2022

Final Light – Final Light Review

By Twelve on June 28, 2022 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Synthwave, 26 comments

“Something different. In two words, that’s how I can best describe Final Light, the eponymous debut full-length from Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson and James Kent, better known as Perturbator. From the duo’s names alone, there’s expectation—both have been a part of some powerful releases lately, in the form of The Long Road North and Lustful Sacraments respectively, but their respective styles—post-metal and synthwave—don’t exactly lend themselves to being blended together, and, for my part, I’m not a huge fan of either one. But there’s the odd exception to every rule where opinions are concerned, and Final Light is certainly one such album.” Strange deadfellows.

Mirror Queen – Inviolate Review

By Huck N Roll on June 28, 2022 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 17 comments

“Inviolate is NYC band Mirror Queen’s fourth album. I’ve never heard of them, nor of the group they rose out of, Kreisor. Therefore, I have no preconceived notions of what to expect. The group claims to be influenced by Blue Öyster Cult, Hawkwind, and more, so that’s a promising start, and I’m always happy to jump into some retro metal to hear what’s shaking, especially if the band also professes to lean into some psychedelic realms.” Oyster Queens and Hawk Kings.

Instigate – Unheeded Warnings of Decay Review

By Dear Hollow on June 27, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Technical Death Metal, 31 comments

“If you’ve read my reviews before, you know how cautious I am about the riff. While hordes of metal maniacs revel in it and many even choose metal entirely for it, I’m about the atmosphere. That being said, if the riff sticks, it sticks hard. Death metal albums like Dyscarnate’s With All Their Might and Infernal Coil’s Within a World Forgotten offer high octane insanity aplenty with just enough variety and atmosphere, giving further weight to the riff. Italian quartet Instigate invokes the riff – and hard.” Riffy sense.

HUSH – The Pornography of Ruin Review

By Cherd on June 27, 2022 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge, 17 comments

“Sludge metal has been a frequent bedfellow of serious, art-y post rock almost since the beginning of the genre. I’m not exactly sure why, but as a product of multiple art schools myself, I can confirm that I and other likeminded insufferable wanks folks are generally drawn to the resulting aesthetic thanks to its confrontational formal elements. Seminal groups like Neurosis and Isis built a template of harsh elegance decades ago that many contemporary bands, Cult of Luna, for instance, are happy to follow. Meanwhile, acts like Vile Creature, The Body, et al up the esoteric factor by injecting drone, noise, or electronics for downright disconcerting sonic textures. New York’s HUSH fall somewhere between these two approaches.” Suave sludge.

Truent – Through the Vale of Earthly Torment Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on June 26, 2022 in Reviews, Deathcore, Technical Death Metal, 33 comments

“Tech death is a tough game. In the skill-leading genre even more so does the crowd appear faceless, a mathy mob of scholarly guitar solos, flatulent bass, and trigger-happy kit-meisters. To stand out in the tech realm, contemporary fan favorites Archspire combine ridiculous speeds with memorable, rap-adjacent vocals and neoclassical sweeps aplenty. Meanwhile, bands in the Psycroptic school of thought attempt groove whiplash with 270 degree riff-corners that drift into stadium-size choruses. On their debut full-length outing, the young Canadian outfit Truent shows they are fans of these two styles of tech and try to paint an identity fusing them with a little modern core sentimentality.” Arms race.

Charlie Griffiths – Tiktaalika Review

By sentynel on June 25, 2022 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, 33 comments

“The Side Project Era is a common part of the evolution of many successful bands. They’ve been around for a while, they’re doing pretty well, and they know what they sound like. But naturally different members have different musical preferences and want to try different things. They could leave the band, but that’s pretty drastic. Enter the Side Project. Today’s example stars Charlie Griffiths, one of Haken’s guitarists, taking an opportunity to write for six-string guitar after years of playing eight-string with his main band.” Side pieces.

Khold – Svartsyn Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on June 24, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, 22 comments

“Khold combines Carpathian Forest-esque black ‘n’ roll, Satyricon accessibility, and Darkthrone-like sinisterness that molded Grier‘s tiny heart into a lump of coal for nearly a decade. Then, 2014 saw the end of the band. During this time, the crew resurrected their thrashy black metal counterpart, Tulus. Which felt like a somewhat natural progression following Khold’s odd 2014 swansong, Til ended. Also, the band’s founder/drummer found success with Darkthrone’s Nocturno Culto, releasing album after Sarke album. Fast forward to 2022, and the boys are back.” Ice Khold.

Werewolves – From the Cave to the Grave Review

By Kenstrosity on June 24, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 38 comments

“I’m surprised we never covered Werewolves before on this blog. Their debut record, The Dead are Screaming—picked up by Prosthetic Records one month into the pandemic in 2020—fucking rulez. To my surprise, I somehow missed the follow-up they dropped less than a year later. Thankfully, I had my eye trained closely enough on this band to catch third outing, From the Cave to the Grave, before Werewolves slipped by undetected once more.” Pack attack.

Entrails – An Eternal Time of Decay Review

By Saunders on June 23, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 29 comments

“An OG band from the golden era of Swedish death metal, Entrails mastermind Jimmy Lundqvist didn’t manage to release an album until 2010’s impressive Tales from the Morgue debut. Along with powerhouse follow-ups Tomb Awaits (2011) and Raging Death (2013), Entrails elevated themselves to the upper echelon of the throwback Swedeath scene. The last several albums have got the job done solidly, however, the band has been coasting in a comfort zone and struggled to reach the heights of their earlier trio of prime platters. A line-up shake-up occurred in 2019 and now the band returns with their anticipated seventh LP, entitled An Eternal Time of Decay.” Guts check.

Minipony – Ajna Review

By Doom_et_Al on June 23, 2022 in Reviews, Djent, Technical Death Metal, 95 comments

I’ve listened to a lot of metal. I’ve listened to a lot of very average metal. I’ve listened to some pretty bad metal. Despite all this, I was simply unprepared for Ajna. You see, Ajna is on another level entirely. True story: “Because of Ajna, I could not complete the train journey to work this week. It was halfway through my 5th listen when something cracked. “Why would the Boss Ape force this upon me?” I mused. “Is this a test of my loyalty?” If so, it was a stern examination. The pointless sound effects; the bizarre vocals; the bite-sized, jittery riffs; these all congealed into a force that simply overwhelmed my brain. I could no longer compute, and the only response was to laugh. So, I did. I howled and cackled and coughed up my coffee.” Small horse, big confusion.