Cemetery Skyline – Nordic Gothic (Review)

Cemetery Skyline - Nordic GothicThis is the debut album from dark rock band Cemetery Skyline.

Boasting current/ex-members of bands such as Amorphis, Grand Cadaver, Dark Tranquillity, Entombed A.D., The Halo Effect, Insomnium, Malpractice, Sentenced, and Witchery, a lot of experience and skill has gone into the making of Nordic Gothic. Cemetery Skyline use their experience well, forging a 49-minute album the combines dark and melodic rock with Gothic flair. Continue reading “Cemetery Skyline – Nordic Gothic (Review)”

Kingcrow – Hopium (Review)

Kingcrow - HopiumKingcrow are an Italian progressive rock band and this is their eighth album.

I really liked 2015’s Eidos, (and somehow missed its 2018 follow up), so wanted to make sure I caught up with the band for the 53-minute, (with bonus track), Hopium. I was not disappointed. Continue reading “Kingcrow – Hopium (Review)”

Uniform – American Standard (Review)

Uniform - American StandardUniform are an industrial band from the US and this is their fifth album.

Ever since discovering Uniform on their 2018 album The Long Walk I’ve looked forward to every subsequent release. Whether it’s their collaborations with The Body in 2019, (Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back), or Boris in 2023, (Bright New Disease), or their most recent full length in 2020 Shame, Uniform always produce music that’s worth exploring. All of which is to say that American Standard is hotly anticipated. Continue reading “Uniform – American Standard (Review)”

Julie Christmas – Ridiculous and Full of Blood (Review)

Julie Christmas - Ridiculous and Full of BloodThis is the second solo album from the iconic Julie Christmas, who plays a vert individual brand of rock/metal.

A new solo album from one of the best artists in the business, a mere 14 years after her last one? Someone who has one of the most individual and simply fantastic singing voices ever, and has given us some classic albums from bands like Battle of Mice and Made out of Babies? An artist who even managed to elevate the pretty much untouchable Cult of Luna to unexpectedly higher levels of excellence on Mariner? New songs from her? Sign me up without hesitation. Continue reading “Julie Christmas – Ridiculous and Full of Blood (Review)”

Lethe – Alienation (Review)

Lethe - AlienationThis is the third album from Lethe, a dark rock band from Switzerland/Norway.

Well, I wasn’t expecting a new album from Lethe, I must admit. 2014’s When Dreams Become Nightmares was an amazing album, one which I’ve only enjoyed more and more over the last decade (!) since it was released. Nonetheless, we are now gifted with Alienation, which brings us 45 minutes of material. Continue reading “Lethe – Alienation (Review)”

Dool – The Shape of Fluidity (Review)

Dool - The Shape of FluidityThis is the third album from Dutch dark rock band Dool.

The Shape of Fluidity contains 50 minutes of dark rock music with both a metallic and a Gothic edge, as well as containing elements of doom, post-rock and post-punk. Dool’s music flows together seamlessly, making for an individualistic blend that is extremely enjoyable and moreish. Continue reading “Dool – The Shape of Fluidity (Review)”

A Burial at Sea – Close to Home (Review)

A Burial at Sea - Close to HomeA Burial at Sea are a post-rock band from Ireland and this is their second album.

Close to Home contains 43 minutes of exquisitely rendered post-rock. Boasting contributions from shoegaze, jazz, and progressive rock, this is a non-standard album for lovers of broad soundscapes and brass-enriched musical vistas. It’s mostly instrumental, and paints wonderfully textured pictures with sound.

Continue reading “A Burial at Sea – Close to Home (Review)”

Chapel of Disease – Echoes of Light (Review)

Chapel of Disease - Echoes of LightChapel of Disease are a German progressive death metal/rock band and this is their fourth album.

Whereas 2025’s The Mysterious Work of Repetitive Art was a sinuous slab of old-school death metal played with uncommon depth, 2018’s …And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye took Chapel of Disease into much more progressive waters. Now, 6 years later, where does Echoes of Light find this exceptional act? Continue reading “Chapel of Disease – Echoes of Light (Review)”

Earthside – Let the Truth Speak (Review)

Earthside - Let the Truth SpeakThis is the second album from US progressive rock band Earthside.

Let the Truth Speak is a 78-minute odyssey of contemporary progressive rock and metal. Built around a core of the main band, these musicians are augmented by a range of guest musicians and vocalists, (including the singer of Tesseract). Continue reading “Earthside – Let the Truth Speak (Review)”

Green Lung – This Heathen Land (Review)

Green Lung - This Heathen LandGreen Lung are a doom rock band from the UK and this is their third album.

Green Lung are back, and they’ve brought with them 42 minutes of new music in the shape of This Heathen Land. Will it match up to the heady heights of 2021’s Black Harvest? Well, that’s a tall order, but let’s dive in anyway. Continue reading “Green Lung – This Heathen Land (Review)”