RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://hexad.bandcamp.com/album/surgical-cuts-in-the-cosmos Three years on from the near-flawless LP titled Delightful Sharp Edges comes a new output by the magnificent Norwegian doomsters Hex A.D., and that is cause for celebration if you are as much into the band’s potent mixture of prog rock, classic heavy metal, stoner rock, and old-school doom metal as…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://drakentheband.bandcamp.com/album/here-be-draken From the fertile Norwegian underground comes an excellent new outfit named Draken whose eleven-track recent offering charmingly titled Here Be Draken, which will be released via the ever-dependable Dark Essence Records, is guaranteed to melt brains and tear faces clean off. Consisting of members of such fabulous and musically forward-thinking constellations…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://paradiselostofficial.bandcamp.com/ Paradise Lost’s Ascension2025 (Nuclear Blast) is a towering return that finds the Halifax, UK legends operating at a level few bands their age could dream of. Clocking in at 51:02 with 10 tracks as their 17th studio album, Ascension stands as their strongest and most satisfying full-length since the untouchable Icon1993,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/drawnintodescent The Belgian black metal squadron Drawn Into Descent (whose harrowing musical resume is rather impressive in terms of quality, I might add) have returned and unleashed a punishing new opus entitled Onrust, which sees the outfit exploring even darker and more unnerving territory than previously. From the epic howl of suffering…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://gjenferdbergen.bandcamp.com/album/black-smoke-rising Just when I thought that it would be impossible for this quartet to improve on their flawless self-titled debut offering from 2024, they go ahead and do something like this, i.e. bringing a lovely crafted piece of magical hard rock with vintage vibes to life and doing it in such a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://zebulondoom.bandcamp.com/album/come-day-of-reckoning-2 The splendid Norwegian doom metal outfit known as Zebulon unleashed this musically dynamic force of nature just a couple of weeks ago, and there is an exciting and emotive edge as well as heaps of gloom to the 6-track effort, which sports the evocative title Come Day of Reckoning, reflecting its…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/ This is my first encounter with the Polish black metal entity known as Königreichssaal, and I must say that I am impressed with (and rather intrigued by) this splendid little 4-track EP of theirs, which is frontloaded with stellar ideas and thick, impenetrable atmospheres of the moody and contemplative variety. …
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://wheresmybible.bandcamp.com/ When a band finds its voice, the result can be transformative — not just for the group itself, but for the genre it inhabits. With Kave²⁰²⁴, released last September 11th via Inverse Records, Finnish melodic death doom metal act weirdly, possibly jokingly named (no, they’re not Christians) Where’s My…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/allmenuntome Once in a while one encounters and experiences an album that transcends genres and conventions while also being transcendental. All Men Unto Me, which is a swirling mass of pitch-black musical brilliance spawned by the man known as Rylan Gleave, is unarguably one of the most unique and moving outputs we…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://mysilentwake1.bandcamp.com/ As melodic death doom metal is hands down my all time favorite genre which fits my complex internal psychology like a glove, I am always on the look out for the finest representatives thereof. Naturally, the so called Peaceville Trinity (Anathema, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost) would be the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://wingless.bandcamp.com/ While Nonconform²⁰²¹ (via Selfmadegod Records) was a very good album from this Polish death metal ensemble, my review was hopeful of the follow up to take more risks in order to distinguish Wingless from Behemoths, Azaraths and Vaders of my native land on one hand, and from the way Malevent…
Inspired by a handful of trips to Newcastle upon Tyne and Tynemouth these past few years and more specifically the rich history surrounding those parts of England and the whole cultural landscape in the Northeast, a morose and reverb-drenched collection of tunes collectively known as From the Windswept Shore of Tynemouth has presented itself. In…
