Mastodon – Page 2 – Wonderbox Metal

Anciients – Beyond the Reach of the Sun (Review)

This is the third album from Canadian progressive metal band Anciients.

I haven’t heard Anciients since their 2013 album Heart of Oak, and it’s been a long eight years since their last release, (2016’s Voice of the Void, which I completely missed out on), so I’ve some cathing up to do. I really like their debut though, so was looking forward to the 59 minuets of Beyond the Reach of the Sun. The band have a new lineup, but they still don’t let me down. Continue reading “Anciients – Beyond the Reach of the Sun (Review)”

Cobra the Impaler – Karma Collision (Review)

Cobra the Impaler are a Belgian metal band and this is their second album.

I enjoyed 2022’s Colossal Gods, so it’s great to have some new music from Cobra the Impaler. Across 52 minutes Karma Collision demonstrates that Colossal Gods was merely an appetiser, as now we have the main course. Continue reading “Cobra the Impaler – Karma Collision (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)”

Dvne – Voidkind (Review)

Dvne are a progressive post-metal band from the UK and this is their third album.

I fell hard for Dvne on their 2017 album Asheran, which they then followed up in 2021 with the critically acclaimed Etemen Ænka. Which brings us to the much-anticipated Voidkind, an album that boasts 58 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Dvne – Voidkind (Review)”

The Gorge – Mechanical Fiction (Review)

This is the third album from US progressive metallers The Gorge.

Mechanical Fiction contains 45 minutes of modern, heavy music. The Gorge are an interesting band, in that they are ostensibly a band you’d give the tags of progressive metal and technical metal too, but they also incorporate avant-garde and jazz elements into their style, as well as having an underpinning hardcore/sludge influence that’s formative. Continue reading “The Gorge – Mechanical Fiction (Review)”

Somnuri – Desiderium (Review)

Somnuri are a sludge metal band from the US. and this is their third album.

Following on from 2021’s enjoyable Nefarious Wave comes Desiderium, a 38-minute feast of multi-genre sludge metal. On this new album Somnuri showcase their evolving sound, one that heightens the heaviness and aggression, while still retaining the key aspects of who they were before. Continue reading “Somnuri – Desiderium (Review)”

Yakuza – Sutra (Review)

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)”

Gozu – Remedy (Review)

Gozu are a stoner/grunge band from the US and this is their fifth album.

Remedy contains 49 minutes of stoner rock and metal mixed with a healthy dose of grunge. Imagine a mix of Clutch, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Corrosion of Conformity, and Mastodon, and you’ll have a decent idea of where Gozu are coming from. Continue reading “Gozu – Remedy (Review)”

Witch Ripper – The Flight After the Fall (Review)

This is the second album from US stoner/sludge metal band Witch Ripper.

Witch Ripper play a brand of heavy music that exists somewhere between sludge metal and progressive rock. The Flight After the Fall is an ambitious and enjoyable slab of modern progressive sludge that takes the listener on a 47-minute journey into expressive and emotive waters. Continue reading “Witch Ripper – The Flight After the Fall (Review)”

Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality (Review)

Psychonaut are a Belgian post-metal band and this is their second album.

Having enjoyed Psychonaut’s 2021 Emerald – split with Sâver, I’ve been looking forward to seeing what the band could do with a longer release. So now we have it – Violate Consensus Reality contains 53 minutes of material for the listener to explore. Continue reading “Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality (Review)”