This is the debut album from US death metal solo act Corpsegrinder.
Brought to us by the singer of Cannibal Corpse, (aided and abetted by guest musicians), Corpsegrinder contains 31 minutes of music that combines death metal with elements of thrash metal and hardcore. Continue reading “Corpsegrinder – Corpsegrinder (Review)”
Cobra the Impaler are a Belgian metal band and this is their debut album.
Colossal Gods boasts 42 minutes of charismatic metal. Taking elements from thrash, progressive, stoner, and heavy metal, Cobra the Impaler write songs that stick in the mind with their big hooks and big personality. Continue reading “Cobra the Impaler – Colossal Gods (Review)”
Archvile King is a solo black metal band from France and this is his debut album.
The music of Archvile King is that of classic black metal mixed with elements of thrash, punk, and folk. The latter style is lesser-heard in general, but can be detected in some of the melodies and the occasional acoustic guitar, (and is especially apparent in tracks like Chroniques du Royaume Avili and À la Ruine). The punk and thrash elements are embedded in parts of the blackened guitars that rage and tear out of the speakers like envenomed claws. Continue reading “Archvile King – À la Ruine (Review)”
This is the debut album from Swedish progressive thrash metal band Sonic Assault.
Sonic Assault’s music contains elements of hardcore, (primarily in the vocals), and black metal, but mostly the style is one of progressive/technical thrash, played with conviction and skill. Continue reading “Sonic Assault – Neon-Lit Metropolis (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This new column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.
Have you heard of Dying Victims Productions? They deal mostly with traditional heavy metal, and the label is home to a number of great bands and great albums, (Witchseeker are just one such example). The below three releases all see the light of day on January 28th 2022, so I thought it’s a great to catch up with some of the label’s latest output. Continue reading “Label Roundup: Dying Victims Productions – Tension, Tangent, & Vicious Knights (Reviews)”
This is the second album from Abyssus, a Greek death metal band.
I’ve been an avid follower of Abyssus’ work for many years, (see here, here, here, here, and here), and their output never fails to put a smile on my face. Which is why it’s great to have a new album from the band. Seven tracks, 33 minutes; Abyssus bring their old-school death metal sound to the masses once more, and it’s damn good fun. Continue reading “Abyssus – Death Revival (Review)”
Soul Remnants are a death metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.
Following on from 2013’s Black and Blood and 2017’s Ouroboros, Soul Remnants have now returned with their longest album to date – 50 minutes of new material. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, a mix of old The Haunted and Hypocrisy, (with the occasional dash of Kataklysm and Amon Amarth), is a decent enough starting point to gain an initial idea of how their music roughly sounds, (although this is by no means a comprehensive description). Continue reading “Soul Remnants – Raising the Sacrificial Dagger (Review)”
Yes, it’s that time of year again! 2021 gave us some very, very good metal, and I feel honoured to have been able to have listened to as much of it as I have done. There are some notable absences, (for me at least), from the below list, but there’s just not enough time or space for everything, dammit!
2020 was a very blackened year for me; I listened to a lot of black metal, and the list for that year reflected that. At the start of 2021 I decided I’d consciously try to ensure I cast my net a bit wider again, reconnecting more deeply with some of many other styles of metal that I enjoy. 2021’s list reflects this. However, I’ve still ended up with much more of a black metal presence in the list than I was initially expecting. What can I say? I’m a sucker for all of the myriad blackened flavours of the style. However, there’s also a lot of other stuff here that I hope you’ll dig into and enjoy too. I felt that there was a notable absence of grindcore in 2021, as well as some of the more extreme styles of doom. What do you think?
I hope you enjoy perusing some of my favourite records from this year, and I hope you find something new to tickle your fancy. What’s your number one this year? Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2021”
Vahrzaw are an Australian black/death metal band and this is their fourth album.
Having enjoyed 2014’s Twin Suns & Wolves’ Tongues and 2018’s Husk, I knew I wanted to check out The Trembling Voices of Conquered Men as soon as I could. This new album further develops the sound that Vahrzaw did so well on Husk, taking it Continue reading “Vahrzaw – The Trembling Voices of Conquered Men (Review)”
Genocide Pact are a death metal band from the US and this is their third album.
I really liked Genocide Pact’s filthy 2018 release Order of Torment, which was a very satisfying album. This new self-titled is even filthier, even more crushingly heavy, and even uglier than its predecessor. Continue reading “Genocide Pact – Genocide Pact (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 