This is the second album from international black metal band Omega Infinity.
Brought to us by members of Ne Obliviscaris and Todtgelichter, The Anticurrent is a 49-minute journey into the realms of cosmic black metal, (or 57 minutes with the bonus Sear Bliss and Emperor covers). Continue reading “Omega Infinity – The Anticurrent (Review)”
Tithe are an extreme metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Inverse Rapture is a 29-minute cocktail of foul filth made up of black metal, death metal, sludge, and grindcore. Tithe’s sound is grim and dark, yet wonderfully abrasive within this. Their extreme metal style is hard to pin down, and it’s definitely a hybrid of the abovementioned genres. Blackened sludge with a grindcore edge? Something like that. Hell, I’m just going to call this extreme metal and be done with it.
Anthronomicon and Helionomicon are the third and fourth albums from US death metallers Ulthar, following on from 202o’s Providence. Released on the same date, this review will cover Helionomicon – see the review for Anthronomicon here. Continue reading “Ulthar – Helionomicon (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Scottish death metal band Man Must Die.
Man Must Die play technical death metal and The Pain Behind It All is a 41-minute assault of vicious riffs, sharp technical blows, and blunt force extremity. If you’re a fan of bands such as Decapitated, Dyscarnate, Cattle Decapitation, Beneath the Massacre, and Misery Index, then there’s much here to enjoy for you. Although, as we’ll see, there’s more than just death metal here. Continue reading “Man Must Die – The Pain Behind It All (Review)”
This is the fourth album from US black metal act Ashen Horde.
Ashen Horde boast current and ex-members of bands such as Abhoria, Norse, Somnium Nox, Inferi, Equipoise, and Virulent Depravity in their ranks, and we’ve met them before on Nine Plagues and The Alchemist. Now they’re back with Antimony, a 51-minute vision of gripping extreme metal, (49 minutes without the bonus Therapy? cover). Continue reading “Ashen Horde – Antimony (Review)”
This is the debut album from Ὁπλίτης (otherwise known as Hoplites), a one-man post-black metal band from China.
Ψευδομένη contains 38 minutes of experimental avant-garde black metal. The artist behind Ὁπλίτης has combined a lot of different styles and influences into this record. Imagine Blut Aus Nord, Jute Gyte, and Deathspell Omega crossed with Frontierer, Converge, and Sectioned, along with a touch of Ephel Duath and Oranssi Pazuzu, and you’ll have a rough idea of what you’ll encounter here. Continue reading “Ὁπλίτης (Hoplites) – Ψευδομένη (Review)”
This is the debut album from Greek black metallers Wothrosch.
To open this review I’m just going to lazily reference the promo blurb, which states that Odium is for for fans of Septicflesh, Anaal Nathrakh, Shining, Behemoth, and Fleshgod Apocalypse. It also states, “Imagine the soundscape experience of Septicflesh clashing into the furiosity of Anaal Nathrakh: that is what Wothrosch sounds like.”
So now you know. Continue reading “Wothrosch – Odium (Review)”
Axioma are a post-black/sludge metal band from the US and this is their second album.
I first met Axioma back in 2016 on their debut EP Opia, which seems like an age ago. Well, since then they haven’t been idle, and their second album Sepsis came out earlier this year. Let’s dive in. Continue reading “Axioma – Sepsis (Review)”
Rudra are a black/thrash metal band from Singapore. This is their tenth album.
I last caught up with Rudra on 2016’s Enemy of Duality, so it’s good to be able to see what they’re up to six years later. Eight Mahavidyas is a 58-minute folk-influenced black/death metal album that is worth getting to know, and getting to know well. Continue reading “Rudra – Eight Mahavidyas (Review)”
So here we are again. It’s December, and year end lists are flying around like shrapnel. Due to the inherent subjectivity of music it’s always interesting to see what people have made of the preceding year.
For me, I made a concerted effort to drag myself away from the depths of black metal’s always-enticing abyss to spend some more time with other genres and styles that I also love. I said something similar last year, but I feel this year I was more successful in achieving that end. Of course, I still love black metal, still listen to it constantly, and you’ll still find some great examples of the blackened arts in the list below.
2022 was a strong year for death metal for me, and I enjoyed more death metal bands in a deeper way than I have done for some time. In every year there are standout releases, but I felt this year the standard was raised throughout. Possibly I was simply more receptive to it. Either way, you’ll find more death metal-related acts, and in higher spots, in this selection than you’ll have seen in my lists for a while.
As with last year, grindcore was largely absent from my year, disappointingly, as was hardcore. Additionally, the sort of lengthy, ugly, abyssal doom that I love so much has been largely lacking too. It’s all probably out there somewhere, but I didn’t catch it.
The top two spots this year are both claimed by albums/bands/styles that I simply could not have predicted would be at the pinnacle of my list by the year’s end, (one of the bands I hadn’t even heard of in January). I hope you enjoy these excellent records even half as much as I do.
Lastly I just want to say a big thank you to any and all that might read this site. It’s only a small endeavour, and I do it purely for the love of all things METAL and to support bands that I enjoy in whatever minor way I can, but if this is you, a heartfelt thank you for enduring my scribblings.
On to it! Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2022”
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