When a rare chance to see Portal and Impetuous Ritual appears, you take it. The show being opened by the mighty Abduction is then simply the icing on the top. Continue reading “Portal/Impetuous Ritual/Abduction – Rebellion, Manchester – 18/09/25 (Live Review)”
Tithe are a death metal band from the US and this is their third album.
Tithe’s previous record – 2023’s Inverse Rapture – was a hybrid extreme metal album that was difficult to pin down genre-wise, although that didn’t stop it from being a satisfying and enjoyable listen. Communion in Anguish focuses Tithe’s sound, pushing up the lethal aggression and dark atmosphere to new heights. Continue reading “Tithe – Communion in Anguish (Review)”
This is the eleventh album from Between the Buried and Me, a progressive metal band.
Every Between the Buried and Me release is An Important Event in my world. I’ve reviewed a handful, (Coma Ecliptic, Coma Ecliptic: Live, Automata I, Automata II), but nowhere their full discography. I’m very pleased to add one more to the pile now though, with The Blue Nowhere, which brings us 71 minutes of new material to obsess over. Continue reading “Between the Buried and Me – The Blue Nowhere (Review)”
This is the third album from US solo symphonic black/death metal act Tine.
Tine made a very positive impression on me with 2015’s The Forest Dreams of Black, and followed this up well with 2022’s Mergae Maris Profundi. As such, it’s with expectation that we turn to the 42 minutes of new material that A Winter Horrorscape provides us with. Continue reading “Tine – A Winter Horrorscape (Review)”
Imperishable are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Brought to us by current/ex-members of Aurora Borealis, Enthean, Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation, Nile, and Olkoth, Imperishable have a wealth of experience available to them. What do they do with it? They unleash the 32-minute Revelation in Purity, and you’d better get out of its way, lest you be left a bloody smear on the floor. Continue reading “Imperishable – Revelation in Purity (Review)”
Phosphorus are a German post-black metal band and this is their debut album.
I came across this randomly as a recommendation on a forum, and I’m glad I checked it out. Phosphorus play a hybrid style, bringing us 37 minutes of compelling material on Frail Grasp of Broken Hands. Continue reading “Phosphorus – Frail Grasp of Broken Hands (Review)”
Defacement are an international death metal band and this is their fourth album.
I enjoyed 2021’s Defacement, but then totally managed to overlook its follow up from last year – Duality. This oversight ends now, as a year on from that release we have the 41-minute Doomed. Continue reading “Defacement – Doomed (Review)”
This is the second album by Irish blackened death metallers Malthusian.
2018’s Across Deaths was a nightmarish, venomous first record from Malthusian, ably showcasing their hideous blackened death metal style. In 2022 we were gifted with Time’s Withering Shadow, their split with Suffering Hour, which was another impressive outing, for both bands concerned. Which brings us to the 54-minute The Summoning Bell. Have Malthusian continued their ascent from the bowels of the underworld? Continue reading “Malthusian – The Summoning Bell (Review)”
This is the debut album from US black/death metal band Rhizaria.
Rhizaria play a progressive form of black and death metal, delivering a hybrid style that’s irregular, and very compelling. Indulgences contains 40 minutes of material that scratches a very particular itch that sits right in a hard to reach place between atmosphere and dissonance. Continue reading “Rhizaria – Indulgences (Review)”
Grayceon are a progressive metal band from the US and this is their sixth album.
With a striking album cover and containing a member of the fantastic Brume, (also ex-Ludicra), how could I let this one pass me by? Containing a colossal 82 minutes of music, Grayceon are not without ambition, but thankfully have the skill and talent to pull off an endeavour such as Then the Darkness. Continue reading “Grayceon – Then the Darkness (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 