Pelican – Page 2 – Wonderbox Metal

Pijn – From Low Beams of Hope (Review)

This is the second album from Pijn, a post-rock/metal band from the UK.

From Low Beams of Hope is a four-track, 45-minute affair that merges elements of post-rock, post-metal, ambient, drone, and doom into an expressive whole. It’s an instrumental release, and should find great appeal with fans of acts such as Mogwai, Briqueville, Explosions in the Sky, Years of Rice & Salt, A Burial at Sea, Russian Circles, Red Sparowes, Pelican, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, etc. Continue reading “Pijn – From Low Beams of Hope (Review)”

Mountain Caller – Chronicle II: Hypergenesis (Review)

This is the second album from UK progressive/post-metal band Mountain Caller.

Chronicle II: Hypergenesis is (mostly) instrumental, which is normally a style I avoid, although I’m not really sure why. Mountain Caller know what they’re doing though, and their appealing sound pulled me right in. Continue reading “Mountain Caller – Chronicle II: Hypergenesis (Review)”

Briqueville – IIII (Review)

This is the fourth album from Belgian post-metal band Briqueville.

IIII contains 39 minutes of dark, enigmatic music. Briqueville’s style is deeply atmospheric, and IIII is the sort of album that will drag you into the darkness as it hypnotises with its shifting walls of rich mood. Continue reading “Briqueville – IIII (Review)”

Mairu – Sol Cultus (Review)

This is the debut album from UK post-metal band Mairu.

Sol Cultus brings together post-metal, sludge, and doom into a 49-minute feast of atmospheric heavy music. Mairu’s vision is a mood-rich immersive one, and Sol Cultus achieves their lofty ambitions. Continue reading “Mairu – Sol Cultus (Review)”

Natt – Natt (Review)

This is the debut album from Natt, a Norwegian progressive/post-rock/doom band.

Natt contains just three songs, with 45 minutes of music. They’re an instrumental duo, although they’re joined on this recording by session musicians on bass and drums/percussion, (the latter from Enslaved). I’m not normally drawn to instrumental music, but one look at the strangely disturbing album artwork made me want to hear this work, and I’m so glad it did. Continue reading “Natt – Natt (Review)”

This Is the Last Time – Acclimation (Review)

This is the debut album from US progressive metal band This Is the Last Time.

Acclimation features four songs, with a total duration of 31 minutes. The promo blurb mentions bands such as Cloudkicker, Meshuggah, Isis, Year of No Light, In Flames, Between the Buried and Me, Gorguts, and Pelican, so this should give you some insight into the waters that Acclimation wades in. Continue reading “This Is the Last Time – Acclimation (Review)”

Everest Queen – Murmurations (Review)

This is the second album from Everest Queen, a sludge metal band from the UK.

I’ve enjoyed following Everest Queen, from their initial self-titled EP in 2016 to their debut album Dead Eden in 2019, so to have a new album appear in the wild is a fine thing. Murmurations boasts 44 minutes of new music, so let’s get stuck in. Continue reading “Everest Queen – Murmurations (Review)”

KYOTY – Isolation (Review)

KYOTY are an post-metal/sludge band from the US and this is their second album.

KYOTY, (or Keep Your Opinions to Yourself), are an instrumental act that have an atmospheric approach to music, taking in styles such as post-metal, post-rock, and sludge, combined with an industrial edge. Gathering together nine songs that were released over the 2020 isolation period, along with a new track exclusive to the album, this is a 70-minute work of rich evocative soundscapes. Continue reading “KYOTY – Isolation (Review)”

Vow – Icarian (Review)

Vow are a UK post-metal band and this is their second release.

Is this an EP or an album? The promo blurb says album, but then it only contains two tracks and lasts a total of 17 minutes. Either way, it’s worth getting your hands on, as Vow’s experimental post-metal is very tasty indeed. Continue reading “Vow – Icarian (Review)”

Empress – Premonition (Review)

This is the debut album from Canadian doom band Empress.

I enjoyed 2017’s Reminiscence, with its psychedelic grooves and rolling riffs. It set out a strong opening argument for the band, which Premonition now ably capitalises on. Combining elements of doom, sludge, progressive, and post-metal into 49 minutes of expressive, mood-focused music, Premonition is a thoroughly convincing affair. Continue reading “Empress – Premonition (Review)”