This is the second album by Stomach, a doom/sludge band from the US.
Containing 43 minutes of thoroughly obnoxious doom sludge nastiness, Low Demon is a hideous mix of doom, sludge, drone, noise, grindcore, industrial, and punk. Stomach, brought to us by current/ex-members of Weekend Nachos, know their way around the style, as becomes quickly apparent across these five tracks. Continue reading “Stomach – Low Demon (Review)”
This is the sixth album from US black metal band Abigail Williams.
Brought to us by current/ex-members of bands such as Aborted, Changeling, Chrome Waves, Fear Factory, The Faceless, Lord Mantis, Nachtmystium, Vale of Pnath, and Wolvhammer, a lot of experience and skills has gone into A Void Within Existence. In fact, due to the members, I’m amazed I’ve never listened to Abigail Williams prior to this new album. I’ve heard the name many times, but this is my first exposure to their brand of black metal. Continue reading “Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence (Review)”
Primal Code are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Featuring a current/ex-member of Anatomy of Habit, Indian, Lord Mantis, and Wolves in the Throne Room, Primal Code play old-school death metal, and on Opaque Fixation they bring us 39 minutes of crushing riffery. Continue reading “Primal Code – Opaque Fixation (Review)”
Thou are a sludge/doom band from the US and this is their sixth album.
Following on from 2018’s immense Magus, Umbilical contains 49 minutes of new music from the very well-regarded Thou. Umbilical takes a different route to heaviness than its predecessor, but is no less effective in achieving its goals. Continue reading “Thou – Umbilical (Review)”
This is the second album from Ggu:ll, a blackened doom band from the Netherlands.
Featuring ex-members of Dodecahedron, Ex Est contains 45 minutes of music that’s sharp, bleak, and harsh. With the promo blurb stating that Ex Est is for fans of Mizmor, Bell Witch, Lord Mantis, Bongripper, and Funeral Mist, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Let’s dive in… Continue reading “Ggu:ll – Ex Est (Review)”
Contrarian are a progressive/technical death metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.
I wasn’t expecting a follow up to last year’s Their Worm Never Dies so soon, but I’m not complaining. Along with 2015’s Polemic and 2017’s To Perceive Is to Suffer, I’ve really enjoyed all of Contrarian’s material so far. Continue reading “Contrarian – Only Time Will Tell (Review)”
Lord Mantis are from the US and play Blackened Sludge Metal. This is their fourth album.
2014’s Death Mask was a tortured nightmare of evil sludge, pretty much as foul as the style gets. Five years later the band have returned, infecting the world with 44 minutes of new material that’s as virulent and as nasty as ever. Continue reading “Lord Mantis – Universal Death Church (Review)”
This Gift Is a Curse are a blackened sludge band from Sweden and this is their third album.
Here we have 45 minutes of hateful extremity that combines black metal, sludge, and hardcore. It’s violent, world-ending music that’s wreathed in both aggression and atmosphere most foul. Continue reading “This Gift Is a Curse – A Throne of Ash (Review)”
Lord Mantis are from the US and play Blackened Sludge Metal.
This is torturous, nihilistic Sludge with Blackened overtones and a deep, deep desire to do harm. They arm themselves with all kinds of sharp implements to rabidly experiment with in the search for the ultimate frenzied stab wound pattern. This manifests itself as 47 minutes of Blackened Sludge Metal with some noise components thrown in for good measure.
The songs are the aural equivalent of darkness made solid, with lurking dangers and scything evil hidden within and somehow free to move around in the impenetrable solidity of a corporeal inky black night.
Sounding like a more savage-than-normal Sludge band, Lord Mantis take vitriol to new heights and display a callous disregard for standard genre rules. Unlike some Sludge bands they also include blast beats and noise assaults in their armoury of nasty delights, and wield them with wanton brutality.
If you can handle the acerbic nature of the music then this is top of the league stuff. Depraved, vile, sinful and warped; this may be one of the best records of the year so far.
Wonderbox Metal 