Swedish Metal

Domkraft – Sonic Moons Review

By Ferox on September 18, 2023 in Reviews, Sludge Metal, 18 comments

“The departed Huck N’ Roll, who has not been reduced to a nutritious paste designed to keeps n00bs clinging to life, loved up on Domkraft’s 2021 release Seeds. Huck considered the third album by these Swedes to be the best stoner/psych doom album of that year. The readership shared his enthusiasm to a point, while also noting that the effort felt like psychedelia as played by those who eschew psychedelics. I agreed with both camps; Seeds is a fun listen, but it does occasionally seem like the work of three talented members of the school orchestra who drank some punch spiked with liquid acid at the prom.” You put the seeds in the bongonut.

Shining – Shining Review

By GardensTale on September 14, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 36 comments

“Shining have a carefully calibrated reputation as one of the saddest bands in history. A single spin of the renowned V: Halmstad is enough to know that it’s a reputation well earned. Oppressive, dark and full of despair— it’s rightfully considered a seminal depressive suicidal black metal record. The band’s record since then has been spotty, however. Incorporating more acoustics and clean vocals brought variety but did not increase the gut punch the band was known for. Attempts at re-aligning the band’s direction were made and unmade, naming traditions were dropped and picked up again, and the misanthropic flame started to sputter.” The definitive Shining?

Sodomisery – Mazzaroth Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on September 8, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 73 comments

“The Great Demise combined Dissection black, Hypocrisy death, and Amon Amarth melodeath to deliver a rollercoaster of intricacies, riff changes, builds, and atmospheres. At times, it worked. At times, it didn’t. As a whole, The Great Demise was missing the fluidity to pull everything together. Now they’re back with a Covid-inspired follow-up whose theme concerns mental health. This concept alone instills high-charged emotion into the album. But how Sodomisery delivers it completely floored me.” Sodom misers!

VAK – The Islands Review

By GardensTale on August 31, 2023 in Reviews, Noise, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, 29 comments

Alright, you sodden louts, ready thine ears because this here album will need to enter forthwith. We usually save that sort of statement for the second paragraph, using the first to build tension with a nice gentle lead-up, but if you want one of those, tough shit. This is your lead-up. Gapen your hearing holes and get ready to absorb one of the flat-out coolest albums of the year, coming from the Stockholm underground to deliver a baseball bat, wrapped in barbed wire and dipped in ayahuasca, straight to the trachea. VAK has arrived.” VAK Daddy.

Grand Cadaver – Deities of Deathlike Sleep Review

By Steel Druhm on August 27, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 23 comments

“2021 saw the birth of Stockholm HM-2 worshipping Swedeath act Grand Cadaver, composed of veterans of notable groups like Katatonia, Tiamat and Dark Tranquillity. Their Into the Maw of Death debut was a loving tribute to the early days of Entombed and Dismember and had more buzzing than a landfill in an Arizona summer. It brought nothing new to the well-trod d-beat death community beyond star power, but it was competent and aggressive enough to make for an entertaining spin, and the presence of Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne on vocals was reason enough to check it out. Now this group of super troopers are back with second release, Deities of Deathlike Sleep and the formula remains the same.” Corpus delicti.

Orbit Culture – Descent Review

By Dear Hollow on August 16, 2023 in Reviews, Groove Metal, Industrial Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 53 comments

“Sweden’s Orbit Culture became a poster child for extreme metal with their 2020 full-length, the formidable Nija. While undeniably heavy in neck-snapping thrash grooves, ferocious roars, and an unforgiving edge of industrial atmospherics, the band showed its roots in the lush forests of melodic death metal. Soaring clean choruses and earworm melodies assemble in the darkness with an often unmatched colossal quality, creating a sound both catchy and devastating. Orbit Culture became the “it” band, not forsaking any of their uniqueness. After 2021’s solid EP Shaman, we are met with 2023’s Descent.” Culture rot.

Dun Ringill – 150 – Where the Old Gods Play – Act 1 Review

By Grymm on August 11, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, 35 comments

“I’ve always been supportive of bands branching out a little bit from their comfort zones to stretch their limbs, check out new haunts, or just freshen up their catalog a tad. Sometimes, some peanut butter needs to be added to your chocolate to make things lively and exciting. So when Swedish doom metal sextet Dun Ringill, a band I’ll admit to never having heard before, decided to add some progressive elements to their particular brand of folk doom, well… I was intrigued.” Dun and done.

Humanity’s Last Breath – Ashen Review

By Holdeneye on August 8, 2023 in Reviews, Deathcore, 53 comments

“My time reviewing music by Sweden’s Humanity’s Last Breath has been a rewarding, yet frustrating experience. I liked a lot of what they did on both 2019’s Abyssal and 2021’s Välde, but the former lacked a killer focus, and the latter needed a bit of pruning. I’ve been intrigued by this band ever since the first time I heard their world-crushing track “Abyssal Mouth,” and I keep waiting for them to deliver a full album that captures that same level of energy and unbridled heaviness. As we prepared to enter into the second half of 2023, I heard a familiar, deep rumbling, a rumbling that could only foretell one thing: a new Humanity’s Last Breath album was on the way.” Fresh breath or hateitosis?

Scar Symmetry – The Singularity (Phase II: Xenotaph) Review

By Dear Hollow on July 22, 2023 in Reviews, Groove Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 38 comments

“It’s been a hot minute since this blog has beheld Scar Symmetry. Once the golden standard by which all melodic death should be measured alongside acts like Soilwork and Mors Principium Est that dominated the 2000s, Scar Symmetry has largely settled in the rearview in favor of young blood – always there, just rarely making it known.” Scars are forever.

Eleine – We Shall Remain Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on July 15, 2023 in Reviews, Symphonic Metal, 21 comments

“As all know, corset-core is not exactly my jam. But in 2020, Eleine set out to impress old Grier. And impress they did! And impress they did, and you all got to make various inappropriate comments as you experienced the heaviness of Dancing in Hell. And that heaviness and the vast supply of riffs impressed me the most about Eleine. Sure, the song structures are always about the delivery of the chorus but rarely did a song overstay its welcome. And the hooks were as pleasing as bourbon punch. Now Eleine is back, hoping to deliver their finest album yet and push Dancing in Hell off the mountaintop.” Come on, Eleine.