This is the second album from Izthmi, a black metal band from the US.
Izthmi play an atmospheric form of modern progressive black metal. Continue reading “Izthmi – Leaving This World, Leaving It All Behind (Review)”
Tag: Modern Black Metal
A Pale December – Death Panacea (Review)
This is the second album from Italian black metallers A Pale December.
A Pale December play bleak atmospheric/melodic black metal, riven with despair and devoid of hope. Mixing old and new influences with ease, Death Panacea is quite the impressive piece of art. Continue reading “A Pale December – Death Panacea (Review)”
Lunar Tombfields – The Eternal Harvest (Review)
Lunar Tombfields are an atmospheric black metal band from France and this is their debut album.
Featuring four lengthy tracks with a duration of 47 minutes, The Eternal Harvest offers the discerning listener a feast of atmospheric black metal. With a sound taking influence from both old and new, Lunar Tombfields Continue reading “Lunar Tombfields – The Eternal Harvest (Review)”
Abhoria – Abhoria (Review)
This is the debut album from US black metallers Abhoria.
So, here we have a 42-minute black metal release that claims inspiration from Immortal, Dark Funeral and Emperor. How could I resist sampling its dark delights?
Abhoria present their second wave-influenced assault with a Continue reading “Abhoria – Abhoria (Review)”
Tyhjä – Valtakunta (Review)
This is the second album from Tyhjä, a black metal band from Finland.
We’ve met Tyhjä before on their 2017 debut EP. Apparently they had an album out in 2019, which I completely missed, so this is my first exposure to them since that first release. Continue reading “Tyhjä – Valtakunta (Review)”
Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road (Review)
Wiegedood are a Belgian black metal band and this is their fourth album.
Featuring current and ex-members of Living Gate, Amenra, and Oathbreaker, There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road features 44 minutes of new material. I really, really liked 2017’s De Doden Hebben Het Goed II, so I was looking forward to this new one, (apparently there was also an album after this from 2018, which I somehow managed to miss out on). As we’ll see below though, the Wiegedood of 2022 is a different beast to the one I knew. Since I last heard them Wiegedood’s sound has changed, and they have now become more extreme and more idiosyncratic. Continue reading “Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2021
Yes, it’s that time of year again! 2021 gave us some very, very good metal, and I feel honoured to have been able to have listened to as much of it as I have done. There are some notable absences, (for me at least), from the below list, but there’s just not enough time or space for everything, dammit!
2020 was a very blackened year for me; I listened to a lot of black metal, and the list for that year reflected that. At the start of 2021 I decided I’d consciously try to ensure I cast my net a bit wider again, reconnecting more deeply with some of many other styles of metal that I enjoy. 2021’s list reflects this. However, I’ve still ended up with much more of a black metal presence in the list than I was initially expecting. What can I say? I’m a sucker for all of the myriad blackened flavours of the style. However, there’s also a lot of other stuff here that I hope you’ll dig into and enjoy too. I felt that there was a notable absence of grindcore in 2021, as well as some of the more extreme styles of doom. What do you think?
I hope you enjoy perusing some of my favourite records from this year, and I hope you find something new to tickle your fancy. What’s your number one this year? Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2021”
Inherits the Void – Monolith of Light (Review)
This is the debut album from Inherits the Void, a French one-man black metal act.
Monolith of Light is 37 minutes long and contains a form of melodically-rich atmospheric black metal that hits the spot quite nicely. The promo blurb tells us that the artist behind the band wanted to aim for “a meeting between influences from the ‘90s Swedish black metal scene and a more current orientation of the genre”, and I’d suggest that this has been achieved. The album has an old-school core that’s enhanced by more modern post-blackened influences. Continue reading “Inherits the Void – Monolith of Light (Review)”
Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Noktvrn (Review)
This is the fifth album from German black metal band Der Weg Einer Freiheit.
Following on from 2017’s Finisterre, Noktvrn is an album that finds Der Weg Einer Freiheit at the height of their powers. Containing 48 minutes of progressive and atmospheric post-black metal, Der Weg Einer Freiheit sound darkly vibrant and full of expressive might. Continue reading “Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Noktvrn (Review)”
Label Roundup: I, Voidhanger Records – Creature, Mystras, Ars Magna Umbrae, & Vertebra Atlantis (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 new 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.
I, Voidhanger Records consistently puts out high quality, frequently non-standard music. One of their releases is always an interesting proposition to explore. Below you’ll find four of the label’s more recent ones; make sure you give each of them the time it deserves… Continue reading “Label Roundup: I, Voidhanger Records – Creature, Mystras, Ars Magna Umbrae, & Vertebra Atlantis (Reviews)”
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