Fires in the Distance – Air Not Meant for Us (Review)

Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant for UsThis is the second album from US death/doom metal band Fires in the Distance.

Air Not Meant for Us is a 50-minute journey into melodic death/doom waters from Fires in the Distance, who feature an ex-member of Xenosis in their ranks. Continue reading “Fires in the Distance – Air Not Meant for Us (Review)”

Insomnium – Anno 1696 (Review)

Insomnium - Anno 1696Insomnium are a Finnish melodic death metal band and this is their ninth album.

I loved 2016’s Winter’s Gate, and 2021’s Argent Moon was pretty damn good to, so I knew that I wanted to check out what Anno 1696 had to offer. Across 50 minutes of material Insomnium once again treat us to a feast of metallic might. Continue reading “Insomnium – Anno 1696 (Review)”

An Abstract Illusion – Woe (Review)

An Abstract Illusion - WoeThis is the second album from Swedish atmospheric death metal band An Abstract Illusion.

An Abstract Illusion play an electronically enriched form of atmospheric death metal, replete with black and progressive metal elements. Woe is a 60-minute journey into the band’s accomplished realm. Continue reading “An Abstract Illusion – Woe (Review)”

I Am the Night – While the Gods Are Sleeping (Review)

I Am the Night - While the Gods Are SleepingThis is the debut album from I Am the Night, a black metal band from Finland.

Brought to us by current and ex-members of bands such as Insomnium, Malpractice, Omnium Gatherum, Paradise Lost, and Vallenfyre, While the Gods Are Sleeping is a 38-minute record influenced by the 90s second wave of black metal. Continue reading “I Am the Night – While the Gods Are Sleeping (Review)”

Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition (Review)

Dawn of Solace - Flames of PerditionThis is the third album from Finnish melodic metal band Dawn of Solace.

Blending elements of melodic, doom, and Gothic metal into a melancholic whole, Flames of Perdition is a mournful feast of emotive metallic delights. Bands such as Continue reading “Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition (Review)”

Insomnium – Argent Moon (Review)

Insomnium - Argent MoonThis is the latest EP from Insomnium, a melodic death metal band from Finland.

I haven’t caught up with Insomnium since 2016’s excellent Winter’s Gate, so this new EP seems like the perfect point to become reacquainted with their work. Argent Moon delivers 23 minutes of material across four powerful tracks. Continue reading “Insomnium – Argent Moon (Review)”

Iotunn – Access All Worlds (Review)

Iotunn - Access All WorldsIotunn are a progressive metal band from Denmark, and this is their debut album.

Full disclosure – when I saw that this band is fronted by the singer of Barren Earth and Hamferð, I got quite excited and it immediately made me hungry to listen to their album. The man has one of my favourite voices in metal, and on Access All Worlds, he puts it to damn fine use. Continue reading “Iotunn – Access All Worlds (Review)”

Decaying Days – The Unknown Beyond (Review)

Decaying Days - The Unknown BeyondThis is the second album from Decaying Days, a German death/doom metal band.

Adopting an approach that combines melodic death metal with melodic doom, the emphasis here is on melody and emotive delivery. Imagine a mix of Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, and Opeth, and you’ll be on the right lines. Continue reading “Decaying Days – The Unknown Beyond (Review)”

Countless Skies – Glow (Review)

Countless Skies - GlowThis is the second album from Countless Skies, a melodic/progressive metal band from the UK.

Glow contains 46 minutes of Scandinavian-influenced melodic death metal that has been merged with a progressive metal approach, which has resulted in a high-quality album being produced. Think of a charismatic mixture of Devin Townsend, Wilderun, Insomnium, Amorphis, Opeth, etc. Continue reading “Countless Skies – Glow (Review)”

Descend – The Deviant (Review)

Descend - The DeviantThis is the third album from Swedish death metallers Descend.

Descend give us 49 minutes of progressive death metal on The Deviant. I picked this to listen to on a whim, based purely on the artwork, (which, in the promo, didn’t have the band logo and album title on it; I prefer the logo-less version), and I’m amazed at what I had the good luck to stumble upon. Continue reading “Descend – The Deviant (Review)”