Isis – Page 2 – Wonderbox Metal

Codespeaker – Scavenger (Review)

This is the second album from UK post-metal band Codespeaker.

Featuring current/ex-members of Dvne and Frontierer, Codespeaker have arrived ready to flatten with all of the considerable weight they can bring to bear. Taking influence from the post-metal giants of Neurosis, Cult of Luna, and Isis, Codespeaker have crafted a 51-minute journey into darkness. I’ll also mention bands such as Bossk, Briqueville, and Hundred Year Old Man as appropriate reference points too. Continue reading “Codespeaker – Scavenger (Review)”

Kurokuma – Of Amber and Sand (Review)

This is the second album from Kurokuma, a doom/sludge band from the UK.

Kurokuma have come a long way since they started, from 2016’s sludge/doom EP Advorsus which pegged them as ones to watch, to 2022’s more adventurous debut album Born of Obsidian. The band are now back with the 38-minute Of Amber and Sand, which finds Kurokuma pushing their experimental side even further, while retaining their core of heaviness. Continue reading “Kurokuma – Of Amber and Sand (Review)”

Sumac – The Healer (Review)

This is the fifth album from Canadian post-metal/sludge band Sumac, (who boast current and ex-members of bands such as Baptists, Genghis Tron, Isis, Old Man Gloom, Russian Circles, and These Arms Are Snakes in their ranks).

It’s been a while since I caught up with Sumac – 2018’s collaboration with Keijo Haino in fact, as well as their full length from the same year, Love in Shadow. I even had the privilege of catching them live in 2019. Apparently they also had an album out in 2020 called May You Be Held, which I somehow completely missed, which is a shame. All of which brings us to the immense 76 minutes of material on The Healer. Continue reading “Sumac – The Healer (Review)”

Urzah – The Scorching Gaze (Review)

This is the debut album from UK sludge/post-metal band Urzah.

The Scorching Gaze contains 42 minutes of material delivered in a charismatic hybrid metallic style. Urzah combine elements of sludge, post-metal, progressive metal, doom, and hardcore/metalcore into an exemplar of heaviness that feels timeless. Continue reading “Urzah – The Scorching Gaze (Review)”

Aequorea – Departure (Review)

This is the third album from US doom/post-metal band Aequorea.

Spread out over five engaging tracks, Departure is a 41-minute amalgamation of doom, post-metal, sludge, and blackened elements. This is my first encounter with Aequorea, but they make a good impression. Continue reading “Aequorea – Departure (Review)”

Guhts – Regeneration (Review)

This is the debut album from US post-metal band Guhts.

Guhts play post-metal that benefits from avant-garde, sludge, doom, and shoegaze elements that allow the band to build and sustain compelling musical vistas over time. It’s all about emotion and atmosphere with Guhts, and across 46 minutes Regeneration is soaked to the core with feeling. Continue reading “Guhts – Regeneration (Review)”

Distances – Abstruse (Review)

Distances are a post-metal band from the US and this is their fifth album, (assuming you count 2016’s covers album Rip Offs).

Eagerly awaited after 2018’s hugely impressive Diableries, which rightfully made it into the top 3 of my album of the year list for that year, its follow up is finally here. Abstruse contains 41 minutes of new material, and finds the band altered, but full of fire and creative passion. Continue reading “Distances – Abstruse (Review)”

Sâver – From Ember and Rust (Review)

This is the second album from Norwegian post-metal band Sâver.

Sâver made a good impression on me with their 2021 split with Psychonaut, so this new release was a great opportunity to see what they are capable of with a full album to play with. Continue reading “Sâver – From Ember and Rust (Review)”

Morne – Engraved with Pain (Review)

This is the fifth album from US doom band Morne.

Engraved with Pain combines elements of doom, sludge, post-metal, and crust, to create a 41-minute album of bleak emotion and textured heaviness. Continue reading “Morne – Engraved with Pain (Review)”

Briqueville – IIII (Review)

This is the fourth album from Belgian post-metal band Briqueville.

IIII contains 39 minutes of dark, enigmatic music. Briqueville’s style is deeply atmospheric, and IIII is the sort of album that will drag you into the darkness as it hypnotises with its shifting walls of rich mood. Continue reading “Briqueville – IIII (Review)”