Doom – Page 49 – Wonderbox Metal

Anomalie – Tranceformation (Review)

Anomalie are an Austrian post-black metal band and this is their fourth album.

Following on from 2017’s well-received Visions, (via an EP I haven’t heard), Tranceformation contains 44 minutes of new material, and comes with a newly-focused direction to boot. A rough reference point for what Tranceformation sounds like would be a mix of bands such as Schammasch, Enslaved, and old Anomalie, although to be honest this is only a very approximate guide at best, especially as some songs have a modern doom metal flavour too, (most notably opening track). Continue reading “Anomalie – Tranceformation (Review)”

Hemelbestormer – Collide & Merge (Review)

This is the third album from Belgian post-metallers Hemelbestormer.

I’m not the biggest fan of instrumental music, but sometimes a band comes along and makes it work notably well. With 2016’s Aether and 2018’s A Ring of Blue Light, Hemelbestormer were just one such band. Now they’ve returned with Collide & Merge, which boasts a whopping 73 minutes of new material. Can Hemelbestormer continue their upward trend? We shall see. Continue reading “Hemelbestormer – Collide & Merge (Review)”

Daxma – Unmarked Boxes (Review)

This is the second album from Daxma, a doom/post-metal band from the US.

Following on from 2017’s The Head Which Becomes the Skull, by way of the 2019 EP Ruins upon Ruins, Unmarked Boxes is a record I’ve been waiting for. Daxma deal in luscious doom and post-metal soundscapes that are absolutely awash with atmosphere and run deep with emotive content. Continue reading “Daxma – Unmarked Boxes (Review)”

Khemmis – Deceiver (Review)

Khemmis are a doom metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

Khemmis are a great band, it’s as simple as that. Across three very well-received albums, (Absolution, Hunted, and Desolation), they have established themselves as modern doom metal heavyweights extraordinaire. On Deceiver Khemmis have continued their trend of high quality releases, and it’s one not be missed. Continue reading “Khemmis – Deceiver (Review)”

Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Mesarthim, Ikarie, & Olio Tähtien Takana (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.

A new release from Avantgarde Music is almost always worth exploring. Whenever I see a new record from the label on the horizon, I know to pay attention. With a strong track record for producing engaging and interesting black metal and doom albums, there’s always something good to discover… Continue reading “Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Mesarthim, Ikarie, & Olio Tähtien Takana (Reviews)”

Cave Bastard – Wrath of the Bastard (Review)

This is the second album from US extreme metallers Cave Bastard.

2018’s The Bleak Shall Devour the Earth was a record I enjoyed, so I was keen to catch up with what the band were offering in 2021. Continue reading “Cave Bastard – Wrath of the Bastard (Review)”

Adliga – Vobrazy (Review)

Adliga are a post-metal/doom band from Belarus and this is their debut album.

Adliga play a doom-laden brand of post-metal, and on Vobrazy they deliver 41 minutes of captivating material. Their music reminds me of a mix of Obscure Sphinx, Katatonia, Madder Mortem, The Ocean, and Cult of Luna, although these are only rough reference points. Continue reading “Adliga – Vobrazy (Review)”

Gold Spire – Gold Spire (Review)

This is the debut album from Gold Spire, a death metal band from Sweden.

Featuring ex-members of the mighty Usurpress, Gold Spire contains 40 minutes of progressive death metal. In many ways this album is the next logical step on from Interregnum, which is great to hear as that was such a superlative album. Continue reading “Gold Spire – Gold Spire (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of October 2021

October was an absolutely stacked month for great albums! It was very hard to choose just a handful below. There were so many high quality releases and I know whatever I ended up choosing I’d miss some out that deserved to be highlighted, so I’ve just gone with whatever felt right in the moment – if had to do this list again, I’m sure there would be some changes. Having said that, all of the below are superlative albums. Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of October 2021”

Label Roundup: Majestic Mountain Records – Bogwife, Redscale, Jointhugger, & Grand Cadaver (Reviews)

This time we’ll take a look at some releases from Majestic Mountain Records, which is a record label that I’ve only really just discovered via the wonderful Kal-El. I know nothing about the label, but I like what I’m hearing, so let’s delve into some of what they have to offer below… Continue reading “Label Roundup: Majestic Mountain Records – Bogwife, Redscale, Jointhugger, & Grand Cadaver (Reviews)”