Category Archives: Reviews

Ufomammut – 8

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While many bands and artists spend their careers within boundaries of a genre, some others like to tread between boundaries and make their own mark. Italian psychedelic doom group, Ufomammut have and continue to do so with their latest album, 8 (Neurot). Forty-five minutes of mind-melting fuzzy bass and guitar riffs over spacey synth is sure to warp your brain. Also to note, the marketing of naming this album 8 while there are exactly eight tracks on the album is simple, yet gratifying.Continue reading →


Vulture Industries – Stranger Times

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Treading a different path to many of the bands playing their part in Norway’s Black Metal scene, Bergen’s Vulture Industries (known previously as Dead Rose Garden) have produced their own particular, peculiar brand of Avant-garde/Progressive/post-Black Metal since 2003. Continue reading →


Satyricon – Deep Calleth Upon Deep

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Twenty-four years since “Satyr” Wongraven and “Frost” Haraldstad came together in unholy musical matrimony, the core that makes up Satyricon have unveiled their ninth full-length album, Deep Calleth Upon Deep (Napalm). For the handful of uninitiated amongst thee, this was a band that initially set out refining folk-tinged Black Metal, before creating, defining and killing Urban Black Metal in one fell swoop (only Admiron Black – also Moonfog – by Gehenna came close) with the meisterstück and game-changing Rebel Extravaganza (Moonfog). Always one of the genre leaders, both in terms of quality and innovation, their boldness was rewarded with a profile turbo-boost courtesy of Pantera taking them out as main support.Continue reading →


King Parrot – Ugly Produce

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Not that I’ve ever thought about this musical cocktail, but what would happen if you took Slayer, Napalm Death and added a dash of Burnt By The Sun and strained into a Collins glass? The result and subsequent hangover could be downright frightening or approximate what Australia’s King Parrot have produced on Ugly Produce (Housecore Records). If that description borders on hyperbole for you, fuck off for questioning me, and I politely urge you to spare a half an hour and listen. Continue reading →


Cradle Of Filth – Cryptoriana, The Seductiveness Of Decay

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The world of Extreme Metal (at least in the UK) experiences a strange phenomena whenever Cradle of Filth prepare to release a new album. Thousands of inexplicably angry internet voices all join in unison with pre-prepared mantras of, “just another watered down Cradle album”, “they’ve been shit since Principle/Dusk/Cruelty/Midian” (delete as applicable), and “Dani sounds fucking terrible these days”. Sometimes after only hearing one song, or on occasion, none at all.Continue reading →


Chelsea Wolfe- Hiss Spun

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Ever since first emerging from experimental, neo-folk roots, singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe has amassed a strong and ever-expanding cult following amongst the metal and avant-garde communities, and is increasingly becoming a more household name without trading in on such dynamic qualities nor dark and brooding atmospherics. Previous album Abyss (Sargent House) was a greater departure than much of her catalogue at that point with a much more prominent metallic backbone, invoking the likes of black metal, industrial and noise rock amongst a hotbed of styles. Her latest album Hiss Spun (Sargent House) sees further stylistic changes, yet remains closer to Abyss sonically, sees her further moving away from her folk routes, and offers her heaviest, nauseating and at times visceral effort to date.Continue reading →


Helpless – Debt

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Running at around the 22-minute mark you’d be forgiven for thinking that Debt by Helpless (Holy Roar) would be somewhat light on the ground. You’d be wrong, what’s on offer is in fact incredibly densely packed and utterly intense assault on the senses. From opening track ‘Worth’ until the last track ‘Denied Sale’ there is one of the rawest and intense musical experiences I’ve heard in a long while. Simply put if this album was any longer it could be legitimately dangerous. Continue reading →


Sons of Texas – Forged by Fortitude

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Melding differing types of rock and metal together are American metalheads Sons of Texas. Formed in 2013 from, as their name suggests, the lone star state SOT are vocalist Mark Morales, drummer Mike Villareal, bassist Nick Villareal, and on guitar Jon Olivarez and Jes De Hoyos. Their new album Forged by Fortitude, coming two years after their début Baptized in the Rio Grande (both Razor & Tie/Spinefarm), is a continuation of their radio-friendly hybrid of rock and metal. Continue reading →


The Contortionist – Clairvoyant

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The transformation The Contortionist have undertaken since their inception has been quite simply staggering. From their heavier but still progressive-nuanced Deathcore-like début album Exoplanet (Good Fight), they evolved and changed (considerable line-up changes aside) into a much more melodic, post-rock and even jazz influenced outfit by the time of 2014’s Language only two albums later. Venturing even further down the rabbit hole, latest album Clairvoyant (both eOne) branches even further from their early Tech Metal roots, thus showing even further expansion and breaking of limits.Continue reading →