Serpents Athirst/Genocide Shrines/Trepanation/Heresiarch – Scorn Coalescence – Split (Review)

Serpents Athirst Genocide Shrines Trepanation Heresiarch - Scorn Coalescence - SplitThis four way split is between Serpents Athirst and Genocide Shrines from Sri Lanka, and Trepanation and Heresiarch from New Zealand. Each offer up a single track. Continue reading “Serpents Athirst/Genocide Shrines/Trepanation/Heresiarch – Scorn Coalescence – Split (Review)”

Twilight Force – Dawn of the Dragonstar (Review)

Twilight Force - Dawn of the DragonstarTwilight Force are a power metal band from Sweden and this is their third album.

This is epic, symphonic power metal, the type that makes no apologies for its extravagance and sumptuous presence. These Euro-metal hymns are enhanced with all manner of additional instruments and symphonic keyboards. It’s the kind of music that embraces all of the clichés about this sort of thing, and does so willingly and with passion. Continue reading “Twilight Force – Dawn of the Dragonstar (Review)”

Kludde – In de Kwelm (Review)

Kludde - In de KwelmKludde are a Belgian black metal band and this is their second album.

Inspired by second wave black metal, this is old-school, raw, and menacing. A death metal influence can be heard in the music, giving it more muscle and thickness than some black metal out there. Pinches of crust’s energetic urgency can be detected too here and there, propelling a particular passage along at a punishing rate. There’s even a doom/sludge influence; this mainly Continue reading “Kludde – In de Kwelm (Review)”

Mourner – Apogee of Nihility (Review)

Mourner - Apogee of NihilityThis is the debut album from Mourner, a death/doom metal band from Russia.

In a surprisingly textured mix of gloomy atmosphere and deathly heaviness, Mourner’s first release is an enjoyable take on the death/doom style. It seems primarily influenced by the old-school triumvirate of Paradise Lost, Anathema, and My Dying Bride, and fans of these bands and the corresponding era should find much to enjoy here. Continue reading “Mourner – Apogee of Nihility (Review)”

Unprocessed – Artificial Void (Review)

Unprocessed - Artificial VoidUnprocessed are a German progressive metal band and this is their third album.

Artificial Void contains 58 minutes of technical wizardry and complex structures and fuses them into a modern progressive metal journey that’s a rather impressive achievement. Not the least of this is because the album takes a vibrant, fresh approach to what could easily be tired and stale in another band’s lesser hands, (and frequently is). Continue reading “Unprocessed – Artificial Void (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of July 2019

It’s once more time to catch up with some of the best metal releases of the past month. Check out the albums below and let me know which one your favourite is. Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of July 2019”

Cerebral Rot – Odious Descent into Decay (Review)

Cerebral Rot - Odious Descent into DecayCerebral Rot are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Odious Descent into Decay contains 45 minutes of disgusting old-school death metal. Reeking of some long-forgotten swampy Hellhole that last saw the touch of light in the early 90s, this album sounds like it has been festering and rotting in the darkness for decades. Continue reading “Cerebral Rot – Odious Descent into Decay (Review)”

Victims of Contagion – Lamentations of the Flesh Bound (Review)

Victims of Contagion - Lamentations of the Flesh BoundVictims of Contagion are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Victims of Contagion play death metal that mixes brutality with technicality, resulting in songs that aren’t overly technical just for the sake of it. Instead, the technicality is used to forge tracks that place the song at the heart of what the band do. Continue reading “Victims of Contagion – Lamentations of the Flesh Bound (Review)”

Humanity’s Last Breath – Abyssal (Review)

Humanity's Last Breath - AbyssalThis is the third album from Swedish death metallers Humanity’s Last Breath.

Well, Abyssal is not what I expected. Although I’d heard of Humanity’s Last Breath prior to listening to this album, for some reason I had it in my head that they were a metalcore band. No idea why. I’m also very, very wrong. What we have here is some individually-played death metal; it seems that Humanity’s Last Breath have carved out their own niche in the crowded death metal landscape, and then filled it with mechanised horror. Continue reading “Humanity’s Last Breath – Abyssal (Review)”