Mizmor

Torii – Torii Review

Torii – Torii Review

By Ferox on January 11, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, 39 comments

Self-releasing an album can be a viable path to success in 2021, but if you’re still at it after seven tries, most bands would find it tough to keep the flame burning. This isn’t an issue for Torii mastermind Bill Masino, whose apparent need to create has seen him persist with the project through years, lineup changes and numerous shifts in approach. Their latest, self-titled platter finds the act returning to its origins as a solo outfit, intent on bringing Masino’s blend of post-metal, doom, and death metal to fresh audiences.” Torii is the word.

Mizmor – Wit’s End Review

Mizmor – Wit’s End Review

By Carcharodon on January 11, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, 48 comments

“My last encounter with Portland, Oregon’s Mizmor (מזמור) was not what I expected. I knew Mizmor from the bleak, blackened doom of Yodh and the crushing fusion of black metal, doom, sludge and drone on Cairn. On Dialetheia, A.L.N.’s project with Andrew Black, all metal was abandoned, however, in favor of ambient drone to explore the concept of obsolescence, both of traditions and, indeed, our whole way of life, on an imagined tour through a museum of collected nostalgia and past times. I struggled a bit with Dialetheia, missing the massive weight and oppressiveness of Mizmor‘s earlier work, and also the catharsis that came with that. Which incarnation of Mizmor are we presented with on Wit’s End?” Mizmor or Mizless?

Misanthur – Ephemeris Review

Misanthur – Ephemeris Review

By Dear Hollow on November 11, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Industrial Metal, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, Shoegaze, 9 comments

“Misanthur was listed as “trance ambient noise” in the cold boundaries of the promo dump and just plain black metal on other sites. Truthfully, both are true. What this Polish duo offers is a hyper-atmospheric breed of black metal with heavy electronic and industrial flourishes, not unlike a blackened version of C R O W N‘s latest, The End of All Things.” Kitchen sink-core.

Conquerors – Stormbringer Review

Conquerors – Stormbringer Review

By Felagund on May 21, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 22 comments

“During my latest sojourn through the tepid waters we writers wade through to scoop up our latest promo, I encountered Stormbringer, the latest from French black metal outfit Conquerors. Confronted with Witch King-esque cover art, a Slayer-inspired logo and the knowledge that this was the band’s third full-length album, I was more than willing to give these Fenriz lookalikes a chance. Curse you, expectations.” No storm, no conquest.

Body Void – Bury Me Beneath this Rotting Earth Review

Body Void – Bury Me Beneath this Rotting Earth Review

By Carcharodon on May 2, 2021 in Reviews, 11 comments

“After recent (and in one case accidental) forays into genres somewhat removed from my traditional hunting grounds – funeral fucking drone and death metal –  I am pleased this week to be back in more familiar waters with some sludgy doom. Vermont two-piece, Body Void return with their third full-length, Bury Me Beneath this Rotting Earth.” Cull and void.

The Funeral Orchestra – Negative Evocation Rights Review

The Funeral Orchestra – Negative Evocation Rights Review

By Carcharodon on July 14, 2020 in Reviews, Funeral Doom, 13 comments

“As just the second full-length from The Funeral Orchestra in 18 years of existence, to say that Negative Evocation Rights has been long in the making feels like a massive understatement. The follow up to 2003’s Feeding the Abyss, and given the band’s nom de plume and the fact that this Swedish trio do actually specialize in an ultra-slow, stripped back form of doom – it should be my opportunity to hold forth, at length, on the funeral doom genre.” Charnel knowledge.

Nattverd – Styggdom Review

Nattverd – Styggdom Review

By Doom_et_Al on February 9, 2020 in 2020, Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Osmose Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 18 comments

“Nostalgia. In times of uncertainty, people seek its warm and motherly embrace: the familiar smells, the sense of safety, the notion that things were ‘better and less complicated’ back then. Artists have been trading off nostalgia for years now, whether it’s dropping the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens or the Pixies reuniting to perform Doolittle, there’s an undeniable comfort in the familiar. Perhaps this is the reason ‘traditional’ sounding black metal appears to be making a comeback of sorts.” Familiar demons.