Post-Metal – Page 52 – Wonderbox Metal

Latitudes – Old Sunlight (Review)

This is the third album from UK Post-Metal/Sludge band Latitudes.

Latitudes are the kind of band who are off doing their own thing and everyone should be happy and pleased that they are.

Latitudes have an apocalyptically heavy sound that masterfully utilises the wall-of-guitars approach to create cascading tsunamis of distorted feeling. Unusually though, this is shot through with streaking arcs of bright melody, raising the emotive levels of the tracks tenfold. Needless to say, this is a talent that most bands lack.

There’s a distinct Sludge-fuelled Progressive element to their Post-Metal that lends the album a cinematic quality, as if the songs are describing various scenes and stories throughout. This is further enhanced by the fact that a sizeable chunk of Old Sunlight is instrumental, with the vocals only appearing at key points throughout.

When vocals do appear, they’re soft, angelic and gloriously melodic. Adding a melancholic sweetness to the tracks, it shows how well Old Sunlight treads the fine line between negativity and positivity, or classically; darkness and light. This is a theme for Latitudes, with their music managing to blur the boundaries between these two points, so much so that they frequently do both at the same time, as hinted at in the name of the album.

The band certainly have a talent for writing these dual-purpose songs, with yet another example of this being complexity vs simplicity, again, usually concurrently. When channelled into creating soundscapes that are both bright and hopeful, yet dark and hopeless, it’s a very beguiling and enticing combination.

This is the kind of album you return to repeatedly, never quite having fully explored all of its winding avenues.

Join me and bask in the light of the dying sun.

Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2015

Happy new year, Metal fans! So let’s take a look at some of the best releases of 2015.

As usual, I’d like to include the usual disclaimers about the subjective nature of any such list, and how if I were to compile it again at a different time, it would undoubtedly look different.

With that being said, there was a Hell of a lot of good music released in 2015, and the below is just the tip of the iceberg, really.

I have decided on a top-30 this year, although it could easily have been more. Some of the other notable bands that have made it onto the list in previous versions include the following, in no particular order –

Heaving Earth, Nyx, Arcturus, The Big Jaz z Duo, Unhold, Apocrophex, Below the Sun, Ecferus, Hope Drone, Unbreakable Hatred, Ancient Moon, Terra Deep, Abyssal Ascendant

Even just right here, that’s a lot of great Metal, nevermind all of the ones I’ve probably forgotten.

So, without further preamble, starting at the bottom and working our way up – I give you the Wonderbox Metal-approved Best of 2015 list…

30 – Vreid – Sólverv

Norwegian Melodic Black Metal that’s sharp, colourful, fast and full of energy and colour. Having loved their precursor band Windir, I still can’t believe I overlooked Vreid for so long. Thankfully, that is now rectified. This is atmospheric in ways that most bands merely aspire too, and Sólverv is a great listen.

29 – Infinight – Apex Predator

Infinight offer sophisticated, maturely-written and well-played Power Metal. They’re the only Power Metal band to make it onto the list this year, with Apex Predator living up to its name in some ways, as this really is a top-tier album. Infinight are all about the songs, and on Apex Predator they certainly deliver.

28 – Nervous Impulse – Time to Panic

Nervous Impulse offered up some of the most intense and exhilarating Deathgrind that I’ve heard in a good while, and Time to Panic is 36 minutes of Grade-A Grinding chaos. It’s both heavy and extreme, but still manges to find the time for song-structures and skilled writing.

27 – Flesh of the Stars – Hide

Traditional Doom Metal with an occult, sinister vibe; Flesh of the Stars are perfectly attuned to their chosen style and Hide is thick with atmosphere and memorable music. Some of the parts of this release are enough to get the hairs standing on end, and Hide is a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

26 – Forgotten Tomb – Hurt Yourself and the Ones You Love

Forgotten Tomb return with another album of Depressive Black Metal, this time with a more aggressive slant than some of their previous work. Catchy without sounding commercial, they really have honed their style to a fine killing point, and this album is definitely a keeper.

