This is the second album from US hardcore band Centuries.
This is dark hardcore, bolstered with metallic weight and delivered with furious energy and well-rounded creativity. Continue reading “Centuries – The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding (Review)”
Coilguns are a hardcore band from Switzerland and this is their second album.
Playing music that’s intricate and full of lethal promise, this is 39 minutes of focused violence and barely restrained aggression. The songs on this album are full of intensity and harshness, but in a controlled and directed manner. Continue reading “Coilguns – Millennials (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swedish progressive/post-metal band Agrimonia.
Agrimonia’s music combines melodic, progressive, and post-metal elements, with doom, black metal, and hardcore influences. This results in long, involving songs that effectively balance both quality and quantity. Continue reading “Agrimonia – Awaken (Review)”
This is the debut album from UK hardcore band Of Legions.
Face Value is an angry slab of metallic hardcore; 29 minutes of teeth and attitude. Continue reading “Of Legions – Face Value (Review)”
This is the debut album from Brazilian grindcore band The Grindful Dead.
Ahhh, grindcore. Sometimes you just need to listen to a band like The Grindful Dead, preferably at a loud volume. I Spit on Your God vomits forth 31 tracks across 29 minutes; this is fast, savage, and full of energetic aggression. Continue reading “The Grindful Dead – I Spit on Your God (Review)”
2017 was an amazing year for music, with so many top-notch albums seeing the light of day. I pretty much say this every year, of course, but that doesn’t seem to stop it being true. With this in mind, the 2017 list was especially hard to put together, and I agonised over this one more than I did for any of the lists in previous years.
As is traditional, I also want to mention some releases by bands that could easily have made it onto the list, and should have by many rights, if only I could have somehow managed to fit them all in –
Abhorrent Decimation, Amenra, Apes, Artificial Brain, Au-Dessus,
Celeste, Desecrate the Faith, Earth Rot, Earth Witch, Falls of Rauros,
Full of Hell, Gnaw, Gutslit, Helpless, Henry Kane,
Hundred Suns, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Into Orbit, John Frum, Karne,
Kval, Livid, Morbid Angel, Primitive Man, Craven Idol,
Slow, Soulskinner, The Kennedy Veil, Ulsect, Wildspeaker.
I urge you to check out all of the above releases, in addition to the ones in the actual list below. I could probably keep adding more bands you should give a listen to, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, I suppose.
So, without further ado, let’s get right down to it… Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2017”
Minors are a hardcore/sludge band from Canada. This is their debut album.
This is 19 minutes of ugly feedback and remorseless intensity. Containing elements of hardcore, punk, metal, and powerviolence, all wrapped up in a harsh sludge delivery, Atrophy is a withering, caustic listen. The keyword here is violence. Continue reading “Minors – Atrophy (Review)”
This is the debut album Greek post-hardcore/sludge band Chronoboros.
2015’s Dialing up the Clutter was an enjoyable, if brief, introduction to Chronoboros’ jagged, angular sound, and now they’re back with their first full length; 34 minutes of harsh noise and deliberate contrariness. Continue reading “Chronoboros – No Dirt or Silver Will Have Us Sated (Review)”
Traffic Death are a US crossover grind band and this is their second album.
This is raging thrashcore, taking thrash metal, hardcore, grindcore, and punk elements into consideration as it spends 24 minutes doing a bucketload of damage. Continue reading “Traffic Death – Dead End (Review)”
Gürschach are a metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
So what do Gürschach sound like? I suppose if you take a base of classic heavy metal, while mixing in elements of modern, alternative, thrash, and progressive metal, you’ll have a good place to start from. Continue reading “Gürschach – Dark Matter (Review)”
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