Enslaved – 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)”

Narbeleth – Svmma Cvm Nox Arcana (Review)

This is the fifth album from Cuban black metallers Narbeleth.

I always enjoy catching up with new Narbeleth material. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, also make sure you check out 2014’s A Hatred Manifesto, 2015’s Through Blackness and Remote Places, and 2017’s Indomitvs. Continue reading “Narbeleth – Svmma Cvm Nox Arcana (Review)”

Noctule – Wretched Abyss (Review)

Noctule is a one-woman black metal band from the UK, and this is her debut album.

Brought to us by the singer/guitarist of Svalbard, Wretched Abyss is a 42-minute Skyrim-themed album that takes some of the darker and melodic elements you can hear in Svalbard’s sound, and wraps them around a blackened core. Continue reading “Noctule – Wretched Abyss (Review)”

Dordeduh – Har (Review)

This is the second album from Dordeduh, a progressive metal band from Romania.

Featuring current/ex-members of Argus Megere/Negură Bunget, Har treats the listener to 62 minutes of blackened progressive metal. Continue reading “Dordeduh – Har (Review)”

Corr Mhóna – Abhainn (Review)

This is the second album from Irish black metal band Corr Mhóna.

Abhainn is a 56-minute progressive black metal album that also contains a healthy amount of doom and folk influences. It’s ambitious and bold, but also very striking and well-realised. The band have clearly put a lot into this work, and it shows; Abhainn is Continue reading “Corr Mhóna – Abhainn (Review)”

Auðn – Vökudraumsins Fangi (Review)

Auðn are an Icelandic black metal band and this is their third album.

Auðn play atmospheric black metal, and I like what I hear here very much. Theirs is a form of music that’s rooted in classical atmospheric blackness, but is not limited to the second wave by any means. This is a very contemporary release, despite its Continue reading “Auðn – Vökudraumsins Fangi (Review)”

Amiensus – Abreaction (Review)

Amiensus are a progressive black metal band from the US, and this is their third album.

We last met Amiensus in 2017 with All Paths Lead to Death, which saw them in a more atavistic mood than debut album Restoration. Abreaction finds the band in a more expensive mood once more, while still retaining a core of blackened darkness and aggression. Continue reading “Amiensus – Abreaction (Review)”

Enslaved – Utgard (Review)

Enslaved are a Norwegian black metal band and this is their fifteenth album.

A new Enslaved release is a thing to be celebrated, and Utgard is no different in this regard. The follow up to 2017’s E, Utgard is actually quite different in many other regards, however. Continue reading “Enslaved – Utgard (Review)”

Sons of a Wanted Man – Kenoma (Review)

Sons of a Wanted Man are a post-black metal band from Belgium and this is their debut album.

Sons of a Wanted Man mix post-metal, shoegaze, and melancholic atmosphere into their blackened concoction, resulting in a multifaceted album that hits many highs across its 47-minute playing time. Continue reading “Sons of a Wanted Man – Kenoma (Review)”

Vomit Fist – Omnicide (Review)

Vomit Fist are a grindcore band from the US and this is their latest release.

Here we have 20 minutes of complex, vicious grindcore. This is not your standard grindcore, however, and Vomit Fist have produced something far more atypical and individual than most. Continue reading “Vomit Fist – Omnicide (Review)”