The 2-track EP titled Descending Upon Ruins Again by the musically deviant post-rockers/ambient experimentalists Picture Ann is out now via Floodgate Moods Productions and is guaranteed to leave you in either a foul or reflective mood. The overall theme revolves around the notion of failing in every sense of the cursed word, and whereas the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://kryptograf.bandcamp.com/album/kryptonomicon One of Bergen’s finest and most prominent exponents of genuinely inspired stoner rock is back with a thrilling new album that is bound to please fans of the band both old and new. We are of course talking about the mighty Kryptograf, i.e. the dynamic and tight quartet who churn out…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://rwake.bandcamp.com/album/the-return-of-magik It has been a long and occasionally torturous wait for a new album by the Arkansas mystics known as Rwake, but March this year will see the release of a vigorous new opus via Relapse Records titled The Return of Magik. More evocative and beautifully haunting than past exploits, these six…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: http://www.golgothaofficial.com/ Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are destructive, greedy wolves. You will recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: http://swallowthesun.net/ We’ve last left the Finnish melodic doom death ensemble Swallow The Sun (STS) on their second album dedicated to, and in mourning of, the tragically and too early departed South African singer, Julia Liane “Aleah Starbridge” Stanbridge and her thus brutally ended romantic relationship with Swallow The Sun’s founding…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/0yLSPVbADe1jMVUWjebilM?si=1jfRgj-NROe6ddzsqJwGaw Unfortunately, there is just no stopping the annoyingly productive purveyors of all things dark and melancholy known as Picture Ann, i.e. the exponents of lo-fi post-rock and dark ambient drones of the rather dense variety. The latest output titled Promising Oddities is essentially an odds-and-sods collection of tracks and ideas…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://lnk.to/martyrium The delightfully brooding and utterly compelling act known as Gurthang rarely fails to disappoint this scribe, and it just so happens that Martyrium is their most accomplished and impressive musical feat to date. Thoroughly drenched in a thick and impenetrably dark atmosphere that swallows you whole, these five addictive compositions merge somber…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://gjenferdbergen.bandcamp.com/album/gjenferd This stunning and ridiculously well-written not to mention infectiously catchy debut effort by the Norwegian outfit named Gjenferd is one of the best things that has happened to me this year. By Odin, this is so fucking awesome and inspired that I lack words, and that rarely happens, mind you.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://mydyingbride.net/ My Dying Bride (named after the middle sequence words in the debut album’s closer “Return Of The Beautiful”) is a British death doom metal band with a penchant for progressive writing which needs no introduction to anyone familiar with the so called British Peaceville Three, along with Anathema and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://bismarck.bandcamp.com/music The opening few bars of the title track leaves no doubt as to who and what this is; a frightening audio onslaught by the Norwegian doom metal freaks known as Bismarck. Vourukasha takes me back to their debut offering (Oneiromancer from 2020) in terms of its thunderously heavy tone and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://xtxax.bandcamp.com/album/the-passion The musically compelling force of darkness known as Glacial Mass, which consists of members Themis and Manos, is a frighteningly heavy and claustrophobic proposition that promises a deep, introspective journey through the worst alleyways and oddest corners of the mind – a proper examination of one’s true self and an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://martyrdoom.bandcamp.com/ It’s been awhile since I reviewed something from my native Poland, let alone something good, so the 2nd (after Grevious Psychosis²⁰¹⁷) full length from the death metal doomsters Martyrdoom (the most brilliant name since Cryptopsy?), As Torment Prevails²⁰²³ released on October 23rd via Memento Mori, is a great opportunity…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/thewretchedandthevile The crushing metal outfit sporting the wicked moniker Rituals of the Dead Hand recently unleashed a six-track torrent of harsh and cynical soundscapes that fall somewhere between doom metal, sludge, black metal, and even death metal at times. Does it work? You can bet your saggy ass that it works!