Wesenwille are a black metal band from the Netherlands and this is their second album.
Wesenwille play modern black metal that’s delivered with passion and skill. You can hear the band’s traditional influences, but these are delivered with a contemporary twist. Continue reading “Wesenwille – II: A Material God (Review)”
The Lylat Continuum are a progressive death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Ephemeral is a 56-minute trip into progressive death metal waters, although the death metal influences are not always prominently displayed; the band’s modern progressive metal influences are Continue reading “The Lylat Continuum – Ephemeral (Review)”
This is the second album from Australian black metal act Spire.
Temple of Khronos offers a dark mix of atmospheric, progressive, and psychedelic black metal. It’s as if the classic style that we know and love has been mutated and warped into something even darker and more malefic. Continue reading “Spire – Temple of Khronos (Review)”
Ad Nauseam are an avant-garde death metal band from Italy, and this is their second album.
Don’t let the death metal tag fool you, this is not your average deathly proposition. Ad Nauseam’s vision of what extreme metal should be is unorthodox and esoteric. The band play a sort of avant-garde progressive technical death metal, while also throwing in some elements of black metal, sludge, doom, Continue reading “Ad Nauseam – Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (Review)”
Ruins of Elysium are an international symphonic metal band and this is their second album.
Containing 73 minutes of symphonic power metal, Amphitrite: Ancient Sanctuary in the Sea is an epic work that covers a range of different aspects of power and heavy metal, all lusciously prepared with a rich symphonic and operatic coating. Continue reading “Ruins of Elysium – Amphitrite: Ancient Sanctuary in the Sea (Review)”
Almost every year I think about how challenging it is to compile a definitive best of list, and how subjective it is, etc. Although that’s still true for this collecting of albums, this year, however, has been easier than most. 2020 has been heavy on the black metal for me. It’s been my most reviewed genre, in all its myriad permutations, and this is reflected in the below list.
For the longest of times the bands in positions 5 and 6 vied for top position, but then October and November happened. All of a sudden, unexpectedly, these two months unleashed a wealth of quality, and stole the top four positions in a rampant display of blackened supremacy.
I hope you enjoy the below recommendations of mine and find something new to obsess over. Let me know how you get on.
Let’s dig in… Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2020”
Growth are an Australian death metal band and this is their debut album.
This is essentially modern progressive death metal, but with a distinctly personal slant. That’s a bit too simplistic a description though. The promo blurb mentions bands such as Opeth, Gorguts, Black Crown Initiate, and Fallujah, and I can see why. To Continue reading “Growth – The Smothering Arms of Mercy (Review)”
This is the debut album by Ba’al, a blackened post-metal band from the UK.
I last caught up with Ba’al on their debut release in 2017 – In Gallows by Mass – which showed a lot of potential. This appears to have now been fulfilled, albeit in a different way than I was initially expecting. Elipsism ably demonstrates how the band have Continue reading “Ba’al – Ellipsism (Review)”
Anaal Nathrakh are a UK black metal band and this is their eleventh album.
You’ve gotta love Anaal Nathrakh. Albums like A New Kind of Horror just keep on giving, and I’d pretty much recommend anything in their discography, (also check out The Whole of the Law and Desideratum). Endarkenment is another adrenaline-filled ride into darkness and ferocity. Continue reading “Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkenment (Review)”
This is the debut album from US black/death metal band Foretoken.
So, you fancy a good-sized chunk of Scandinavian death metal? That’s no problem, take your pick. What’s that? You also want a decent black metal influence to be felt? That’s easily done. Now you want a take on the style that’s highly melodic too? Sure, Continue reading “Foretoken – Ruin (Review)”
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