Hivetower – Lunacy (Review)

HivetowerHivetower are a US metal band and this is their debut EP.

I like this, it has character. On the longer side for an EP, (31 minutes), Hivetower have produced the type of metal album that pilfers willingly from a few different scenes and styles, while still managing to have a personality of its own. Continue reading “Hivetower – Lunacy (Review)”

Gaerea – Unsettling Whispers (Review)

GaereaGaerea are a Portuguese black metal band and this is their debut album.

On Unsettling Whispers Gaerea have crafted 42 minutes of black metal that’s distinctly non-standard and in many ways is quite…unsettling. Continue reading “Gaerea – Unsettling Whispers (Review)”

New Waters – Experience (Review)

New WatersThis is the second album from Finnish hardcore band New Waters.

Experience is suitably titled, leading the listener on an…ahem…experience, lasting 36 minutes. As you travel through the band’s internally-forged landscapes, you get to…ahem…experience their charismatic and aggressive form of hardcore. It’s definitely an…ahem…experience. Continue reading “New Waters – Experience (Review)”

Human Cull – Revenant (Review)

Human CullThis is the second album from UK grinders Human Cull.

Was it really 2014 when Stillborn Nation came out? Where does the time go? Well, in Human Cull’s case, it seems to have been well-spent by pouring time and effort into crafting 18 tracks/minutes of blistering contemporary grindcore. Continue reading “Human Cull – Revenant (Review)”

Cyclopean Blood Temple – Unholy Union (Review)

Cyclopean Blood TempleCyclopean Blood Temple are a grindcore band from the US and this is their debut EP.

If vicious, grim grind/hardcore is your thing, then you should definitely check out Unholy Union. Continue reading “Cyclopean Blood Temple – Unholy Union (Review)”

Split Cranium – I’m the Devil and I’m OK (Review)

Split CraniumSplit Cranium are an international hardcore band and this is their second album.

This album features members/ex-members of Isis, Old Man Gloom, Converge, Mamiffer, and Circle, (as well as others). The band play crusty d-beat hardcore punk, with a decidedly more simple and straightforward approach than a lot of the band members’ other projects. Continue reading “Split Cranium – I’m the Devil and I’m OK (Review)”

Baptists – Beacon of Faith (Review)

BaptistsBaptists are a Canadian hardcore band and this is their third album.

I very much enjoyed 2014’s Bloodmines, so a new record form Baptists is well overdue.

The band’s trademark blend of violent hardcore, punk, and noise rock is intact and well, but on this latest release they have developed the latter part of their sound to a greater degree. This has resulted in a more involved and Continue reading “Baptists – Beacon of Faith (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of April 2018

April has been an unusually strong month for metal, and I really have struggled to keep this list down to a manageable level. So much good music, so little time! Let’s have a look at what the metal world has given us this month then… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of April 2018”

Rotten Sound – Suffer to Abuse (Review)

Rotten SoundRotten Sound are a Finnish grindcore band and this is their latest EP.

Rotten Sound have always managed to marry up brutally aggressive music with decent songwriting and ferocious delivery. With this in mind, this latest EP offers 12 minutes of exactly this. It’s punishingly harsh, but not without a level of songcraft that’s absent from many grind bands who just tear loose and be done with it. Continue reading “Rotten Sound – Suffer to Abuse (Review)”