Metalcore – Wonderbox Metal

Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)

This is the fourth album from Ancst, a shapeshifting German metal band.

You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get from Ancst. Black metal, crust, hardcore, death metal, dark ambient – these are just genres to play with for the band, using and discarding styles and influences at will, depending on the needs of any given release or song. Which brings us to Culture of Brutality, a 35-minute, 20-track album that fuses deathgrind, metalcore, and hardcore into a monster of brutal heaviness. Continue reading “Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)”

Alpha Wolf – Half Living Things (Review)

Alpha Wolf are an Australian metalcore band and this is their third album.

I thoroughly enjoyed 2020’s A Quiet Place to Die, as well as 2022’s split with Holding Absence The Lost & the Longing, so more new material from Alpha Wolf is very well-received. I dislike the album art, but ignoring that, what do Alpha Wolf have in store for us this time around? Continue reading “Alpha Wolf – Half Living Things (Review)”

Venues – Transience (Review)

This is the third album from Venues, a modern metal band from Germany.

2018’s Aspire was good, but 2021’s Solace was where Venues really came into their own. The more I listened to it, the better it got, and it’s still a record that’s great when you want anthemic and catchy modern metal.

Now we have Transience, so let’s dive in. Continue reading “Venues – Transience (Review)”

Defocus – There Is a Place for Me on Earth (Review)

Defocus are a German metalcore band and this is their second album.

Following on from 2021’s In the Eye of Death We Are All the Same comes There Is a Place for Me on Earth, bringing us 32 minutes of aggressive new material. Continue reading “Defocus – There Is a Place for Me on Earth (Review)”

Enterprise Earth – Death: An Anthology (Review)

This is the fifth album from US death metal/deathcore band Enterprise Earth.

2020’s EP Foundation of Bones was a solid introduction to the band for me, but I really enjoyed 2022’s The Chosen. Yes it was too long, but I really liked the band’s ability to combine deathcore and death metal with a range of different ideas and influences to create something above the norm for the style. Two years and a new singer later, and Enterprise Earth have returned with Death: An Anthology, which delivers 59 minutes of new material. It has not disappointed. Continue reading “Enterprise Earth – Death: An Anthology (Review)”

Balsam Grove – You’re Safe Here (Review)

This is the debut album from Balsam Grove, a post-hardcore band from the US.

You’re Safe Here contains 40 minutes of material brought to us by ex-members of Caves of Glass. Whereas that mighty band played a distinct brand of multifaceted post-metal, Balsam Grove’s music is a post-hardcore mix of punk, screamo, and metalcore. Continue reading “Balsam Grove – You’re Safe Here (Review)”

Cabal/Viscera/Vexed/Lifesick – Rebellion, Manchester – 16/01/24 (Live Review)

Here’s a tasty show that I knew I wanted to catch. Both Viscera and Cabal are extremely well-regarded at Wonderbox Metal, so this was one for me to not miss. It was, however, one of the less well-attended gigs I’ve been to in a while. A shame, but it’s other people’s loss, as this was a damn good night out. Continue reading “Cabal/Viscera/Vexed/Lifesick – Rebellion, Manchester – 16/01/24 (Live Review)”

Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2023

Welcome to my annual attempt to make sense of the ridiculous amount of good metal albums out there, awaiting discovery by intrepid metal explorers.

2023’s best of list has been one of the more difficult ones to put together, placing-wise, which is one of the reasons that I’m posting it later than I usually do. Even more so than normal many of the slots are interchangeable, and I especially struggled with positions two-nine – if such a thing were possible, they all deserve to be higher! In the end I decided to stop overthinking it and go with my gut, but the usual caveat of these lists being very subjective and subject to change depending on mood, feelings, etc. is larger than normal here.

There are some notable acts missing form the below. Not because they’re not worthy of inclusion, but because there are only so many spaces to be had. In fact, I almost ended up limiting this list to 20, rather than the now-customary 30, as I found it really difficult to know who to include and who not to. In the end I went with the standard 30 so that I could promote a few extra bands, as they absolutely all deserve it.

As for the top position, I wasn’t expecting it to be filled by a band I’d never heard before, playing a style that I don’t listen to as much as I used to. However, I suppose after last year, I shouldn’t have been too surprised.

I do hope you enjoy this list and find some new music to obsess over. Like always, thanks for your support if you have ever visited this site before, and here’s to a great 2024 for as many of us as possible. Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2023”

Dead Icarus – Ad infernum (Review)

This is the debut EP from US metal band Dead Icarus.

What do you get when you throw together the ex-singer of Atreyu and members of Enterprise Earth? Something quite heavy and tasty, apparently. This five track EP has a duration of 23 minutes, and is pretty damn crushing. Continue reading “Dead Icarus – Ad infernum (Review)”

Damnation Festival 2023 – BEC Arena, Manchester, 04/11/23 (Live Review)

It’s Damnation o-clock once more! This is always such a good festival to attend. The line up is an interesting and varied one, with some bands I’m less interested in, some that are an essential experience, and some frustrating clashes. I missed some great bands today, unfortunately, but that’s always going to be the case with such a jam-packed festival. Continue reading “Damnation Festival 2023 – BEC Arena, Manchester, 04/11/23 (Live Review)”