Descent are an Australian death metal act and this is their second album.
Order of Chaos offers a tight 30 minutes of punishing death metal. Smashing together HM-2-influenced death metal with ferocious grindcore and caustic punk, Descent’s second album is a vicious beast. Continue reading “Descent – Order of Chaos (Review)”
Wolfbastard are from the UK and play blackened crust. This is their third album.
Wolfbastard play the sort of sick and depraved blackened crust punk that you know you probably shouldn’t like, but you can’t help it as the songs are just so damn infectious. Seriously, the band can write a good hook, even if it is covered in grime and filth. Continue reading “Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards (Review)”
Apes are a grindcore/hardcore band from Canada and this is their latest EP.
I really liked 2017’s Lightless, and I can’t quite believe it’s been so long since it came out. Lullabies for Eternal Sleep is well-received by yours truly, and I hope there’s even more where this came from, lurking in some underground bunker somewhere, ready to explode into the world. Continue reading “Apes – Lullabies for Eternal Sleep (Review)”
This is the debut album from Australian post-black metallers Oar.
Oar’s brand of post-black metal is expressive and dark. There is a sizeable doom influence, which is great to hear and works really well in the band’s blackened context. Elements of blackgaze and hardcore can also be heard, and these succeed in broadening the palette with which Oar paint their soundscapes. Continue reading “Oar – The Blood You Crave (Review)”
Yes, it’s that time of year again! 2021 gave us some very, very good metal, and I feel honoured to have been able to have listened to as much of it as I have done. There are some notable absences, (for me at least), from the below list, but there’s just not enough time or space for everything, dammit!
2020 was a very blackened year for me; I listened to a lot of black metal, and the list for that year reflected that. At the start of 2021 I decided I’d consciously try to ensure I cast my net a bit wider again, reconnecting more deeply with some of many other styles of metal that I enjoy. 2021’s list reflects this. However, I’ve still ended up with much more of a black metal presence in the list than I was initially expecting. What can I say? I’m a sucker for all of the myriad blackened flavours of the style. However, there’s also a lot of other stuff here that I hope you’ll dig into and enjoy too. I felt that there was a notable absence of grindcore in 2021, as well as some of the more extreme styles of doom. What do you think?
I hope you enjoy perusing some of my favourite records from this year, and I hope you find something new to tickle your fancy. What’s your number one this year? Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2021”
Genocide Pact are a death metal band from the US and this is their third album.
I really liked Genocide Pact’s filthy 2018 release Order of Torment, which was a very satisfying album. This new self-titled is even filthier, even more crushingly heavy, and even uglier than its predecessor. Continue reading “Genocide Pact – Genocide Pact (Review)”
Many fine records were released in November, too many to do justice to here. Instead I’ll just pick five of my favourites. The below albums are all quite different, but all striking in their own individual ways… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of November 2021”
This is the second album from US extreme metallers Cave Bastard.
2018’s The Bleak Shall Devour the Earth was a record I enjoyed, so I was keen to catch up with what the band were offering in 2021. Continue reading “Cave Bastard – Wrath of the Bastard (Review)”
This is the third album from US blackened post-hardcore band Glassing.
Following on from 2019’s Spotted Horse, Twin Dream delivers 48 minutes of new material, and essentially continues off from where Spotted Horse left off, only improves it in pretty much all respects. Continue reading “Glassing – Twin Dream (Review)”
There was a lot of very fine music that saw the light of day in September. It was a struggle to limit the below list to just a handful of releases, but I think you’ll find below a good selection of metal albums that should satisfy your musical itches… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of September 2021”
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