Metal – Page 185 – Wonderbox Metal

Anomalie – Tranceformation (Review)

Anomalie are an Austrian post-black metal band and this is their fourth album.

Following on from 2017’s well-received Visions, (via an EP I haven’t heard), Tranceformation contains 44 minutes of new material, and comes with a newly-focused direction to boot. A rough reference point for what Tranceformation sounds like would be a mix of bands such as Schammasch, Enslaved, and old Anomalie, although to be honest this is only a very approximate guide at best, especially as some songs have a modern doom metal flavour too, (most notably opening track). Continue reading “Anomalie – Tranceformation (Review)”

Hypocrisy – Worship (Review)

This is the thirteenth album from veteran death metallers Hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy are a death metal band that have always tried different things, have always pushed themselves, and have incorporated many different styles and influences into their music over the decades. On Worship this continues to be the case. Across 51 minutes Continue reading “Hypocrisy – Worship (Review)”

Lock Up – The Dregs of Hades (Review)

Lock Up are an international grindcore band and this is their fifth album.

Lock Up contain members of bands such as Napalm Death, At the Gates, The Lurking Fear, Brujeria, Brutal Truth, Misery Index, and Pig Destroyer. Yep, here’s a band that have a lot of experience with extreme music. The Dregs of Hades is a ferocious collection of tracks that showcases the band members’ expertise well. Across 38 minutes we get Continue reading “Lock Up – The Dregs of Hades (Review)”

Hemelbestormer – Collide & Merge (Review)

This is the third album from Belgian post-metallers Hemelbestormer.

I’m not the biggest fan of instrumental music, but sometimes a band comes along and makes it work notably well. With 2016’s Aether and 2018’s A Ring of Blue Light, Hemelbestormer were just one such band. Now they’ve returned with Collide & Merge, which boasts a whopping 73 minutes of new material. Can Hemelbestormer continue their upward trend? We shall see. Continue reading “Hemelbestormer – Collide & Merge (Review)”

Daxma – Unmarked Boxes (Review)

This is the second album from Daxma, a doom/post-metal band from the US.

Following on from 2017’s The Head Which Becomes the Skull, by way of the 2019 EP Ruins upon Ruins, Unmarked Boxes is a record I’ve been waiting for. Daxma deal in luscious doom and post-metal soundscapes that are absolutely awash with atmosphere and run deep with emotive content. Continue reading “Daxma – Unmarked Boxes (Review)”

Obscura – A Valediction (Review)

Obscura are a progressive/technical/melodic death metal band from Germany and this is their sixth album.

Following up on 2018’s Diluvium, 2021’s A Valediction contains 52 minutes of new material. The band have opted for a of a change of direction on their latest album, but despite this it’s still a version of the band so many know and love. Continue reading “Obscura – A Valediction (Review)”

Plebeian Grandstand – Rien ne Suffit (Review)

This is the fourth album from Plebeian Grandstand, a French black metal/hardcore/experimental band.

It’s been a while since the vicious malignant dissonance of 2016’s False Highs, True Lows, so how have Plebeian Grandstand spent the time? Mutating and growing, it seems. Continue reading “Plebeian Grandstand – Rien ne Suffit (Review)”

Khemmis – Deceiver (Review)

Khemmis 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)”

Pathology – The Everlasting Plague (Review)

This is the eleventh album from US death metallers Pathology.

Both 2017’s Pathology and 2019’s Reborn to Kill were brutally fun records to listen to. What of The Everlasting Plague?

Unexpectedly lengthy, (relatively speaking), at 41 minutes in Continue reading “Pathology – The Everlasting Plague (Review)”

Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Mesarthim, Ikarie, & Olio Tähtien Takana (Reviews)

Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This new column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

A new release from Avantgarde Music is almost always worth exploring. Whenever I see a new record from the label on the horizon, I know to pay attention. With a strong track record for producing engaging and interesting black metal and doom albums, there’s always something good to discover… Continue reading “Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Mesarthim, Ikarie, & Olio Tähtien Takana (Reviews)”