Sludge – Wonderbox Metal

Eremit – Wearer of Numerous Forms (Review)

This is the third album from German doom metal band Eremit.

More Eremit! More hulking great huge tracks of monstrous sludge doom! Yeah! Despite how massive 2019’s Carrier of Weight and 2021’s Bearer of Many Names were, (not forgetting the relatively brief EP Desert of Ghouls from 2020), Wearer of Numerous Forms finds Eremit bigger and bolder than ever before. Featuring just three tracks, but clocking in at a colossal 133 minutes, (!), Eremit have unleashed a doom odyssey. Continue reading “Eremit – Wearer of Numerous Forms (Review)”

Usnea – Bathed in Light (Review)

This is the fourth album from US doom band Usnea.

After loving 2014’s Random Cosmic Violence and 2017’s Portals into Futility, I am so completely ready for a new Usnea album. Bathed in Light brings us not only their shortest album yet at 43 minutes, but also many of their shortest songs. What does this mean for the Usnea we know and adore? Continue reading “Usnea – Bathed in Light (Review)”

Radien – Unissa Palaneet (Review)

This is the second album from Radien, a sludge metal band from Finland.

Unissa Palaneet is a 46-minute album containing five tracks, where the a full 21 minutes of the total duration is made up of just the final song. Radien are not without ambition, and they have the skills to back up their vision for doom-heavy sludge music. Continue reading “Radien – Unissa Palaneet (Review)”

Mnajdra – Mnajdra (Review)

This is the debut album from US black metal band Mnajdra.

From out of nowhere comes Mnajdra, a 44-minute slice of underworld darkness. This is thick, unfriendly black metal that has subsumed elements of doom and sludge into itself to better portray the utter bleakness and horror of existence. Continue reading “Mnajdra – Mnajdra (Review)”

Hellish Form – Deathless (Review)

Hellish Form are a doom/sludge band from the US and this is their second album.

Embrace the atmospheric nightmare sludge of Hellish Form. If you do, you won’t regret it. Featuring members of Body Void, Elder Devil, and Keeper, Deathless contains 48 minutes of the good stuff. If by good stuff you mean a compelling mood-focused mix of funeral doom, sludge, and drone, of course. Continue reading “Hellish Form – Deathless (Review)”

Wallowing – Earth Reaper (Review)

This is the second album from UK sludge/doom metal band Wallowing.

Boasting the drummer of the amazing King Goat in their ranks, Wallowing play a sci-fi-themed mix of blackened sludge, doom, and noise. Continue reading “Wallowing – Earth Reaper (Review)”

Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being (Review)

This is the debut album from Belgian sludge/post-metal band Predatory Void.

Featuring current and ex-members of Amenra, Carnation, Living Gate, Cobra the Impaler, Oathbreaker, and Aborted, Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being is a 43-minute multifaceted trip into extreme metal darkness. Continue reading “Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being (Review)”

Kludde – De Horla (Review)

Kludde are a Belgian sludge/post-black metal band and this is their third album.

After the enjoyable In de Kwelm from back in 2019, Kludde are back with 39 minutes of new material on De Horla. On their latest album Kludde have expanded on their sludge metal influences and have incorporated a more atmospheric approach to their blackened style. Continue reading “Kludde – De Horla (Review)”

Lethvm – Winterreise (Review)

Lethvm are a post-metal band from Belgium, and this is their third album.

Recommended in the promo blurb as being for fans of Neurosis, early Cult of Luna, and LLNN, this is a good indicator of what you’ll find on Winterreise. I’d also say if you take LLNN, expand their apocalyptic sound with Cult of Luna’s textured influence, then Continue reading “Lethvm – Winterreise (Review)”

Sunrot – The Unfailing Rope (Review)

Sunrot are a sludge band from the US and this is their second album.

Sunrot’s hostile music is a sludge metal monster that is enhanced by noise and effects in the manner of early Eyehategod records. It’s a 40-minute trip through the corridors of sludge and doom, and wears its influences on its sleeves like badges of honour. Sunrot know what they’re doing with the style though, and The Unfailing Rope is an enjoyable slab of heaviness. Continue reading “Sunrot – The Unfailing Rope (Review)”