This is the seventh album from US avant-garde/experimental doom band Yakuza.
Sutra is a 54-minute journey into the unexpected and the atypical. Few genre tags will do this justice, so I’ve settled on avant-garde doom, which is vague enough to be relevant, so why not. Whatever you call them, Yakuza have provided a multifaceted metal album that’s diverse and enjoyable. Continue reading “Yakuza – Sutra (Review)”
This is the fifth album from one-woman experimental black metal band Cicada the Burrower.
The follow up to 2021’s very enjoyable Corpseflower, Blight Witch Regalia brings us 31 minutes of new material from this talented artist. Although tagged as black metal, this record has moved on from that description really. Fans of the classic blackened sound are Continue reading “Cicada the Burrower – Blight Witch Regalia (Review)”
So here we are again. It’s December, and year end lists are flying around like shrapnel. Due to the inherent subjectivity of music it’s always interesting to see what people have made of the preceding year.
For me, I made a concerted effort to drag myself away from the depths of black metal’s always-enticing abyss to spend some more time with other genres and styles that I also love. I said something similar last year, but I feel this year I was more successful in achieving that end. Of course, I still love black metal, still listen to it constantly, and you’ll still find some great examples of the blackened arts in the list below.
2022 was a strong year for death metal for me, and I enjoyed more death metal bands in a deeper way than I have done for some time. In every year there are standout releases, but I felt this year the standard was raised throughout. Possibly I was simply more receptive to it. Either way, you’ll find more death metal-related acts, and in higher spots, in this selection than you’ll have seen in my lists for a while.
As with last year, grindcore was largely absent from my year, disappointingly, as was hardcore. Additionally, the sort of lengthy, ugly, abyssal doom that I love so much has been largely lacking too. It’s all probably out there somewhere, but I didn’t catch it.
The top two spots this year are both claimed by albums/bands/styles that I simply could not have predicted would be at the pinnacle of my list by the year’s end, (one of the bands I hadn’t even heard of in January). I hope you enjoy these excellent records even half as much as I do.
Lastly I just want to say a big thank you to any and all that might read this site. It’s only a small endeavour, and I do it purely for the love of all things METAL and to support bands that I enjoy in whatever minor way I can, but if this is you, a heartfelt thank you for enduring my scribblings.
On to it! Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2022”
This is the sixth album from US power metallers Judicator.
Following on from 2020’s Let There Be Nothing, The Majesty of Decay delivers 61 minutes of conceptually driven metal. Whereas Let There Be Nothing was historically themed, The Majesty of Decay takes a more contemporary approach, and feels more personal because of this. Continue reading “Judicator – The Majesty of Decay (Review)”
Gorycz are a Polish post-black metal band and this is their second album.
Gorycz feature members of Non Opus Dei, and Kamienie is a 37-minute exploration of non-standard music. Stirring together ingredients from black metal, post-rock, and sludge into a tasty post-black metal cocktail, Gorycz’s music is individual and Continue reading “Gorycz – Kamienie (Review)”
Mord’A’Stigmata are an avant-garde rock band from Poland and this is their sixth album.
Dreams of Quiet Places was a highlight of 2019 for me, so it’s with great anticipation that I turned to Like Ants and Snakes. I also thoroughly enjoyed 2013’s Ansia and 2017’s Hope, so Mord’A’Stigmata are a band with a great track record of strong album. Has their new one lived up to my lofty expectations? Continue reading “Mord’A’Stigmata – Like Ants and Snakes (Review)”
This is the fifth album from US progressive doom band Dreadnought.
Dreadnought play a brand of progressive doom, with black, folk, jazz, classical, and post-metal elements all embedded into it. It’s a heady mix, but the band have more than enough talent and skill to pull it off. Continue reading “Dreadnought – The Endless (Review)”
This is the third album from one-man Canadian black/death metal band Through Mists.
The artist behind Through Mists appears to be very prolific, with a huge amount of material being released on Bandcamp in a short period of time. This is my first Continue reading “Through Mists – Mindless Automatons (Review)”
This is the debut album from Moths, a progressive doom band from Puerto Rico.
Moths paint from a rich and diverse palette and play a form of music that takes influence from a range of places. In essence it’s a mix of stoner, doom, psychedelic, and progressive metal, which has then been expanded to include elements of space rock, 70s progressive rock, and jazz. It’s quite the experience, and Space Force contains 28 minutes of characterful material. Continue reading “Moths – Space Force (Review)”
This is the debut album from 1/2 Southern Soul, a one-woman blackened doom band from Greece.
Narrations of a Fallen Soul is a 67-minute journey into lesser travelled terrain. Powered by a single creative artist, but fleshed out by many guests on different tracks and instruments, (including drums, saxophone, violin, davul, kaval, and dahare), 1/2 Southern North provides an unusual album that is well-crafted and realised. Continue reading “1/2 Southern North – Narrations of a Fallen Soul (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 