Asgrauw – Gronspech (Review)

AsgrauwAsgrauw are a black metal band from the Netherlands and this is their third album.

Carrying a torch for old-school Scandinavian second wave black metal through a forest at night, Asgrauw have delivered an album that really does make me nostalgic for the 90s. The music on Gronspech speaks to me in a very specific, occult-tinged way that only this kind of music can. Continue reading “Asgrauw – Gronspech (Review)”

Yob – Our Raw Heart (Review)

YobYob are a doom metal band from the US and this is their eighth album.

Featuring a colossal 73 minutes of music, Our Raw Heart is a marathon of emotively compelling doom metal. If you’ve enjoyed Yob’s music in the past, then get ready to experience some of the best they’ve ever offered. Continue reading “Yob – Our Raw Heart (Review)”

Wombbath – The Great Desolation (Review)

WombbathWombbath are a Swedish death metal band and this is their third album.

Ahh, Swedish death metal. You just keep giving and giving and giving, don’t you? It was 2015 when I last encountered Wombbath, with Continue reading “Wombbath – The Great Desolation (Review)”

Ahtme – Sewerborn (Review)

AhtmeAhtme, (formerly The Roman Holiday), are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.

I like death metal that combines technical playing with devastating riffs, a meaty production, and a singer that can growl with the best of them. Which is why I like Sewerborn very much. Containing a raging concoction of surprisingly charismatic brutality, as you listen to this it becomes quickly apparent that Ahtme know how to write a good song. Continue reading “Ahtme – Sewerborn (Review)”

Leviathan – Can’t Be Seen by Looking: Blurring the Lines, Clouding the Truth (Review)

LeviathanThis is the sixth album from US progressive metallers Leviathan.

The band’s 2014 album Beholden to Nothing, Braver Since Then was an album that I not only enjoyed when it came out, but is one that has definitely grown on me over time. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. Continue reading “Leviathan – Can’t Be Seen by Looking: Blurring the Lines, Clouding the Truth (Review)”

Hivetower – Lunacy (Review)

HivetowerHivetower are a US metal band and this is their debut EP.

I like this, it has character. On the longer side for an EP, (31 minutes), Hivetower have produced the type of metal album that pilfers willingly from a few different scenes and styles, while still managing to have a personality of its own. Continue reading “Hivetower – Lunacy (Review)”

Tomb Mold – Manor of Infinite Forms (Review)

Tomb MoldTomb Mold are a Canadian death metal band and this is their second album.

This is an interesting release. Ostensibly old-school death metal that reeks of the underground and has a filthy, ugly delivery, there’s also a firmly atypical and non-standard side to these songs which makes Manor of Infinite Forms definitely stand out from the pack. Continue reading “Tomb Mold – Manor of Infinite Forms (Review)”

Gaerea – Unsettling Whispers (Review)

GaereaGaerea are a Portuguese black metal band and this is their debut album.

On Unsettling Whispers Gaerea have crafted 42 minutes of black metal that’s distinctly non-standard and in many ways is quite…unsettling. Continue reading “Gaerea – Unsettling Whispers (Review)”