Kavara – Weathered & Lost (Review)

Kavara - Weathered & LostKavara 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 – Thrive on Neglect (Review)

Immortal Bird - Thrive on NeglectImmortal 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 – Where the Light Ends (Review)

Keitzer - Where the Light EndsKeitzer 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)”

Unknown Artist – A Pig’s Head on a Stick (Review)

Unknown Artist - A Pig's Head on a StickThis 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 – Itheist (Review)

Itheist - ItheistItheist 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 – Seven Pathways to Annihilation (Review)

Howling Sycamore - Seven Pathways to AnnihilationHowling 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)”

Allegaeon – Apoptosis (Review)

Allegaeon - ApoptosisThis 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)”