25 – De Profundis – Kingdom of the Blind

UK band De Profundis have flourished with their latest release of Death-inspired Technical/Progressive Death Metal. As a band who are striving to be the best they can be and deliver music that’s both challenging and accessible, (for the style), De Profundis succeed and Kingdom of the Blind is a firm favourite at Wonderbox Metal.

24 – Cult of Occult – Five Degrees of Insanity

A crushing, filthy display of ugly Doom across 65 minutes; Cult of Occult’s latest release is an exemplar of Sludge Metal dragged out to epic Doom lengths. This album positively drips with anti-social scorn and horrible intentions, which means we crave it all the more. We like the abuse.

23 – Sulphur Aeon – Gateway to the Antisphere

As Death Metal albums go this is simply gargantuan. Bowel-shaking vocals, monstrous riffs and mysterious, underworld atmospheres make for songs that are heavy and brutal yet still have more emotive qualities to them than most. A very impressive release from this German band.

22 – Tine – The Forest Dreams of Black

Symphonic Blackened Death Metal is quite hard to do well, but Tine have it all sewn up nicely. This is a passionate and personal release that exudes emotion and atmosphere amongst the brutality and power. If you only get one Black/Death Metal hybrid release this year then this is the one.

21 – Blaze of Perdition – Near Death Revelations

Supreme, sophisticated Black Metal art, with lashings of occult atmosphere and malevolent auras. Near Death Revelations succeeds in capturing the essence of what makes Black Metal so exciting and provocative. Blaze of Perdition easily take up the mantle of leaders and not followers on this album.

20 – Outre – Ghost Chants

More sophisticated Black Metal here, this time from Poland’s Outre. Ghost Chants is an exceptional release that combines Atmospheric Black Metal with Post-Black Metal sensibilities to create transcendental Dark Art. Upon repeated listens there’s always something new to discover.

19 – Fuck the Facts – Desire Will Rot

A veritable Canadian Grindcore institution, Fuck the Facts are always a good listen. This latest album of theirs is no different and presents the listener with a multi-faceted Grind release that demonstrates just how effective the style can be when in the right hands. Challenging and impressive.

18 – Corpo-Mente – Corpo-Mente

This is exotic, sensual music that combines Dark Rock, Trip-Hop and Electro Avant-Garde. It’s something a bit different from everything else on this list and shines all the brighter because of it. This album is a sumptuous feast of aural delights and contains so much WOW-factor it’s hard to credit. Listen and be converted.

17 – Wrvth – Wrvth

Wrvth have produced a hugely impressive experimental/Progressive/Technical Death Metal album that takes a lot of emotive qualities from Post-Metal and works them into its strange brew. An innovative and impressive release from a very talented band.

16 – Ogotay – Dead God’s Prophet

Here we have Polish Death Metal at the height of its game. Dead God’s Prophet is muscular Death Metal that has a touch of the mystical and the mysterious about it, resulting in an extremely strong album that blows away the competition.

15 – Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction

These veteran Death Metallers keep getting better with age, and The Anthropocene Extinction is a perfect example of how Death Metal can be true to its roots while also being cutting edge. This is 46 minutes of quality Death Metal that’s not afraid to do its own thing and succeeds because of this. Savagery and intelligence combined.

14 – Immortal Bird – Empress/Abscess

Immortal Bird are Death Metal, but only in the loosest of senses. Theirs is a more expansive palette than most bands’, with Empress/Abscess being more refined and all-encompassing of other styles than purely Death Metal. It’s an engrossing listen and indicative of so much that’s good in Extreme Metal.

13 – Winter Calling – As Darkness Falls

Polished and professional Progressive Rock that’s been a real fixture of some of my playlists; this is the kind of album that just grows and grows. Since originally writing my review of it I’ve grown to love it more and more. As Darkness Falls contains catchy and memorable songs and takes the listener on a real journey through Winter Calling’s world.

12 – Behold! The Monolith – Architects of the Void

A varied Doom/Sludge Metal release that mixes up sub-genres to create an involving album that has that special secret ingredient, causing it to add up to much greater than the sum of its parts. This is an album that has come to mean a lot to me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

11 – Witchsorrow – No Light, Only Fire

No Light, Only Fire is the most enjoyable album of Traditional Doom Metal I’ve heard this year. Well-written songs backed up by a thick guitar sound means that this is a sterling release that should be enjoyed by an Metal fan. This is one I can listen to again and again and again.

