Metal – Page 40 – Wonderbox Metal

Unreqvited – Pathway to the Moon (Review)

This is the seventh album from Canadian solo post-black metal band Unreqvited.

Pathway to the Moon contains 43 minutes of post-black metal, taking in elements of blackgaze, symphonic black metal, progressive metal, and post-rock along the way. If you are familiar with Unreqvited’s past work, Pathway to the Moon finds the artist taking their art to the next level. Everything here is an evolutionary step up, delivering music that is extremely well-rendered into its final form. Continue reading “Unreqvited – Pathway to the Moon (Review)”

Saor – Amidst the Ruins (Review)

This is the sixth album from UK one-man black metal band Saor.

After my 2022 introduction to Saor via the enjoyable Origins, I’ve since explored their back catalogue some more, and also seen them live and bought the t-shirt. This means I’ve been looking forward to Amidst the Ruins a great deal. Continue reading “Saor – Amidst the Ruins (Review)”

Jinjer – Duél (Review)

This is the fifth album from Ukrainian metal band Jinjer.

I haven’t caught up with Jinjer since their 2016 album King of Everything, so this new album seemed like a good place to see how the band are faring in 2025. It turns out, very well indeed. Duél is a keeper. Continue reading “Jinjer – Duél (Review)”

Phrenelith – Ashen Womb (Review)

This is the third album from Phrenelith, a death metal band from Denmark.

Following on from 2021’s Chimaera comes the 39-minute monstrosity Ashen Womb. This is absolutely hideous stuff, from a band that apparently just keep on improving. Phrenelith have unleashed something truly malefic here. Continue reading “Phrenelith – Ashen Womb (Review)”

Tayne – Love (Review)

This is the debut album from Tayne, an industrial rock band from the UK.

Love contains 31 minutes of industrial rock/metal, taking a variety of influences and using them to create something quite charismatic. Tayne’s music is easy to enjoy if you like your tunes to consist of multiple component parts, all joined together with skilled vision. Continue reading “Tayne – Love (Review)”

Relics of Humanity – Absolute Dismal Domain (Review)

This is the third album from Belarus death metallers Relics of Humanity.

It’s been a while since 2019’s Obscuration came out; a devastating EP that left me hungry for more. Alas, there was no more to be had, at least not until now. So, after six years, and with a change in singer, can the 2025 version of Relics of Humanity still hold their own in the death metal killing arenas? Continue reading “Relics of Humanity – Absolute Dismal Domain (Review)”

Lay Waste – Savage Rebellion (Review)

Lay Waste are a grindcore band from the US and this is their debut EP.

I’m going to try to listen to more grindcore this year. It’s a genre I love, but has been a bit thin on the ground for my tastes for the last few years. With that in mind, I randomly came across Lay Waste on Bandcamp, so here we are with my first new grind listening experience of 2025. Continue reading “Lay Waste – Savage Rebellion (Review)”

Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Selvans, Skaldr, and Void of Hope (Reviews)

Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

Surprisingly, I haven’t done one of these columns since 2022! I was genuinely shocked when I realised this recently. So, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit it, and to get caught up on some of Avantgarde Music‘s releases. This is a label I rate highly, and never seem to get enough time to adequately cover, so here’s three new albums all seeing the light of day on January 31st 2025. Continue reading “Label Roundup: Avantgarde Music – Selvans, Skaldr, and Void of Hope (Reviews)”

Better Lovers/Frontierer/Greyhaven – Academy 3, Manchester – 19/01/25 (Live Review)

Now this is a lineup. All three bands I’d go and see in their own right, let alone all touring together. Tonight I feel like I’m in for a real treat. Morale is high as I enter the Academy 3, and it’s about to get a whole lot of busy. Continue reading “Better Lovers/Frontierer/Greyhaven – Academy 3, Manchester – 19/01/25 (Live Review)”

Harakiri for the Sky – Scorched Earth (Review)

This is the sixth album from Austrian post-black metallers Harakiri for the Sky.

Harakiri for the Sky always seem to deliver albums that are lengthy, but rewarding. 2016’s III: Trauma, 2018’s Arson, and 2021’s Mӕre were all notable records in this regard. Now, with the arrival of Scorched Earth, have Harakiri for the Sky continued this trend of quality album releases? Continue reading “Harakiri for the Sky – Scorched Earth (Review)”