Doom – Page 122 – Wonderbox Metal

Echoes of the Moon – Elusion (Review)

This is the third album from this one-man US atmospheric post-black metal band.

Last year’s Entropy was a jaw-dropping release that was chock-full of atmospheric blackened goodness. It was a highly accomplished album and Elusion continues the theme.

Like Entropy, this is very atmospheric and richly textured music. It has elements of psychedelic, progressive and depressive Black Metal, as well as aspects of doom and post-metal. This all manifests in well-realised songs that follow Continue reading “Echoes of the Moon – Elusion (Review)”

VIII – Decathexis (Review)

This is the second album from VIII, an Italian black metal band.

VIII have produced an ambitious release that spans 50 minutes across three sprawling, ugly tracks. This is not an album for people who like polished, shiny music. Oh no. This is the sound of dying, decay and forgotten dreams.

Decathexis sees the band playing raw, underground black metal with a mean, dispirited edge. Alongside the Continue reading “VIII – Decathexis (Review)”

Chalice of Suffering – For You I Die (Review)

This is the début album from US doom metal band Chalice of Suffering.

Across this 72 minute release Chalice of Suffering offer up their brand of misery-laden funeral doom for the delectation of listeners everywhere.

For You I Die is slow, dark and atmospheric. The songs take Continue reading “Chalice of Suffering – For You I Die (Review)”

Vanhelgd – Temple of Phobos (Review)

Vanhelgd are a Swedish death metal band and this is their fourth album.

The band’s third album Relics of Sulphur Salvation was solid, authentic Swedish death metal with chainsaw guitars and a sharp sense of melody.

On this new album the band continue to play the style that made their previous release so enjoyable, only I’d say that Continue reading “Vanhelgd – Temple of Phobos (Review)”

Cough – Still They Pray (Review)

This is the third album from Cough, a doom metal band from the US.

Cough. It’s a funny name for a band. Still, I’ve heard worse, a lot worse.

If you’re a fan of bands like Yob, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Candlemass and the like, then you’ll probably already know that Cough create the kind of repetitive, hypnotic doomscapes that you’re gonna love. Continue reading “Cough – Still They Pray (Review)”

Interview with Rorcal

The latest Rorcal full-length Creon (κρέων) is an absolute monster of an album. A churning maelstrom of blackened riffs and grim intensity, it shows the band absolutely on fire and filled to the brim with darkened delights. Let’s delve a little deeper…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are a black/doom band from Geneva, Switzerland. We’ve been playing together since 2006 and our 13th release is out this spring 2016. Continue reading “Interview with Rorcal”

Messa – Belfry (Review)

This is the début album from Messa, a doom/drone metal band from Italy.

Messa provide the listener with almost an hour of occult retro doom and dark ambience.

This is akin to a strange-yet-effective mix of Sunn O))) and Pentagram, with deliciously seductive female vocals included. Some tracks are dark ambient/drone, full of mysterious atmospheres and distorted malice, while others take Continue reading “Messa – Belfry (Review)”

Unothera – Broken (Review)

This is the début EP from Unothera, who are a melodic doom/death band from the Netherlands.

This EP consists of 5 tracks – two actual songs and three piano movements.

The songs take influence from the likes of My Dying Bride, Katatonia and Paradise Lost, with sorrowful atmosphere aplenty. Keyboards are also used to add depth to the misery that the band exude, and I think these are particularly Continue reading “Unothera – Broken (Review)”

0N0 – Reconstruction and Synthesis (Review)

This is the second album from this Slovakian industrial death/doom band.

Now this is an interesting release.

0N0 combine the industrial, death metal and doom genres together, creating an album that has aspects of all weaved into its genes.

How to classify this? Well, extreme metal is the easy cop out, and as these things don’t ultimately matter that much, I suppose that will do. Industrial death/doom is more specific, of course, but there we are.

Think of the something like Continue reading “0N0 – Reconstruction and Synthesis (Review)”

Druids – Cycles of Mobeum (Review)

Druids are a doom/sludge metal band from the US and this is their latest album.

Druids take elements of modern bands like Mastodon and Behold! The Monolith and infuse them with an earlier style of doom and blues, as produced by bands like Earth and Black Sabbath.

There’s a quality level of musicianship on Cycles of Mobeum, and this Continue reading “Druids – Cycles of Mobeum (Review)”