorrow has been one of my most anticipated albums of 2023. I’m very pleased to say that it has not disappointed. Continue reading “Urne – A Feast on Sorrow (Review)”

Stormkeep/Winterfylleth/Saor/Ninkharsag/Arð/Nemorous/Cairns – Rebellion, Manchester – 05/08/23 (Live Review)

Stormkeep - Live Manchester RebellionIt’s a sold out show today at Manchester’s Rebellion, a venue I always like coming to. There’s a good atmosphere, and loads of quality bands to be had. What more could you want? Spoiler alert: today was an excellent day. Continue reading “Stormkeep/Winterfylleth/Saor/Ninkharsag/Arð/Nemorous/Cairns – Rebellion, Manchester – 05/08/23 (Live Review)”