“Treurwilg draws from different doom metal traditions, particularly the strange bedfellows of post-metal and funeral doom. If Isis and Ahab were shipmates on an Oceanic journey, they’d make something like An End to Rumination.” Rumination with a view.
Isis
Sorxe – The Ark Burner [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]
“Hitting our promo bin for the first time in 2014, there was little Grymm found interesting on the band’s debut. But when Matter & Void hit the deck three years later, my eyebrows glued themselves to the top of my head. And seeing them play that album live is still one of the best performances I’ve ever experienced. What didn’t hit our bin was this year’s The Ark Burner. But, thank the stars, I’ve been keeping tabs on this band for all you sludge suckers out there. But, will Sorxe continue their streak?” Ark of triumph.
Charlene Beretah – Ram Review
“Imagine my surprise when, upon taking this gig, I discovered that some of my fellow writers, including our illustrious boss, were never-sludgers. As I’ve endured their hurtful, anti-sludge rhetoric, I’ve noticed a frequent correlation between sludge hating and symphonic power cheese-loving. As no lover of metallic brie myself, I’m left to wonder if we’re hardwired at the genetic level into these camps just as research suggests we may be similarly inclined toward progressive or conservative politics, or to see a blue and black dress versus the mouth breathing, evolutionary dead-ends who see a gold and white dress. I guess what I’m saying is, if you’re team sludge and wary of anti-sludge sentiment within the body metallic, you’ve got a man on the inside. So let’s wade together into the muck of Charlene Beretah’s new album Ram. Never-sludgers need not apply.” Sticky business.
Golden Core – Fimbultýr Review
“Celebrating cultural heritage is crucial. In a world living in the shadow of Christianity’s obliteration of “pagan” beliefs, the old creeds and rituals are rarer and rarer. As such, it’s imperative to preserve such practices and traditions, valuing their impact in generations past and their influence on future individuals. My family is descended from Vikings, which is pretty badass, but one thing led to another[1. Y’know, like a few burning monasteries, hundreds of years, a few continental migrations, and countless cultural shifts.] and they found themselves Lutheran farmers in North Dakota. Groups like Heilung and Wardruna are committed to preservation and renaissance of the old Norse rituals, and Norwegian/Icelandic duo Golden Core seek to channel this appreciation through new release Fimbultýr by blending American stoner doom and Norwegian black metal.” Uphold the olde.
Torpor – Rhetoric of the Image Review
“I have my own boxes to check as I look for the next Cherd friendly album, so when patterns emerge, I take note. Recent positive experiences with doomy, noise tinged post-metal from the United Kingdom packaged in black and white cover art, namely Sūrya and Bismuth, led me to take a chance on Torpor’s Rhetoric of the Image. Will the sophomore effort from this three-piece keep the hitting streak alive?” Post-gambling.
Sleeping Ancient – There Is No Truth but Death Review
“Very few days are monochromatic. For every yin, there’s a yang. The day you get promoted at work is the day your beloved pet dies. The day the attractive girl (or boy) rejects your advances is the day your brother gets engaged. Even something as simple as white-hot fury is, if examined truthfully, usually mixed with at least a healthy dollop of sadness. It is for this reason that music that captures different tones and moods feels more authentic than that which simply focuses on one emotion.” Can I borrow a feeling?
Reflex Machine – Interzone Review
“If you’ve been loitering in the Hall since the Great Muppet Invasion first began, you’ve probably noticed how great I am at promo selection rarely I wander too terribly far from my tried and trve metal wheelhouses. I’ve been burned by the bin before, I’m bitter and basically all but unable to believe that things could be better beyond the blackmosphere, but the burden ov objectivity and that big bastardly bully of a boss-monkey Steel have beckoned me to bid bye-bye to my beloved blackness and embrace being the bin’s bitch.” Monkey bin-ess.
SednA – The Man Behind the Sun Review
“For any band to assume their audience has the attention span to stick with them through a feature film-length ditty, let alone want to return for repeat listens, shows a certain amount of moxie. When it comes to single song marathons, 33-minute The Man Behind the Sun, Italian band SednA’s third full length, isn’t so much Avengers: Endgame level as it is standard sitcom episode, but it’s a bold move nonetheless.” Bigly.
Ashbringer – Absolution Review
“When Grymm awarded Ashbringer’s debut, Vacant, a deserved 3.5 back in 2015, he was writing about the self-released exploits of a one-man black metal project, delivered by someone then aged 18. Scroll forward four years and Nick Stanger, Mr. Ashbringer himself, has, presumably, reached the ripe old age of 20-something. He’s also released a second record (2016’s Yūgen, which we failed to review), gathered around him a group of three other musicians and signed a deal with Prosthetic Records. Now a four-person collective – or ‘band,’ if you will – Ashbringer are ready to drop their third album, Absolution.”
Driving Slow Motion – Arda Review
“Gauging by the comments section on a recent post-metal review that I penned, it would seem that a lot of people are over anything post-y. What better way to win new fans and friends than to write up an experimental, instrumental, post-rock collective? Hmm, on reflection, this could be a hard sell.” Coffee is for closers.