Tonight, Manchester gets a severe case of The Doom. Stygian Bough Volume II is an excellent record that should have had pride of place on last year’s end of year list, (but frustratingly, there always seems to be one that slips through the cracks), so the opportunity to see it played live tonight was too good to miss. Added bonus – 40 Watt Sun. An unlooked for treat that’s Continue reading “Stygian Bough (Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin)/40 Watt Sun – Rebellion, Manchester – 09/02/26 (Live Review)”
This is the fourth album from US black/death/doom act Worm.
In many quarters Necropalace is a big deal. Through a range of EPs, splits, and albums, (such as Foreverglade and Bluenothing), Worm have continued to develop and grow over the years, essentially Continue reading “Worm – Necropalace (Review)”
Oreyeon are an Italian stoner rock band and this is their fourth album.
I enjoyed 2022’s Equations for the Useless, so wanted to check in with Oreyeon once more to see what this stoner rock crew were up to. The Grotesque Within is what. It’s a record bursting with stoner rock flavour, spiced up with grunge, doom, and progressive rock seasoning. Continue reading “Oreyeon – The Grotesque Within (Review)”
This is the debut album from Agenbite Misery, a US black/death/sludge metal band.
Okay, it’s to the promo blurb for this one – “…the band began with a deceptively simple idea: to adapt James Joyce’s Ulysses into an experimental metal album. What emerged from that idea is a 55-minute odyssey of layered sonic aggression and literary depth, an album that blends blackened sludge, dissonant death metal, post-punk, ambient drone, and more into a singular, genre-defying statement of purpose.” So there you have it. Continue reading “Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience (Review)”
This is the debut album from UK doom band Epimetheus.
Containing 48 minutes of prime underground doom, Perseus 9 heralds the arrival of Epimetheus as ones to definitely watch. More than that though, as not only am I very intrigued by where Epimetheus take their material in the future, where they’re at right now is very compelling in its own right. Continue reading “Epimetheus – Perseus 9 (Review)”
This is the debut album from Finnish death metal band Ligation.
After Gods is billed as a full album, although it actually only contains 24 minutes of new music, spread over five tracks. However, there’s also a version with three additional bonus tracks that have been taken from Ligation’s previous two split releases, which brings the total up to 41 minutes. Either way, it’s an unconventional approach, but then Ligation’s music is unconventional too. Continue reading “Ligation – After Gods (Review)”
This is the debut album from UK post-metal band In a House of Heartbeats.
Divination of Dreams is a 54-minute cinematic blend of post-rock, post-metal, shoegaze, and doom. In a House of Heartbeats have produced a cracking first record that’s more than worth spending time getting to know intimately. Continue reading “In a House of Heartbeats – Divination of Dreams (Review)”
This is the seventh album from one-man German black/doom metal metal band The Ruins of Beverast.
For some reason it feels like an age since The Thule Grimoires came out, but it was only actually 2021. As such, the arrival of Tempelschlaf feels like an occasion of note. The artist behind The Ruins of Beverast has amassed a great deal of experience and renown across his career – can Tempelschlaf keep the momentum going? Continue reading “The Ruins of Beverast – Tempelschlaf (Review)”
Another year, another list. 2025 followed 2024 as it was meant to, and brought with it a plethora of new metal albums to get excited about. Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2025”
This is the third album from Ukrainian doom metal band Vin de Mia Trix.
Palimpsests was a record that topped my 20174 year end list, but that was a long time ago, and I never really expected to hear from Vin de Mia Trix again after so long. However, they resurfaced in 2022 with the EP Waves~Stars, and have now returned fully with the colossal This Landscape Is Alive. Continue reading “Vin de Mia Trix – This Landscape Is Alive (Review)”
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