This is the third album from Swedish death metallers Descend.
Descend give us 49 minutes of progressive death metal on The Deviant. I picked this to listen to on a whim, based purely on the artwork, (which, in the promo, didn’t have the band logo and album title on it; I prefer the logo-less version), and I’m amazed at what I had the good luck to stumble upon. Continue reading
Altesia are a French progressive metal band and this is their debut album.
Despite seeing the light of day at the end of 2019, I felt compelled to shine a light on Paragon Circus once I had made its acquaintance, as it really is a damn fine record. Across 57 minutes of material, Altesia take us on a journey that’s as compelling as it is enjoyable. Continue reading
This is the second album from US black/death metallers Haunter.
Sacramental Death Qualia is a mutant, constantly-shifting hybrid of progressive black/death metal. Mixing impenetrable dissonance with grim blackened melody and classic progressive beauty, the music combines darkness and light in such way that it can be almost jarring on Continue reading
The Odious are a progressive metal band from the US and this is their second album.
The Odious’ progressive metal is a mix of modern technical/progressive/death metal and progressive rock. The end result can be loosely characterised as a mix of The Faceless, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Sikth, Meshuggah, Ulcerate, and Devin Townsend. Continue reading
This is the fourth album from UK atmospheric/post-metal band Latitudes.
Having enjoyed 2016’s Old Sunlight, when Part Island made its presence felt I was compelled to sample its delights. I’m glad I did, as Part Island is a stunningly well-realised development of the band’s sound. Continue reading
This is the seventh album from US deathcore veterans Whitechapel.
Following on from Our Endless War and Mark of the Blade, Whitechapel are back with another thundering album of deathcore, modern metal, and pit-rousing brutal anthems. So how have they got on this time? Continue reading
Kaleikr are an Icelandic black/death metal band and this is their debut album.
This is black metal that’s progressive and emotive. Heart of Lead is an album that you can almost visibly see change as it develops and unfolds. As it runs through its playing time, Kaleikr’s music becomes increasingly darker and more unhinged. Continue reading
This is the fourth album from Nailed to Obscurity, a melodic doom metal band from Germany.
Nailed to Obscurity play a modernised version of old-school death/doom. Black Frost contains 47 minutes of material that can be roughly characterised as a combination of old Katatonia mixed with elements of Paradise Lost, Insomnium, Opeth, Décembre Noir, and others. The band definitely let their own collective personalities shine through in the music, however. Continue reading
Carchosa is a one man Swedish thrash/death metal band. This is his debut album.
Featuring seven long songs and clocking in at just under an hour in duration, this album contains a blend of thrash and death metal, alongside a good helping of melodic and progressive elements. Continue reading
This is the third album from US progressive death metallers Rivers of Nihil.
Already an impressive and accomplished technical/progressive death metal proposition prior to this album, Where Owls Know My Name sees the band developing their sound even more than previously. Continue reading
