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”
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)”
Many fine records were released in November, too many to do justice to here. Instead I’ll just pick five of my favourites. The below albums are all quite different, but all striking in their own individual ways… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of November 2021”
This is the third album from So Hideous, a post-metal band from the US.
None but a Pure Heart Can Sing is only 32 minutes in length, but this duration comes with more ideas than many releases double the length. The album is a loose mix of styles and genres, taking an experimental and avant-garde approach to music that finds them combining pretty much all of the post- styles, (metal, rock, hardcore, and black metal), with a diverse non-metal array of genres such as jazz and classical. Continue reading “So Hideous – None but a Pure Heart Can Sing (Review)”
Anomalie are an Austrian post-black metal band and this is their fourth album.
Following on from 2017’s well-received Visions, (via an EP I haven’t heard), Tranceformation contains 44 minutes of new material, and comes with a newly-focused direction to boot. A rough reference point for what Tranceformation sounds like would be a mix of bands such as Schammasch, Enslaved, and old Anomalie, although to be honest this is only a very approximate guide at best, especially as some songs have a modern doom metal flavour too, (most notably opening track). Continue reading “Anomalie – Tranceformation (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)”
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