Metal – Page 3 – Wonderbox Metal

Old Night – Mediterranean Melancholy (Review)

Old Night are a Croatian doom metal band and this is their fourth album.

2017’s Pale Cold Irrelevance and 2019’s A Fracture in the Human Soul were both great records, so I was pleased and surprised when Mediterranean Melancholy appeared out of the blue. I was even more surprised to find out that Old Night released another album – Ghost Light – in 2022 that had completely escaped my attention. Boo! Anyway, let’s now turn our attention to the 44 minutes of new material on Mediterranean Melancholy. Continue reading “Old Night – Mediterranean Melancholy (Review)”

Depravity – Bestial Possession (Review)

Depravity are an Australian death metal band and this is their third album.

It’s been a while since 2018’s Evil Upheaval and 2020’s Grand Malevolence, but both records made their mark. Well, 2025 marks the return of the mighty Depravity, so can Bestial Possession clear the high bar set by its two predecessors? Continue reading “Depravity – Bestial Possession (Review)”

1914 – Viribus Unitis (Review)

1914 are a Ukrainian blackened death/doom band and this is their fourth album.

It’s great to have a new album from this well-regarded band, (check out some of their past work here, here, and here). Containing 57 minutes of new material, Veribus Unitis is 1914’s most absorbing work yet. Continue reading “1914 – Viribus Unitis (Review)”

Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy (Review)

This is the fourth album from US solo black metal band Lamp of Murmuur.

The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy is the follow up to 2023’s well-received Saturnian Bloodstorm. The latter was a record that only improved over time, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing songs from it, (and other releases), performed live when I saw Lamp of Murmuur at 2024’s Fortress Festival. All of this is to say, I’ve been looking forward to this new record. Continue reading “Lamp of Murmuur – The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy (Review)”

Chairmaker – Leviathan Carcass (Review)

This is the debut album from UK solo grindcore band Chairmaker.

When an album is recommended for fans of Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed, I have to at least spare it more than a cursory glance. What I discovered when I did was an utterly brutal 14-minute grindcore explosion. Yep, that’s me sold. Continue reading “Chairmaker – Leviathan Carcass (Review)”

Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin – Stygian Bough Volume II (Review)

Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin are both artists from the US, and they have teamed up once more to bring us a new outing of mournful doom.

2020’s Stygian Bough Volume I was one of my favourites from that year, so I was very excited by the appearance of Stygian Bough Volume II. Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin have impressed in the past, but can they do so again? Continue reading “Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin – Stygian Bough Volume II (Review)”

Damnation Festival 2025 – BEC Arena, Manchester – 08/11/25-09/11/25 (Live Review)

Another year, another Damnation Festival. Has it really been 20 years? I went to the very first one waaaaay back in 2005, and a love affair was born. It has been great to watch it become one of the world’s best festivals. Kudos to the organisers for their continued passion and ability.

This edition is therefore the festival’s twentieth year and sees Damnation bigger and arguably better than ever before. It’s across two days now, and the lineup is strong in both depth and breadth. From veteran classics to newborn sensations, the festival has it all. Continue reading “Damnation Festival 2025 – BEC Arena, Manchester – 08/11/25-09/11/25 (Live Review)”

Beastwars – The Ship // The Sea (Review)

Beastwars are a sludge/stoner metal band from New Zealand and this is their fifth album.

Following on from 2019’s IV, (via a covers album in 2023 called Tyranny of Distance), comes the 40-minute The Ship // The Sea. I was excited to listen to this, as Beastwars always deliver, and it hasn’t disappointed. Continue reading “Beastwars – The Ship // The Sea (Review)”

Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World (Review)

This is the second album from Qrixkuor, a death metal band from the UK.

Following on from 2021’s monstrous Poisoning Palinopsia comes The Womb of the World. Qrixkuor’s new record contains four songs, totalling a full duration of 50 minutes. It’s punishing, but also terrifyingly beautiful. Continue reading “Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World (Review)”

Kostnatění – Přílišnost (Excess) (Review)

This is the second album from US solo extreme metal band Kostnatění.

2023’s Úpal was a notable record, standing out from the crowd with its atypical approach to black metal. Now comes Přílišnost, and it’s a refined beast of uncommon extremity we find ourselves faced with. Continue reading “Kostnatění – Přílišnost (Excess) (Review)”