Feb21

Omination – NGR (New Golgotha Repvbliq) Review

By Cherd on February 5, 2021 in Reviews, Funeral Doom, 49 comments

“It may not be quite accurate to say funeral doom is about minimalism, but it’s not far from the truth either. Much of that is a result of the pace. Even if a funeral doom song has as much going on as a regular metal song when condensed to a regular runtime, stretched over 15 or 20 minutes, it sounds like less. Notes are sustained longer, beats per minute are reduced, and at any given moment, less really is going on. Until now, I would have told you the idea of maximalist funeral doom was an oxymoron, antithetical. It seems no one told that to Tunisia’s Omination.” Maximum doom.

Misotheist – For the Glory of Your Redeemer Review

By Doom_et_Al on February 5, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 48 comments

“Remember dangerous Norwegian black metal? Remember when just listening to it felt like an act of rebellion? The stuff that made priests and your parents upset? Me neither. Those days seem like a long time ago; the original fury replaced by bands passively crowd-surfing on the reputation and mystique of old. Well, Misotheist, an anonymous black metal group from Trondheim, is here to kick you in balls, spit in your face, and remind you that God is dead and you should quit crying about it.” Cup check!

StarGazer – Psychic Secretions Review

By El Cuervo on February 5, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 43 comments

“StarGazer are an odd duck in today’s metal scene. Emerging from the primordial deserts of Australia in the late 90s with a buzzing, energetic take on death metal, they have bubbled beneath the surface of metal’s mainstream, honing their craft and deliberately stepping away from the old school and further towards something unique with each release. They haven’t had that single killer entry into their discography which would catapult them into the faster current of metal fandom but they are consistently one of the most interesting bands in the subgenre.” Mental goo.

Sarin – You Can’t Go Back Review

By Huck N Roll on February 4, 2021 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 17 comments

“For post-metal fans, the big release this week is the Cult of Luna EP. But other bands are working hard in this genre as well, one of which is Canada’s Sarin. Their third album You Can’t Go Back drops this week, and while they don’t have the marquee name to go with the release, that doesn’t mean they should be thrust to the side as we all rush headlong into The Raging River.” Breathe deep.

Evil – Possessed by Evil Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on February 4, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Speed Metal, 42 comments

“I’ve got a soft spot for Japanese metal, especially the old-school varieties. It should shock absolutely nobody that Evil come directly from the lineage of Abigail and Sabbat thematically, meaning that they take the “evil” schtick of classic Venom and Bulldozer so far that it exceeds parody and lands in a strange realm of charming innocence and naivete. Evil, on their second album Possessed by Evil, lands feet-first in this realm.” Possession is nine-tenths of witchlaw.

Revulsion – Revulsion Review

By Steel Druhm on February 3, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, 18 comments

“Revulsion has crept along the darkened edges of the Finnish death metal scene for over a decade. Despite this long existence, they only had an EP and a single to show for their wretched existence. 2021 finally sees them crack the ice and release their debut full-length on an unsuspecting world. Their self-titled effort has some gruesome things in store for death metal fans, with a hefty, burly style based around thick grooves seasoned with just enough doom and dissonance to avoid sounding like another old school act.” Old dogs, new album.

The Ruins of Beverast – The Thule Grimoires Review

By Akerblogger on February 3, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 50 comments

“Thule: the northern most part of the ancient world. Grimoire: a text that invokes an evil magic. With his seventh full-length, Alexander von Meilenwald – the single figure at the heart of The Ruins of Beverast – journeys northwards and backwards into a mystical, malevolent past. Gone is the shapeshifting shamanism of 2017’s Exuvia. Only the cold embrace of frost and despair remains.” Thule’s gold.

Terrordome – Straight Outta Smogtown Review

By Carcharodon on February 3, 2021 in Reviews, 14 comments

“What, I ask myself as I embark on my fifth or sixth listen of Straight Outta Smogtown, is the point of guest vocals. Guest vocals that work best are those that allow a band to deliver something markedly different from what they would otherwise do. Look at the two recent collaborations between Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle, for a recent example, or, going back a quite a long way now, look at Dave Grohl’s Probot. Although Probot was a far from a perfect album, the way the numerous vocalists were used, delivered a very different character for each track. So what have Polish thrashers Terrordome fashioned with a number of additional vocalists who guest on their third full-length, Straight Outta Smogtown?” The smog of war.

Mourners – Act I: Tragedies Review

By Grymm on February 2, 2021 in Reviews, Funeral Doom, 16 comments

“Daniel Neagoe is funeral doom’s answer to Rogga Johansson, with no less than ten active bands at the time of this review, according to Metal Archives. Most everyone can agree, however, that his biggest footprint lies with the funeral doom supergroup Clouds, and his mammoth beast Eye of Solitude. Sadly, the latter dissolved in 2019, as Neagoe felt the project came to its logical conclusion. That said, Neagoe teamed up with Clouds guitarist Mihai Dinuta and Eye drummer Siebe Hermans to launch Eye’s spiritual continuation, Mourners.” Happy tragedies.

Wampyric Rites – The Eternal Melancholy of the Wampyre Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on February 2, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 23 comments

“In the night they come, seeking wengeance. Nocturnal creatures bent on destruction, chaos, and wiolence. No matter how much wiolence and wengeance is wrought, they are never sated – they are always wery sad. Such is The Eternal Melancholy of the Wampyre. At least I think it is anyway, because at the risk of sounding like your mother when you showed her that cool new Carcass band with that Heartwork record you just downloaded from Limewire back when you were a teenager, I can’t understand a word of what’s being sung here; it just sounds like wordless screaming. That’s no matter though, as Wampyric Rites aren’t really about the lyrics in my estimation.” I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a wampyre today.