Ashtar are from Switzerland and play blackened doom. This is their second album.
It’s been five years since we were graced with Ashtar’s presence; Ilmasaari was a very notable and satisfying record, and Kaijuka even more so. Continue reading “Ashtar – Kaikuja (Review)”
This is the fourth album from progressive stoner/sludge doom metallers Forming the Void.
I enjoy Forming the Void’s work; 2018’s split with Pyreship and Rift were both quality releases, but on Reverie, the band have produced something quite wonderful. Continue reading “Forming the Void – Reverie (Review)”
This is the tenth album from Forgotten Tomb, an Italian black/doom/sludge metal band.
2015’s Hurt Yourself and the Ones You Love and 2017’s We Owe You Nothing are both favourites of mine, so it’s great to have some new work from Forgotten Tomb, especially something as well-wrought as Nihilistic Estrangement. Continue reading “Forgotten Tomb – Nihilistic Estrangement (Review)”
This is the second album from Alkymist, a Danish sludge/doom band.
If you have a taste for a heavy, progressive mix of sludge and doom metal, then there’s a lot to enjoy on Sanctuary. Continue reading “Alkymist – Sanctuary (Review)”
This is the debut album from Shatter Brain, an Australian thrash metal band.
Featuring members of Voros and Alkira, Pitchfork Justice contains 40 minutes of bellicose metal. Blending thrash, hardcore, and sludge metal into a strong-tasting and satisfying concoction, this is a very impressive debut album. If you imagine Continue reading “Shatter Brain – Pitchfork Justice (Review)”
This is the second album from Вий, (otherwise known as Vij), an Italian doom/sludge band.
Vij’s music is dark and heavy, combining harsh sludge and funeral doom. It’s a great mixture of the two styles, making for an absorbing album that’s a little different from what many other doom/sludge bands are doing. Continue reading “Vij (Вий) – Oblivium (Review)”
The Ditch and the Delta are a sludge metal band from the US and this is their second album.
This band combine Neurosis-style post-metal sludginess with energetic riff-worship and a surprisingly technical delivery to produce 38 minutes of abrasive nastiness. Mix Neurosis, very early Mastodon, Today Is the Day, and Meshuggah, and you’ll have a Continue reading “The Ditch and the Delta – The Ditch and the Delta (Review)”
Hyborian are a stoner metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Hyborian’s first album Vol. 1 was infectious and moreish, and made a strong impression. Volume II continues with Hyborian’s hyper-palatable style, providing 40 minutes of anthemic tunes that are near-impossible to dislike. Continue reading “Hyborian – Volume II (Review)”
This is the third album from Timeworn, a Norwegian sludge metal band.
This is riff-friendly sludge metal, with both a hardcore influence and an atmospheric one. There’s a mix of the harsh and the beautiful here, which is weighted towards the energetic former, but the latter is still an important part of the band’s sound too. Continue reading “Timeworn – Leave the Soul for Now (Review)”
Lord Mantis are from the US and play Blackened Sludge Metal. This is their fourth album.
2014’s Death Mask was a tortured nightmare of evil sludge, pretty much as foul as the style gets. Five years later the band have returned, infecting the world with 44 minutes of new material that’s as virulent and as nasty as ever. Continue reading “Lord Mantis – Universal Death Church (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 