Winter

Antichrist – Pax Moriendi Review

By Mark Z. on March 15, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 49 comments

“I’ve often wondered about the importance of a band’s name. Would Death be as big, or produced the same groundbreaking music, if they’d named themselves Erotic Diarrhea Monster? Would Kreator have become the thrash legends they did if they instead called themselves Pee Wee’s Scrotal Shitstorm? The world may never know, but it certainly seems having a more common and accessible name puts pressure on a band to produce better music. Case in point: Antichrist, a Peruvian quartet originally formed in 2004 and later reactivated in 2012.” The Devil is in the details.

Fen – Winter Review

By Madam X on March 13, 2017 in 2017, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Code666 Records, Doom Metal, English Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Post-Metal, 34 comments

“Judging by the hype I’m picking up over this, Fen’s newest release, that’s probably as much as I need to tell you about the London-based band. Punxsutawney Phil caught a glimpse of his shadow and foresaw more winter on its way, looks like he wasn’t wrong after all!” Winter is long.

Oceans of Slumber – Winter Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 7, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Century Media, Death Metal, Hard Rock, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 84 comments

Oceans of Slumber is walking a very unique path. A combination of melodic death, doom and black metal influenced by the Century Black roster from about 1998, Winter blends that with a sadboy metal and alternative rock base. The album is beautiful, mysterious, and oddly chaotic. It’s also really good.

Apostate – Time of Terror Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on March 3, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Ukrainian Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 21 comments

“Apostate are one of the Ukraine’s oldest doom bands, but have only released one full-length prior to Time of Terror. Forming in 1993, they suffered a series of splits before eventually reforming this millennium to release 2010’s Trapped in a Sleep.” Old band, new lineup, no producer?

Heavydeath – Eternal Sleepwalker Review

By Mark Z. on March 2, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Svart Records, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 11 comments

“Today’s metal underground is more complex than ever. The Internet has opened up every time period and obscure scene for both exploration and exploitation, resulting in genres and subgenres spliced apart, hybridized, fused with non-metal elements, and shat out in an accelerating vortex of name-your-price Bandcamp zip files and ostensibly enthusiastic blog posts that seem to proclaim every half-assed side project as the best thing since Black Sabbath.” Why, we’d never!

Obituary – Inked In Blood Review

By Madam X on October 26, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Death Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Death Metal, 26 comments

“Way back when Obituary were big, they delivered the kind of ripping death metal that rivaled Florida peers Malevolent Creation, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Deicide. To say that they once peeled the skin from your face is no understatement… think back to the pungent stench of Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death. It was them along with Winter that first incorporated the Celtic Frost dirge element into death metal, and when combined with John Tardy’s lunatic vocals left you wondering whether music could get any heavier.” The old boys are back to kill once again, but are the tools still sharp enough?

Incantation – Dirges of Elysium Review

By Steel Druhm on June 21, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Death Metal, Listenable Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 14 comments

“Wow, another accessible Incantation album. As you remove your jaw from your keyboard, let me make clear, the use of the word “accessible” in the same sentence as Incantation does not denote any sell out or radical style shift. Instead, these long running murk merchants continued what they started on 2012s Vanquish in Vengeance and eased back on the dismal sludge.” Folks, this is where the slime live.

Hail of Bullets – III The Rommel Chronicles Review

By Steel Druhm on October 19, 2013 in 2013, Death Metal, Dutch Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Death Metal, 8 comments

“While the mighty Bolt Thrower lies in their house at R’lyeh, dead but dreaming, Dutch super group Hail of Bullets have become the undisputed champions of war-themed death metal. Featuring the likes of Ed Warby (The 11th Hour, Demiurg) and the immortal Martin van Drunen (Asphyx, ex-Pestilence, ex-Bolt Thrower), these grizzled veterans have made a name for themselves by adopting a winning Bolt Thrower meets Asphyx meets more Bolt Thrower schtik and they’ve churned out some truly tank-busting, old school death over their short but nasty career. Their albums always feature a fantastic mix of classic death grooves and monstrously oppressive doom riffs (especially on On Divine Winds) and they remind me of long forgotten Winter and the dirgey glory of vintage Celtic Frost and Hellhammer. III The Rommel Chronicles doesn’t upset the ammunition cart and the band delivers another broootal, throwback album with little in the way of finesse.” Old school death metal about war and battle. That shit just sells itself, don’t it? Yes it does!

Secrets of the Moon – Seven Bells Review

By Steel Druhm on April 2, 2012 in 2012, 3.0, Black Metal, German Metal, Prophecy Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 11 comments

Both AMG and myself have been pretty hard on black metal over the past year or so, and we’ve both felt burned out on the style at times. I’ve chided the scene for its lack of innovation and bitched like a school girl about the overuse of cheesy symphonics.