Metal – Page 188 – Wonderbox Metal

Doedsvangr – Serpents ov Old (Review)

Doedsvangr are a black metal band from Norway/Finland and this is their second album.

2017’s Satan ov Suns was an enjoyable record, so I’m glad we now have a new album of occult second wave black metal fury to explore. Made by musicians with a huge range of experience, (having spent time in bands such as Nordjevel, Behexen, Aosoth, Tsjuder, Sargeist, Horna, Nightbringer, Antaeus, and Temple of Baal, to name just a handful), Serpents ov Old is the sound of a group that really know what they’re doing with the style. Continue reading “Doedsvangr – Serpents ov Old (Review)”

First Fragment – Gloire Éternelle (Review)

This is the second album from Canadian technical death metallers First Fragment.

2016’s Dasein was a notable album, one that I have kept returning to over time, much more than I initially thought I would. The band’s jaw-dropping skill and impressive delivery stuck with me, so I viewed their new release Gloire Éternelle with some excitement before it finally reached me. Continue reading “First Fragment – Gloire Éternelle (Review)”

Monolord – Your Time to Shine (Review)

Monolord are a doom metal band from Sweden and this is their fifth album.

After 2019’s enjoyable No Comfort, the band are back with Your Time to Shine, which contains 39 minutes of new material. Monolord know very well how to make this sort of music at this point. These five songs are satisfying and enjoyable. Combining heaviness with nuance, the songs batter your door down, before entertaining with a wealth of musical anecdotes. Continue reading “Monolord – Your Time to Shine (Review)”

Sunless – Ylem (Review)

This is the second album from Sunless, a death metal band from the US.

2017’s Urraca was a very notable and enjoyable release for me, even making it into that year’s end of year list. Progressive, technical, dissonant, avant-garde, psychedelic, and many other high-brow-esque appellations, Urraca was a multidimensional gateway to forward-thinking heaviness from a band who clearly knew their art well. Continue reading “Sunless – Ylem (Review)”

Whitechapel – Kin (Review)

This is the eighth album from US metal band Whitechapel.

I do enjoy a bit of Whitechapel now and again, (Our Endless War, Mark of the Blade, The Valley), so Kin has come along at the right time. After the advances in style and songwriting of The Valley, Kin continues where that album left off, treading similar ground, while also broadening the band’s stylistic reach further. Continue reading “Whitechapel – Kin (Review)”

Apostle of Solitude – Until the Darkness Goes (Review)

This is the fifth album from US doom metallers Apostle of Solitude.

Both 2014’s Of Woe and Wounds and 2018’s From Gold to Ash were very enjoyable records, so I knew I wanted in on Until the Darkness Goes‘ action. With a duration of 37 minutes it’s Apostle of Solitude’s shortest album yet, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Continue reading “Apostle of Solitude – Until the Darkness Goes (Review)”

Archspire – Bleed the Future (Review)

This is the fourth album from Canadian technical death metallers Archspire.

Greatly anticipated after 2017’s highly regarded Relentless Mutation, Bleed the Future is another ferocious slab of unstoppable tech death mastery. Archspire spend 32 minutes showing the world very precisely why they are considered by many to be top of the technical death metal pile. Continue reading “Archspire – Bleed the Future (Review)”

Ghost Bath – Self Loather (Review)

Ghost Bath are a depressive black metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

I’m a big fan of Ghost Bath‘s work. Although somewhat divisive and an acquired taste for some, 2017’s Starmourner was so unusual and charismatic with its over-the-top histrionics and charged melodic atmosphere, that I couldn’t help but fall for it completely. As such, I’ve been looking forward to Self Loather. Continue reading “Ghost Bath – Self Loather (Review)”

Conjureth – Majestic Dissolve (Review)

Conjureth are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Here we have 37 minutes of old-school death metal. It’s of the oldest variety, and steeped in death metal tradition and lore. Continue reading “Conjureth – Majestic Dissolve (Review)”

Worm – Foreverglade (Review)

This is the third album from Worm, a blackened death/doom band from the US.

Foreverglade is the fetid swamp where black metal, funeral doom, and death metal meet and all drown slowly. It hard not to get caught up in the band’s rotting stench. I mean, a blackened form of death/doom? One which knows how to craft atmosphere as well as crush with brutal harsh nastiness, all tied together with very effective songwriting? Sign me up. Right now. Continue reading “Worm – Foreverglade (Review)”