Self-Releases

Neurectomy – Overwrought Review

By Felagund on February 4, 2024 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 53 comments

“I just couldn’t turn down an album by a band called Neurectomy. I’ve heard of a lot of medical procedures in my day, but I wasn’t as familiar with the process by which a nerve is severed or removed to reduce pain, never to grow back again. With a new “ectomy” added to my growing surgical lexicon, I was still apprehensive. But while tech death can certainly be hit or miss (with the misses often being tedious, forgettable affairs), I was far too interested in the band name and the album art to let something as silly as past experience impact my decision-making.” Nerves of steel.

Knoll – As Spoken Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on February 1, 2024 in Reviews, 39 comments

“I got a chance to see Knoll live in 2022 shortly after the manic Metempiric dropped. All in all, only twenty people scattered about my favorite hometown venue—a homely bar with a solid stage attached to a bowling alley. This ragtag group of kids who looked to be no older than high school graduates gave the performance of a lifetime—gut-churning rhythms, sudden breakaways from ripping guitar phrases to crying trumpet blares, a vocalist whose life depended on the successful bleeding of the audience’s ears. Knoll represents the ideal of youthful ambition. As Spoken is the result.” Young horrors.

Abyssius – Abyssius Review

By Thus Spoke on January 26, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 43 comments

“First things first, that artwork: a hulking antediluvian fish bearing down with spread fins and tangled tentacles on the tiny figure illuminated in the depths. If that doesn’t indicate musical magnitude I don’t know what does. Abyssius, on their debut, self-titled LP, explore the concept of one overcoming the confrontational nature of life’s meaninglessness—just as that behemoth looms, so does the bleak and hollow void.” Fish and nothingness.

Cult Burial – Reverie of the Malignant Review

By Thus Spoke on October 19, 2023 in Reviews, 8 comments

“You might not be aware of them, but Cult Burial generated a bit of a ripple in the metal underground with their self-titled debut back in 2020. Garnering top scores from whosoever covered it, the album’s blend of black, death, and doom did possess a certain je ne sais quoi in its moody but somewhat raw approach. It was not covered here, however, and as you know, thou shalt hath no other blogs. So it falls to me, and follow-up Reverie of the Malignant, to determine the mettle of these UK upstarts. Is the music worth the noise?” Cultic buzz.

Biledriver – Let the Sun Swallow All Review

By Thus Spoke on October 10, 2023 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge, 7 comments

“It was hard to know what to expect from Let the Sun Swallow All. Biledriver’s Bandcamp page states that they “play a variety of metal, the genre of which we are eternally uncertain.” While broadly categorizable as a mixture of sludge and post-metal, the band’s confession is fairly accurate. Even the cover art is obtusely abstract (though rather nice). This is their debut, and sees the geographically disparate members—spanning Canada, the US, the UK, and Sweden—combine forces in a sometimes savage, sometimes somber series of sounds.” Rank and Bile.

A Dark Halo – Omnibus One Review

By Itchymenace on July 23, 2023 in Reviews, Electronic Metal, Nu Metal, 38 comments

“What is cyber metal? That’s the question that I got stuck on as I was snorkeling through the dregs of the promo bin and came across A Dark Halo’s sophomore album, Omnibus One. I had never heard of this band (billed as cyber metal) before but maybe they were all robots or some sick shit like that. A quick scan of the liner notes further whetted my curiosity with mention of “a fierce display of ludicrously heavy guitars.” Since I love anything that’s ludicrous and I love heavy guitar, it seemed like I had found a golden nugget in a sea of turds.” Cyber warriors.

Death of Giants – Ventesorg Review

By Thus Spoke on May 15, 2023 in Reviews, 29 comments

“Grief is both intensely personal, and a commonality between us all. This admixture of the private and the relatable can make music through which it is channeled incredibly powerful. In a genre like doom, already associated with the melancholy and the morose, these emotions fit naturally and reinforce both the sense of sadness and the potency of the music itself. The recent output of Swallow the Sun initially springs to mind. Death of Giants is another such act.” Giant feelz.

Indefensible Positions: Dear Hollow Defends Controversy

By Dear Hollow on April 29, 2023 in Blog Posts, Indefensible Positions, 54 comments

“God probably hates me. The Big Man Himself, the Most High, was like, “wow Dear Hollow, look at all those shitty albums you 4.0ed last year. Eat shit, loser.” And *record scratch* here we are. I guess we all got tired of actually good albums, so I’ve been blessed with an incurably bad taste this year – yeah I know, worse than usual. So take this post with a grain of salt, and maybe try a few of these buttery, greasy morsels. Or don’t, and trash my bad taste like popcorn in a darkened movie theater for me to clean up later.” Defending the indefensible. Again.

Black Oak – Egolution Review

By Maddog on April 25, 2023 in Reviews, Hardcore, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 20 comments

“Egolution was a tough nut to crack. I picked up the debut from Sweden’s Black Oak based on the promo’s bold namedrops of Cult of Luna, ISIS, and Palms. When I started listening, I expected standard sludgy post-metal. I was wrong. Fifty-three minutes later, my head spinning with variants of “what the hell did I just listen to,” I panicked. Black Oak’s restless blend of post-rock and hardcore with electronic influences, prog, classical flourishes, and more left me confused.” Let go my Ego.

Dirge – Dirge Review

By Dear Hollow on March 19, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 22 comments

“Apparently, I’m the only one ’round these parts who gets excited to see the band Dirge in the same sentence as “post-metal.” I’m like, “they’re back, baby!” and I lose my goddamn mind. The French masterminds of such classics as Elysian Magnetic Fields and Wings of Lead Over Dormant Seas were a force to be reckoned with, but then I realize: this is the other Dirge, the one from India.” International doom.