May saw an unreasonable amount of good metal albums released into the wild. The below are just the tip of the iceberg, but more than worth celebrating in their own right. Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of May 2022”
Tag: Grunge
Cave In – Heavy Pendulum (Review)
Cave In are a US post-hardcore/rock band and this is their seventh album.
Following on from 2019’s Final Transmission, Heavy Pendulum is somewhat of a different beast to their last album. Whereas Final Transmission was short, (31 minutes), fragile, and emotive, reflective of the effects of tragedy and loss, Heavy Pendulum is long, (71 minutes), has greater range, (though still emotive), and more reflective of the band’s varied discography as a whole. Continue reading “Cave In – Heavy Pendulum (Review)”
Besvärjelsen – Atlas (Review)
Besvärjelsen are a Swedish doom band and this is their second album.
This hefty release has a doom metal base that’s then mixed with grunge, and has heavy, stoner, blues, and psychedelic rock elements liberally sprinkled over everything. Some songs lean into certain influences more than others, which leads to a decent amount of variety across the album. The promo blurb mentions Alice in Chains and Windhand, and that’s a decent picture of Besvärjelsen’s sound, albeit an incomplete one. Continue reading “Besvärjelsen – Atlas (Review)”
Helms Alee – Keep This Be the Way (Review)
This is the sixth album by US alternative rock band Helms Alee.
It turns out that a member of Helms Alee was in Harkonen. I loved 2002’s Shake Harder Boy, so it’s great to hear his work once more, albeit in an indirect altered fashion. Continue reading “Helms Alee – Keep This Be the Way (Review)”
Illudium – Ash of the Womb (Review)
This is the second album from Illudium, a post-metal/shoegaze band from the US.
The style on Ash of the Womb is a hybrid one that takes liberally from post-metal, post-rock, shoegaze, grunge, and doom. The end result is a captivating collection of tracks with its own voice. Illudium write music that has recognisable components that you can attribute influences to, but the band exist very much on their own terms. Continue reading “Illudium – Ash of the Womb (Review)”
Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2021
Want metal? Of course you do! Let’s check out some of the best releases from June… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2021”
Somnuri – Nefarious Wave (Review)
Somnuri are a sludge metal band from the US. and this is their second album.
Featuring an ex-member of Cleanteeth, Somnuri’s sound can best be described as something like progressive sludge metal. The promo blurb mentions bands such as High on Fire, Mastodon, Converge, Torche, and Baroness, and this sets the scene nicely. However, while all of the Continue reading “Somnuri – Nefarious Wave (Review)”
The Hyena Kill – A Disconnect (Review)
The Hyena Kill are a UK rock band and this is their second album.
With a promo blurb that mentions bands such as Deftones, Nirvana, and Chelsea Wolfe, I was intrigued by what The Hyena Kill’s sound would actually be. It turns out Continue reading “The Hyena Kill – A Disconnect (Review)”
Sunnata – Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth (Review)
Sunnata are a Polish doom metal band and this is their fourth album.
Sunnata play a form of doom metal that has ritualistic elements, manifesting in a tendency for repetition and hypnotic grooves. Despite this, the band know how to write a good tune, surprisingly so really; some of Continue reading “Sunnata – Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth (Review)”
Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – The Helm of Sorrow (Review)
This is a collaboration between post-rock/folk solo artist Emma Ruth Rundle and doom/sludge metallers Thou, both from the US.
This is the second collaboration between these two artists, although sadly I managed to miss out on the full album that the two released together last year. On the strength of The Helm of Sorrow, this is a real shame, as something special appears to have been created here. Continue reading “Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – The Helm of Sorrow (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 