Drone Metal

Megaton Leviathan – Magick Helmet Review

By Dear Hollow on December 16, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Noise, Psychedelic Rock, 19 comments

“Look, I love drone. I love getting lost in the swaths of noise and soundscapes that pervade its classics, as albums like Earth’s Earth 2, Sunn O)))’s Black One, and Boris’ Flood offer otherworldly and mammoth wilderness to explore. Riffs don’t offer adrenaline, but mountains instead, while vocals and percussion, if there are any, are the last semblance of humanity amid the utter saturation of sound. Its utter overwhelm of sound makes it controversial, its void of relatability offers little reprieve, and its slow depiction of devastation is hypnotic. All that to say, while I was maybe hoping for the next Holy Fawn with Megaton Leviathan’s talk of shoegaze, drone, and doom, I don’t know what the fuck to make of Magick Helmet.” All noise, no sword.

Catafalque – Dybbuk Review

By Dear Hollow on October 25, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Industrial Metal, Noise, 13 comments

“Good drone swallows you. Drone is not meant to invoke movement or adrenaline, but to evoke a mood or place. It sweeps away like the tides, not with rhythmic intensity but with mammoth weight, and dwells with you. A dybbuk is a Jewish mythological creature that sits on your chest while you sleep, and at its best this album attaches to you like a parasite. Wailing and gnashing of teeth echo across the fray, visceral and ritualistic, and as haunting as it is devastating. The place Catafalque takes you to is not the foot of great mountains or grey cityscapes, but a shadowy place that is as possessed as it is otherworldly.” Honing the droning.

Rorcal – Silence Review

By Dear Hollow on October 1, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Industrial Metal, Post-Hardcore, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 25 comments

“Rorcal’s approach to auditory darkness is nonetheless unmistakable, post-hardcore and post-metal coursing through every vein. Dissonant and ominous, tar-thick slogs of drone/sludge contrast mightily with raw wounds of blackened shreds with impeccable balance.” Silent but deadly.

Hellish Form – Deathless Review

By Cherd on April 14, 2023 in Reviews, Funeral Doom, Sludge, 25 comments

“Here at AMG and Sons LLC we have a strict “no promo, no review” policy which must be adhered to at all times except for when we don’t feel like it. Back in 2021, we received a promo for Hellish Form’s debut Remains, I reviewed it favorably, and it eventually landed on my year-end list. Imagine my surprise when I found out a week ago that the funeral drone two-piece had released their follow-up, Deathless without sending us a promo. In fact, they’ve released it with very little fanfare at all based on my internet sleuthing. First, Willow Ryan and Jacob Lee, if you’re reading this, click here. Second, you’re not getting away that easy.” Only death amd reviews are inevitable.

Treedeon – New World Hoarder Review

By Dear Hollow on March 16, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Noise, Noise Rock, Sludge Metal, 11 comments

“Treedeon is a trio based in Berlin, having released two full-lengths since their inception in 2013. Consisting of former Ulme vocalist Arne Heesch, ex-Jingo de Lunch vocalist Yvonne Ducksworth, and drummer Andy Schünemann, Treedeon is a disciple of the NOLA sludge scene, with a filthy and caustic breed that recalls Eyehategod’s ten-ton blues and a density that conjures Thou.” If a tree falls in sludge, does it make an abrasive noise?

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.

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?

Lathe – Tongue of Silver Review

By Dear Hollow on August 1, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Noise, 47 comments

“Tongue of Silver represents two landscapes. It beats down upon the dead soil of the barren American West, empty and lonely winds plastering sun-bleached hills. But it pulses with the beating heart of its folklore, as legendary as it is flesh and blood. It’s a tall tale of the mundane, paying homage to not only Americana, but to the crushing weight of drone metal. The story it tells is not of speedy gunslingers or soul-searching troubadours but found in the negative spaces “somewhere between sand and rust:” a living, breathing, and uniquely American commentary on expansion and decay.” American threads.

The Lord – Forest Nocturne Review

By Dear Hollow on April 25, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 38 comments

“Say what you will about Sunn O))), they are iconic. While the music is arguably the stuff to fall asleep standing to or hear in the laundry, the duo is the epitome of metal consistency. Nearly twenty-five years of droned-out, doomed-up, and heavy-as-fuck riffs later, and the duo is still kicking in slow motion. Member Greg Anderson, owner and proprietor of Southern Lord records, offers his own take on the low and slow with a new moniker The Lord, and debut album Forest Nocturne.” O))) God!

Norna – Star is Way Way is Eye Review

By Dear Hollow on February 17, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 16 comments

“It would be easy to pigeonhole Norna as a mindless sludge beatdown, as concussions are bound to happen in Star is Way Way is Eye. However, contrary to its concrete-thick riffs, Liljedahl’s vocals and a melodic guitar performance keep it from descending into monotony – barely. Because first and foremost, Norna is heavy as fuck. Doom-infused riffs hit like a ton of bricks with an unforgiving density that recalls acts likeSunn O))) or BIG|BRAVE, edged by Macquat’s warbling synth presence.” Is this the Way?