Gojira – Wonderbox Metal

Cult of Luna – In the Shadow of Your Shadow (Review)

Cult of Luna are a Swedish post-metal band and this is their tenth album, (including the flawless Mariner).

It feels like longer than 4 years since The Long Road North graced us with its presence, but the wait for a follow up is now over. In the Shadow of Your Shadow brings us another titanic 71 minutes of material from Grade A legendary multifaceted post-metal act Cult of Luna, and it’s a record that you absolutely should not miss. Continue reading “Cult of Luna – In the Shadow of Your Shadow (Review)”

Hippotraktor – Annihilist (Review)

This is the third album from Belgian progressive metal band Hippotraktor.

Roll up, roll up! Come one, come all! Have you had your fill of 2024’s Stasis, and crave something new? Sure you have, and Annihilist is here to satisfy your needs! Seven songs, 38 minutes; get it while it’s hot! Continue reading “Hippotraktor – Annihilist (Review)”

Gorod – The Ember Gone (Review)

This is the eighth album by French death metal band Gorod.

After their very strong 2023 album The Orb, the return of Gorod is to be celebrated. The Ember Gone delivers 44 minutes of the band’s charismatic take on progressive and technical death metal, yet with a different spin. This time, the music places a much greater emphasis on the band’s progressive side. Continue reading “Gorod – The Ember Gone (Review)”

Orbit Culture – Death Above Life (Review)

This is the fifth album from Swedish metal band Orbit Culture.

I enjoyed 2020’s Nija, 2021’s Shaman, and 2023’s, Descent, so Death Above Life is well-received. If you’re unfamiliar with Orbit Culture, check these previous releases out if you’re a fan of bands such as Gojira, In Flames, Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Metallica, Slipknot, Soilwork, Static-X, Sylosis, Thy Art Is Murder, and Trivium. Continue reading “Orbit Culture – Death Above Life (Review)”

Sheev – Ate’s Alchemist (Review)

This is the second album from German progressive metal band Sheev.

Ate’s Alchemist contains 50 minutes of music, and showcases Sheev’s personable brand of progressive metal. Taking in influences from grunge and stoner metal, Sheev fuse these into progressive metal creations that impress. Continue reading “Sheev – Ate’s Alchemist (Review)”

Pridian – Venetian Dark (Review)

This is the debut album from Estonian modern metallers Pridian.

Venetian Dark is a 44-minute contemporary metal album that ably showcases Pridian’s skillset. The band’s music is an amalgam of metalcore, nu-metal, djent, and progressive metal. Think a mix of acts such as Meshuggah, Tesseract, Mnemic, Spiritbox, Gojira, and Make Them Suffer, as a rough starting point. Continue reading “Pridian – Venetian Dark (Review)”

Dissocia – To Lift the Veil (Review)

Dissocia are a Spanish progressive metal band and this is their debut album.

Brought to us by current/ex-members of Aposento, Bizarre, Cancer, Eternal Storm, and Wormed, Dissocia play modern progressive metal, with elements of death metal incorporated into its cinematic whole. Across 41 minutes, To Lift the Veil makes its intentions known in no uncertain terms, and has an impact. Continue reading “Dissocia – To Lift the Veil (Review)”

Primrose Path – Ruminations (Review)

This is the debut album from Australian progressive metal band Primrose Path.

The promo blurb says this is for fans of Opeth, Tesseract, Mastodon, and Gojira, which should give you a starting point for approaching the 43-minute Ruminations. Now here’s an underground gem that likely won’t stay underground for long. Continue reading “Primrose Path – Ruminations (Review)”

Múr – Múr (Review)

This is the debut album from Icelandic progressive/post-metal band Múr.

Across 54 minutes Múr have crafted a multifaceted record that takes liberally from the progressive and post-metal styles, resulting in a journey that’s very satisfying. Múr should appeal to fans of bands such as Ihsahn, Gojira, Alcest, Devin Townsend, Iotunn, Opeth, The Ocean, and Enslaved, as it touches all of these bands and more in different places over the course of the album. Importantly though, Múr never sound like they’re plagiarising, and instead have managed to forge a personality of their own remarkably quickly. Continue reading “Múr – Múr (Review)”

Vestige – Janis (Review)

This is the debut album from French modern metal band Vestige.

To give a flavour of the sort of hybrid style that Vestige play, the promo blurb states that Janis is for fans of Deftones, Alcest, Loathe, and Sylvaine. In practice, this means a modern metal blend of post-metal and black/shoegaze. This results in songs that are highly atmospheric, yet also song-focused. Continue reading “Vestige – Janis (Review)”