10 – He Whose Ox Is Gored – The Camel, the Lion, the Child

This is a band who have an individual and interesting take on Progressive Atmospheric Doom. Theirs is music that’s rich and emotive, taking multiple influences and styles and incorporating them into a cohesive whole. The Camel, the Lion, the Child has lots of character and isn’t afraid to be itself.

9 – Khemmis – Absolution

Another interesting Doom Metal album. This one flirts with Traditional Doom but also injects a nastier Sludge Metal influence into things, resulting in an album that spans both styles very nicely indeed. There’s a lot of hidden gold on Absolution and this is a first-rate album.

8 – Antigama – The Insolent

Where can you find rabid, brutal Grindcore mixed up with a will to experiment and push boundaries? Why, wherever you find Antigama, that’s where. The Insolent is a force of nature, effortlessly combining savagery and intelligence with ease. Complex brutality for a refined palate.

7 – Cloud Rat – Qliphoth

Cloud Rat deliver us yet more inventive and individual Grindcore. Theirs is an experimental and surprisingly atmospheric and emotive take on the genre, but no less vicious for it. The songs have depth and intensity, and the band have proven what massive talent they have. You need Cloud Rat in your life.

6 – Secrets of the Sky – Pathway

An eagerly awaited release by yours-truly; Secrets of the Sky once again show why their Atmospheric Doom/Post- Metal is an essential listen. This aptly-named album takes the listener on a real journey through vivid soundscapes. Bigger and better than ever before.

5 – Abstracter – Wound Empire

Rarely has cloying, suffocating Sludge felt so visceral and nastily enticing. This is a gloomy, heavy, grim masterpiece of atmospheric brutality. Effortlessly combining the beauty of Post-Metal with the dirty horror of Sludge, this album has definitely become a firm favourite of mine.

4 – Mammoth Storm – Fornjot

Mammoth storm play vibrant, colourful Doom with lashings of atmosphere and Post-Metal transcendental qualities. I was very quickly captivated by the immensity of this album and just how compelling and engaging it is. Hugely impressive.

3 – Minsk – The Crash & the Draw

This is a hefty slice of Post-Metal that showcases a varied, multi-textural delivery, rich with evocative and emotive soundscapes. The songs seem to build on themselves until the music acts like waves, reinforcing itself. It’s easy to get wrapped up and lost in their music and Minsk should be way more popular than they are after releasing this gem of an album.

2 – Un – The Tomb of All Things

This is a dark and personal trip into the dimly-lit world of all things Doom. The album offers a dark and harrowing musical journey that you’d be foolish not to explore. The level of depth and emotion rawly on display here is staggering, and Un really have created something special.

1 – Midnight Odyssey – Shards of Silver Fade

And here we have it – top spot. This year it has been awarded to Shards of Silver Fade, which is Atmospheric Black Metal of the highest order. This colossal and epic release is a massive 143 minutes in length and every part of it is essential. Highly emotive and deeply moving, this is richly evocative music that you just can’t fail to be touched by. This is an incredibly special album that’s just exceptional and demands attention. I can’t rate this highly enough, which is why it’s my album of the year. Go and find a dark place and listen to it as soon as you can.

I wonder what 2016 will bring? I can’t wait to find out.

Sealclubber – Stoical (Review)

Sealclubber are a UK Sludge band and this is their début album.

Sealclubber play abrasive Progressive/Post-Sludge Metal that takes in elements of Crust and Hardcore to produce a lively and gritty 44 minutes of music.

The sharp Hardcore energy of some of the riffs is also alive in the harsh shouted vocals, which are full of both threat and feeling.

This is juxtaposed against the slower, more atmospheric parts that have a dirty Post-Metal sheen to them, like something struggling to be born whole out of a world of filth.

Add to this the emotive Sludge elements that the band seem to pull out of nowhere when they need to and you have a very well-rounded release that shows Sealclubber to be an uncompromising and multifaceted band who are capable of many moods throughout these six songs.

