Abyssal Rift – Relics of Great Ash (Review)

Abyssal Rift - Relics of Great AshThis is the second album from Abyssal Rift, a death metal band from the US.

Prepare thyself for the hulking great chunk of spectral rot that is Relics of Great Ash. This is a hideous collection of malignant death metal, corroded by foul doom corruption and poisoned by industrial waste. Yep, Abyssal Rift have produced a record of dark intensity that’s worth exploring if you’re a fan of unrelenting horror. Continue reading “Abyssal Rift – Relics of Great Ash (Review)”

Spectral Voice – Sparagmos (Review)

Spectral Voice - SparagmosThis is the second album from US death/doom band Spectral Voice.

Featuring members of Black Curse and Blood Incantation, Spectral Voice play the sort of humungous death doom that crushes mountains and destroys villages. Sparagmos boasts 46 minutes of material that’s as distressing as it is rewarding. Continue reading “Spectral Voice – Sparagmos (Review)”

Assumption – Hadean Tides (Review)

Assumption - Hadean TidesThis is the second album from Italian death/doom band Assumption.

Following on from 2014’s The Three Appearances and 2018’s AbsconditusHadean Tides contains 56 minutes of new material from Assumption. Continue reading “Assumption – Hadean Tides (Review)”

Atramentus – Stygian (Review)

Atramentus - StygianThis is the debut album from Atramentus, a doom metal band from Canada.

Stygian is a monster of dark funeral doom. Three tracks sprawl out over 45 minutes, promising nothing but glacial moods and barren hopelessness, and delivering. There are two colossal songs that bookend a shorter ambient piece. Continue reading “Atramentus – Stygian (Review)”

Esoteric – A Pyrrhic Existence (Review)

Esoteric - A Pyrrhic ExistenceThis is the seventh album from Esoteric, a funeral doom band from the UK.

After a gap of eight years, legendary doom act Esoteric have returned. The band’s strain of crushing, suffocating music has lead the way in funeral doom since their first album was unleashed in 1994. On A Pyrrhic Existence they return with a colossal double album spanning 98 minutes of huge, awe-inspiring monolithic doom songs. Continue reading “Esoteric – A Pyrrhic Existence (Review)”

Owlcrusher – Owlcrusher (Review)

OwlcrusherOwlcrusher are a blackened doom/sludge band from the UK and this is their debut album.

Here we have some truly ugly, colossally heavy music, the likes of which you don’t stumble upon too often. Which, for the listener’s sanity and well-being, is probably a good thing. Continue reading “Owlcrusher – Owlcrusher (Review)”

Tchornobog – Tchornobog (Review)

TchornobogThis is the debut album from Tchornobog, a black/death/doom metal one-man project from the US.

Although this is ostensibly a solo project, (from the man that brought us the mighty Aureole), it also features several session musicians and guests, (most notably from Esoteric and Svartidauði), which help to flesh out the release. Continue reading “Tchornobog – Tchornobog (Review)”

Black Cloud All Dayer – Preview

Black Cloud All Dayer Header

There’s a very special day approaching soon – May 6th 2017. Why is this date so important? Well, if you’re in the UK on that Saturday, it means you can get on down to the Black Cloud All Dayer in Manchester.

Sign up for the Facebook event and get your tickets here – it’s going to be a good one.

The lineup for the day is ridiculously strong. Below we’ll have a look at each of the bands playing in turn. With such a wealth of talent on the bill, it would be foolish to miss this. Continue reading “Black Cloud All Dayer – Preview”