Kavara are a Canadian melodic death metal band and this is their debut album.
This is sharp, energetic, melodic music that takes influences from a number of death metal avenues, and then sprinkles engaging melodies over everything quite liberally. Continue reading “Kavara – Weathered & Lost (Review)”
Immortal Bird are a blackened deathgrind band from the US. This is their second album.
Finally we have the follow up to 2015’s Empress/Abscess, which was one of the more notable releases of that year for me. Ahh, it’s nice to hear the band’s atypical intensity back. It sounds better than ever too, with a well-rounded production that is fuller and warmer than in the past. Continue reading “Immortal Bird – Thrive on Neglect (Review)”
Keitzer are a German death metal/grindcore band and this is their seventh album.
Keitzer’s 2014 album The Last Defence was a particular favourite of mine, with its energetic and well-delivered deathgrind really hitting the spot. The follow up – 2016’s Ascension – was more of a death metal affair, and although I do prefer The Last Defence, it was still a solid and enjoyable record. Continue reading “Keitzer – Where the Light Ends (Review)”
This is the debut release from Unknown Artist, a French extreme metal band.
What on earth is this unholy abomination? A single 28-minute track of utter nastiness and horror, that’s what. Complex and impenetrable, this is disjointed, inaccessible blackened death metal, and is not for the weak of heart. Continue reading “Unknown Artist – A Pig’s Head on a Stick (Review)”
Itheist are a UK black/death metal band and this is their debut album.
Previously named Aetherium Mors, this is the band’s first release under its new moniker. This is modern, dissonant black metal that’s been hybridised with death metal and energised with melodic darkness. Continue reading “Itheist – Itheist (Review)”
Howling Sycamore are a progressive metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Combining technical, progressive, avant-garde, forward-thinking metal music, with old-school, classic progressive metal vocals probably shouldn’t work, but Howling Sycamore easily prove that it most certainly does. This is a band that have taken their Continue reading “Howling Sycamore – Seven Pathways to Annihilation (Review)”
This is the fourth album from German Black Metallers Stellar Master Elite.
Hologram Temple is the much anticipated follow up to 2015’s massively enjoyable III: Eternalism – The Psychospherical Chapter. It has not disappointed. Continue reading “Stellar Master Elite – Hologram Temple (Review)”
Dead to a Dying World are a blackened doom band from the US and this is their third album.
2015’s Litany was a sprawling, ambitious album. It was also very good, although this new release is something quite new and special in some ways. The band have returned with the even more expansive and developed Elegy. Showing greater focus of delivery, (49 minutes vs Litany’s 73), Elegy is also wider ranging and boasts Continue reading “Dead to a Dying World – Elegy (Review)”
This is the fifth album from US death metallers Allegaeon.
This is the eagerly awaited follow up to 2016’s Proponent for Sentience, and what a follow up it is. Apoptosis ramps up the band’s impact to maximum and delivers an extremely impressive record. Continue reading “Allegaeon – Apoptosis (Review)”
Inter Arma are a US post-metal band and this is their fourth album.
A new Inter Arma release is always welcome. 2014’s The Cavern was a stunning record that topped my end of year list, and although 2016’s Paradise Gallows didn’t ascend to the same heights, it was an album that I still deem as an essential listen, (and in hindsight should definitely have been higher up on 2016’s list). Continue reading “Inter Arma – Sulphur English (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 