This puts me in mind of the old Cave-In and Botch releases where both bands really pushed what it meant to be a Hardcore band. Sealclubber have similar ambitions it seems, only coming from a Sludge angle and delving deeper into both, (quite divergent), Hardcore and Post-Metal routes at the same time. This split focus shouldn’t work, but it really does, marrying what little common ground there is between the two styles with a murky Sludge Metal coverall.

With divergent influences, comes great risk, but with great talent, comes great reward.

Loved it.

Un – The Tomb of All Things (Review)

Un are a Doom band from the US. This is their début album.

This is an impressive and ambitious release that takes elements of Doom, Funeral Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal into its miserable embrace and crushes them all into a murky paste. Continue reading “Un – The Tomb of All Things (Review)”

The Nepalese Temple Ball – Arbor (Review)

The Nepalese Temple Ball are a UK Post-Metal band and this is their début album.

Combining elements of bands such as Neurosis, Light Bearer, (who they share a member with), Isis, Converge and No Anchor, The Nepalese Temple Ball have created over an hour’s worth of exploratory, expansive music on Arbor.

This is a diverse album that’s full of different influences and styles, all collected under the widely variable Post-Metal umbrella. Doom, Progressive Metal, Hardcore/Post-Hardcore, Sludge, Psychedelia…even a hint of Black Metal…these are all gathered by the band and melted down to form the songs on Arbor. They have a wealth of skill at doing this, it seems, and Arbor is much more accomplished than it probably should be for a début album.

Lots of different moods and feelings are covered, but the overall impression for me is one of a strange apocalyptic landscape where the world is drowning a chaotic, messy death.

This is music that’s non-standard, atypical and not afraid at all to do its own thing. The band are clearly walking the path that they want to and should be commended for doing this and exploring such rich musical possibilities. This has resulted in a quality album full of interesting areas to explore, with plenty of diversity and depth to attract and hook the listener. This is assuming you like challenging, interesting music of course. If all you’re after is more of the same, then move along now.

Highly recommended.

The Fifth Alliance – Death Poems (Review)

This is the second album from The Fifth Alliance, who are a Post-Metal/Sludge band from the Netherlands.

Dark, gloomy Post-Metal meets harsh Sludge. Sounds good? It sure does. This is one for fans of bands like Obscure Sphinx, Light Bearer and Year of No Light. Death Poems lives up to these lofty comparisons.

These tracks are exploratory and Doom-filled, featuring the kind of negatively-charged, highly emotive atmospheres that a lot of bands would kill for. The Post-Metal build/release mechanic is used well here, but this is tempered by a more melancholic influence that keeps the tracks evened out, regardless of whether this is done via subtle, reflective sections or heavier ones that sound as if tidal waves are crashing down.

The singer’s screams are of the throat-shredding variety, full of unrequited feelings and anger. Her cleans are rare, but when they appear they’re full of loss and woe, all done in an ethereal-yet-substantial way; plaintive and loaded with real emotion.

This is music that manages to combine the soft caress of despair with the hammer of aggressive catharsis. It’s definitely a recommended listen and one for all fans of interesting, Doom-laden music.

Nyx – Home (Review)

Nyx are a Black Metal band from Germany and this is their début album.

Featuring only two members, Nyx make an impressive début that would do justice to a full band.

The music on this 45 minute album is quite varied and features elements of different sub-genres as well as the core of Black Metal that they play so well.

A few Classic Metal licks appear here and there, as well as a decent Post-Metal influence, especially in some of the guitar melodies. There’s enough of this ethereal, transcendental influence to label this Post-Black Metal, although the icy, frozen core of the pure style is still here, corrupting it so that it’s projected out through the prism of urban decay.

The singer’s screamed vocals are ridiculously strong; her voice is blood-curdling and powerful in the best tradition of Black Metal shrieking. Cleaner vocalisations are also used and these add emotional content and a rather ritualistic, sinister aura on occasion. These too are powerful and have real presence. Occasionally they even add in a bit of a more traditional clean singing style, and these parts sound just as good as everything else.

The songs are barbed, twisted and full of unexpected subtlety and shading. There’s a lot of ideas on display throughout these 9 tracks and the band have produced an album that has both immediate impact and lasting depth. The production is sharp and serrated, allowing the music to showcase its dangerous edge.

