Culted are an international blackened doom band and this is their third album.
It has been many years since 2014’s Oblique to All Paths, although we were gifted with an EP in 2019 – Vespertina Synaxis – A Prayer for Union & Emptiness. Nous contains 64 minutes of new, apocalyptic material, which Continue reading “Culted – Nous (Review)”
Sunnata are a Polish doom metal band and this is their fourth album.
Sunnata play a form of doom metal that has ritualistic elements, manifesting in a tendency for repetition and hypnotic grooves. Despite this, the band know how to write a good tune, surprisingly so really; some of Continue reading “Sunnata – Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth (Review)”
Ad Nauseam are an avant-garde death metal band from Italy, and this is their second album.
Don’t let the death metal tag fool you, this is not your average deathly proposition. Ad Nauseam’s vision of what extreme metal should be is unorthodox and esoteric. The band play a sort of avant-garde progressive technical death metal, while also throwing in some elements of black metal, sludge, doom, Continue reading “Ad Nauseam – Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (Review)”
This is the third album from Canadian post-metallers Sarin.
Here we have 33 minutes of post-metal that’s influenced by the likes of Isis, Neurosis, and Cult of Luna. Sarin’s music concentrates mainly on the heavier, crushing side of these bands, although there is texture here too. Sarin use Continue reading “Sarin – You Can’t Go Back (Review)”
New year, new metal. What did January have to offer? More than it usually does, it turns out. Let’s take a look at five of the best… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of January 2021”
This is the third album from Splendidula, a doom/sludge metal band from Belgium.
There are a few different ingredients that go into the Splendidula sound. Traditional doom metal is an obvious one. This provides for the creation of a firm underpinning bedrock for the songs to be created around, one which allows emotion and Continue reading “Splendidula – Somnus (Review)”
This is a collaboration between post-rock/folk solo artist Emma Ruth Rundle and doom/sludge metallers Thou, both from the US.
This is the second collaboration between these two artists, although sadly I managed to miss out on the full album that the two released together last year. On the strength of The Helm of Sorrow, this is a real shame, as something special appears to have been created here. Continue reading “Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – The Helm of Sorrow (Review)”
This is the second album from Romanian progressive/post-metallers Kultika.
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this ever since 2017’s Pursuance. I’ve had to wait longer than I expected for Capricorn Wolves, but it’s been worth the wait. Continue reading “Kultika – Capricorn Wolves (Review)”
This is the third album from Irish doom band Nomadic Rituals.
This is the follow up to 2017’s excellent Marking the Day, which also made it onto my end of year list for that year. It’s great to hear the massive sludge-infused doom of Nomadic Rituals once more, and this new album is a strong contender for the best in their discography. Continue reading “Nomadic Rituals – Tides (Review)”
Almost every year I think about how challenging it is to compile a definitive best of list, and how subjective it is, etc. Although that’s still true for this collecting of albums, this year, however, has been easier than most. 2020 has been heavy on the black metal for me. It’s been my most reviewed genre, in all its myriad permutations, and this is reflected in the below list.
For the longest of times the bands in positions 5 and 6 vied for top position, but then October and November happened. All of a sudden, unexpectedly, these two months unleashed a wealth of quality, and stole the top four positions in a rampant display of blackened supremacy.
I hope you enjoy the below recommendations of mine and find something new to obsess over. Let me know how you get on.
Let’s dig in… Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2020”
Wonderbox Metal 