Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (Review)

Blood Incantation - Absolute ElsewhereThis is the third album from US death metallers Blood Incantation.

2016’s Starspawn and 2019’s Hidden History of the Human Race were both great records, and now we finally have the much-anticipated Absolute Elsewhere. It’s Blood Incantation’s longest album at 44 minutes, and uses this time wisely to showcase its mastery of cosmic progressive death metal. Continue reading “Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (Review)”

Ingurgitating Oblivion – Ontology of Nought (Review)

Ingurgitating Oblivion - Ontology of NoughtThis is the third album from German extreme metal band Ingurgitating Oblivion.

It’s been some time since Ingurgitating Oblivion terrified the world with their malignant presence. 2014’s Continuum of Absence showed great promise, which was then realised on 2017’s colossal Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light. The wait is now over, for Ontology of Nought brings us a massive 73 minutes of darkness. It’s time to step into the nightmare once more. Continue reading “Ingurgitating Oblivion – Ontology of Nought (Review)”

Amiensus – Reclamation Pt. II (Review)

Amiensus - Reclamation Pt. IIThis is the fifth album from US black metallers Amiensus.

We’re being treated. This is the second Amiensus album of the year; the second part of Reclamation: Part 1 that we saw back in April. The first instalment was a progressive black metal feast that focused on atmospheric depth. What do the 38 minutes of Reclamation Pt. II have to offer us then? Continue reading “Amiensus – Reclamation Pt. II (Review)”

Pyrrhon – Exhaust (Review)

Pyrrhon - ExhaustThis is the fifth album from Pyrrhon, an extreme metal band from the US.

Whatever you want to call it – progressive, dissonant, experimental, avant-garde, etc. – Pyrrhon are not your average band. Their music is atypical and envelope-pushing, while retaining enough death metal sinew amidst the jazz and hardcore influences to propel their extreme metal output forward with creative intensity. Continue reading “Pyrrhon – Exhaust (Review)”

God Dethroned – The Judas Paradox (Review)

God Dethroned - The Judas ParadoxGod Dethroned are a blackened death metal band from the Netherlands, and this is their twelfth album.

God Dethroned may have been around for over three decades, but they’ve lost none of their fiery intensity. The Judas Paradox contains 44 minutes of their well-crafted brand of blackened death metal, showing once again what they’re capable of. Continue reading “God Dethroned – The Judas Paradox (Review)”

Wintersun – Time II (Review)

Wintersun - Time IIWintersun are an extreme metal band from Finland and this is their fourth album.

Essentially a solo act backed up by some talented musicians, Wintersun’s latest record has been eagerly awaited for some time by many people in the metal world. It’s been seven long years since 2017’s The Forest Seasons, so let’s dig in and see what we have here on Time II. Continue reading “Wintersun – Time II (Review)”

Scarcity – The Promise of Rain (Review)

Scarcity - The Promise of RainScarcity are a black metal band from the US and this is their second album.

The successor of 2022’s well-received Aveilut, The Promise of Rain contains 40 minutes of new material from Scarcity. Brought to us from a band that features members of Anicon, Glorious Depravity, Krallice, Pyrrhon, Seputus, Weeping Sores, and Woe, Scarcity have a wealth of experience in the realms of extreme metal that they bring to bear here to good effect. Continue reading “Scarcity – The Promise of Rain (Review)”

Construct of Lethe – A Kindness Dealt in Venom (Review)

Construct of Lethe - A Kindness Dealt in VenomThis is the third album from US death metal band Construct of Lethe.

Construct of Lethe’s last album Exiler came out in 2018, and was a brutal affair of merciless death metal. The band have moved on since then, and A Kindness Dealt in Venom offers up a mix of death and black metal, with touches of doom, and further enriched by electronics, synths, and industrial elements. Its foundation is a death metal one, but it’s not limited to purely this genre. Continue reading “Construct of Lethe – A Kindness Dealt in Venom (Review)”

Fortress Festival 2024 – Scarborough Spa, Scarborough, 01-02/06/24 (Live Review)

Fotress Festival 2024

What an incredible lineup this is. I mean, just look at it. It’s ridiculous. I’ve never been to Fortress Festival before, (this is its second year), or Scarborough, but this was an event not to be missed. My words below won’t really do justice to what a great festival this was, but hopefully you’ll get a flavour of it at the very least.

Before we get into it – if you’ve ever read one of my live reviews previously you’ll notice that the quality of the photos used here far, far, far outstrips my usual meagre efforts. This is because I didn’t take them. I’m enormously pleased to say that they very talented Aleksandra Hogg captured and supplied all of these photos, and I urge you to check out her work at Acidolka here, here, or here. Continue reading “Fortress Festival 2024 – Scarborough Spa, Scarborough, 01-02/06/24 (Live Review)”

Vale of Pnath – Between the Worlds of Life and Death (Review)

Vale of Pnath - Between the Worlds of Life and DeathThis is the third album from US death metal band Vale of Pnath.

Between the Worlds of Life and Death is a blackened death metal extravaganza, boasting 38 minutes of face-melting material. On their new album Vale of Pnath are vying for the modern extreme metal crown. Continue reading “Vale of Pnath – Between the Worlds of Life and Death (Review)”