Portal

Venomous Skeleton – Drowning in Circles Review

By Dear Hollow on April 26, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Technical Death Metal, 11 comments

“Having been raised in church, I found my religious experience carried over into my vast expeditions into metal’s colorful multiverse: I find myself reaching more and more for the stuff that incorporates a unique tone of reverence, a sound of standing beneath the colossal or infinite. For bands like Batushka, Ancient Moon, and Behemoth, this liturgical and hieratic atmosphere is proposed through its ritualistic songwriting and uses of common religious musical elements (Gregorian chants, choirs, etc.) contrasting with blasphemy’s twisted dagger in an aural representation of madness. Sonne Adam’s death/doom solo LP Transformation did this for me.” Worship music.

Loviatar – Lightless Review

By Kenstrosity on March 31, 2020 in 2020, Canadian Metal, Doom Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, 34 comments

“What makes a great doom record? Adequate levels of sadness, helplessness, or loss expressed in a desperate croon? Perhaps doom is defined by plodding tempos and debilitating riffs? Could it simply be a quality of emptiness that pervades every moment of the music, regardless of the superficial qualities inherent to the sound? I honestly couldn’t tell you. All I know is that when a doom metal band brings its A-game, boy howdy does it wreck my shit sideways, backwards and diagonally. Enter Canadian quartet Loviatar, whose sophomore full-length Lightless wrecks my shit sideways, backwards and diagonally.” Stuff is getting wrecked here.

Saltas – Mors Salis: Opus I Review

By Dear Hollow on March 16, 2020 in 2020, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, Nuclear War Now! Productions, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 10 comments

“In spite of listening to this stuff for the better part of my life now, I still realize how much I don’t know about so many sub-sub-subgenres, such as doom’s vast array. While I delved into the melodic death flavors of Saturnus, Swallow the Sun, and Novembers Doom, I let the cavernous stuff pass me by. It all comes full circle, when Swedish duo Saltas punishes me with a lethal dose of suffocatingly dense doom to whom comparisons are sparse.” Saltas the earth.

Hwwauoch – Into the Labyrinth of Consciousness [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By Dear Hollow on December 18, 2019 in 2019, Ambient, Amor Fati Productions, Black Metal, Drone, International Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 34 comments

“I’m beginning to see a trend as 2019 draws to a close: I like me some weird-ass black metal. And, boy howdy, has 2019 has been a weird-ass year for it. Prolifically, having released a new album from each of its equally weird-ass projects by means of several record labels, the Prava Kollektiv has released quality atmospheric black metal en masse: the frostbitten cosmic stylings of stalwart Arkhtinn, the dark ambient maws of the appropriately named Voidsphere, the eerie and empty musings of Mahr, and the hellish and malevolent tones of newcomer Pharmakeia. But the subject of today’s tragically overlooked album is the latest thing your cat typed walking across the keyboard: Hwwauoch.” Say again?

Ignivomous – Hieroglossia Review

By Dear Hollow on November 29, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Nuclear War Now! Productions, Reviews, Death Metal, 13 comments

“I hate being sick. I recently recovered from a cold that I received from my year-old nephew that me and the Mrs. Hollow kept passing back and forth to each other ad nauseam. If a cold can be that frustrating, puking is even worse—breaking out in cold sweats and chills while worrying about keeping any form of nutrition down is truly frustrating because nothing seems to make one feel better. It’s probably even worse vomiting fire, which apparently is something Australian death metal group Ignivomous has on their mind because that’s what their name means. Must hurt.” Burning throats and ears.

Warforged – I, Voice Review

By Kenstrosity on May 8, 2019 in Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 25 comments

“The Artisan Era has been on a decent roll lately, releasing good to great albums left and right for just over a year. Warforged seemed like a bit of an odd duck for the label though. The Chicagoan five-piece of progressive blackened death metal don’t really fit the tech-death-heavy mold The Artisan Era have curated for themselves. It was this fact that initially drew me to I, Voice.” War by another name.

Ceremony of Silence – Outis Review

By Ferrous Beuller on April 16, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Slovak Metal, Technical Death Metal, Willowtip, Technical Death Metal, 90 comments

“I’ve always considered myself very fortunate in my taste in metal. Mostly because I’m eclectic enough that I don’t easily bore. I can while away many an hour poring over platters of traditional and retro fare. On the other hand, conceptually opaque music has always fascinated me because it represents an opportunity to learn. Slovakia’s Ceremony of Silence know a little something about the esoteric and are more than willing to share their expertise on debut Oútis.” Learning through brutality.

Altarage – The Approaching Roar Review

By Kronos on January 25, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist Underground Activists, Spanish Metal, Death Metal, 142 comments

“In their first two albums, Altarage began a career—and a successful one at that—by walking just a few steps behind Portal. Sure, Portal’s most avant-garde ideas never made it into Nihl or Endinghent, but the Australians’ influence on Altarage has always been as clear as either band’s music was murky.” Now THIS is Portal racing!

Grymm’s and Kronos’ Top Ten of 2018

By Steel Druhm on December 23, 2018 in 2018, Blog Posts, 137 comments

Grymm and Kronos have been a this metal review thing a long, long time. Therefore, their Top Ten lists should be considered essential reading. Read and learn.

To End It All – Scourge of Woman Review

By Lokasenna on October 5, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Avante Garde, Noise, Non-Metal Metal Things, Reviews, Scry Recordings, Noise, Non-metal Metal Things, 87 comments

“To End It All’s debut, Scourge of Woman, is a monument to noise, anguish and righteous, burning rage; abrasive and chaotic, yet subtle and restrained, defiantly refusing to coddle the listener.” Noise and art.