Doom – Page 38 – Wonderbox Metal

Panzerfaust – The Suns of Perdition – Chapter III: The Astral Drain (Review)

Panzerfaust are a Canadian black metal band and this is their sixth album.

It was with high expectations that I turned to Panzerfaust‘s new record, and I have not been disappointed. I admit to apprehension when I saw that there were no less than four tracks tagged as interludes. However, only three of these are really interludes, (one is a 6-minute instrumental), and while none of these three are really essential, they’re not complete wastes of space like most interludes are. Regardless, The Suns of Perdition – Chapter III: The Astral Drain is still an exceptional album, so let’s get to it. Continue reading “Panzerfaust – The Suns of Perdition – Chapter III: The Astral Drain (Review)”

Label Roundup: Black Mass Prayers – Lykten, Urluk, & Valadier (Reviews)

Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This new column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

For this edition we turn to Black Mass Prayers, an Italian label that states it is “supporting the Italian Black Metal underground and aiming to spread its glory worldwide”. Neither other the label nor the bands on it were familiar to me prior to this, so it felt like a good time to dig in and explore what they had to offer… Continue reading “Label Roundup: Black Mass Prayers – Lykten, Urluk, & Valadier (Reviews)”

Northless – A Path Beyond Grief (Review)

Northless are a sludge/doom band from the US and this is their fourth album.

I last caught up with Northless on their 2016 split with Primitive Man, so A Path Beyond Grief seemed an opportune time to check out the band once more. Continue reading “Northless – A Path Beyond Grief (Review)”

Grave Lines – Communion (Review)

This is the third album from UK doom/sludge metallers Grave Lines.

Featuring the guitarist from Dead Witches/Sea Bastard, Grave Lines play an interesting and immersive form of doom. Weaving together doom metal and sludge into a tapestry that also includes Gothic, ambient drone, post-punk, and experimental elements, Communion contains 44 minutes of music that’s highly compelling. Continue reading “Grave Lines – Communion (Review)”

Mantar – Pain Is Forever and This Is the End (Review)

This is the fourth album from German blackened metal act Mantar.

This is the follow up to 2018’s The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze, (if you ignore the band’s cover album from 2020), and contains 41 minutes of new material. Pain Is Forever and This Is the End is the next logical evolution of Mantar’s sound, bringing a more direct song-focused approach to the music, while Continue reading “Mantar – Pain Is Forever and This Is the End (Review)”

Behold! The Monolith – From the Fathomless Deep (Review)

This is the fourth album from US doom/sludge metallers Behold! The Monolith.

It seems like an age ago that it came out, but 2015’s Architects of the Void stood out from the crowds that year, (and made it into my year end list), and I had wondered if we’d ever hear from the band again. They’ve now reappeared though, and with a new singer to boot, to bring us 46 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Behold! The Monolith – From the Fathomless Deep (Review)”

Altars – Ascetic Reflection (Review)

This is the second album from Australian death metallers Altars.

Ascetic Reflection contains 40 minutes of warped death metal. As a rough outline of the band’s sound, take a base of Morbid Angel and then add in elements of bands like Gorguts, Artificial Brain, and Ulcerate. Then know that that these lazy comparisons do nothing to prepare you for the journey that Ascetic reflection offers. Continue reading “Altars – Ascetic Reflection (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2022

In what was once again a strong month for metal music, I had a lot of fun listening to a variety of different types of metal. I’ve picked some of my favourites below. What were yours? Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2022”

Veilcaste/Tusk – Split (Review)

This is a split between two US doom/sludge bands, Veilcaste and Tusk.

Each band contribute 3 songs, and Veilcaste open the split with 14 minutes of material. Continue reading “Veilcaste/Tusk – Split (Review)”

Standard Interrogation Techniques: Five Questions for Hush (Interview)

Although I’d ideally love to be able to conduct hard-hitting, in-depth interviews, who has the time these days? In lieu of this, I’ve thrown together the below question template, hopefully to gather some interesting and informative results, without taking up too much of anyone’s time.

Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?

Jason Tash, I play bass for Hush. Continue reading “Standard Interrogation Techniques: Five Questions for Hush (Interview)”