Ambient Metal

Lesotho – Through the Dying Light Review

By Carcharodon on April 7, 2023 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Instrumental Metal, Post-Metal, 10 comments

“Look, I get it. You’re a new post-metal band trying to make it, but is it, maybe, a bit of a stretch to tout that your debut EP was recorded at the same studio that, 21 years ago, hosted the sessions for ISIS’ iconic Oceanic and has, at some point in the intervening two decades, changed its name? Yes, but I’d do it too. So, Boston-based Lesotho recorded its 2021 EP, Summer Wars, at The Bridge Sound & Stage, formerly known as Fort Apache Studios, where post-metal legends ISIS … Never mind.” Studio stalkers.

They Grieve – To Which I Bore Witness Review

By Dear Hollow on March 1, 2023 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Post-Metal, 28 comments

“To Which I Bore Witness implies an event, a singular cataclysm. Whether it is one as violent as an earthquake, or as quiet as the beating of a butterfly’s wing, it is nonetheless devastating. We bear witness to the aftermath of this event, the unfolding and the trauma – the hushed whispers of the failing light. They Grieve offers us post-apocalypse in all its majesty and melancholy.” Tunes for the Great Doom.

Bosco Sacro – Gem Review

By Dear Hollow on February 15, 2023 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, 7 comments

“Bosco Sacro is an Italian quartet whose style is unclear, ranging from doom to trip-hop to psychedelic, with drone, post-rock, and of course, ambient tied in there. For their debut, expect lush atmosphere, dark distorted bass, and Giulia Parin Zecchin’s formidable vocal performance, ranging from post-punk slurs to soprano siren croons, recalling the duality of This Is Oblivion’s Lulu Black.” Sacro blue.

The Nest – Her True Nature [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Carcharodon on January 6, 2023 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Drone, Experimental Metal, 18 comments

“First things first. When I say this is essentially Wolvennest and pals, I mean just that. It’s fundamentally Wolvennest with some guest vocalists, so, if psychedelic blackened ambient drone doom isn’t your thing, the door is just over there.” Wolves in The Nest room.

Bunsenburner – Poise Review

By Dear Hollow on December 11, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, 13 comments

“My students all suspect I spent some time with the “ganja.” They say, “Wow, Mr. Hollow, you’re so chill. I bet you were a stoner in high school. I was way too stuck up to do anything besides the daily Red Bull and Bible study jig, but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating some good stoner doom well into adulthood. While my strain of choice falls closer to sludge on the swampy spectrum, I can appreciate acts like Sergeant Thunderhoof and Weedeater for reverb- and fuzz-soaked riffs with killer groove. What does tickle me pickle is jazz and ambient, which are what Bunsenburner says they fuse with stoner doom.” All that stoner jazz (and science).

Hadopelagyal – Nereidean Seismic End Review

By Dear Hollow on October 3, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 8 comments

“There’s something about tackling a fresh new band with baby-face energy hoping to make their mark. Fresh out of demos and splits, you can only hope that they’ve learned their lessons from their years of obscurity, but too many have paths of pain ahead as they struggle to find their footing. Black metal is an even more interesting style for this, as kvlt mimicry is expected, even encouraged, while a new band struggles with its two left feet. Enter Hadopelagyal, a twist on the name referring to the deepest part of the ocean.” Crush depths.

ColdWorld – Isolation Review

By Dear Hollow on September 29, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, 25 comments

“Isolation is ColdWorld’s coldest album. In spite of the snowy fuzz that graced 2008’s debut Melancholie² or the decaying grim tones of Autumn, Isolation lives up to its name in the bleakest way imaginable. It nearly forgoes its depressive and atmospheric black metal roots entirely for an album with utmost restraint, organicity taking precedence over rawness or intensity. Encompassing more wintry post-rock soundscapes and doom tempos, Isolation is held high by the pillars of loneliness and patience.” The sadbois of winter.

Holy Fawn – Dimensional Bleed Review

By Dear Hollow on September 20, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Doom Metal, Shoegaze, 22 comments

“Death Spells was something special. Introducing us to the beautiful and devastating world of Holy Fawn, it showcased stunning restraint for an act with everything to prove. While undeniably built upon the foundation of My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive with saturated shoegaze drenching every movement, don’t be surprised if you’re surprised with swaths of electronica, climactic metal crunch, and a knack for heart-wrenching melody. Holy Fawn is undeniably metal, and like good metal, labyrinthine.” What is metal?

Abest – Molten Husk Review

By Dear Hollow on August 16, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Hardcore, Post-Metal, 22 comments

“Molten Husk is an album built on a balance of synchrony and glitches, a duel of cohesive riffs and splattering experimentation. We embark on a journey with Abest, witnessing this dichotomy and wondering what the hell we do with its lesson. As the journey dwindles to its final moments, Molten Husk fully succumbs to the chaos. A corrosive and unforgiving beast, whose growls are abruptly interrupted by a spare moment of humanity in the haunting “Possessor,” it pummels and unnerves in a soundtrack of breathing darkness. But this is no black metal, though it makes sporadic appearances. This is not death metal, although listeners may be reminded of it. Although based in sludge, density is eschewed for a palpable crunch instead of earth-shaking weight. At the end of Molten Husk, Abest will challenge what you think about post-metal.” Abeast.

Bekor Qilish – Throes of Death from the Dreamed Nihilism Review

By Dear Hollow on June 17, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, 18 comments

“Consisting of Italian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Andrea Bruzzone and company, Bekor Qilish offers its debut Throes of Death from the Dreamed Nihilism. While it toes the line between full-length and EP at twenty-eight minutes, it manages to embody really fun “Voidhanger-core” to a tee.” Avant-guardians.