British Metal

Yer Metal Is Olde: Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell

By Huck N Roll on July 18, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, British Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Yer Metal Is Olde, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 98 comments

“Hello, controversy! In all of metal, one of the most controversial topics is Black Sabbath with and without Ozzy. Passions are inflamed and regrettable words are spewed in both directions any time this debate comes up. Being a human completely lacking in emotion or empathy, I don’t care about it. I want good albums period, and let’s be honest, this record’s predecessor was Never Say Die!, undoubtedly one of the band’s least finest moments, with or without their infamous leading man. No matter what came next, it was a low bar.” Vintage evil.

Argesk – Realm of Eternal Night Review

By Doom_et_Al on April 14, 2020 in 2020, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, British Metal, Clobber Records, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 23 comments

When I
“When I’m unsettled, I retreat to what I know; to what I’m comfortable with. And while there’s a global pandemic locking down the planet, these are profoundly unsettling times. When the promo bin threw some atmospheric black metal my way, I was completely on board for that. This is the genre, after all, that got me into metal, and it’s where I feel most at home. No matter the time of day, or my mood, I can always spin some atmoblack. The icy embrace warms my cold heart and calms me. Which is all to say that Realm of Eternal Night, the debut album from British outfit Argesk, is precisely the kind of music I was looking for this week.” No escape.

Live Burial – Unending Futility Review

By Holdeneye on April 7, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Transcending Obscurity, Death Metal, 29 comments

“I went back (and forward) through the Death discography, and I quickly became enamored by Chuck Schuldiner’s skill, passion, and ability to gather phenomenally talented musicians together to create an audible snapshot of his brilliant mind on each successive album. Well, after only a few minutes of listening to Unending Futility by Live Burial, it becomes quite clear that the British band shares my affinity for Chuck’s music.” Death unburied.

Beggar – Compelled to Repeat Review

By GardensTale on April 6, 2020 in 2020, APF Records, British Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Stoner Metal, Sludge, Stoner Metal, 12 comments

“In these uncertain times, you might want something calming and soothing, suave and assuring. Tough luck. Beggar play sludge encrusted with filth, blood and thunder. Yes, that Mastodon reference was on purpose, as the riffs betray clear influence from the US sludge giants.” Sludge Row.

Pure Reason Revolution – Eupnea Review

By Huck N Roll on April 5, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, InsideOut, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 30 comments

“This week my good friend TheKenWord got his hands on a pretty sweet doom album from Loviatar. When I saw the score assigned, and went back and listened to Lightless, I was kind of upset with myself for not grabbing it when I had the chance. But then I remembered why I left it alone: Eupnea, the first album from Pure Reason Revolution in ten years. When people talk about PRR’s first three albums (all released between 2006-2010), comparisons to Pink Floyd, Muse, and Tool are often mentioned.” Better than PBR.

Grim Ravine – It’s a Long Way Down, to Where You Are Review

By Kenstrosity on April 1, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Doom Metal, Hostile Media, Reviews, United Kingdom Metal, Doom Metal, 9 comments

“Information on Grim Ravine is minimal, but so is their discography. One EP, one full-length that’s as long as your average doom EP, and this sophomore outing. All firmly entrench themselves in doom defined by waves of blackened froth across a sea of subaqueous riffs.” Trench waterfare.

Twitch of the Death Nerve – A Resting Place for the Wrathful Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on March 25, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Comatose Music, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 10 comments

“Twitch of the Death Nerve is a modern brutal death metal band from jolly old England, beginning in 2004 and, including sophomore release A Resting Place for the Wrathful, have two full-lengths and one split contribution to their name. By the time their first full-length dropped in 2014, death metal had gone through effectively every relevant mutation – their influences are vast and plenty.” Wrath never sleeps.

The Medea Project – Sisyphus Review

By GardensTale on March 20, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Sludge, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Sludge, 24 comments

“You know, I’d never really considered it before, but it’s funny gothic and doom metal are not more frequently bedfellows. After all, the two genres have a lot in common: morose atmosphere, flair for the dramatic, favored color black (alright, that last one may go for everything more extreme than power metal). And sure, there’s some big names that have wed the styles at some point in their careers, like My Dying Bride or Tiamat. But it never became a household mixture the way death thrash or prog power did. Well, The Medea Project want to make their mark with just such a sound.” Drama club.

Viscera – Obsidian Review

By GardensTale on March 14, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Death Metal, Deathcore, Reviews, Unique Leader, Deathcore, 29 comments

“In Hollywood, there’s a phenomenon called ‘twin films.’ Sometimes movies released around the same time have an uncannily similar plot, even though they’ve been in production around the same time and couldn’t have copied one another. A few well-known examples include Armageddon and Deep Impact, Antz and A Bug’s Life, and The Prestige and The Illusionist. Now, considering the frequency of release and inherent similarities, this isn’t really a thing in metal, but it still gave me pause when I noticed I was about to go through the second Unique Leader techy deathcore release with wav format tracks in just a handful of weeks.” Guts check.

My Dying Bride – The Ghost of Orion Review

By Grymm on March 4, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Doom Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Doom Metal, 62 comments

“When you think of quality doom metal, just about everyone will mention My Dying Bride within the first five bands listed, if not the first. For thirty years, the British sextet’s captivated the world over with their trademark blend of crushing riffs, sorrowful violins and keyboards, and the cavernous growls and pained singing of charismatic frontman Aaron Stainthorpe. So impacting their music has become that they’re the soundtrack to personal situations in peoples’ lives, including mine.” Familiar haunts.