Pupil Slicer – Blossom (Review)

Pupil Slicer - BlossomThis is the second album from UK mathcore band Pupil Slicer.

With a sci-fi theme and a range of different influences, Blossom is a 46-minute journey into Pupil Slicer’s absorbingly intense world. The promo blurb states bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Deafheaven, Radiohead, and Botch as prime influences, and this should set the scene for what is a broad and compelling work. Continue reading “Pupil Slicer – Blossom (Review)”

Opium Lord/Under – Split (Review)

Opium Lord Under - SplitOpium Lord and Under are both sludge metal bands from the UK and this is a split release from them.

Opium Lord, (who feature an ex-member of Sealclubber), deliver one song – Sherpa – lasting almost 6 minutes. Continue reading “Opium Lord/Under – Split (Review)”

Cave In – Heavy Pendulum (Review)

Cave In - Heavy PendulumCave In are a US post-hardcore/rock band and this is their seventh album.

Following on from 2019’s Final Transmission, Heavy Pendulum is somewhat of a different beast to their last album. Whereas Final Transmission was short, (31 minutes), fragile, and emotive, reflective of the effects of tragedy and loss, Heavy Pendulum is long, (71 minutes), has greater range, (though still emotive), and more reflective of the band’s varied discography as a whole. Continue reading “Cave In – Heavy Pendulum (Review)”

Return to Earth – Oblivion (Review)

Return to Earth - OblivionThis is the third album from US industrial metal band Return to Earth.

Industrial metal is a rather nebulous and potentially misleading genre tag when applied to Return to Earth. Oblivion is a very diverse and idiosyncratic record, with elements of metal, post-hardcore, industrial, progressive rock, and electronica all present in the music. This Continue reading “Return to Earth – Oblivion (Review)”

Greyhaven – This Bright and Beautiful World (Review)

Greyhaven - This Bright and Beautiful WorldThis is the third album from Greyhaven, a hardcore band from the US.

Greyhaven play a form of modern post-hardcore that takes influence from a range of places. On the one hand they clearly follow the Every Time I Die template of hardcore, with raucous heaviness mixed with emotive cleanly-sung sections. On the other hand though, they also follow a sort of progressive post-hardcore Continue reading “Greyhaven – This Bright and Beautiful World (Review)”

Vein.fm – This World Is Going to Ruin You (Review)

Vein.fm - This World Is Going to Ruin YouThis is the second album from Vein.fm, a metal band from the US.

Vein.fm are clearly a band with a lot of influences, and across the 32 minutes of material on This World Is Going to Ruin You, they wield these influences like weapons. Flourishing elements of hardcore, mathcore, metalcore, industrial, and nu-metal into a Continue reading “Vein.fm – This World Is Going to Ruin You (Review)”

Full of Hell – Garden of Burning Apparitions (Review)

Full of Hell - Garden of Burning ApparitionsThis is the fifth album from US grindcore band Full of Hell.

Full of Hell have always impressed. Both 2017’s Trumpeting Ecstasy and 2019’s Weeping Choir did exactly that, and now they have returned with 21 minutes of new material. So, what dark delights does Garden of Burning Apparitions bring us? Continue reading “Full of Hell – Garden of Burning Apparitions (Review)”