This is the third album from US industrial metal band Return to Earth.
Industrial metal is a rather nebulous and potentially misleading genre tag when applied to Return to Earth. Oblivion is a very diverse and idiosyncratic record, with elements of metal, post-hardcore, industrial, progressive rock, and electronica all present in the music. This Continue reading “Return to Earth – Oblivion (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Italian hardcore band If I Die Today.
If I Die Today play hardcore with lashings of sludge and post-metal, resulting in a post-hardcore whirlwind of violence and catharsis. Across eight tracks the band demonstrate their ability in no uncertain terms. The Abyss in Silence is a 23-minute underground gem. Continue reading “If I Die Today – The Abyss in Silence (Review)”
Grayscale Season are a Swedish metalcore band and this is their second album.
Grayscale Season have written a hypercompetent, professional, and engaging collection of tracks on Do You Like Violence. This is metalcore with a firm eye on creativity and diversity. You’ll find thundering groove, harsh vocals, and heavy riffs, as you would expect, but there’s also a lot of other ideas, sounds, and influences here. There are post-metal and post-hardcore elements spread across the album too, further increasing its variety. Grayscale Season are certainly not what I’d call your average band. Continue reading “Grayscale Season – Do You Like Violence (Review)”
This is the third album from Greyhaven, a hardcore band from the US.
Greyhaven play a form of modern post-hardcore that takes influence from a range of places. On the one hand they clearly follow the Every Time I Die template of hardcore, with raucous heaviness mixed with emotive cleanly-sung sections. On the other hand though, they also follow a sort of progressive post-hardcore Continue reading “Greyhaven – This Bright and Beautiful World (Review)”
Terzij de Horde are a black metal band from the Netherlands and this is their second album.
2015’s Self was so long ago that I wasn’t sure we’d ever hear anything from Terzij de Horde again. They’re back though, with 30 minutes of new material – spread over three tracks – that are as fiery and as destructive as the album’s striking cover. Continue reading “Terzij de Horde – In One of These, I Am Your Enemy (Review)”
CHRMR are a metal band from the US and this is their second album.
CHRMR contain members of Contrarian and Sulaco, but are a different proposition to both of those more extreme bands. Low in the Glow offers a much more accessible proposition, focusing on short songs with catchy melodies and good choruses. Continue reading “CHRMR – Low in the Glow (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swiss post-hardcore/metal band Abraham.
Abraham craft eight post-hardcore/metal soundscapes with layered compositions and multifaceted songwriting. The obvious starting point for comparisons would be a band like Neurosis, but with added elements of bands like Knut, Deadguy, and Botch. Continue reading “Abraham – Débris de Mondes Perdus (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 second album from US one-man post-metal band Breaths.
Here we have 35 minutes of music that’s described as a mix of post-metal, black metal, doom metal, shoegaze, post-rock, progressive metal, and post-hardcore, and recommended for bands such as Alcest, Deftones, Deafheaven, and Sleep Token. Believe it or not, this wide mix of genres actually makes sense within the context of the bands mentioned, so a picture can start to form of what the Breaths sound is like before you encounter the artist’s emotive metal. Continue reading “Breaths – Though Life Has Turned out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt (Review)”
Celeste are a French blackened doom/sludge/hardcore band and this is their seventh album.
This is the follow up to 2017’s Infidèle(s), which I enjoyed a great deal. Clocking in at 41 minutes, this is on the shorter side for a Celeste album, and Assassine(s) finds the band focused and sharp. Continue reading “Celeste – Assassine(s) (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 