Hexis and Zatokrev are both bands I’ve liked for many years, but filed in the “bands I’ll probably never get to see live” category. I do so enjoy being wrong. On a more negative note, tonight is one of the most sparsely attended gigs I’ve ever been to, which is a huge shame for the bands. Continue reading “Hexis/Zatokrev/Marw – Rebellion, Manchester – 18/08/19 (Live Review)”
Gurthang are a Polish black metal band and this is their sixth album.
Ascension contains 57 minutes of textured black metal modelled on the second wave, but mixed with some more modern influences and enhanced with doom elements in places. Continue reading “Gurthang – Ascension (Review)”
Abigorum are a black/doom metal band from Russia/Germany and this is their debut album.
Exaltatus Mechanism contains 46 minutes of blackened soundscapes filled with bleak, ritualistic occult atmosphere and daemonic presence. Continue reading “Abigorum – Exaltatus Mechanism (Review)”
Kludde are a Belgian black metal band and this is their second album.
Inspired by second wave black metal, this is old-school, raw, and menacing. A death metal influence can be heard in the music, giving it more muscle and thickness than some black metal out there. Pinches of crust’s energetic urgency can be detected too here and there, propelling a particular passage along at a punishing rate. There’s even a doom/sludge influence; this mainly Continue reading “Kludde – In de Kwelm (Review)”
Contaminated and Kutabare are both Australian death metal bands and they have teamed up for this split.
This is a split between two bands that sew elements of grindcore into death metal’s rotting corpse. Continue reading “Contaminated/Kutabare – Death Sick/Funeral Erection – Split (Review)”
This is a split between two UK sludge metal bands. Both bands offer up a single song.
We’ve met Moloch before on their split with Cloud Rat. Here they continue with their Continue reading “Moloch/Groak – Split (Review)”
This is the seventh album from Arctic Sleep, a one-man, (with guests), atmospheric/progressive doom band from the US.
Despite the fact that this is the band’s seventh album, this is my first encounter with Arctic Sleep’s music. It seems I’ve been missing out; what we have here is hugely impressive. However, the man behind Arctic Sleep is also the man behind Unearthed Elf, and as I absolutely love Unearthed Elf’s Into the Catacomb Abyss, I suppose it should come as no surprise that Kindred Spirits is as good as it is. Continue reading “Arctic Sleep – Kindred Spirits (Review)”
This is the debut album from Barús, a progressive death metal band from France.
Although we’ve met the mysterious entity that is Barús before on 2015’s self-titled EP, I’ve only just recently been privileged enough to listen to Drowned, despite it being released in 2018. Well, I’ve missed out, and I can’t help but feel that Drowned would have graced my end of year list for 2018. Continue reading “Barús – Drowned (Review)”
This is the latest EP from Daxma, a doom/post-metal band from the US.
Following on from 2017’s absorbing The Head Which Becomes the Skull, the band now provide us with two new tracks, with a total duration of 25 minutes. Continue reading “Daxma – Ruins upon Ruins (Review)”
Eternal Black are a doom metal band from the US and this is their second album.
I enjoyed both 2015’s Eternal Black and 2017’s Bleed the Days, so new material from this band is no bad thing. Across 38 minutes Eternal Black bring the doom, and do so very ably. Continue reading “Eternal Black – Slow Burn Suicide (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 