Khanate – To Be Cruel (Review)

Khanate - To Be CruelKhanate are a doom/drone band from the US and this is their fifth album.

The unthinkable has happened. Utterly impossible. After 14 years, a new Khanate album has arisen from the depths of untold bottomless horror to grace an undeserving planet with its unique form of grim darkness. How and why it has appeared now is anyone’s guess, but surely it must be a sign of the end times? Continue reading “Khanate – To Be Cruel (Review)”

Big | Brave – Nature Morte (Review)

Big Brave - Nature MorteBig | Brave are a doom/drone band from Canada and this is their sixth album.

I haven’t caught up with Big | Brave since 2017’s Ardor, so Nature Morte‘s alluring cover is good enough of a reason to catch up with what the band are doing once more.

Continue reading “Big | Brave – Nature Morte (Review)”

Nadja – Labyrinthine (Review)

Nadja - LabyrinthineThis is the latest release from Nadja, a doom/drone duo from Canada.

Nadja are a great band, (make sure you check out the stunning Sv), and they have an astonishing amount of releases under their belt. This latest one is something a little exceptional though, as the normally largely instrumental duo have recruited a different vocalist for each of the colossal four songs that make up this 63-minute album. Continue reading “Nadja – Labyrinthine (Review)”

Bethmoora – Thresholds (Review)

Bethmoora - ThresholdsThis is the debut album from Bethmoora, a doom/sludge band from Denmark.

It’s good to hear such a malignant slab of filthy doom-fuelled hateful sludge like this now and again. It strips away pretentions and allows you to get a good long hard look at the muck and grime. Continue reading “Bethmoora – Thresholds (Review)”

Body Void/Keeper – Split (Review)

Body Void Keeper - SplitBody Void and Keeper are both US doom/sludge bands, and they have teamed up to deliver this split.

Both Body Void, (I Live Inside a Burning House/You Will Know the Fear You Forced upon Us), and Keeper, (Split with Sea Bastard/The Space Between Your Teeth/Split with Old Witch), have Continue reading “Body Void/Keeper – Split (Review)”

Culted – Vespertina Synaxis: A Prayer for Union & Emptiness (Review)

Culted - Vespertina Synaxis - A Prayer for Union & EmptinessCulted are an international blackened doom band and this is their latest EP.

I really enjoyed 2014’s Oblique to All Paths, and have been waiting for a new Culted release ever since. Well, now it’s here in the shape of this 27-minute EP. Boasting three tracks, Vespertina Synaxis: A Prayer for Union & Emptiness is a sinister exploration of Culted’s world. Continue reading “Culted – Vespertina Synaxis: A Prayer for Union & Emptiness (Review)”

Sloth Hammer – Superbia Ira Acedia (Review)

Sloth Hammer - Superbia Ira AcediaSloth Hammer are an experimental sludge/doom band from the UK. This is their second album.

No guitars, two vocalists, two electronicists, (is that a word?), two drummers, and plenty of bass, Sloth Hammer bring the pain on their second album across a colossal and punishing 78 minutes, recorded live and improvised. Continue reading “Sloth Hammer – Superbia Ira Acedia (Review)”

Bismuth – The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef (Review)

Bismuth - The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier ReefThis is the second album from UK doom/drone band Bismuth.

Ever since first hearing The Eternal Marshes I’ve been a fan of what Bismuth do. Over the years they’ve continued to develop their bass-drum-synth-low-end-heavy-doom-assault-on-the-senses approach to music. Every release essentially sees them rising to new heights of both extremity and nuance, and this has now culminated in this new colossal album. Continue reading “Bismuth – The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef (Review)”

Body Void – I Live Inside a Burning House (Review)

Body VoidBody Void are a doom band from the US and this is their second album.

I love bands that play horrible, nihilistic, pitch-black doom/sludge, and Body Void are my latest discovery in this vein. If you’re a fan of bands such as Primitive Man, Khanate, Bongripper, CHRCH, and Keeper, for example, then this is very definitely for you. Continue reading “Body Void – I Live Inside a Burning House (Review)”