Urne are a metal band from the UK and this is their debut album.
Urne combine a variety of influences onto their sound, resulting in an album of heaviness that’s crushing, while also taking the listener in an emotive journey. You can hear elements of bands like Mastodon, Opeth, Metallica, and Alice in Chains in Urne’s sound, but mostly you Continue reading “Urne – Serpent & Spirit (Review)”
This is the debut album from Wanderer, a hardcore band from the US.
Liberation from a Brutalist Existence contains 23 minutes of violent aggression and dark intensity. Smashing together grindcore, crust, sludge, doom, mathcore, punk, and metal into a scathing hardcore assault, Wanderer’s debut album is an exceptional slice of abrasive darkness. Continue reading “Wanderer – Liberation from a Brutalist Existence (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)”
May continued 2021’s trend of being a very good year for metal. As is now usual, restricting the list to just a handful of releases was difficult. There’s more where this came from! Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of May 2021”
This is the debut album from US hardcore band Tooth and Claw.
A band containing members of Earth Crisis and Sect couldn’t fail to get my attention. Across 22 minutes, Tooth and Claw provide us with a raging version of old-school metallic hardcore that also occasionally flexes some death metal muscles with some of the guitars. Imagine a mix of Earth Crisis, Merauder, and Obituary, and you’ll be on the right lines. Continue reading “Tooth and Claw – Dream of Ascension (Review)”
This is the second album from Blessings, a Swedish post-hardcore band.
Blessings merge elements of noise rock, post-rock, and sludge into their sound. The end result is an album of multifaceted post-hardcore, rich in textured nervous energy and bristling with raw emotional intensity. The promo Continue reading “Blessings – Biskopskniven (Review)”
This is a split between two solo bands rooted in black metal – Order of the Wolf from the UK and Pessimista from Brazil.
This actually came out last year originally, but is now getting a tape release. This is my first encounter with both bands, and this split acts as a very good introduction to them. Continue reading “Order of the Wolf/Pessimista – Split (Review)”
This is the debut album from US hardcore band Capra.
Capra play a hybrid style of metallic hardcore and punk. It’s a style that you don’t hear too much these days, and they play it damn well. It’s a style that makes me very nostalgic, yet at the same time it also sounds vibrant and fresh due to the band’s inherent enthusiasm and skill. Continue reading “Capra – In Transmission (Review)”
Zao are an American metal band and this is their twelfth album.
This is the much-anticipated follow up to 2016’s The Well-Intentioned Virus, and although it might not be what you’re expecting, it’s exactly what you need. Continue reading “Zao – The Crimson Corridor (Review)”
Enforced are a thrash metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Enforced unleash 41 minutes of crossover death/thrash on Kill Grid, and it’s utterly devastating.
Enforced play a brutal form of thrash that has an old-school heart wrapped in a modern delivery. Taking elements of Continue reading “Enforced – Kill Grid (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 