Abisso are a black metal band from Italy and this is their début album.
Abisso specialise in underground atmospheric black metal that has an emphasis on the murk and grime of the underworld, rather than the starry, keyboard enhanced heavens that a lot of atmospheric black metal sets its sights on.
As such, this album contains atmospheric dissonance with Continue reading “Abisso – WRNSS (Review)”
Quercus are from the Czech Republic and play funeral doom. This is their third album.
Funeral doom! When you want slow, miserable and despondent; accept no substitute.
Growled vocals that sound like something is straining against the seams of reality cry out, pained and desperate, from beneath the heavy, distorted guitars. Winding leads flow around the music’s murky foundations, working alongside a sturdy rhythm section that’s in no hurry to get anywhere. After all, what’s the point? Continue reading “Quercus – Heart with Bread (Review)”
This is the latest release from Nadja, a doom/drone duo from Canada.
If you haven’t encountered the highly prolific and individual Nadja before, then I highly recommend them. Having amassed a pretty dauntingly huge discography over the years, Nadja have released some impressive music in their time. Continue reading “Nadja – Sv (Review)”
This is the latest album by Greek Doom Rockers Omega Monolith.
Omega Monolith fuse Doom and Heavy/Progressive Rock together to create three sprawling tracks that constitute Fungus. At 43 minutes in length, their musical vision gets a thorough exploration and no avenue for drawn-out claustrophobia is left out.
Fungus is born out of Continue reading “Omega Monolith – Fungus (Review)”
This is the second EP from Finnish Death/Sludge Metal band Black Royal.
Black Royal have an interesting style, effectively combining primitive 90s Death Metal with a Sludge/Stoner influence. It’s definitely the path less-travelled and makes for a very enjoyable journey.
The vocals consist of rough, Stoner-esque, semi-cleans, mixed in with deeper growls that have more of a Death Metal slant. Continue reading “Black Royal – The Summoning Pt. 2 (Review)”
Goddess are a Norwegian progressive Doom rock band, and this is their début EP.
Originally appearing in 2014, this is a re-released, remixed, remastered and expanded version. As this is my first exposure to Goddess, I can only assume these changes have improved The Withering, as it is quite an impressive release.
This is one song Continue reading “Goddess – The Withering (Review)”
I’m not sure how many times I’ve listened to Herb Your Enthusiasm at this point, but all I know is that it’s as infectious as it is crushing, and if it doesn’t end up in my end of year list for 2016 I’ll be hugely shocked. So when I got the opportunity to dig a bit deeper into the band, I took it. Here’s Alex Hurst, vocalist of Boss Keloid…
Introduce us to Boss Keloid!
Boss Keloid are
Alex Hurst – Vocals
Paul Swarbrick – Guitar
Adam Swarbrick – Bass
Ste Arands – Drums
What are your influences?The
Influences in this band are a tad crazy as we all love different types of music but there is a common ground when it comes to anything with a good groove and beat. Influences I could list would have to be Bob Marley / Sleep / OM / Neurosis / Steely Dan / Anything Mike Patton is involved in / Will Haven / King Crimson / Secret Chiefs 3 / Kyuss. Continue reading “Interview with Boss Keloid”
Schammasch are a Black Metal band from Switzerland. This is their third album.
Here we have a bold, monster of a release; divided into three parts, each lasting about 35 minutes, the entire body of work clocks in at a massive 105 minutes in length.
Schammasch play forward-thinking music that’s rooted in Black Metal, but also visits other styles such as Doom, Post-Black Metal and Progressive Metal.
Fister and Teeth are both bands from the US, and they’ve teamed up for this split release.
Fister start us off with one track – We All Die Tonight. Although they’ve never graced this site before, Fister’s brand of Sludgy Doom is most enjoyable, and this song is no different.
This is the fourth album from Swedish Sludge/ Doom band Pyramido.
Saga was a very strong album, and now that Pyramido return with Vatten it’s clear that it wasn’t a one-off fluke.
Pyramido are heavy and crushing. Vatten exemplifies these traits and the album is 38 minutes of emotively flattening guitars and distorted atmospherics.
Anguished screams tear out of the music as lonesome leads and tortured melodies rise out from the body of the music. Although the heaviness is a constant companion, it’s not Pyramido’s only weapon in the war against silence, as they also show they can play introspectively in more of a Post-Metal way.
On Vatten the band seem to have injected a little more nuance and shading into their songs; even though they had this on Saga for sure, it seems more developed here, with the time being taken to cultivate greater mood and feeling via the leads and rhythms.
Even when all of this happens though, the heavy riffs are not too far away, and the Sludge Metal gets its way in the end. The truly wonderful moments occur when the heavy riffs are providing the emotive content, and on those occasions Vatten is at its best.
These tracks compel you to pay attention, as the groovy and emotive guitars draw you in, engaging with their fury and hypnotic delivery.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 