South African Metal

Aleah – Aleah Review

By Huck N Roll on June 30, 2020 in 2020, Not Metal, Reviews, South African Metal, Svart Records, Not Metal, 8 comments

“Readers of this site, and fans in general, know of Aleah Stanbridge. After doing some work on her own and collaborating with The Mission’s Andy Cousin in That Which Remains, she laid down guest vocals for Swallow the Sun and Amorphis before forming Trees of Eternity with Swallow the Sun guitarist Juha Raivio. Trees of Eternity released Hour of the Nightingale in 2016, months after Aleah tragically passed away from cancer at age 39. Since then, Raivio has been assembling and touching up Aleah’s work, and he’s finally presenting it to us now in the form of a double album.” Music is immortal.

All We’ve Known – Dissidence Review

By Twelve on August 7, 2019 in 2019, Metalcore, Plug Music Agency, South African Metal, Metalcore, 23 comments

“Album titles are tricky. Ideally, the name of the album should describe its sound in some way, particularly when coupled with such knowledge as the band name and album art. For example, I’m guessing that no one is going to be surprised, after glancing at the image over there, that Dissidence by All We’ve Known is a metalcore album.” Known quantities.

Vulvodynia – Mob Justice Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on June 29, 2019 in 2019, Lacerated Enemy Records, Reviews, Slam, South African Metal, Slam, 17 comments

“Vulvodynia’s 2016 monstrosity Psychosadistic Design joined Ingested’s Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering at the top of the relatively accessible slamming deathcore pile. Upon its release, it sold a boatload of copies due to its mixture of self-aware ridiculousness and a charmingly cavalier attitude towards everything but riffs. Both records were great ‘gateway slam’ records — their production was friendly to ‘core ears and the riffs were unfairly catchy. Structurally, both took the general deathcore idea and replaced breakdowns with slams and both were a lot of fun for it. Both toed the line between excess and parody expertly, which made them easy to like and laugh along with. Three years later, Vulvodynia have returned.” Flash slam.

Ruff Majik – Tårn Review

By GardensTale on May 6, 2019 in 2019, Doom Metal, Lay Bare Recordings, Reviews, South African Metal, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, 17 comments

“Reviewing a band for the first time is a very different affair from reviewing a band whose work has passed my hands before. In the former case, it largely feels like reviewing the band itself, since in my perception I am holding the band’s entire body of work (which is the case with debuts, though not otherwise). In the latter case, it’s more akin to chronicling the way a band is evolving, or in some cases, devolving over the years. And the more reviews I write, the more I run into the latter case.” Ruff evolution.

Zombies Ate My Girlfriend – Shun the Reptile Review

By Mark Z. on November 4, 2018 in 2018, Burning Tone Records, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, South African Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 40 comments

“Does anyone still give a shit about zombies? Apparently the creators of the next Resident Evil game are wondering how they’re going to “make zombies scary again,” and that concern is a direct reflection of the cultural over-saturation of zombies that’s occurred in the last decade or so. Thus, when I first saw the name of South African quintet Zombies Ate My Girlfriend, I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my brain. Yet when I actually listened to their 2015 debut Retrocide, I surprisingly didn’t hate it, although their brand of core-informed melodic death metal was still a little rough around the edges. Nonetheless the band’s animated riffing and general craziness made me intrigued and curious to hear what they’d spew out next.” Don’t squeeze the lizard.

Ruff Majik – Seasons Review

By GardensTale on April 22, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Plug Music Agency, Reviews, South African Metal, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Metal, 29 comments

“Located at the very tip of the African continent, South Africa may win the prize for ‘Most Accurate Country Name,’ challenged only by the uniformly low and flat Netherlands. Metal, however, is not what the nation is generally known for (apartheid and the guy who directed District 9 both rank higher, for instance.) In our extensive archives, only 9 articles bear a ‘South African Metal’ tag. Until today, that is, because Ruff Majik come forth from the shadows of Pretoria, the South African capital.” South Africa rising.

Crow Black Sky – Sidereal Light: Volume One Review

By Master of Muppets on January 31, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Reviews, Self-released, South African Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Space Metal, 78 comments

“A long time ago, on a website far, far away, I stumbled across a trve underground gem: Pantheion, the punishing debut of South Africa’s Crow Black Sky. Their take on blackened death was unique and impressive, and though the website was deemed a complete failure and ultimately collapsed into obscurity, I never lost interest in Crow Black Sky. Years passed, proper whore websites rose to power, and albums came and went, all without so much as some light clucking from the promising act. My tiny, blackened heart-thing spent many long nights petitioning a Crow-less sky, lifting its skinny metaphoric fists like antennas to Jørn and praying for the call of the bird. Eventually my hope went the way of common sense, gone and pretty much forgotten. So it goes, yo. Then on January 17, 2018, Jørn sent me a miracle.” Well, he is the Crow King.

Mad God – Tales of a Sightless City [Things You Might Have Missed 2017]

By Grymm on January 13, 2018 in Doom Metal, South African Metal, Things You MIght Have Missed 2017, Unsigned Bands, 27 comments

“Due to either time constraints, tight deadlines, or this wonderful thing we all call life, I do miss an album or two to review in time. South Africa’s Mad God make a worthy addition to the year’s crop of doom with their self-released debut, Tales of a Sightless City.” God is mad, look sorry.

Ophiuchi – Bifurcaria Bifurcata Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 12, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, Reviews, Self-released, South African Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, 28 comments

“I’m about as fluent in South African metal bands as I am in French. And that’s a goddamn shame (the SA band thing, not the French thing). But, even for my limited knowledge of SA scene, I’m happy to say I spend a lot of time with a couple of good ones (Vulvodynia and Wildernessking). So, when I received a promo from a little known South African outfit (from our own SA native, Madam X), I was more than a little excited. Especially when I hit ‘play.'” This springbok has sharp horns ov iron.

Vulvodynia – Psychosadistic Design Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on July 13, 2016 in 2016, Lacerated Enemy Records, Reviews, Slam, South African Metal, Slam, 71 comments

“Back in high school, metal fans, me ashamedly included, compared our chosen genre to classical in its proficiency and complexity, and laughed at the other “dumb” genres for their lack of “intelligent” lyrics and themes. What intolerable pricks were we. I can confidently say that, had I been in that woefully immature mindset currently, I would not have enjoyed anything about Vulvodynia. Their second full-length Psychosadistic Design is everything the intelligent pretentious types love to hate: it’s loud, it’s obnoxious, it’s hilariously over-the-top in its lyrical effrontery, and it chugs more than someone getting perpetually annihilated at beer pong. And honestly, I haven’t had this much fun with slamming brutal death metal in years.” Slam the torpedoes, full chug ahead!