This is the second album from Ggu:ll, a blackened doom band from the Netherlands.
Featuring ex-members of Dodecahedron, Ex Est contains 45 minutes of music that’s sharp, bleak, and harsh. With the promo blurb stating that Ex Est is for fans of Mizmor, Bell Witch, Lord Mantis, Bongripper, and Funeral Mist, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Let’s dive in… Continue reading “Ggu:ll – Ex Est (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Swiss black metallers Coldcell.
Featuring the drummer of Schammasch and guest vocals on two songs by the singer of Zatokrev, Coldcell spend 49 minutes delivering atmospheric modern black metal that’s sinister and layered with existential dread. Continue reading “Coldcell – The Greater Evil (Review)”
Hexis and Zatokrev are both bands I’ve liked for many years, but filed in the “bands I’ll probably never get to see live” category. I do so enjoy being wrong. On a more negative note, tonight is one of the most sparsely attended gigs I’ve ever been to, which is a huge shame for the bands. Continue reading “Hexis/Zatokrev/Marw – Rebellion, Manchester – 18/08/19 (Live Review)”
Angakok are a Sludge band from Belgium, and this is their début album.
Angakok play Sludge/Doom mixed with moments of Drone/Ambient respite.
This is Neurosis-inspired Doom that’s nicely heavy when it needs to be. Mix the Neurosis influence with that of, say, Zatokrev and you have an album that, (slowly), stomps over everything around it.
The Ambient and lighter moments give the album some shading, but the heavier side of the band is the main event; these asides are essentially delaying the heaviness so that when it returns it sounds even more immense.
The music really takes Doom to its black heart; the heavy guitars are slow and crushing, although they do pick up the pace when necessary. There are some good, winding melodies used on these songs and the mood of despondency and bleakness never ends.
The songs are darkly enjoyable, and it’s a collection of tracks that make for a engaging journey with the band.
The vocals are anguished, drawn-out screams, not dissimilar to those used in Neurosis. The style sounds a natural fit with the Sludgy guitars and the performance is not one to find fault with.
The album is well-recorded and seems to be able to be both murky and clear at the same time. It suits the band’s style and the music benefits from it.
I enjoy music like this, especially from a band like Angakok as they clearly know the genre inside out.
Check them out.
This is the second album from Russian Doom band Aethyr.
This is dark and evil music with a Blackened aura to it that accompanies the Doom core like a shroud of malignancy.
The band utilise emotive riffs that play on the negative feelings of the listener and tease them out, bare and vulnerable for all to see. They then take these exposed emotions and weave them into guitar parts that embody them.
In this respect there’s a Post-Metal quality to the guitars as they’re often transcendent and expressive whilst being dragged down into the gloom of Doom.
Mournful hatred and despondent anger seem to simmer just below the surface. If the music is the main receptacle for the miserable aspect of their sound then the vocals are the vehicle for the anger and rage.
The singer alternates between Blackened screams and dark growls. Both are performed well and neither sound entirely human.
Faster sections are included too and the band have a grasp of elegant dynamics. Corpus is a well-paced album with lots of well-written tracks that easily hold attention.
Overall this is an involving and complete listen. Aethyr remind me of a cross between Red Harvest, Zatokrev and some form of primordial Doom Metal.
Aethyr have clear direction in their sound and use the 50 minutes of music here to showcase their abilities with great effect.
Corpus is an impressive album by a talented band. Give them a listen.
Wonderbox Metal 