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Left Cross – Upon Desecrated Altars Review

By El Cuervo on November 9, 2023 in Reviews, 39 comments

“War metal is always appealing to me. War flows from, and results in, the worst of humanity and therefore provides a fertile breeding ground for the darkness and heaviness inherent to metal music. The two feed off each other. What surprised me about Left Cross, and the reason for this review, was their provenance. Richmond is one of the wealthiest and most pleasant parts of the UK. Hardly a fitting backdrop for a metal subgenre characterized by brutal heaviness. However, after beginning this process I was distressed to learn that Left Cross hail from Richmond, Virginia.” The war next door.

Fuming Mouth – Last Day of Sun Review

By Dear Hollow on November 7, 2023 in Reviews, Crust Punk, Death Metal, Hardcore, 16 comments

“A concept album is risky when you’re as meatheaded as Massachusetts’ Fuming Mouth. Don’t get me wrong, Last Day of Sun’s concept is unique and powerful, an apocalyptic vision of a world destined for darkness in twenty-four hours (hence the title) – a story further fueled by the act’s mastermind, vocalist, and guitarist Mark Whelan’s triumphant battle over cancer. For an act that has rarely been called the “thinking man’s” anything, it’s pretty high-brow to fuse an approach of death metal and hardcore with such heart-wrenching emotion.” Sun’s out, HM-2 out.

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.

Lightlorn – At One with the Night Sky Review

By Kenstrosity on October 24, 2023 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 14 comments

“Beautiful and melodious in equal measure, At One with the Night Sky occupies that stratospheric space where the most ethereal atmoblack resides, evoking more faithfully the ebullient tones of Skyforest and Deafheaven than the tumultuous desperation of Mare Cognitum. Delicate twinkling effects and peaceful dalliances with cosmic ambiance characteristic of Skyborne Reveries further embellish Lightlorn’s high-flying approach.” Platonic forms of beauty.

Den Saakaldte – Pesten Som Tar Over Review

By Doom_et_Al on October 9, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 11 comments

“Formed in 2006 by guitarist Sykelig, the band has previously featured members from Shining, Gehenna and Dødheimsgard. Unfortunately, most of these folks have gone, raising the question about whether Den Saakaldte still qualifies as a “super group” anymore. There’s one way to shut up the doubters and that’s to release a killer album.” Kill or be filler.

Tideless – Eye of Water Review

By Grymm on September 20, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 33 comments

“We have an incredibly hungry, ambitious doom/death quintet in San Diego’s Tideless. Many of its members served time in other bands, so experience really isn’t the issue here. What is the issue lies in the fact that Tideless, on their second full-length, is punching well above their weight class. And nothing screams “punching up” quite like a 75-minute double album of Deafheavenly delights.” Low tide, high ambition.

Flesher – Tales of Grotesque Demise Review

By Steel Druhm on September 12, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 48 comments

“It seems some young, untested acts are luckier in their friends than others. Indianapolis-based death upstarts, Flesher hit the streets with a bright and shiny debut adorned by the repellant art of the infamous Ed Repka and sporting a mastering job by none other than Dan “the MAN” Swanö. Adding to the star power, they got Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg to pop by to drop some guest garbage disposal sounds. So does Tales of Grotesque Demise warrant all the unusual spotlight and attention?” The flesh is weak.

Pomegranate Tiger – All Input Is Error Review

By Iceberg on September 3, 2023 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, 37 comments

“After nearly a decade’s hiatus, Pomegranate Tiger resurface to bring their brand of heady instrumental prog to the cerebellums of the masses. Hailing from Ontario in the Great White North, Martin Andres’ passion project made a splash in 2013 with debut album Entities, and after 2015 follow-up Boundaries he chose to join forces as a touring musician with province-mates Oni. Emerging from an extended hibernation, All Input Is Error sees Andres returning to Pomegranate Tiger as a certified one-man band tackling humanity’s inevitable slide towards The Singularity.” Crouching tiger, hidden restraint.

Demoniac – Nube Negra Review

By Holdeneye on August 31, 2023 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 79 comments

“When Demoniac released So It Goes back in 2020/2021, they wowed a lot of metal folks with their unique take on classic thrash. That record attacked the genre in so many interesting ways, using progressive song structures to create a thrash journey that had to be heard to be believed. But the thing that really pushed these Chileans into the spotlight was their use of interesting instrumentation, including some piano and, most notably, the clarinet.” So it went.

Noveria – The Gates of the Underworld Review

By GardensTale on August 28, 2023 in Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 23 comments

“Ah, Noveria. When I first encountered this talented bunch on sophomore album Forsaken, the clash between the overt melodrama and the serious subject matter forced me to leave a middling score. But 2019’s Aequilibrium was a huge improvement. It was almost like the band had used my review as a template for what to fix, making strides in songwriting, execution, and production alike.” Peak and Death Valley.