This is the fourth album from Canadian progressive metal/rock band Dead Quiet.
Dead Quiet have an expressive and individual sound that sits somewhere between metal and rock. Combining stoner, heavy, and progressive influences into well-written songs with no small amount of charisma and personality, IV is 45 minutes very well-spent. Continue reading “Dead Quiet – IV (Review)”
This is a split between High Desert Queen and Blue Heron, two stoner rock bands from the US.
High Desert Queen open the split. They contribute three songs, with a total duration of 13 minutes. Continue reading “Turned to Stone Chapter 8: The Wake – High Desert Queen/Blue Heron – Split (Review)”
Gozu are a stoner/grunge band from the US and this is their fifth album.
Remedy contains 49 minutes of stoner rock and metal mixed with a healthy dose of grunge. Imagine a mix of Clutch, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Corrosion of Conformity, and Mastodon, and you’ll have a decent idea of where Gozu are coming from. Continue reading “Gozu – Remedy (Review)”
Green Yeti are a Greek psychedelic doom metal band and this is their third album.
Yes folks, it’s time for a new Green Yeti album. If you have had your fill of 2016’s The Yeti Has Landed and 2017’s Desert Snow and are eager for new material, the 44 minutes of Necropolitan has finally landed. Continue reading “Green Yeti – Necropolitan (Review)”
Hail the Void are a doom/stoner metal band from Canada and this is their second album.
Memento Mori is a doom metal record that pays homage to the classic style, while delivering an experience that 2023 should be pleased to host. Continue reading “Hail the Void – Memento Mori (Review)”
Veilcaste are a doom metal band from the US, and this is either their third album, (or first, depending on your perspective – they released two albums under the name Conjurer, before changing to Veilcaste).
After Veilcaste’s Split with Tusk from last year, I’ve been interested to hear more from this band. With that in mind it’s time for Precipice, which contains 41 minutes of material, including one of the songs from the aforementioned split, (Dust & Bone). Continue reading “Veilcaste – Precipice (Review)”
This is the second album from Swedish stoner rockers Tidal Wave.
Tidal Wave play a mix of stoner and heavy rock, and on The Lord Knows they provide the listener with 41 minutes of infectious tunes. Continue reading “Tidal Wave – The Lord Knows (Review)”
So here we are again. It’s December, and year end lists are flying around like shrapnel. Due to the inherent subjectivity of music it’s always interesting to see what people have made of the preceding year.
For me, I made a concerted effort to drag myself away from the depths of black metal’s always-enticing abyss to spend some more time with other genres and styles that I also love. I said something similar last year, but I feel this year I was more successful in achieving that end. Of course, I still love black metal, still listen to it constantly, and you’ll still find some great examples of the blackened arts in the list below.
2022 was a strong year for death metal for me, and I enjoyed more death metal bands in a deeper way than I have done for some time. In every year there are standout releases, but I felt this year the standard was raised throughout. Possibly I was simply more receptive to it. Either way, you’ll find more death metal-related acts, and in higher spots, in this selection than you’ll have seen in my lists for a while.
As with last year, grindcore was largely absent from my year, disappointingly, as was hardcore. Additionally, the sort of lengthy, ugly, abyssal doom that I love so much has been largely lacking too. It’s all probably out there somewhere, but I didn’t catch it.
The top two spots this year are both claimed by albums/bands/styles that I simply could not have predicted would be at the pinnacle of my list by the year’s end, (one of the bands I hadn’t even heard of in January). I hope you enjoy these excellent records even half as much as I do.
Lastly I just want to say a big thank you to any and all that might read this site. It’s only a small endeavour, and I do it purely for the love of all things METAL and to support bands that I enjoy in whatever minor way I can, but if this is you, a heartfelt thank you for enduring my scribblings.
On to it! Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2022”
This is the sixth album from US progressive rock band Elder.
Innate Passage contains 54 minutes of psychedelic progressive rock. Elder take the listener on a journey into sound, one which offers a vivid and intricate experience. Continue reading “Elder – Innate Passage (Review)”
This is the third album from Finnish sludge metal band Black Royal.
We’ve met Black Royal before, on their 2016 EP The Summoning Pt.2, as well as their previous album Firebride, which made quite an impact. With a duration of 48 minutes Earthbound delivers meaty songs full of nutrient-dense tastiness. Continue reading “Black Royal – Earthbound (Review)”
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