Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)

Ancst - Culture of BrutalityThis 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)”

Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon (Review)

Upon Stone - Dead Mother MoonUpon Stone are a melodic death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Upon Stone play melodic death metal in the classic Scandinavian style. The band list influences such as At the Gates, In Flames, and Dissection, so you should have a decent idea of where Dead Mother Moon is coming from. Across a lean 32 minutes Upon Stone demonstrate that they understand the style well. Continue reading “Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon (Review)”

Dying Wish – Symptoms of Survival (Review)

Dying Wish - Symptoms of SurvivalThis is the second album from US metalcore band Dying Wish.

2021’s Fragments of a Bitter Memory was a solid slab of 00s-style metalcore, so Symptoms of Survival is one that I know I wanted to check out. Boasting a lean, mean 32 minutes of new material, in what form do we find Dying Wish’s 2023 offering? Continue reading “Dying Wish – Symptoms of Survival (Review)”

Arrival of Autumn – Kingdom Undone (Review)

Arrival of Autumn - Kingdom UndoneThis is the third album from Canadian metalcore band Arrival of Autumn, (who feature a member of Alterbeast).

Containing 39 minutes of material Kingdom Undone is an easy album to like if you were raised on 00s metalcore, yet want a modern update. To be fair, Arrival of Autumn’s sound has more older components and influences than newer ones, but that seems to have worked out for the best as the band have impressed with a very enjoyable album. Continue reading “Arrival of Autumn – Kingdom Undone (Review)”

Dying Wish – Fragments of a Bitter Memory (Review)

Dying Wish - Fragments of a Bitter MemoryThis is the debut album from US metalcore band Dying Wish.

Now this is what I’m talking about. This is right down my alleyway. Here we have a 35-minute album that sounds like it has risen out of the ashes of 00s era NWOAHM. Yep, this is melodic death metal-infused hardcore mayhem the likes of which you don’t tend to hear very much of these days. Continue reading “Dying Wish – Fragments of a Bitter Memory (Review)”

Employed to Serve – Conquering (Review)

Employed to Serve - ConqueringThis is the fourth album from UK metallers Employed to Serve.

Across 48 minutes Employed to Serve dish out eleven tracks of energetic damage. Combining metal and hardcore together like it’s something fresh and vital, the band manage to avoid the tired metalcore tropes and instead deliver an album of crushing tunes and anthemic heaviness. Continue reading “Employed to Serve – Conquering (Review)”

The Agony Scene – Tormentor (Review)

The Agony SceneThe Agony Scene are a US metal band and this is their fourth album.

Tormentor is the first release from The Agony Scene since 2007’s Get Damned. I always liked this band’s razor-sharp take on modern metal, so it’s great to hear them make a return. Continue reading “The Agony Scene – Tormentor (Review)”

Deathflux – Execrated (Review)

DeathfluxDeathflux are a UK metal band and this is their debut album.

Deathflux play a heavy and aggressive brand of metal. Mixing influences from groove metal and the NWOAHM with some more contemporary deathcore ones, and adding in some Continue reading “Deathflux – Execrated (Review)”