Thou are a sludge/doom band from the US and this is their sixth album.
Following on from 2018’s immense Magus, Umbilical contains 49 minutes of new music from the very well-regarded Thou. Umbilical takes a different route to heaviness than its predecessor, but is no less effective in achieving its goals. Continue reading “Thou – Umbilical (Review)”
Dopethrone are a Canadian sludge metal band and this is their sixth album.
Following on from 2018’s Transcanadian Anger, Dopethrone have finally returned to crush everyone flat with their charismatic sludge metal brew. Broke Sabbath contains 39 minutes of filth and hatred, all thrown at the listener in typically heavy Dopethrone fashion. Ahh, it’s good to have this particular brand of sludge nastiness back in town. Continue reading “Dopethrone – Broke Sabbath (Review)”
This is the debut album from UK sludge/post-metal band Urzah.
The Scorching Gaze contains 42 minutes of material delivered in a charismatic hybrid metallic style. Urzah combine elements of sludge, post-metal, progressive metal, doom, and hardcore/metalcore into an exemplar of heaviness that feels timeless. Continue reading “Urzah – The Scorching Gaze (Review)”
Sunnata are a Polish doom metal band and this is their fifth album.
Sunnata hugely impressed me with their 2021 album Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth, which in hindsight I definitely should have included in that year’s best of list. Yes, Chasing Shadows has some big boots to fill, so let’s see what it has to offer. Continue reading “Sunnata – Chasing Shadows (Review)”
Doubtsower is a one-man Welsh doom metal band and this is his third album.
A new Doubtsower record is always well-received. 2021’s Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul hit hard, as did 2022’s The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power, but a little less so than its predecessor. Now comes Nothing Reduced to Everything, providing us with a new immersive journey to experience. Continue reading “Doubtsower – Nothing Reduced to Everything (Review)”
Inter Arma are a post-metal band from the US and this is their fifth album.
Inter Arma are not your average band. They contort and shapeshift from one track to the next – from one part of a song to the next – delivering a multifaceted metallic journey through all kinds of different styles and genres, including doom, death metal, black metal, sludge, and more, all wrapped up in a progressive/post-metal bow that’s just wonderfully realised. Continue reading “Inter Arma – New Heaven (Review)”
This is the latest EP from UK blackened post-metal band Ba’al.
I was introduced to Ba’al on 2017’s In Gallows by Mass, but it wasn’t until 2020’s colossal debut Ellipsism that they truly came into their own. Four years on from that record, Ba’al return with the three-track EP Soft Eyes, which brings us 27 minutes of new material. Continue reading “Ba’al – Soft Eyes (Review)”
Brume are a doom band from the US and this is their third album.
I’ve been awaiting this with great excitement, but also great apprehension. Why? Because even though 2017’s Rooster was a damn good record, (appearing on my year end list), 2019’s Rabbits was so fantastic it rightfully topped it. The apprehension comes from worrying whether they can match it or not. Can lightning strike twice? Continue reading “Brume – Marten (Review)”
Subterraen are a French sludge/post-metal band and this is their second album.
The follow up to 2020’s humungous Rotten Human Kingdom, In the Aftermath of Blight contains 37 minutes of music spread over four tracks. Continue reading “Subterraen – In the Aftermath of Blight (Review)”
This is the third album from French sludge metal band Love Sex Machine.
When the promo blurb states that this is for fans of Meshuggah, Intronaut, Amenra, LLNN, Sumac, and Herod, you know it’s gonna be a heavy one. And it is. Trve is 36 minutes of heaviness wrapped in an expressive outer coating. Continue reading “Love Sex Machine – Trve (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 