This is the debut album from German doom metal band Mriodom.
Vlies contains 44 minutes of music that takes elements of doom metal, stoner metal, and psychedelic rock into itself, producing five songs that earn their own keep. Mriodom’s music hits the spot nicely. Continue reading “Mriodom – Vlies (Review)”
AAWKS are a Canadian doom band and this is their second album.
Up until now my first and only encounter with AAWKS was on their enjoyable split with Aiwass from 2023. I almost missed this one, until a friend recommended it, and here we are. On Through the Sky Maze delivers 48 minutes of occult psychedelic doom metal for us to devour, and it tastes damn good. Continue reading “AAWKS – On Through the Sky Maze (Review)”
Solar Temple and Dead Neanderthals are both from the Netherlands. The former plays black metal, (and contains members of Fluisteraars and Dool), and the latter is an experimental act.
Embers Beget the Divine documents the live show that the Continue reading “Solar Temple & Dead Neanderthals – Embers Beget the Divine (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”
Howling Giant are a rock band from the US and this is their second album.
I like me a bit of what Howling Giant are peddling, and Glass Future‘s 41 minutes of tuneage hits the spot nicely. Continue reading “Howling Giant – Glass Future (Review)”
This is the third album from Swedish sludge metal band Vak.
The Islands contains 50 minutes of progressive sludge metal. Taking in parts of doom, sludge, stoner, psychedelic, and progressive rock, Vak build musical structures that are unusual and impressive. Continue reading “Vak – The Islands (Review)”
This is the third album from Swedish rock band Moon Coven.
Moon Coven play a mix of psychedelic rock and stoner doom that has a touch of the progressive about it too. Across 46 minutes Sun King blends these styles into a warm, personable album of good tunes and good vibes. Continue reading “Moon Coven – Sun King (Review)”
This is the third album from US doom metal band Thunder Horse.
After the Fall contains 40 minutes of quality doom. Spliced with elements of classic heavy metal, stoner, and hard rock, alongside splashes of psychedelia and progressive rock, Thunder Horse have crafted an album that’s worth spending some quality time with. Continue reading “Thunder Horse – After the Fall (Review)”
This is the debut album from Weite, an international rock band.
Featuring members of Elder and High Fighter, Weite play a charismatic mix of 70s psychedelic, progressive, and experimental rock, with jazz elements. Assemblage is an instrumental record, and spends 39 minutes taking the listener on an expansive worldbuilding journey. Continue reading “Weite – Assemblage (Review)”
This is the fourth album from US hard rock band Royal Thunder.
Rebuilding the Mountain contains 42 minutes of professionally crafted rock music. Taking influence from a range of places, this is music that’s expressive, hook-filled, and underpinned by a depth of content. Continue reading “Royal Thunder – Rebuilding the Mountain (Review)”
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