Neck of the Woods are a progressive metal band from Canada and this is their debut album.
After being suitably impressed with the band’s 2015 self-titled EP, I must admit that I’ve been quite excited and looking forward to hearing some more material from them. Continue reading
Goatwhore are a black/death metal band from the US and this is their seventh album.
Not only is this a band with just an amazing name, but ever since they first coalesced into existence around members of stunning personal favourites Soilent Green and Acid Bath, I’ve always had an incredible soft spot for Goatwhore. Continue reading
This is the latest EP from Torc, a black metal band from the Czech Republic.
Torc play black metal with a few other influences which can be heard in the songs. Continue reading
Divine Element are an international black/death metal band. This is their second album.
This is quite a varied release that essentially boils down to about 40 minutes of epic extreme metal.
The music takes Continue reading
This is the debut album from White Ward, a Ukrainian post-black metal band.
This is post-black metal with avant-garde tendencies. However, this is a very simplistic description of what you’ll find on Futility Report; the music is anything but simple.
Mix Ihsahn, Ulver, Ephel Duath, Blut Aus Nord, Deafheaven, and Wolves in the Throne Room together, and you’ll still only have the barest glimpse of what White Ward play. Continue reading
The Bearer are a hardcore band from the US and this is their second release.
The Bearer play hardcore that’s influenced by metal – so far, so generic, right? Wrong. On paper this description may be accurate, but it doesn’t do The Bearer’s sound justice. Continue reading
Mercy Isle are an American/Dutch symphonic metal band and this is their debut album.
Mercy Isle play their brand of melodic, symphonic metal with the core of a rock band and the catchiness of a pop act.
A frequent issue I have with a lot of Continue reading
This is the latest EP from The Unguided, a Swedish melodic metal band.
The band’s 2016 album Lust and Loathing was one of those albums that just got better and better the more I listened to it. On the surface the band didn’t seem to be doing anything too different from Continue reading
This is the eighth album from Norwegian symphonic/Gothic metallers Sirenia.
After being around for a good 15 years now, Sirenia know a thing or two about the style they play. Largely held in high regard for their symphonic/Gothic metal, they’re back once more with what is, I think, one of their Continue reading
This is the debut album of Italian symphonic metal band Oniricide.
Oniricide ostensibly play Nightwish-inspired symphonic metal, but there’s more than just this going on here. The music here has a nice, earthy feel to it that reminds me of some doom metal bands as much as symphonic/melodic ones.
The Nightwish influence is only a starting point, as Continue reading
