This is the second album from US one-man black metal band Starer.
Hot on the heels of last year’s 18° Below the Horizon, (which made it into my year end list), the artist behind the band has returned already. This time he’s packing 50 minutes of new material spread out over four grandiose songs. Continue reading “Starer – The What It Is to Be (Review)”
This is the second album from Ukrainian one-woman blackened doom band Sidus Atrum.
Spiral of Life contains 40 minutes of modern black metal mixed with death/doom elements. It’s an album that uses its influences well, taking strengths from both styles to produce something very enjoyable and engaging. Continue reading “Sidus Atrum – Spiral of Life (Review)”
This is the debut album from Cailleach Calling, a black metal band from the US.
Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Dawn of Ouroboros, Botanist, and White Ward, Dreams of Fragmentation contains 40 minutes of music spread out over four tracks. Continue reading “Cailleach Calling – Dreams of Fragmentation (Review)”
Krvl are a Belgian post-black metal band and this is their debut album.
On Kravaal we are treated to a traditional blackened sound that’s been augmented with modern elements. Krvl combine a 90s second wave influence with a modern black metal approach that Continue reading “Krvl – Kravaal (Review)”
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)”
This is the fourth album from Norwegian blackgaze/post-metal one-woman act Sylvaine.
Nova is a highly atmospheric journey. If you’re a fan of the shoegaze/blackgaze genres, then this is for you. The promo blurb states that this is for fans of bands such as Alcest, Deafheaven, Harakiri for the Sky, and Emma Ruth Rundle, and it’s hard to argue with that. Continue reading “Sylvaine – Nova (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)”
This is the fourth album from one-man blackened doom act Mur.
Cut the Rivers Vein spends 51 minutes mixing together doom, post-metal, and black metal, with elements of folk, ambient, and drone, to great effect. Continue reading “Mur – Cut the Rivers Vein (Review)”
This is the debut album from Australian post-black metallers Oar.
Oar’s brand of post-black metal is expressive and dark. There is a sizeable doom influence, which is great to hear and works really well in the band’s blackened context. Elements of blackgaze and hardcore can also be heard, and these succeed in broadening the palette with which Oar paint their soundscapes. Continue reading “Oar – The Blood You Crave (Review)”
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”
