Folk – Page 5 – Wonderbox Metal

Anomalie – Tranceformation (Review)

Anomalie are an Austrian post-black metal band and this is their fourth album.

Following on from 2017’s well-received Visions, (via an EP I haven’t heard), Tranceformation contains 44 minutes of new material, and comes with a newly-focused direction to boot. A rough reference point for what Tranceformation sounds like would be a mix of bands such as Schammasch, Enslaved, and old Anomalie, although to be honest this is only a very approximate guide at best, especially as some songs have a modern doom metal flavour too, (most notably opening track). Continue reading “Anomalie – Tranceformation (Review)”

Label Roundup: I, Voidhanger Records – Creature, Mystras, Ars Magna Umbrae, & Vertebra Atlantis (Reviews)

Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This new column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

I, Voidhanger Records consistently puts out high quality, frequently non-standard music. One of their releases is always an interesting proposition to explore. Below you’ll find four of the label’s more recent ones; make sure you give each of them the time it deserves… Continue reading “Label Roundup: I, Voidhanger Records – Creature, Mystras, Ars Magna Umbrae, & Vertebra Atlantis (Reviews)”

Fornhem – Stämman från Berget (Review)

Fornhem are a Swedish black metal band and this is their second album.

On Stämman från Berget Fornhem offer a traditional black metal approach with tastefully integrated folk elements and the occasional more modern influence. Continue reading “Fornhem – Stämman från Berget (Review)”

Alda – A Distant Fire (Review)

Alda are an atmospheric black metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

Alda have a multifaceted sound born from combining black metal, post-rock, and folk into 51 minutes of atmospheric nature-themed blackened art. Boasting multiple vocalists and a range of different instrumentation, including the use of viola and cello, A Distant Fire is an album of nuance and rich texture. Continue reading “Alda – A Distant Fire (Review)”

Sepulchre by the Sea – Ratiocinations (Review)

This is the latest EP from one-man UK post-black metal band Sepulchre by the Sea.

This is the follow up to 2020’s striking Conqueror Worm, which I really liked.

This EP provides us with 26 minutes of new material. The style is a mix of old and new, Continue reading “Sepulchre by the Sea – Ratiocinations (Review)”

Waldgeflüster – Dahoam (Review)

This is the sixth album by German black metal band Waldgeflüster.

I very much enjoyed 2016’s Ruinen, and then 2019’s Mondscheinsonaten appeared and saw the band’s atmospheric brand of blackened music take another strong step forward. So, what of Dahoam then? Continue reading “Waldgeflüster – Dahoam (Review)”

Wormwood – Arkivet (Review)

This is the third album from Swedish black metallers Wormwood.

This is Swedish melodic black metal that exists within a post-black metal framework, with the latter allowing the former a broader range than it usually benefits from. Wormwood’s music has an epic streak, an atmospheric proclivity, and a good grasp of emotion and depth. Arkivet is a mix of the classic and the contemporary, and the band have balanced these influences very well to produce an evocative and compelling album. Continue reading “Wormwood – Arkivet (Review)”

Windfaerer – Breaths of Elder Dawns (Review)

Windfaerer are a black metal band from the US. This is their fourth album.

I enjoyed Windfaerer’s second album from 2105 Tenebrosum, but it’s taken me until now to catch up to the band again, so I missed its follow up. I was determined not to miss Breaths of Elder Dawns when I saw it appear though, and I’m very glad that I didn’t. Continue reading “Windfaerer – Breaths of Elder Dawns (Review)”

Wormwitch – Wolf Hex (Review)

This is the third album from Canadian black metallers Wormwitch.

Wolf Hex is the 34-minute follow up to 2019’s very well-received Heaven That Dwells Within, but it’s somewhat of a different record to its predecessor. Although obviously the same band, (but with a different lineup), Wolf Hex is rawer and less-polished, and owes more to the underground scenes; it sounds loose, organic, and unforced, and the songs benefit from this approach throughout the album. Continue reading “Wormwitch – Wolf Hex (Review)”

Jarun – Rok Spokojnego Słońca (Review)

This is the fourth album from Jarun, a Polish progressive black metal band.

Both 2015’s Pod Niebem Utkanym z Popiołu and 2017’s Sporysz were very enjoyable blackened progressive/folk hybrids, and their newest album continues Jarun’s unbroken run of high quality releases. Continue reading “Jarun – Rok Spokojnego Słońca (Review)”