Soldat Hans – Wonderbox Metal

Heathe – Control Your Soul’s Desire for Freedom (Review)

This is the second album from Heathe, a post-metal/rock band from Denmark.

Control Your Soul’s Desire for Freedom is the 64-minute follow up to 2019’s On the Tombstones; the Symbols Engraved. Heathe have developed their sound on this new record, expanding widely into multifaceted waters that take in a broad set of influences. I’ve tagged this above as post-metal/rock, but it’s not really – at least not in any traditional sense. They are simply the closest broad terms relevant. There’s certainly very little in the way of metal on this record, for example. Heathe exist in a niche world, where a lot of recognisable materials have been mangled into something quite atypical. Continue reading “Heathe – Control Your Soul’s Desire for Freedom (Review)”

Isenordal – Requiem for Eirênê (Review)

This is the third album from Isenordal, a doom metal band from the US.

Brought to us by members of Dead to a Dying World and Wilt, Requiem for Eirênê contains 56 minutes of expressive doom metal. Isenordal play a multifaceted style that combines elements of funeral doom, black metal, and neofolk. Requiem for Eirênê is an album that’s rich in evocative layers. Continue reading “Isenordal – Requiem for Eirênê (Review)”

Soldat Hans – Anthaupt (Review)

Soldat Hans are a doom band from Switzerland and this is their third album.

Es Taut came out of nowhere in 2018 and blew me away. Its multifaceted sound was as impressive and emotive as it was accomplished and well-delivered. No wonder it appeared high on my end of year list. Due to this, Anthaupt had a great deal of expectation placed upon it before I even heard a single second of its 66-minute duration. Continue reading “Soldat Hans – Anthaupt (Review)”

Heathe – On the Tombstones; the Symbols Engraved (Review)

This is the debut album from Heathe, a blackened doom/drone project from Denmark.

Apparently created by a core of one person who was then aided and abetted by multiple others, this band have crafted here a single 38-minute track named On the Tombstones. It has apparently been recorded live, with a structure enhanced by improvisation in places, which is probably why the music feels so vibrant, albeit in a bleak, nihilistic ways. Continue reading “Heathe – On the Tombstones; the Symbols Engraved (Review)”

Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2018

Having considered it long and hard, I’ve decided that any form of introductory paragraph with any real substance would simply detract from the list below. As such, all I’ll say is that 2018, like every year, has given us some top quality metal releases. So have a look at my top picks for 2018, and hopefully you’ll find a new band to obsess over…

Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2018”

Megaton Leviathan – Mage (Review)

Megaton Leviathan are a US psychedelic rock/doom band, and this is their third album.

Now here’s a band that have flowered quite impressively since their already very accomplished 2014 album Past 21: Beyond the Arctic Cell. Boasting new members, new instrumentation, and an enriched direction, Mage is indebted to the band’s past, while being unconstrained by it. Continue reading “Megaton Leviathan – Mage (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of April 2018

April has been an unusually strong month for metal, and I really have struggled to keep this list down to a manageable level. So much good music, so little time! Let’s have a look at what the metal world has given us this month then… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of April 2018”

Soldat Hans – Es Taut (Review)

Soldat Hans are a doom band from Switzerland and this is their second album.

Es Taut contains 55 minutes of music spread out over three tracks. This is a colossal and ambitious album, one that’s delivered by a band with matching talent, skill, and ability. Continue reading “Soldat Hans – Es Taut (Review)”