Haunted Cenotaph – Abyssal Menace (Review)

Haunted Cenotaph - Abyssal MenaceThis is the debut album from Polish death/doom metal band Haunted Cenotaph.

Abyssal Menace contains 41 minutes of gloomy old-school death metal. With a hefty amount of doom metal elements, and a Celtic Frost influence, this is an enjoyable listen for anyone that wants to explore OSDM that has a different perspective on the genre than that of many of the band’s contemporaries. Continue reading “Haunted Cenotaph – Abyssal Menace (Review)”

Pneuma Hagion – Voidgazer (Review)

Pneuma Hagion - VoidgazerThis is the debut album from Pneuma Hagion, a death metal band from the US.

Ugly and heavy, death metal like this feels like it should be able to swallow stars. You can hear influences from both black and doom metal, but mostly you can hear the sound of brutal nightmares forged into music. Continue reading “Pneuma Hagion – Voidgazer (Review)”

Subterraen – Rotten Human Kingdom (Review)

Subterraen - Rotten Human KingdomSubterraen are a French sludge/doom band and this is their debut album.

When the promo blurb states that Rotten Human Kingdom is for fans of bands like Eremit, Jupiterian, Lurk, Eyehategod, Neurosis, 71TONMAN, Conan, and Primitive Man, you know you have to check it out. You won’t be disappointed, either. Far from it, in fact. Continue reading “Subterraen – Rotten Human Kingdom (Review)”

Sunyata – The Great Beyond (Review)

Sunyata - The Great BeyondThis is the debut album from UK atmospheric doom metal solo act Sunyata.

The artist describes Sunyata’s music as a mix of funeral doom and modern classical. Although this serves as a decent description, it doesn’t quite do justice to the wealth of rich content that’s to be found on The Great Beyond. Continue reading “Sunyata – The Great Beyond (Review)”

Soulburn – Noa’s D’ark (Review)

Soulburn - Noa's D'arkThis is the fourth album from Soulburn, a black metal band from the Netherlands.

Following up from 2016’s Earthless Pagan Spirit, (via an EP I hadn’t heard, but is actually included here as bonus tracks), Noa’s D’ark is 47 minutes of music with snarling attitude and infectious guitars. Continue reading “Soulburn – Noa’s D’ark (Review)”

Spirit Adrift – Enlightened in Eternity (Review)

Spirit Adrift - Enlightened in EternityThis is the fourth album from the US heavy metal band Spirit Adrift.

Up to this point, each Spirit Adrift album has been better and more developed than its predecessor. From 2016’s Chained to Oblivion, to 2017’s Curse of Conception, and then last year’s Divided by Darkness, this prolific Continue reading “Spirit Adrift – Enlightened in Eternity (Review)”

Pallbearer – Forgotten Days (Review)

Pallbearer - Forgotten DaysThis is the fourth album from US doom metallers Pallbearer.

This is old-school doom metal mixed with a progressive delivery. Black Sabbath and Candlemass are obvious rough starting points for the band’s sound, but you can also hear the influence of 70s progressive rock on the songs too. Continue reading “Pallbearer – Forgotten Days (Review)”

Invernoir – The Void and the Unbearable Loss (Review)

Invernoir - The Void and the Unbearable LossThis is the debut album from Invernoir, an Italian doom metal band.

Taking influence from old-school doom/Gothic metal via the likes of My Dying Bride, Anathema, Katatonia, and Paradise Lost, The Void and the Unbearable Loss contains 51 minutes of music crafted in this venerable style. Continue reading “Invernoir – The Void and the Unbearable Loss (Review)”

Jupiterian – Protosapien (Review)

Jupiterian - ProtosapienThis is the third album from Jupiterian, a Brazilian atmospheric sludge band.

2017’s Terraforming was one of my favourite releases of 2017, so it’s great to have the band back. Protosapien gives us 36 minutes of characterful doom/sludge metal that sees Jupiterian once more producing the grimy Continue reading “Jupiterian – Protosapien (Review)”