This is the debut album from Everest Queen, a sludge metal band from the UK.
Having enjoyed 2016’s self titled debut EP it’s good to have a full length from the band now. This is progressive sludge metal, with an imposing presence and plenty of riffs. The band’s promo blurb states that this is for fans of High on Fire, Om, Mastodon, and Isis, and it’s hard to disagree. Continue reading
Unhold are a sludge/post-metal band from Switzerland and this is their fifth album.
2015’s Towering lived up to its name, and was a monolithic and notable record. I said that Towering offered Continue reading
This is the debut EP from UK stoner rock band Ghozer.
Here we have 21 minutes of enjoyable stoner fuzz. It’s charismatic and direct, while still boasting a decent amount of depth and atmosphere. Continue reading
Skullcave are a progressive doom band from Australia and this is their debut album.
I was drawn to this album by the enigmatic album cover, and then reeled in by the description of the music – “an ambitious, qualitative blend of thick doom, dreamy instrumentals and layered vocals.” Continue reading
Witchkiss are a doom/sludge band from the US and this is their debut album.
Here we have a very compelling 42 minutes of heavy doom metal. Mixing in elements of sludge and post-metal, the songs thunder their way through the playing time with a mixture of brute-force intensity and intricate nuance, although the latter is frequently more prevalent than the former. Continue reading
Split 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
Built-in Obsolescence are a progressive/post-metal band from Italy. This is their debut album.
Here we have 61 minutes of post-metal with progressive tendencies. Modelled on influences such as The Ocean, Cult of Luna, Isis, and a touch of Tool, Built-in Obsolescence mould elements of these to satisfy their own vision of what heavy music should sound like in 2018. Continue reading
This is the debut album from Irish post-metal/doom band Third Island.
After the initial promise of Third Island’s debut EP Dusk, the band have now returned with a full 48 minutes of material. This is direct, forthright post-metal, which also takes in influences from doom, sludge, post-rock, and progressive metal. Continue reading
Soldat Hans are a doom band from Switzerland and this is their second album.
Es Taut contains 55 minutes of music spread out over three tracks. This is a colossal and ambitious album, one that’s delivered by a band with matching talent, skill, and ability. Continue reading
Below a Silent Sky are a German post-metal band and this is their second album.
I enjoy a good album cover, and this is one I very much like. Here we have an instrumental post-metal band that offers up 56 minutes of music that contains progressive and post-rock elements. Continue reading
