Doom – Page 38 – Wonderbox Metal

1/2 Southern North – Narrations of a Fallen Soul (Review)

This is the debut album from 1/2 Southern Soul, a one-woman blackened doom band from Greece.

Narrations of a Fallen Soul is a 67-minute journey into lesser travelled terrain. Powered by a single creative artist, but fleshed out by many guests on different tracks and instruments, (including drums, saxophone, violin, davul, kaval, and dahare), 1/2 Southern North provides an unusual album that is well-crafted and realised. Continue reading “1/2 Southern North – Narrations of a Fallen Soul (Review)”

Infinity Ritual – Infinity Ritual (Review)

This is the debut EP from New Zealand metal band Infinity Ritual.

Infinity Ritual play a groovy metallic brand of doom and stoner, and this EP features four tracks of material with a total duration of 23 minutes. Continue reading “Infinity Ritual – Infinity Ritual (Review)”

Reeking Aura – Blood and Bonemeal (Review)

Reeking Aura are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Blood and Bonemeal contains 34 minutes of gruesome death metal brought to us by current and ex-members of Afterbirth, Artificial Brain, Buckshot Facelift, Coma Cluster Void, Grey Skies Fallen, and Unearthly Trance. In other words, Reeking Aura bring a lot of experience to the table. Continue reading “Reeking Aura – Blood and Bonemeal (Review)”

Pythian – Understanding in Light (Review)

This is the latest EP from Pythian, a post-metal/sludge band from the US.

Understanding in Light is a 30-minute journey into shaded mood and crushing sludgescapes. Pythian play Neurosis-esque apocalyptic post-metal/sludge mixed with elements of expressive doom metal and formidable crust. Continue reading “Pythian – Understanding in Light (Review)”

Triumvir Foul – Onslaught to Seraphim (Review)

This is US death metal band Triumvir Foul’s third album.

The third album from Triumvir Foul brings us another 35 minutes of apocalyptic death metal horror. I always enjoy witnessing what primeval new terror the band have conjured up, (see, for example, this, this, and this), and have thoroughly enjoyed watching their development since they started. On their first new album in five years, Triumvir Foul have produced a monster capable of cementing their legacy. Continue reading “Triumvir Foul – Onslaught to Seraphim (Review)”

Sedimentum – Suppuration Morphogénésiaque (Review)

Sedimentum are a death metal band from Canada and this is their debut album.

Featuring a guitarist from Outre-Tombe, Suppuration Morphogénésiaque contains 39 minutes of filthy death metal. Sedimentum have a sound that’s dense and unforgiving. The band’s music is ugly and rotten, but underneath the surface it is well-crafted and delivered. Continue reading “Sedimentum – Suppuration Morphogénésiaque (Review)”

False Gods – Neurotopia (Review)

False Gods are a doom/sludge metal band from the US and this is their second album.

Neurotopia contains eight tracks, (seven originals and a doomified Integrity cover), for a total of 50 minutes of material. False Gods play a compelling brand of doom and sludge metal that also benefits from elements of hardcore. Continue reading “False Gods – Neurotopia (Review)”

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)”