Axioma are a post-black/sludge metal band from the US and this is their second album.
I first met Axioma back in 2016 on their debut EP Opia, which seems like an age ago. Well, since then they haven’t been idle, and their second album Sepsis came out earlier this year. Let’s dive in. Continue reading “Axioma – Sepsis (Review)”
This is the fifth album from US black metal band Black Anvil.
2014’s Hail Death and 2017’s As Was were both enjoyable records that made an impact. The latter took the band in increasingly atmospheric and progressive directions, so what does the 50-minute Regenesis offer? Continue reading “Black Anvil – Regenesis (Review)”
Aeviterne are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Aeviterne contain current and ex-members of bands such as Artificial Brain, Tombs, and Pillory, and play a brutal form of death metal with experimental tendencies. Continue reading “Aeviterne – The Ailing Facade (Review)”
Tombs are a post-black metal band from the US, and this is their latest EP.
Tombs have a strong track record, (Savage Gold, All Empires Fall, The Grand Annihilation), so ensuring I listened to this release was an easy choice. Having undergone a twisted rebirth of sorts, (three out of the four members are new), the latest Tombs EP marks a more-collaborative version of the band, and the results are impressive. Continue reading “Tombs – Monarchy of Shadows (Review)”
Vale are a black metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Abstracter, Lycus, Tombs, and Void Omnia, you know there’s a wealth of experience here before you even press play. Continue reading “Vale – Burden of Sight (Review)”
This is the third album from Mantar, a German black metal band.
I’m a latecomer to Mantar’s work, but I can tell you that if you’re looking for filthy, ugly blackened metallic punk that’s still catchy as fuck, then they stand head and shoulders above most of their peers. Continue reading “Mantar – The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze (Review)”
Tombs are a US post-black metal band and this is their fourth album.
Both 2014’s Savage Gold and last year’s All Empires Fall were absolute top-quality releases from this very well-regarded band. Mixing black metal with a whole host of other styles and influences to create something all Continue reading “Tombs – The Grand Annihilation (Review)”
Floods are a US black metal band and this is their debut EP.
Floods play a mix of black, death and sludge metal. Which genre they are actually playing is up for debate, although I’d argue that black metal forms the largest part of their musical equation, so we’ll go with that. Continue reading “Floods – Floods (Review)”
This is the latest EP from US Post-Black Metal band Tombs.
Tombs continue to be one of the better and more interesting bands in Metal today. Here we have 34 minutes of new music, in equal parts heavy, atmospheric, grand and intimidating, as only Tombs do so well.
Blending Metal, Sludge, Black Metal and Hardcore into a potent brew, their last release Savage Gold is a firm favourite of mine and it seems that All Empires Fall is going the same way, albeit for a few different reasons; Tombs have progressed and changed in some ways since their last release, and the Black Metal component of their sound is much further to the front now, along with added keyboards.
The World Is Made of Fire is a short intro track that essentially sets the scene and sounds quite imposing and epic in scope.
Second song Obsidian showcases the band’s Black Metal side to great effect, with scything screeched vocals and cutting, frozen riffs. Blasting aggression, energetic atmosphere and blackened Hardcore thuggery combine with some deft melody to create a really enjoyable darkened exploration.
After this we get Last Days of Sunlight, which is quite different. Featuring some exotically alluring clean croons, the song stalks along like a hungry predator, all menace and lethal intent. It’s a highly atmospheric slow-burner that showcases a different side of Tombs and once again demonstrates their multi-talented skills.
Deceiver is up next. It’s heavy, memorable and has a catchy, punky, blackened sheen that would do Wolvhammer proud.
The final track is the longest and simply named V. Here we get a mixture of pretty much everything that has come before it, including cleans, blackened riffs, melodic sharpness and catchy delivery.
Like the mighty Rorcal, Tombs are at the top of their game when it comes to modern Post-Black Metal that seethes with power, recognises the past and combines non-blackened genres into its stylistic package.
An essential listen.
Tombs are a Metal band from the US and this is their third album.
They play a style of underground Metal that mixes Classic Metal riffs with influences from Death Metal, Hardcore and Sludge. The result is Tombs.
Another way of looking at it is to imagine a band like Doomriders only have them violated by Death Metal and covered by Sludge Metal; a rocking sensibility that’s as heavy and nasty as can be. Again, the result is Tombs.
Not many bands are playing this mix of styles; apart from Tombs there are only a handful of others, including the great Serpent Eater.
The band open with Thanatos; it has a curious sound mixing Doom-laden Post-Metal riffage with prime blast beats and throat-straining vocals. The rest of the album is equally impressive and takes aspects of these differing genre styles in lesser or greater extents to create a varied, interesting and very satisfying release.
The sound is immense and as heavy as Hell. All of the instruments are clear and identifiable and the entire recording is as sharp as a knife.
A real sense of horror and evil pervades the roots of this album; this manifests itself in the actual songs sometimes as blatant misanthropy and hatred, and others as a more nuanced disgust.
There’s a lot of longevity in this album. Start your descent into the Tombs now.
Wonderbox Metal 