False Gods are a doom/sludge metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Neurotopia contains eight tracks, (seven originals and a doomified Integrity cover), for a total of 50 minutes of material. False Gods play a compelling brand of doom and sludge metal that also benefits from elements of hardcore. Continue reading “False Gods – Neurotopia (Review)”
Northless are a sludge/doom band from the US and this is their fourth album.
I last caught up with Northless on their 2016 split with Primitive Man, so A Path Beyond Grief seemed an opportune time to check out the band once more. Continue reading “Northless – A Path Beyond Grief (Review)”
This is the third album from UK doom/sludge metallers Grave Lines.
Featuring the guitarist from Dead Witches/Sea Bastard, Grave Lines play an interesting and immersive form of doom. Weaving together doom metal and sludge into a tapestry that also includes Gothic, ambient drone, post-punk, and experimental elements, Communion contains 44 minutes of music that’s highly compelling. Continue reading “Grave Lines – Communion (Review)”
This is the fourth album from US doom/sludge metallers Behold! The Monolith.
It seems like an age ago that it came out, but 2015’s Architects of the Void stood out from the crowds that year, (and made it into my year end list), and I had wondered if we’d ever hear from the band again. They’ve now reappeared though, and with a new singer to boot, to bring us 46 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Behold! The Monolith – From the Fathomless Deep (Review)”
This is the debut album from UK sludge doom band Existence Dysphoria.
Minus Negative contains 31 minutes of unfriendly sludge doom. It’s a mix of caustic sludge and crushing doom, combined with elements of stoner and progressive rock. Continue reading “Existence Dysphoria – Minus Negative (Review)”
This is a split between two US doom/sludge bands, Veilcaste and Tusk.
Each band contribute 3 songs, and Veilcaste open the split with 14 minutes of material. Continue reading “Veilcaste/Tusk – Split (Review)”
This is the second album from UK sludge/post-metallers Conjurer.
This much-anticipated lab of heaviness is the 53-minute follow up to 2018’s punishing Mire.
A contemporary blend of sludge and post-metal, with elements of doom, hardcore, and progressive metal, Páthos takes the sound that Mire did so well and pushes it further, expanding on its core heaviness with a greater range of textures and emotions. It’s like a vicious nest of crushing riffs has been smashed together with a multifaceted collection of rich soundscapes, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Continue reading “Conjurer – Páthos (Review)”
This is the third album from US doom/sludge metal band Hush.
Hush play the sort of hybrid sludge metal that I like – bleak, crushing, nasty, and very, very heavy, but also emotive and atmospheric. Across these 56 minutes the band dish out the punishment mercilessly, but they also do a lot more than just batter and bruise, which is great to hear, as otherwise a running time like that could easily become a burden. Continue reading “Hush – The Pornography of Ruin (Review)”
This is the fourth album from progressive/stoner metal band Druids.
After very much enjoying 2016’s Cycles of Mobeum, 2017’s Spirit Compass, and 2019’s Monument, I knew I wanted to check out Shadow Work as soon as it saw the light of day. Continue reading “Druids – Shadow Work (Review)”
This is the third album from Swedish doom metal band Cities of Mars.
Cities of Mars offers a richly textured doom experience that combines elements of sludge, stoner, and ambient into itself. The promo blurb says that Cities of Mars is for fans of Mastodon, Kylesa, Sleep, Baroness, and The Sword, and that’s as good a place as any to start with. Continue reading “Cities of Mars – Cities of Mars (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 