Unearthed Elf – Into the Catacomb Abyss (Review)

Unearthed ElfUnearthed Elf is a one man doom/heavy/power metal project from the US. This is his debut album.

Having a sightly unusual mix of doom, heavy and power metal, Into the Catacomb Abyss is an unexpected listen in a few different ways. Continue reading “Unearthed Elf – Into the Catacomb Abyss (Review)”

Khemmis – Hunted (Review)

KhemmisThis is the second album from US doom metal band Khemmis.

Khemmis’ debut album, Absolution, was one of my favourite releases of 2015, and has continued to be a firm-favourite of mine ever since first hearing it.

Continuing on with their style of combining traditional doom metal with sludge metal, the songs on Hunted are a tad longer, allowing the band more room to explore and expand on their core style.

The singer puts in a sterling performance once more. Continue reading “Khemmis – Hunted (Review)”

Waldgeflüster – Ruinen (Review)

WaldgeflusterThis is the fourth album by German black metal band Waldgeflüster.

Waldgeflüster play atmospheric post-black metal with lashings of the second wave thrown in for good blackened measure and some healthy old-school doom aspects to parts of their sound. It’s a beguiling mix and Ruinen is a highly emotive and comprehensive release.

Post-metal melodies flare up in their resplendence, warring with Continue reading “Waldgeflüster – Ruinen (Review)”

Sea of Bones/Ramlord – Split (Review)

Sea of Bones RamlordSea of Bones and Ramlord are both from the US. Sea of Bones play doom, while Ramlord play hardcore.

Sea of Bones have produced some monolithic, crushing doom/sludge metal in their time, so it’s with great joy that I prepared to listen to their half of this split – a single track named Hopelessness and Decay, lasting just under 11 minutes.

Slow and full of apocalyptic inevitability, the track unfolds at minimal speed, Continue reading “Sea of Bones/Ramlord – Split (Review)”

Oniricide – Revenge of Souls (Review)

OniricideThis is the debut album of Italian symphonic metal band Oniricide.

Oniricide ostensibly play Nightwish-inspired symphonic metal, but there’s more than just this going on here. The music here has a nice, earthy feel to it that reminds me of some doom metal bands as much as symphonic/melodic ones.

The Nightwish influence is only a starting point, as Continue reading “Oniricide – Revenge of Souls (Review)”

Mindkult – Witch’s Oath (Review)

MindkultThis is the debut EP from Mindcult, a one-man doom metal band from the US.

This is fuzzy doom rock with an addictive edge that lures the listener in, seductively, with wily allure.

A large part of this is down to the singer’s voice, which Continue reading “Mindkult – Witch’s Oath (Review)”

Insomnium – Winter’s Gate (Review)

InsomniumInsomnium are a melodic death metal band from Finland and this is their Seventh album.

I do like it when a band gives free rein to their epic, exploratory side and decides to write a really, really long song. Welcome to Winter’s Gate. This album consists of one track that lasts a full 40 minutes in length.

With a concept that’s based around a short story, the band weave this tale into the fabric of the music, taking the listener on a textured journey into unexplored lands. Continue reading “Insomnium – Winter’s Gate (Review)”

Season of Arrows – Give It to the Mountain (Review)

Season of ArrowsThis is the second album from Season of Arrows, a doom/stoner metal band from the US.

This is an album that combines retro/70s doom metal stylings with a more contemporary stoner rock vibe.

The songs on this release merge the various influences of the band effectively, creating tracks that not only worship at the altars of old-school doom and more recent stoner, but also give nods towards post-metal and atmospheric metal in places too. Continue reading “Season of Arrows – Give It to the Mountain (Review)”