This is not a run-of-the-mill release, this is sophisticated Black Metal Art.

Very impressive.

Mammoth Storm – Fornjot (Review)

Mammoth Storm are from Sweden. This is their début album and they play Doom.

Thick, heavy guitars, groove the size of tsunamis and colossal riffs? It can only be Mammoth Storm’s first album. This is heavy, ponderous Doom with a juicy Stoner streak running deep through it.

Charismatic vocals extend out over the songs, animated just above a drawl to provide focus and character to the gargantuan riffs and huge beats.

The guitars are a definite selling point of this music, as the heavy rhythms are meaty as Hell, while the more fragile leads almost have a Post-Metal transcendental quality to them. These are anchored in place by the more earthy guitars so that they remain firmly a part of the music.

The combination of the droning, repetitive nature of the rhythms and the exploratory, unbounded leads make for songs that form a soundscape of textures, writ large in Doom. The vocals cement the idea of a journey through this soundscape, guided by the album art and propelled endlessly forward by the understated-yet-essential drums.

Atmospheric layers are built with ease, immersing the listener in the moods and feelings that the band wish to evoke. It’s extremely effective; it’s easy to slip into these songs and lose yourself in the band’s emotive performance.

This is a substantial début in more ways than one, with the band creating a conceptual storyline to accompany the weighty music. At 55 minutes in length there is a lot of content here to enjoy.

I think this album is pretty much a must-get for any fan of Doom Metal. Check it out.

Moloken – All Is Left to See (Review)

This is the third album from Swedish Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Hardcore band Moloken.

This is Cult of Luna/Isis-inspired Post-Metal that has been combined with Converge-style Post-Hardcore to create individualistic songs that are sharp, nasty and boiling with heated darkness.

Caustic, throat-shredding screamed vocals provide a brutally simple focal point to the apocalyptic music. The band are here to sow darkness and reap pain. Their music is a dense, claustrophobic affair, ripe with urban decay and full of disturbed interest for the observer to become upset by.

Varied and nuanced, there are a lot of good ideas on display throughout these 29 minutes and Moloken make the most of the relatively short playing time by filling the album with bleak sounds that captivate and enthral.

Equal parts Sludge, Hardcore and dark atmosphere, All Is Left to See is enjoyable and recommended.

Dead to a Dying World – Litany (Review)

Dead to a Dying World are a Blackened Doom band from the US and this is their second album.

Featuring a wealth of instruments and influences, this is an epic album that lasts 73 minutes and takes the listener on a tour of all of the dark places.

The bedrock of the band’s sound is grim, murky Black Metal; this immediately differentiates them from some other Blackened Doom bands as usually the style is predominantly Doom with added Blackness; here it’s a good mix of two, probably leaning towards the Black Metal side of the equation a little more overall. There’s plenty of serrated Blackened parts to keep the blood pumping.

Elements of Crust, Post-Metal and pure Doom work their magic in among the blood-fed trees of the Black Metal forest in which the music grows. Litany is powerful, wonderful, ambitious and terrifying in equal measure. Taking aspects of bands like Hope Drone, Neurosis, Wolves in the Throne Room, Myrkur, Usnea, Nux Vomica, Bergthron, Lycus and a whole host of others, this is an impressive body of music that brings something different to the table with each track, all within the established framework of the band.

Sharp Blackened screams are juxtaposed with softer cleans, both male and female. Dark growls populate the undergrowth and harsh, rolling shouting stabs in like spikes. Guest vocals appear throughout the album, making the entire performance varied and interesting for the listener.

The overall feeling is one of a refined, sombre misery. Viola and other instruments give the music an additional air of sophistication and Dead to a Dying World are nothing if not accomplished at the spells they weave; the band are adept at creating thick atmospheres and dark moods.

The recording has a sickly, unnatural warmth to it, like something alive that shouldn’t be. It’s soft when it needs to be and roiling, churning and destructive at other times.

This is a long, involving and emotive listen that builds, crests and waves through the six tracks like a dark tsunami, crushing and destroying yet followed by calm and retrospection, reflecting on all that has been lost.

A very special album.