Sludge – Wonderbox Metal

Melvins with Napalm Death – Savage Imperial Death March (Review)

This is a collaborative album between two legendary acts, Melvins from the US and Napalm Death from the UK.

Originally released last year as a 6-track limited tour CD/vinyl, Savage Imperial Death March is now getting a full release, with two extra songs and new artwork. It’s a 40-minute journey into an uncrowded collaborative space that brings together the sludgy melodic skill of Melvins and the off-centre experimental side of Napalm Death. Continue reading “Melvins with Napalm Death – Savage Imperial Death March (Review)”

Cult of Occult – I Have No Name (Review)

Cult of Occult are a French doom band and this is their fifth album.

It’s great to have towering Cult of Occult back. The last time they graced us with their malignant presence was on 2021’s Ruin, but now we have a brand new full album. I Have No Name contains 70 minutes of doomsludge horror. My, what a Continue reading “Cult of Occult – I Have No Name (Review)”

Unearthly Rites – Tortural Symphony of the Flesh (Review)

Unearthly Rites are a Finnish death metal band and this is their second album.

Tortural Symphony of the Flesh is the 40-minute follow up to 2024’s Ecdysis, bringing us another filth-ridden slab of death/crust/sludge/grind/doom from Unearthly Rites. Strap yourself in, and get ready for something Continue reading “Unearthly Rites – Tortural Symphony of the Flesh (Review)”

Void of Light – Asymmetries (Review)

This is the debut album from Scottish post-metal band Void of Light.

Featuring the vocal talent behind Ageless Summoning and Of Spire and Throne, (and more), Void of Light have arrived to bring us 48 minutes of post-metal in the form of the gargantuan Asymmetries. Continue reading “Void of Light – Asymmetries (Review)”

Neurosis – An Undying Love for a Burning World (Review)

This is the twelfth album from US sludge/post-metal band Neurosis.

Ten years since 2016’s Fires Within Fires, nobody was expecting the return of Neurosis this month. Armed with the formidable talents of Aaron Turner, (Isis/Old Man Gloom/Sumac) on guitar and vocals, this new Neurosis album is Continue reading “Neurosis – An Undying Love for a Burning World (Review)”

Shadowvale – Shadowvale (Review)

This is the debut album from UK sludge metallers Shadowvale.

After Shadowvale’s revelatory performance at last year’s Mangata Festival, this has been a release to watch out for. Well, it’s now here, so the question that presents itself is this – was it worth the wait? Have Shadowvale managed to deliver the goods and live up to their promise? Continue reading “Shadowvale – Shadowvale (Review)”

Mordeo – Mordeo (Review)

This is the debut album from US sludge metal band Mordeo.

Mordeo is a 41-minute slab of ugly crusty darkness. Fuelled by punk aggression and sludge hatred, this is music that wants to rend and destroy. Mordeo have unleashed a Continue reading “Mordeo – Mordeo (Review)”

Aufhebung – Luchtbegrafenis (Review)

Aufhebung are a Belgian post-metal band and this is their second album.

Playing post-metal that brings together elements of doom, sludge, and post-rock, Aufhebung have crafted 48 minutes of material on Luchtbegrafenis. As a first encounter with Aufhebung, it’s Continue reading “Aufhebung – Luchtbegrafenis (Review)”

Matador – Above, Below, and So (Review)

Matador are a post-metal band from the UK and this is their third album.

Matador play a compelling mix of post-metal, doom, sludge, and post-rock. That’s a lot of tags, but the music brings them together quite seamlessly. Above, Below, and So contains 42 minutes of material, and it’s a record that Continue reading “Matador – Above, Below, and So (Review)”

Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience (Review)

This is the debut album from Agenbite Misery, a US black/death/sludge metal band.

Okay, it’s to the promo blurb for this one – “…the band began with a deceptively simple idea: to adapt James Joyce’s Ulysses into an experimental metal album. What emerged from that idea is a 55-minute odyssey of layered sonic aggression and literary depth, an album that blends blackened sludge, dissonant death metal, post-punk, ambient drone, and more into a singular, genre-defying statement of purpose.” So there you have it. Continue reading “Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience (Review)”