This is the fourth album from US blackened post-hardcore band Glassing.
2019’s Spotted Horse caused people to pay attention to what Glassing had to offer, but it was 2021’s Twin Dream that really impressed. From the Other Side of the Mirror offers 42 minutes of new material, and its as good as you would hope for. Continue reading “Glassing – From the Other Side of the Mirror (Review)”
Protosequence are a Canadian technical death metal band and this is their debut album.
Bestiary contains 33 minutes of technical mayhem that’s unusually variegated. After enjoying Protosequence’s 2020 EP A Blunt Description of Something Obscene I was looking forward to hearing this, and it has not disappointed. Quite the opposite in fact. Continue reading “Protosequence – Bestiary (Review)”
This is the third album from Venues, a modern metal band from Germany.
2018’s Aspire was good, but 2021’s Solace was where Venues really came into their own. The more I listened to it, the better it got, and it’s still a record that’s great when you want anthemic and catchy modern metal.
Now we have Transience, so let’s dive in. Continue reading “Venues – Transience (Review)”
This is the forth album from UK metal band Sons of Alpha Centauri.
I’ve very much enjoyed seeing the development and progression of Sons of Alpha Centauri over the years, and you never quite know what you’re going to get from them. From stoner rock to collaborative experiments, to 90s-influenced alternative metal, what do we get this time? Continue reading “Sons of Alpha Centauri – Pull (Review)”
Fall of Leviathan are a Swiss post-metal band and this is their debut album.
In Waves is a 56-minute journey through instrumental soundscapes that has cinematic scope and an ambitious presence. The promo blurb mentions bands like Neurosis, Mogwai, Mouth of the Architect, Rosetta, and Russian Circles, which sets the scene nicely for Fall of Leviathan’s sound. Continue reading “Fall of Leviathan – In Waves (Review)”
This is the debut album from Balsam Grove, a post-hardcore band from the US.
You’re Safe Here contains 40 minutes of material brought to us by ex-members of Caves of Glass. Whereas that mighty band played a distinct brand of multifaceted post-metal, Balsam Grove’s music is a post-hardcore mix of punk, screamo, and metalcore. Continue reading “Balsam Grove – You’re Safe Here (Review)”
Welcome to my annual attempt to make sense of the ridiculous amount of good metal albums out there, awaiting discovery by intrepid metal explorers.
2023’s best of list has been one of the more difficult ones to put together, placing-wise, which is one of the reasons that I’m posting it later than I usually do. Even more so than normal many of the slots are interchangeable, and I especially struggled with positions two-nine – if such a thing were possible, they all deserve to be higher! In the end I decided to stop overthinking it and go with my gut, but the usual caveat of these lists being very subjective and subject to change depending on mood, feelings, etc. is larger than normal here.
There are some notable acts missing form the below. Not because they’re not worthy of inclusion, but because there are only so many spaces to be had. In fact, I almost ended up limiting this list to 20, rather than the now-customary 30, as I found it really difficult to know who to include and who not to. In the end I went with the standard 30 so that I could promote a few extra bands, as they absolutely all deserve it.
As for the top position, I wasn’t expecting it to be filled by a band I’d never heard before, playing a style that I don’t listen to as much as I used to. However, I suppose after last year, I shouldn’t have been too surprised.
I do hope you enjoy this list and find some new music to obsess over. Like always, thanks for your support if you have ever visited this site before, and here’s to a great 2024 for as many of us as possible. Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2023”
This is the fourth album from US post-black metal band Ashbringer.
This is the follow up to 2019’s well-received Absolution, We Came Here to Grieve brings us 44 minutes of new music. On this new record Ashbringer continue to evolve their sound, pushing the envelope further, with a multifaceted mix of experimental black metal sounds. Although having said that, there’s less direct black metal on this album, for sure. Continue reading “Ashbringer – We Came Here to Grieve (Review)”
This is the second album from UK alternative/melodic metal band As Everything Unfolds.
Ultraviolet contains 36 minutes of modern metal that blends together elements of alternative rock, post-hardcore, metalcore, and nu-metal, into an enjoyable and charismatic record. Continue reading “As Everything Unfolds – Ultraviolet (Review)”
Lethvm are a post-metal band from Belgium, and this is their third album.
Recommended in the promo blurb as being for fans of Neurosis, early Cult of Luna, and LLNN, this is a good indicator of what you’ll find on Winterreise. I’d also say if you take LLNN, expand their apocalyptic sound with Cult of Luna’s textured influence, then Continue reading “Lethvm – Winterreise (Review)”
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