It’s the inaugural Tynebound, brought to us by the lovely Reaper Agency. It’s a sister festival of this year’s Reaper Festival, and if it’s even half as good as that was, this weekend will be a smashing success. With a great lineup over both days, it’s time to embrace the northern darkness. Continue reading “Tynebound 2026 – Anarchy Brew Co, Newcastle upon Tyne, 05/09/26-06/09/26 (Live Review)”
Kōya are a post-hardcore band from Denmark and this is their debut album.
Pendula consists of 38 minutes of material that is impressively wrought, especially for a first record. Kōya bring a few different influences together well, and the result is an album as devastating as it is well-rendered. Continue reading “Kōya – Pendula (Review)”
ArcTanGent is the UK’s premier outdoor alternative music festival, and it’s a great pleasure to have so many great bands here over one weekend, from all over the world.
It’s this writer’s first time at the festival, even if it’s only for the Friday and the Saturday, and it turns out to be an extremely enjoyable and rewarding couple of days. The festival’s organisation, layout, lineup, and everything else have clearly been thought about closely and iterated upon over time. The end result is a festival experience that’s one of the best out there. Continue reading “ArcTanGent Festival 2026 – Fernhill Farm, Compton Martin, 21/08/26-22/08/26 (Live Review)”
Sworn are a Norwegian black metal band and this is their fifth album.
Sworn are one of the best melodic black metal bands active right now. Coming off a genuinely top tier previous album, (2023’s A Journey Told Through Fire), and with a strong back catalogue overall, any new Sworn material is going to be hotly anticipated. Enter the 44-minute Null Crowned the Infinite. Continue reading “Sworn – Null Crowned the Infinite (Review)”
Russian Circles are an instrumental post-rock/metal band from the US. This is their ninth album.
Russian Circles can do no wrong. Sorry, but them’s the rules. More seriously, coming off the back of 2022’s fantastic Gnostic, Nine has big shoes to fill, but fill them it does. Across 39 minutes of new material, Russian Circles showcase their considerable talents in no uncertain terms. Continue reading “Russian Circles – Nine (Review)”
Epicardiectomy are a death metal band from Czechia and this is their fourth album.
Dismal Landscapes of Voluptuous Pustular Cadaverosis offers up a feast of gruesome death metal brutality. Epicardiectomy are here to give you a big face full of SLAM, and they’re not interested in your cries for mercy. Across 37 minutes you’ll be horribly abused and violated, and you’ll love it. At least, you will if you’re a fan of brutal slamming death metal of the foulest sort. Continue reading “Epicardiectomy – Dismal Landscapes of Voluptuous Pustular Cadaverosis (Review)”
This is the third album from UK doom/sludge band Kulk.
Now here’s an intriguing release. On the surface of it, Choosing to Die is a 26-minute doomsludge album ostensibly in the vein of many others. Look more closely though, and you’ll find a record far broader in scope and ambition. Kulk take a style that’s been done to death and infuse it with fresh vitality. Continue reading “Kulk – Choosing to Die (Review)”
This is the eighth album by French death metal band Gorod.
After their very strong 2023 album The Orb, the return of Gorod is to be celebrated. The Ember Gone delivers 44 minutes of the band’s charismatic take on progressive and technical death metal, yet with a different spin. This time, the music places a much greater emphasis on the band’s progressive side. Continue reading “Gorod – The Ember Gone (Review)”
Fen are a UK black metal band and this is their eighth album.
Following on from 2023’s Monuments to Absence, Fen have now returned with 47 minutes of new material in the form of Elemental Part One: Mourning Earth. As the name might suggest, this is the first part of two. Continue reading “Fen – Elemental Part One: Mourning Earth (Review)”
This is the latest EP from Russian black/death metal band Thanatomass.
Following on from 2023’s Hades, Thanatomass have now returned with the three-track EP The Rabid Dead. Across 20 minutes, Thanatomass deliver a scorching display of corrosive black/death nastiness. Continue reading “Thanatomass – The Rabid Dead (Review)”