…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.brujeria.com/ The Californian grindcore death metal groove act Brujeria (Spanish: witchcraft), which performs their vocals exclusively in Spanish, was formed by John David “Juan Brujo” Lepe, Patrick “Adam Bomb” “Fantasma” Hoed, William David Gould “Güero Sin Fe” Junior (Faith No More) Eric Reed “Jello Biafra” “Hozicón Jr.” Boucher and (until…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-of-sin The sixth LP by the magnificent and eclectic prog rockers Arabs in Aspic originally came out in 2017 and contained lyrics and song titles in Norwegian, but this reworked, remixed, and remastered version of Syndenes Magi has undergone quite the change and now features words in English, hence the title…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/victim-of-your-father-s-agony The fifth record by the magnificent Norwegian ensemble known as Arabs in Aspic, which originally came out in 2015, is an evocative journey through glorious psychedelic landscapes shaped by hazy atmospheres, doom-laden riffs, and epic vocals that never fail to impress me. Impressive actually would have been a rather apt…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://maddermortem.bandcamp.com/album/old-eyes-new-heart Is there even any point in trying to categorize or label the unique sound conjured up by one of Norway’s most enticing musical outfits, namely Madder Mortem? Thirty years into their career and they still manage to amaze and excite me – how awesome is that?! Incorporating traits from doom…
The tail end of December saw the lo-fi ambient post-rockers known as Picture Ann grace a doomed planet with a full-length album comprised of six sprawling compositions that all revolve around the idea of losing one’s way in life, of being misled and losing oneself somewhere terrible only to find the way back home an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/GoAheadAndDieBand It seems ages since the legendary Massimiliano Antonio “Max” Cavalera, the (in)famous ex-Sepultura and current Soulfly frontman, aided by his younger son, Igor Amadeus Cavalera (vocals, guitar, bass) as well as Khemmis’ drummer Zach Coleman, released the explosive bombshell of Go Ahead And Die’s eponymous²⁰²¹ probably because so much…
The latest full-length offering by the demented peddlers of haunting dark ambient drones and lo-fi post-rock soundscapes is out now and contains three tracks with a rather loose concept and theme to them. From the industrial revolution in Britain to the strangely unsettling works of painter Walter Sickert and further on to the cinematic quality…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://dwaaldoom.bandcamp.com/album/never-enough Ever since the outstanding Gospel of the Vile opus saw the light of day in 2020, I have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up to that crushing piece of work. The arrival of Never Enough is imminent and you might as well start preparing for it now, because this is one…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lurkdoom.bandcamp.com/ The Finnish psychedelic doom and death rock and metallers have an interesting genre trajectory, active since 2008. Their debut Lurk²⁰¹² (on Totalrust/Svart Records) was more of a hardcorish straightforward death/doom affair with just a bit of sludge, but the Crowbar-ic and Ulcerate-d Kaldera²⁰¹⁴ (on Doomentia Records) already swayed more…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://strangehorizon.bandcamp.com/album/skur-14 The previous album titled Beyond the Strange Horizon by this fabulous Norwegian outfit impressed this scribe greatly, and their lively, exciting, and organic mixture of heavy metal, stoner rock, and doom metal worked like a wicked charm and had instant appeal to these ears. This upcoming LP of theirs, Skur…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lepercolonydm.bandcamp.com/ The mighty death metal warrior Roger “Rogga” Johansson (bass, guitars) whose musical contributions to the genre run for four lines on Encyclopedia Metallum, is back with another slab of classic extremity, here infused with substantial amount of doom, thrash, groove and even traditional metal, joined by Marc Grewe (vocals)…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://dsadeath.bandcamp.com/ It’s a good feeling to be able to rest from a genre, in this case melodeath, and take in some good old classic death metal in the vein of the first two Paradise Lost albums, early Hypocrisy, Immolation and Death, with a few surprising twists courtesy of the Canadian…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://necropanther.bandcamp.com/ Yet another melodic death metal release on my plate, the Coloradan quartet featuring Paul Anop (guitars, vocals), Joe Johnson (guitars), Marcus Corich (bass), Haakon Sjoegren (drums), is actually quite a genre hopper on their 4th (after the eponymous²⁰¹⁶, “Eyes Of Blue Light”²⁰¹⁸ and “The Doomed City”²⁰¹⁹ with a couple…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://hexad.bandcamp.com/ What a marvelous treat this epic new offering by Norwegian hard rock/doom metal masters Hex A.D. is! Huge chords, thunderous drums, earth-shattering riffs, heartfelt vocals, heaps of melancholy atmospheres, and that warm, analogue sound that is simply irresistible – this charismatic and brilliantly conceived opus simply ticks all the boxes…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://sarcoptes.bandcamp.com/ The “Plague Hyms”²⁰²⁰ EP, released after “Thanatos”²⁰¹³ EP and “Songs And Dances Of Death”²⁰¹⁶ full length, was a fantastic 2 track release I gave an enthusiastic review (5.5/6) even as Garrett Garvey (drums, vocals) and Sean Zimmerman (bass, guitars, keyboards) the duo comprising the Californian progressive blackthrashing death metal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bodyfarm/107945989258106 The last Asphyx full length “Necroceros” was an album that proved that classic death metal (with plenty of melody) does not have to sound antiquated but can excite like those well-known by Death or Obituary, especially since Asphyx was born in/into the same time. Their fellow countrymen Dutch purveyors…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://antipope.bandcamp.com/music Once agan I find myself reviewing a fantastic album from a long standing band I have never heard of before. One of my excuses could be that Antipope started as a black metal band and, to be honest, black metal is a cherry pick genre for me. Another one…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.bisonteofficial.com/ This review is the 4th in the 5 album expose on the work of Palma de Mallorca Spanish vocalist, guitarist and bassist Vicente Javier Payá Galindo, the creator of 5 metal bands: Golgotha, Unbounded Terror, Decrapted, Bis.nte and Sons Of Cult – all currently on David Sánchez “Dave Rotten”…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/Decrapted/ This review is the 3rd in the 5 album expose on the work of Palma de Mallorca Spanish vocalist, guitarist and bassist Vicente Javier Payá Galindo, the creator the creator of 5 metal bands: Golgotha, Unbounded Terror, Decrapted, Bis.nte and Sons Of Cult – all currently on David Sánchez…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: http://www.unboundedterror.com/ This review is the 2nd in the 5 album expose on the work of Palma de Mallorca Spanish vocalist, guitarist and bassist Vicente Javier Payá Galindo, the creator of 5 metal bands: Golgotha, Unbounded Terror, Decrapted, Bis.nte and Sons Of Cult – all currently on David Sánchez “Dave Rotten”…
The last output of the year by moody experimental rockers Picture Ann is out now. Entitled In Its Unbearable Loneliness and containing two fairly dynamic instrumental tunes, these compositions revolve around the notion of understanding the experience of loneliness and how being alone differs vastly from being lonely. Or are they in reality the sound…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://splitimage.bandcamp.com/ Metal albums about mental illness are hardly unique but each album is unique in the way each artist conveys the message, that is, sounds the alarm that mentally ill people feel increasingly estranged from society which ironically is not that normal to boast superiority over them. As one of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://m.facebook.com/InNothingness “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and must take up his cross and then follow me” (Matthew 16:24, REV) Do you miss the classic melodic death metal of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates or Edge Of Sanity? Then look no further but…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://omegashift.bandcamp.com/releases Now what we have here is something exciting and potent from the Norwegian underground. Omegashift were kind enough to mail me a digital copy of this 5-track opus of theirs entitled Doctrine of Dust about a week ago, and I have been thoroughly enjoying listening to it ever since. With…
A rather mellow, introspective, and folk-inspired little thing of wicked beauty titled Those Abundant Ruins by the harbingers of bleak music known as Picture Ann is out now via all the usual digital music shops and retailers, and this particular release is meant to serve as a soundtrack and homage to the coming autumn and…
