Doubtsower is a one-man Welsh doom metal band and this is his fourth album.
If you have yet to experience the uncommon blackened doom of Doubtsower, then let me recommend you Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul, The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power, and Nothing Reduced to Everything. All are quality slabs of experimental darkness, and all have paved the way for The Past Melts Away with a Sneer. Continue reading “Doubtsower – The Past Melts Away with a Sneer (Review)”
This is the second album from US solo post-black metal band Flowers of Rust.
Crude Exhibitions of the Soul contains 33 minutes of post-black metal that’s of an uncommon variety. Flowers of Rust is an act with a different voice, and it uses it to command and demoralise. Continue reading “Flowers of Rust – Crude Exhibitions of the Soul (Review)”
Another year, another Damnation Festival. Has it really been 20 years? I went to the very first one waaaaay back in 2005, and a love affair was born. It has been great to watch it become one of the world’s best festivals. Kudos to the organisers for their continued passion and ability.
This edition is therefore the festival’s twentieth year and sees Damnation bigger and arguably better than ever before. It’s across two days now, and the lineup is strong in both depth and breadth. From veteran classics to newborn sensations, the festival has it all. Continue reading “Damnation Festival 2025 – BEC Arena, Manchester – 08/11/25-09/11/25 (Live Review)”
Beastwars are a sludge/stoner metal band from New Zealand and this is their fifth album.
Following on from 2019’s IV, (via a covers album in 2023 called Tyranny of Distance), comes the 40-minute The Ship // The Sea. I was excited to listen to this, as Beastwars always deliver, and it hasn’t disappointed. Continue reading “Beastwars – The Ship // The Sea (Review)”
Primitive Man are a doom band from the US and this is their fourth album.
I confess to being a huge Primitive Man fan. If you’re unfamiliar with their horrendous works, check out (deep breath) – here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Observance brings us a massive new 68 minutes of material to get pulled down into the murk by. Continue reading “Primitive Man – Observance (Review)”
This is the debut album from UK sludge metallers Believe in Nothing.
When the promo blurb tells me a release is for fans of Full of Hell, Thou, and Primitive Man, I can’t help but pay attention. Upon being exposed to Believe in Nothing’s foul mix of sludge, doom, and noise, I can tell you that Rot is worth getting down in the filth for. Continue reading “Believe in Nothing – Rot (Review)”
Space Witch are a stoner doom metal band from the UK and this is their third album.
Space Witch’s style is instrumental, and takes from the sludge, stoner, and doom metal styles. Their new record – Mountains of Neptune – contains just a single eponymous song, but it’s a 37-minute behemoth, so you’d better prepare for a crushing, cosmic experience.
Continue reading “Space Witch – Mountains of Neptune (Review)”
Drofnosura are a Canadian doom/sludge metal band and this is their second album.
Drofnosura’s Ritual of Split Tongues is a colossal beast of an album. It’s a 63-minute monster, primarily comprised of four epic-length songs, and presents as a mutated entity of mountainous shapeshifting intensity. Continue reading “Drofnosura – Ritual of Split Tongues (Review)”
This is the latest EP from UK hardcore/sludge metallers Mastiff.
A new Mastiff release is always something to pay attention to. Since 2019’s Plague I’ve thoroughly enjoyed betting beaten around the head by their brutal heaviness. On 2021’s Leave Me the Ashes of the Earth and last year’s Deprecipice they only seemed to get heavier and nastier. Which brings us to For All the Dead Dreams, which delivers seventeen minutes of punishment for us to soak up. Continue reading “Mastiff – For All the Dead Dreams (Review)”
This is the third album from UK sludge/post-metallers Conjurer.
Each Conjurer album so far has been a notable one. From their 2018 debut Mire, to 2022’s Páthos, the band have show an ability to craft quality heavy music, while also progressing their sound between releases. Unself contains 45 minutes of new music from this talented act, I have been very keen to hear it. So, what does it bring us? Continue reading “Conjurer – Unself (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 