This is the debut album by Ba’al, a blackened post-metal band from the UK.
I last caught up with Ba’al on their debut release in 2017 – In Gallows by Mass – which showed a lot of potential. This appears to have now been fulfilled, albeit in a different way than I was initially expecting. Elipsism ably demonstrates how the band have Continue reading
Auðn are an Icelandic black metal band and this is their third album.
Auðn play atmospheric black metal, and I like what I hear here very much. Theirs is a form of music that’s rooted in classical atmospheric blackness, but is not limited to the second wave by any means. This is a very contemporary release, despite its Continue reading
This is the ninth album from German progressive metal band The Ocean.
The follow up to 2018’s Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, this sister album was always going to be immense and hugely anticipated. Continue reading
This is the debut album from Swedish grindcore band Grid.
I do like me some Swedish grind. Grid play merciless grindcore, with fiery blasts, punishing d-beats, and melodic crust all included in their aggressive formula. I very much liked 2017’s Human Collapse Syndrome, so I had high hopes for Livsleda, and it has not disappointed. Continue reading
This is the second album from Wills Dissolve, a progressive metal band from the US.
Wills Dissolve play a multigenre form of progressive metal that takes in a range of other styles and subgenres. Progressive black/death metal, post-metal, ambient, doom metal, and progressive rock are all included in Echoes, and all get Continue reading
Svnth are an Italian post-black metal band and this is their third album.
We’ve met Svnth before, under their longer name Seventh Genocide. On new album Spring in Blue Svnth mix black metal with shoegaze, post-metal, and progressive rock influences, crafting a 61-minute album of post-blackened grandeur that’s quite enticing and extremely enjoyable. Continue reading
This is the debut album from Finnish black metallers Väki.
Kuolleen Maan Omaksi mixes old and new black metal styles together to create an album that draws from both to weave its dark magicks. The end result is a modern interpretation of blackened extremity, one which ably demonstrates a band with a lot of potential. Continue reading
This is the second album from US metal band Curses.
Curses offer quite a diverse/individual listen when compared to many bands who play in the modern metal arena. Continue reading
July was packed with strong releases. With some quality highly anticipated albums seeing the light of day in July, (Defeated Sanity, Gaerea, Imperial Triumphant), I decided to focus on some of my favourites from last month that were less likely to get loads of media coverage, (and it was a struggle to limit the selection to five). So, with that in mind, my highlights are below. What are yours? Continue reading
This is the fourth album from US avant-garde black/death metal band Imperial Triumphant.
Referring to Imperial Triumphant as a black/death metal band, (as I’ve just done here for sake of brevity), is highly misleading really, as this is one of the more individual and unique bands in existence. They play an avant-garde, experimental mix of styles that includes, (but is not limited to), black metal, death metal, progressive metal, doom, jazz, and post-everything. Continue reading
