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)”

Reaper Festival 2023 – Day One: Saturday – Ultha/Darkher/Coscradh/Dawn Ray’d/The Sun’s Journey Through the Night/Ruadh/Calligram/Cairns – Derby The Hairy Dog, 29/07/23 (Live Review)

Reaper Festival 2023I’ve never been to The Hairy Dog before, but it’s a great venue with a good vibe and good sound system. I don’t actually think I’ve ever been to Derby before at all, but if anything was going to entice me here, it was this year’s Reaper Festival, brought to us by the wonderful Reaper Agency UK. It was a great day overall, and I’d gladly attend such a well-organised show again. Sadly I could only make day one of the festival, which is a shame, as day two has many great bands too. Continue reading “Reaper Festival 2023 – Day One: Saturday – Ultha/Darkher/Coscradh/Dawn Ray’d/The Sun’s Journey Through the Night/Ruadh/Calligram/Cairns – Derby The Hairy Dog, 29/07/23 (Live Review)”

Tongues – Formløse Stjerner (Review)

Tongues - Formløse StjernerTongues are a black metal band from Denmark and this is their second album.

Tongues create quality extreme metal – just check out 2014’s Thelésis Ignis or 2017’s Hreilia for ample evidence of this. It’s been a while, but Tongues have now returned with Formløse Stjerner, a 40-minute odyssey of abyssal exploration. Continue reading “Tongues – Formløse Stjerner (Review)”

Thunder Horse – After the Fall (Review)

Thunder Horse - After the FallThis is the third album from US doom metal band Thunder Horse.

After the Fall contains 40 minutes of quality doom. Spliced with elements of classic heavy metal, stoner, and hard rock, alongside splashes of psychedelia and progressive rock, Thunder Horse have crafted an album that’s worth spending some quality time with. Continue reading “Thunder Horse – After the Fall (Review)”

Mammuthus – Imperator (Review)

Mammuthus - ImperatorMammuthus are a stoner metal/rock band from New Zealand and this is their debut album.

With a relatively brief duration of 30 minutes Mammuthus don’t mess around with filler or pointless procrastination; each track on Imperator is an exemplar of raw honesty and authentic character, as the band just want to kick out the heavy jams and steamroll everything flat as they do so. Continue reading “Mammuthus – Imperator (Review)”

Another Black Autumn – Resplendent Apparitions at the Dawn (Review)

Another Black Autumn - Resplendent Apparitions at the DawnThis is the debut album from US black metal band Another Black Autumn.

Containing members of Canis Dirus and Crown of Asteria, Another Black Autumn play atmospheric black metal. Across 31 minutes the band demonstrate a keen ability at producing black metal that doesn’t always do what you expect it to do. Continue reading “Another Black Autumn – Resplendent Apparitions at the Dawn (Review)”