Rannoch – Conflagrations (Review)

Rannoch - ConflagrationsRannoch are a progressive death metal band from the UK and this is their third album.

Conflagrations offers a 52-minute journey into multifaceted music that falls somewhere between progressive death metal foundations and more ambitious extreme progressive metal proclivities. Bolstered by the percussive skills of the drummer of Ne Obliviscaris, Rannoch are a skilled band that have a clear vision for their brand of extreme music. Continue reading “Rannoch – Conflagrations (Review)”

Serpent of Old – Ensemble Under the Dark Sun (Review)

Serpent of Old - Ensemble Under the Dark SunThis is the debut album from Serpent of Old, a death metal band from Turkey.

Featuring the vocalist of Decimation, (also ex-Abolish), Ensemble Under the Dark Sun is a 42-minute monster of extreme metal. Mixing together black metal and doom, with elements of the progressive, dissonant, and atmospheric strains of death metal, Ensemble Under the Dark Sun is shockingly accomplished. Continue reading “Serpent of Old – Ensemble Under the Dark Sun (Review)”

Gravefields – Tetragrammaton (Review)

Gravefields - TetragrammatonGravefields are an international death metal band and this is their third album, (second with this name).

I really enjoyed 2019’s Embrace the Void, so was pleased to see Tetragrammaton appear. Containing 49 minutes of new extreme metal material, this is a record that many a fan of death/black metal would do well to pay attention to. Continue reading “Gravefields – Tetragrammaton (Review)”

Miserable Failure – т​о​с​к​а​́ (Review)

Miserable Failure - т​о​с​к​а​́This is the latest release from Miserable Failure, (or MSRBLFLR), a French death metal/grindcore band.

Miserable Failure have surfaced once more to bring us more multifaceted mayhem with this single-track EP.  Toska is a 25-minute descent into chaos, and it’s great to experience Miserable Failure’s dark, warped reality once more. Continue reading “Miserable Failure – т​о​с​к​а​́ (Review)”

The Anchoret – It All Began with Loneliness (Review)

The Anchoret - It All Began with LonelinessThe Anchoret are a Canadian progressive metal band and this is their debut album.

The Anchoret play a multifaceted brand of progressive metal that takes in aspects of progressive rock and a touch of extreme metal. This has resulted in an album that has plenty of impactful content to instantly appeal, but can also draw the listener back in over time. For a very rough starting point, think a combination of parts of bands such as Karnivool, Between the Buried and Me, Sermon, David Bowie, Dream Theater, Opeth, Queen, The Ocean, Dawnwalker, Ihsahn, and Rush. Continue reading “The Anchoret – It All Began with Loneliness (Review)”

Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite (Review)

Cattle Decapitation - TerrasiteThis is the tenth album from veteran US death metal band Cattle Decapitation.

Following on from 2015’s The Anthropocene Extinction and 2019’s Death Atlas, the mighty Cattle Decapitation return with 53 minutes of new material on Terrasite. Continue reading “Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite (Review)”

Vintersea – Woven into Ashes (Review)

Vintersea - Woven into AshesThis is the third album from US progressive metal band Vintersea.

Woven into Ashes contains 51 minutes of progressive extreme metal that should find favour with fans of bands such as An Abstract Illusion, Aversed, Dawn of Ouroboros, Kassogtha, Ne Obliviscaris, Oceans of Slumber, and Wintersun. Continue reading “Vintersea – Woven into Ashes (Review)”

Dawn of Ouroboros – Velvet Incandescence (Review)

Dawn of Ouroboros - Velvet IncandescenceThis is the second album from Dawn of Ouroboros, a progressive black/death metal band from the US.

Following on from 2020’s well-received The Art of Morphology, Velvet Incandescence brings us 46 minutes of new material from Dawn of Ouroboros, who feature members of Botanist and Cailleach Calling. Continue reading “Dawn of Ouroboros – Velvet Incandescence (Review)”