Belgian Metal

Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being Review

By Dear Hollow on April 26, 2023 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 19 comments

“Voids are not an uncommon thing to discuss in metal. Somehow putting to music the vastness, the unfathomability, the colossus of nothingness is a feat in and of itself, and many have attempted to bring it to life. It’s the ultimate futility, the great vanity. While many have tried, from the mysterious Prava Kollektiv’s Voidsphere, the Swiss enigma Death. Void. Terror., and the dense death metal of Desolate Shrine or Abyssal, they are mere glimpses of the monument, the perspective of madness. When the cold nothingness attaches to the skull and does not shake, will Predatory Void provide the siren’s song sprinting to the early grave?” When voids attacks.

Lethvm – Winterreise Review

By Grymm on April 7, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, 45 comments

“In all my years of being a music consumer, I’ll freely admit that little surprises me anymore. Sure, every now and then, something will come along and provide an unsettling moment, like a ragtime ditty or a handclap breakdown, but overall, well… we know what to expect from just about everything these days. Even within the confines of metal, things have gotten a bit comfy and cozy. So when Belgian quartet Lethvm drops a mixture of post-hardcore, post-metal, doom, and black metal on my furry lap in the form of their third album, Winterreise, I cracked my murder mittens, donned my noise-canceling cans, and kept my mind as open as felinely possible.” Blacknip.

Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Carcharodon on December 23, 2022 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 24 comments

“Mixing slow-build dynamics, psychedelic excursions and cathartic crescendos with sudden explosions of fury, Psychonaut draws inspiration from the likes of The Ocean and Baroness (in that bygone era when Baroness wrote compelling music and didn’t crush their albums into unlistenable garbage at the production stage). Complex, sprawling, dense, and yet accessible, Violate Consensus Reality swirls around the listener.” Psychodrama.

Soul Dissolution – Sora Review

By Twelve on October 6, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 14 comments

“Post-metal and black metal are both styles of music I can enjoy mainly under the right circumstances. There are so many interesting ways to apply each one, but combining them together, I feel, has the greatest potential. The Agallochs of the world hold special places in my heart, and this is a big part of what initially attracted me to Belgium’s Soul Dissolution.” Post runners.

Bones – Sombre Opulence Review

By Saunders on September 13, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 20 comments

“I have been in a weird space with death metal in 2022. While quality releases have trickled in at a reasonable rate, not much has really blown me away and shaken me to the core. In fact, I’ve spent ample periods revisiting the past, leaning on old favorites, while the latest dominating platter from reliable legends Immolation has remained in solid rotation. Yet as the last chunk of 2022 dawns upon us, optimism is high due to the often-fruitful later-year riches. Belgium’s Bones intend on bludgeoning their way into focus on their debut full-length, Sombre Opulence.” Lovely bones?

Oerheks – Cagghenvinna Review

By Twelve on August 23, 2022 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 13 comments

“I know pretty much nothing about Oerheks. Normally, that’s the kind of thing that gives me pause—I’d rather know who I’m writing about, what I’m supporting, and all of those fun details, but given that this Cagghenvinna is the debut album for a Flemish black metal band… well, it comes with the territory. As for what I do know, I’m fairly certain it’s a one-person project, with “H.” as its mastermind; I believe “oerheks” is Dutch, translating into something to the effect of “primal witch;” and I understand H. writes his music inspired “by local myths and lore.”” Flick of the witch.

My Diligence – The Matter, Form and Power Review

By Huck N Roll on June 7, 2022 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, Stoner Rock, 8 comments

“Allow me to be contrite for a moment. Three and a half years ago I casually dropped a 3.5 rating on My Diligence’s second album, Sun Rose. I’m not too proud to tell you that, after circling back to the album many times since, I definitely had my overrating cap on. At best Sun Rose was a 3.0, more likely closer to a 2.5. But I was somehow smitten at the time and threw caution to the wind. I’ll admit it now: I was too enamored of the strong songs, and ignored the chaff. Now here we are with The Matter, Form and Power, and I am determined to approach this stoner-prog platter with open eyes and an even keel.”” Doom Diligence.

Schizophrenia – Recollections of the Insane Review

By Steel Druhm on February 18, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 50 comments

“In the Year of Our Plague 2020, a lusty and savage dose of black/speed/thrash hit the planet with the force of a 6-megaton billy buck. I speak of Bütcher’s sophomore platter, 666 Goats Carry My Chariot. It was such a wild, unruly paean to excess that it proved nigh impossible to resist. 2022 sees a band emerge from Bütcher’s bloody Belgian backyard carrying fewer goats but much of the same speed-drenched lunacy. Schizophrenia’s Recollections of the Insane debut assaults with a thrashing, skull-bashing style of death metal sure to conjure nostalgia as it curb stomps the unwary with lightning riffs and flashy chops.” Mad Maximum.

Lhaäd – Below Review

By Maddog on December 15, 2021 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 13 comments

Below is the debut full-length from one-person ambient black metal project Lhaäd. This description is likely to conjure up worrisome images of self-indulgent hours-long snoozefests that use tepid atmospheres to mask lazy writing. But Belgian multi-instrumentalist Lykormas, Lhaäd’s prolific mastermind, is not so easy to pigeonhole.” Pigeons without homes.

Kreationist – Dans L’Interminable Review

By Carcharodon on November 29, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Electronica, Post-Metal, 16 comments

“Mixing styles ranging from black metal and doom, through post-metal and into trip-hop and noise, one certainly can’t deny Kreationist’s experimental bent. As the record’s heavier sections move between something approaching pummelling second wave black metal and a more symphonic, Cradle of Filth-like sound.” Coma of sounds.