This is the third album from Greek blackened doom band Agnes Vein.
Deathcall actually came out at the end of 2021, but I believe it recently had a vinyl release so it seemed as good a time as any to catch up with what they’re doing these days – the last, (and only), time I have encountered them previously was on 2016’s split with Sadhus “The Smoking Community”. Continue reading “Agnes Vein – Deathcall (Review)”
This is the debut album from Absent in Body, an international doom/post-metal band.
Featuring current and ex-members of Amenra, Neurosis, and Sepultura, Plague God gives us 36 minutes of sludgy industrial post-metal to become lost in and horrified by. Continue reading “Absent in Body – Plague God (Review)”
This is the twelfth album from US sludge metal legends Crowbar.
In an ideal world Crowbar whould need little introduction. The band have been toiling away producing some of the absolute best song-based sludge metal since the early nineties, and have managed to not only amass a huge discography of great songs and albums, but have done so while basically carving their own path through the metal landscape. Continue reading “Crowbar – Zero and Below (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swiss post-hardcore/metal band Abraham.
Abraham craft eight post-hardcore/metal soundscapes with layered compositions and multifaceted songwriting. The obvious starting point for comparisons would be a band like Neurosis, but with added elements of bands like Knut, Deadguy, and Botch. Continue reading “Abraham – Débris de Mondes Perdus (Review)”
This is the debut album from Kurokuma, a doom/sludge band from the UK.
Both times that I’ve encountered Kurokuma, (2016’s Advorsus and 2019’s Sheffield’s Best Metal Bands Vol. 1), I’ve liked what I’ve heard, and now it’s finally time for their long-awaited debut album to see the light of day. The band have been slowly gathering Continue reading “Kurokuma – Born of Obsidian (Review)”
This is the fourth album from US metal/deathcore band Enterprise Earth.
Enterprise Earth walk a line between modern death metal, deathcore, and metalcore, and on The Chosen the band deliver a whopping 71 minutes of meaty material for listeners to get their teeth into. Continue reading “Enterprise Earth – The Chosen (Review)”
Yes, it’s that time of year again! 2021 gave us some very, very good metal, and I feel honoured to have been able to have listened to as much of it as I have done. There are some notable absences, (for me at least), from the below list, but there’s just not enough time or space for everything, dammit!
2020 was a very blackened year for me; I listened to a lot of black metal, and the list for that year reflected that. At the start of 2021 I decided I’d consciously try to ensure I cast my net a bit wider again, reconnecting more deeply with some of many other styles of metal that I enjoy. 2021’s list reflects this. However, I’ve still ended up with much more of a black metal presence in the list than I was initially expecting. What can I say? I’m a sucker for all of the myriad blackened flavours of the style. However, there’s also a lot of other stuff here that I hope you’ll dig into and enjoy too. I felt that there was a notable absence of grindcore in 2021, as well as some of the more extreme styles of doom. What do you think?
I hope you enjoy perusing some of my favourite records from this year, and I hope you find something new to tickle your fancy. What’s your number one this year? Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2021”
This is the debut album from post-metal/sludge band No God Only Teeth.
No God Only Teeth play a characterful style that mixes together sludge and post-metal, with elements of post-rock and crust. The band take an emotive approach to their material, forging dark soundscapes from the various subgenres. Continue reading “No God Only Teeth – Placenta (Review)”
This is the debut EP from one-man sludge metal band Flowers of Flesh.
The artist behind Flowers of Flesh knows a good malevolent riff when he rips one out of someone’s spine. The EP starts with exactly one such riff, but it isn’t the only example to be found within these 24 minutes. The music is filthy blackened sludge metal that’s ugly and foul, yet contains some unexpected elements of light and feeling hidden amidst the carnage. Continue reading “Flowers of Flesh – Flowers of Flesh (Review)”
This is the second album from US extreme metallers Cave Bastard.
2018’s The Bleak Shall Devour the Earth was a record I enjoyed, so I was keen to catch up with what the band were offering in 2021. Continue reading “Cave Bastard – Wrath of the Bastard (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 