Damnation Festival 2023 – BEC Arena, Manchester, 04/11/23 (Live Review)

Damnation Festiva 2023 - PosterIt’s Damnation o-clock once more! This is always such a good festival to attend. The line up is an interesting and varied one, with some bands I’m less interested in, some that are an essential experience, and some frustrating clashes. I missed some great bands today, unfortunately, but that’s always going to be the case with such a jam-packed festival. Continue reading “Damnation Festival 2023 – BEC Arena, Manchester, 04/11/23 (Live Review)”

Flesh of the Stars – The Glass Garden (Review)

Flesh of the Stars - The Glass GardenFlesh of the Stars are from the US and play doom metal. This is their fifth album.

Flesh of the Stars are a band that I always enjoy catching up with. 2015’s Hide, 2017’s Anhilla, and 2019’s Mercy are all albums worthy of your time, and the same is true of their new record, The Glass Garden, doubly so in fact. Continue reading “Flesh of the Stars – The Glass Garden (Review)”

Restless Spirit – Afterimage (Review)

Restless Spirit - AfterimageRestless Spirit are a metal band from the US and this is their third album.

Afterimage contains 38 minutes of heavy, moreish music that’s infectiously delivered by a band that clearly know what they’re doing. Restless Spirit are not to be ignored. Fans of acts such as Somnuri, Witch Ripper, Khemmis, and Spirit Adrift please take note. Continue reading “Restless Spirit – Afterimage (Review)”

Khemmis – Deceiver (Review)

Khemmis - DeceiverKhemmis are a doom metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

Khemmis are a great band, it’s as simple as that. Across three very well-received albums, (Absolution, Hunted, and Desolation), they have established themselves as modern doom metal heavyweights extraordinaire. On Deceiver Khemmis have continued their trend of high quality releases, and it’s one not be missed. Continue reading “Khemmis – Deceiver (Review)”

Grief Collector – En Delirium (Review)

Grief Collector - En DeliriumThis is the debut album from US doom metallers Grief Collector.

Featuring Robert Lowe, (an ex-member of Candlemass), on vocals, En Delirium contains 48 minutes of largely traditional doom metal mixed with a touch of modern sludge, to produce a compelling piece of work. Continue reading “Grief Collector – En Delirium (Review)”

Go Ahead and Die – Go Ahead and Die (Review)

Go Ahead and Die - Go Ahead and DieThis is the debut album from Go Ahead and Die, a death/thrash metal band.

Go Ahead and Die treats us to 44 minutes of old-school thrash metal, with some death metal, punk, and grindcore thrown in for good measure. Continue reading “Go Ahead and Die – Go Ahead and Die (Review)”

Vokonis – Odyssey (Review)

Vokonis - OdysseyThis is the fourth album from Vokonis, a progressive doom metal band from Sweden.

Vokonis’ style mixes together progressive metal with stoner and doom metal, resulting in a colourful and enjoyable collection of tracks. While Mastodon is the obvious reference point, it’s also an inadequate one for Odyssey, as there’s a lot more at play here than simply Mastodon worship. I can also hear elements of bands as diverse as Sleep, Slomatics, Elder, Perihelion Ship, Rush, Khemmis, Alice in Chains, Witchkiss, Monolord, and Black Crown Initiate, to name but a few. Continue reading “Vokonis – Odyssey (Review)”

Acid Mammoth – Caravan (Review)

Acid Mammoth - CaravanThis is the third album form Greek doom/stoner metallers Acid Mammoth.

Sometimes a band appears that is ostensibly no different to that of many other groups playing with a similar sound, but that has an ineffable quality that simply manages to captivate. For me, Acid Mammoth is one such band. Continue reading “Acid Mammoth – Caravan (Review)”

Carcolh – The Life and Works of Death (Review)

Carcolh - The Life and Works of DeathCarcolh are a French doom metal band and this is their second album.

Carcolh’s approach to traditional doom metal is one that’s downbeat, heavy, and rich in feeling. The band hover somewhere between the old-school and the new, making the most of each of them to produce something that’s not entirely either, so should appeal to fans of both. Continue reading “Carcolh – The Life and Works of Death (Review)”

Mother of Graves – In Somber Dreams (Review)

Mother of Graves - In Somber DreamsThis is the debut EP from US death/doom metal band Mother of Graves.

In Somber Dreams contains 19 minutes of old-school melodic death/doom. The promo blurb mentions bands such as Katatonia, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Cloak, and Khemmis, and these serve as suitable reference points, especially the first two. Continue reading “Mother of Graves – In Somber Dreams (Review)”