This is the fourth album from Indian one-man post-black metal band Lesath.
There Is a Profound Sense in Which We Are Isolated offers 43 minutes of post-black metal. It’s essentially a mix of atmospheric black metal, post-rock, and shoegaze. At least, as a rough description of the material here that suffices. Continue reading “Lesath – There Is a Profound Sense in Which We Are Isolated (Review)”
Hail the Void are a doom/stoner metal band from Canada and this is their second album.
Memento Mori is a doom metal record that pays homage to the classic style, while delivering an experience that 2023 should be pleased to host. Continue reading “Hail the Void – Memento Mori (Review)”
Oak are a Portuguese doom metal band and this is their second album.
2019’s Lone impressed me with its atmospheric misery, so I’m pleased to see the band return. Brought to us by current/ex-members of Gaerea, Disintegrate provides 45 minutes of atmospheric death/doom and funeral dirge intensity. Continue reading “Oak – Disintegrate (Review)”
Veilcaste are a doom metal band from the US, and this is either their third album, (or first, depending on your perspective – they released two albums under the name Conjurer, before changing to Veilcaste).
After Veilcaste’s Split with Tusk from last year, I’ve been interested to hear more from this band. With that in mind it’s time for Precipice, which contains 41 minutes of material, including one of the songs from the aforementioned split, (Dust & Bone). Continue reading “Veilcaste – Precipice (Review)”
Another year, another chance for metal to excel. So what has January brought us? Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of January 2023”
This is the fifth album from German doom metallers Obelyskkh.
Ahh, finally Obelyskkh have returned to dispense mammoth-sized doom to the masses. The Providence came out in 2017, which was an age ago, and 2013’s Hymn to Pan was even further back in the mists of time. So, what do Obelyskkh have to offer in 2023? Continue reading “Obelyskkh – The Ultimate Grace of God (Review)”
This is the debut album from German doom metal band Daevar.
With a promo blurb that states this is for fans of bands like Windhand, Monolord, Black Sabbath, Sleep, and Paradise Lost, Delirious Rites delivers 33 minutes of hypnotic gloom for the listener to get lost in. Continue reading “Daevar – Delirious Rites (Review)”
Tribunal are a Gothic doom metal band from Canada and this is their debut album.
The Weight of Remembrance offers a 48-minute Gothic doom metal journey into darkness and sombre atmospheres. The promo states that this is for fans of My Dying Bride, Candlemass, Type O Negative, Paradise Lost, Occultation, Dream Unending, and Pentagram, and this gives a Continue reading “Tribunal – The Weight of Remembrance (Review)”
This is the debut album from US doom metal band Anareta.
Fear Not contains 44 minutes of orchestral doom metal. Anareta aim to blend doom metal with classical music, and on Fear Not they manage this with aplomb. Continue reading “Anareta – Fear Not (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”
Wonderbox Metal 