Beastwars are a sludge/stoner metal band from New Zealand and this is their fifth album.
Following on from 2019’s IV, (via a covers album in 2023 called Tyranny of Distance), comes the 40-minute The Ship // The Sea. I was excited to listen to this, as Beastwars always deliver, and it hasn’t disappointed. Continue reading “Beastwars – The Ship // The Sea (Review)”
This is the second album from New Zealand solo blackened heavy metal band Miasmata.
Subterrania brings us 39 minutes of material from the artist behind Miasmata. The style is a mix of black, speed, thrash, and heavy metal, and these six songs exemplify how to combine these elements into something cohesive and entertaining. Continue reading “Miasmata – Subterrania (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Greek heavy metal band Black Soul Horde.
Black Soul Horde play a mix of classic heavy metal and power metal, combined with a touch of epic doom metal. As such, Symphony of Chaos is great fun. It’s a 44-minute explosion of addictive metallic joy. If you’re partial to the style, how could you not enjoy this? Continue reading “Black Soul Horde – Symphony of Chaos (Review)”
This is the fourth album from UK black/doom/heavy metal band Wode.
This is the follow up to 2021’s Burn in Many Mirrors, and a record I’m pleased to see appear. Uncrossing the Keys is not more of the same from Wode though. This should be expected, as each Wode album so far has found the band adding to their musical framework. Continue reading “Wode – Uncrossing the Keys (Review)”
This is the third album from UK doom/heavy metal band King Witch.
King Witch play classic doom and heavy metal spliced with equally vintage grunge and heavy rock. It’s a very effective mix, showcasing the band’s songwriting skill as they deliver 44 minutes of the good stuff. III is a high quality record through and through. Continue reading “King Witch – III (Review)”
Serpent Corpse are a Canadian death metal band and this is their latest EP.
I thoroughly enjoyed 2023’s Blood Sabbath, so am pleased to have this new EP from Serpent Corpse. Retaliate contains 26 minutes of new material – four tracks of hideous old-school death metal for fans of the good stuff. On Retaliate Serpent Corpse have pushed themselves further, with longer songs and a wider breadth of deathly vision. Continue reading “Serpent Corpse – Retaliate (Review)”
This is the fifth album from UK metallers Employed to Serve.
With every release Employed to Serve just seem to be getting better. This culminated in 2021’s Conquering, a record that made it onto my best of list of that year. Which is why expectation is high for the band’s latest 48-minute record Fallen Star. Continue reading “Employed to Serve – Fallen Star (Review)”
Havukruunu are a Finnish black metal band and this is their fourth album.
Tavastland is the 54-minute follow up to 2020’s well-regarded Uinuos Syömein Sota, and is an album I’ve been looking forward to hearing. Havukruunu play black metal with heavy, folk, and pagan metal influences, and their latest record continues their ascent. Continue reading “Havukruunu – Tavastland (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.
Surprisingly, I haven’t done one of these columns since 2022! I was genuinely shocked when I realised this recently. So, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit it, and to get caught up on some of Avantgarde Music‘s releases. This is a label I rate highly, and never seem to get enough time to adequately cover, so here’s three new albums all seeing the light of day on January 31st 2025. Continue reading “Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Selvans, Skaldr, and Void of Hope (Reviews)”
Sarcator are a Swedish thrash metal band and this is their third album.
Sarcator play a black/death-influenced style of thrash metal, and Swarming Angels & Flies contains 44 minutes of material. Think of a blend of early-period old-school metal in the form of bands such as Kreator, Sarcófago, Sodom, and Morbid Angel, and then blend this with more contemporary acts like Hellripper, Devastator, and Midnight, and you’ll be on the right lines. You can throw in some other refences too at various points, but ultimately, despite the ancient style that underpins this album, it’s remarkably fun and fresh sounding. Continue reading “Sarcator – Swarming Angels & Flies (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 