This is the debut album from Finnish black metallers Väki.
Kuolleen Maan Omaksi mixes old and new black metal styles together to create an album that draws from both to weave its dark magicks. The end result is a modern interpretation of blackened extremity, one which ably demonstrates a band with a lot of potential. Continue reading
Primitive Man are a doom band from the US and this is their third album.
I confess a deep love for Primitive Man’s work, (here, here, here, here, here, here, here), so Immersion is much-anticipated by yours truly. Compared to the band’s previous albums, Immersion contains a surprisingly brief 36 minutes of material, but it makes the most of every minute. Continue reading
This is the second album from Australian death metal band Faceless Burial.
Speciation contains 38 minutes of classic, old-school death metal. The formula for this sort of music may be tried and tested, but that doesn’t lessen its impact any when it’s done as effectively as it is here. Continue reading
This is the second album from Sinister Downfall, a one-man funeral doom band from Germany.
A Dark Shining Light contains 51 minutes downbeat, mournful music. Slow and moody, this is funeral doom that’s solemn and relentlessly engaging. Continue reading
July was packed with strong releases. With some quality highly anticipated albums seeing the light of day in July, (Defeated Sanity, Gaerea, Imperial Triumphant), I decided to focus on some of my favourites from last month that were less likely to get loads of media coverage, (and it was a struggle to limit the selection to five). So, with that in mind, my highlights are below. What are yours? Continue reading
This is the debut album from Sepulchral Curse, a Finnish death metal band.
It seems an age since 2016’s At the Onset of Extinction, but we are now treated to some new material from Sepulchral Curse. Well, I’m pleased to report that the wait has been worth it. Featuring members of Solothus, (including their impressive singer), Only Ashes Remain contains 45 minutes of blackened death metal that will surely be one of the year’s death metal highlights. Continue reading
This is the second album from Drouth, a black/death metal band from the US.
This is sinister black metal that has had its delivery deepened by death metal’s gnarled bite. It’s a sinister and menacing 40 minutes, but a richly textured one also, ripe with atmosphere and expressive feeling. Continue reading
This is the fourth album from US avant-garde black/death metal band Imperial Triumphant.
Referring to Imperial Triumphant as a black/death metal band, (as I’ve just done here for sake of brevity), is highly misleading really, as this is one of the more individual and unique bands in existence. They play an avant-garde, experimental mix of styles that includes, (but is not limited to), black metal, death metal, progressive metal, doom, jazz, and post-everything. Continue reading
Descend into Despair are a Romanian doom metal band, and this is their third album.
I like Descend into Despair very much. Both 2014’s The Bearer of All Storms and 2017’s Synaptic Veil scratched that funeral doom itch quite nicely. Continue reading
This is the debut album from Canadian doom band Empress.
I enjoyed 2017’s Reminiscence, with its psychedelic grooves and rolling riffs. It set out a strong opening argument for the band, which Premonition now ably capitalises on. Combining elements of doom, sludge, progressive, and post-metal into 49 minutes of expressive, mood-focused music, Premonition is a thoroughly convincing affair. Continue reading
