Progressive Doom – Wonderbox Metal

Fragment Soul – Axiom of Choice (Review)

Fragment Soul are a Greek progressive doom band, and this is their debut album.

Axiom of Choice is a richly expressive work, which focuses on building atmosphere and emotion across four highly engaging songs, lasting 42 minutes in total. There’s no real heaviness or metal here, so don’t be misled by any of the genre tags or band references; this is slow, ethereal, gentle, and filled with feeling. It’s an album of depth and expansive ambience that, if you’re a fan of the style, should firmly root itself into your music collection. Continue reading “Fragment Soul – Axiom of Choice (Review)”

Thy Darkened Shade/Amestigon/Inconcessus Lux Lucis/Shaarimoth – SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn – Split (Review)

This is a gargantuan four-way split, consisting of 15 tracks across a total duration of 96 minutes. Continue reading “Thy Darkened Shade/Amestigon/Inconcessus Lux Lucis/Shaarimoth – SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn – Split (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of May 2021

May continued 2021’s trend of being a very good year for metal. As is now usual, restricting the list to just a handful of releases was difficult. There’s more where this came from! Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of May 2021”

Vokonis – Odyssey (Review)

This is the fourth album from Vokonis, a progressive doom metal band from Sweden.

Vokonis’ style mixes together progressive metal with stoner and doom metal, resulting in a colourful and enjoyable collection of tracks. While Mastodon is the obvious reference point, it’s also an inadequate one for Odyssey, as there’s a lot more at play here than simply Mastodon worship. I can also hear elements of bands as diverse as Sleep, Slomatics, Elder, Perihelion Ship, Rush, Khemmis, Alice in Chains, Witchkiss, Monolord, and Black Crown Initiate, to name but a few. Continue reading “Vokonis – Odyssey (Review)”

Dvne – Etemen Ænka (Review)

Dvne are a progressive sludge metal band from the UK and this is their second album.

Etemen Ænka is the 67-minute follow up to 2017’s immensely enjoyable Asheran, and a release I’ve been greatly anticipating. If you’re a fan of bands such as Sorxe, Mastodon, The Ocean, Isis, Minsk, Inter Arma, and Neurosis, then Etemen Ænka is an album for you. Maybe even THE album for you. Continue reading “Dvne – Etemen Ænka (Review)”

Sunyata – The Great Beyond (Review)

This is the debut album from UK atmospheric doom metal solo act Sunyata.

The artist describes Sunyata’s music as a mix of funeral doom and modern classical. Although this serves as a decent description, it doesn’t quite do justice to the wealth of rich content that’s to be found on The Great Beyond. Continue reading “Sunyata – The Great Beyond (Review)”

Vacant Eyes – A Somber Preclusion of Being (Review)

This is the debut album from US doom band Vacant Eyes.

Combining funeral doom, death/doom, melodic doom, and progressive doom, A Somber Preclusion of Being contains 75 minutes of sorrowful soundscapes. Continue reading “Vacant Eyes – A Somber Preclusion of Being (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of July 2020

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 “Monthly Overview – the Best of July 2020”

Mazzeri – Mazzeri (Review)

Mazzeri are a French doom metal band and this is their debut album.

Mazzeri contains four tracks, with a total duration of 48 minutes. It’s a release that contains many surprises, and contains many wonders. Continue reading “Mazzeri – Mazzeri (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2020

No preamble this month, let’s just get right down to it… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of June 2020”