Although I’d ideally love to be able to conduct hard-hitting, in-depth interviews, who has the time these days? In lieu of this, I’ve thrown together the below question template, hopefully to gather some interesting and informative results, without taking up too much of anyone’s time.
I’m Josh, I play the drums. Continue reading “Standard Interrogation Techniques: Five Questions for Wake (Interview)”
Wake are a Canadian extreme metal band and this is their fifth album.
The development between Wake’s 2018 album Misery Rites and 2020’s Devouring Ruin was impressive. Both are great records, but Devouring Ruin saw the band take big steps forward, moving their filthy grindcore into expansive blackened extreme metal waters. So what does Thought Form Descent bring us? Continue reading “Wake – Thought Form Descent (Review)”
This is the second album from US grindcore band Knoll.
Metempiric is a 34-minute shot of feral adrenaline. It is rare I come across grindcore these days, and even rarer for it to be good. It’s a great style when done right, and a lazy, boring one when not. Suffice to say, Metempiric is one of the best grind releases I’ve heard in what seems like forever. Continue reading “Knoll – Metempiric (Review)”
Icare are a post-black metal band from Switzerland and this is their second album.
So, here’s one that intrigued me form the start with its unusual album artwork. But wait, there’s more to why this grabbed my attention; this is an album that the promo blurb describes as a mix of black-metal, post-metal, and grindcore. It also recommends Charogne for fans of Wake, Calligram, Cult of Luna, and Ulcerate. More and more intriguing, thought I. And then, upon discovery that the album consists of one single 43-minute track, I was sold, and knew I had to check out what Icare have to offer. Continue reading “Icare – Charogne (Review)”
Almost every year I think about how challenging it is to compile a definitive best of list, and how subjective it is, etc. Although that’s still true for this collecting of albums, this year, however, has been easier than most. 2020 has been heavy on the black metal for me. It’s been my most reviewed genre, in all its myriad permutations, and this is reflected in the below list.
For the longest of times the bands in positions 5 and 6 vied for top position, but then October and November happened. All of a sudden, unexpectedly, these two months unleashed a wealth of quality, and stole the top four positions in a rampant display of blackened supremacy.
I hope you enjoy the below recommendations of mine and find something new to obsess over. Let me know how you get on.
Let’s dig in… Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2020”
This is the debut album from Swedish grindcore band Grid.
I do like me some Swedish grind. Grid play merciless grindcore, with fiery blasts, punishing d-beats, and melodic crust all included in their aggressive formula. I very much liked 2017’s Human Collapse Syndrome, so I had high hopes for Livsleda, and it has not disappointed. Continue reading “Grid – Livsleda (Review)”
Lots to choose from this month, so narrowing it down to just a handful of releases was not easy… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of March 2020”
Wake are a Canadian grindcore band and this is their fourth album.
I really, really enjoyed 2018’s Misery Rites, so I new that as soon as Devouring Ruin appeared, it was a must-listen. Continue reading “Wake – Devouring Ruin (Review)”
Getting Stabbed are a powerviolence band from the US and this is their debut album.
Featuring a member of No Funeral, Getting Stabbed play a vicious mix of grindcore, hardcore, and powerviolence. Fuelled by a punk rage and an outright hostility to everyone and everything, this is nasty stuff. Continue reading “Getting Stabbed – Atmosphere of Decay (Review)”
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”
Wonderbox Metal 