Alcest began as a solo Black Metal project for French musician Neige at the turn of the millennium, and have since forged themselves a fine reputation as one of the pioneering bands of the Blackgaze sound. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Abstrakt_Soul
ALBUM REVIEW: Bossk – .4
When you think of British Post-Metal, Bossk are almost certainly one the first bands that spring to mind. A truly remarkable outfit that undoubtedly take influence from the likes of Isis, while they also often groove musically in the style of many of the great Stoner bands of the nineties. Named after an alien from Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back, the Kent-based collective have been plugging away since 2005, when early EPs and a strong reputation as a live band saw them tour with the likes of Cult Of Luna, The Ocean, Baroness and Devil Sold His Soul. While their studio output really came into its own with the release of their fine debut LP Audio Noir in 2016, before following this up with the equally as classy Migration in 2021.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: BIG|BRAVE – A Chaos Of Flowers
Hot on the heels of 2023’s excellent Nature Morte, experimental doomgazers BIG|BRAVE release their sixth full-length record, A Chaos Of Flowers (Thrill Jockey Records). Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Iron Monkey – Spleen and Goad
Iron Monkey were one of the OGs from the UK underground Sludge Metal scene back in the mid-late nineties and had a run that included the reissue of their self-titled debut album (1997), and their follow-up Our Problem (1998) – on the mighty Earache Records. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Olhava – Sacrifice
Two years after Russian post-Black Metal duo Olhava released Reborn, they return with Sacrifice (Avantgarde Music), their sixth full-length record which is no mean feat considering their self-titled debut only arrived in 2019.
So the word “prolific” might be somewhat of an understatement, as would the words “Long-Player” – as Sacrifice comes in at a whopping eighty-six minutes, quite the run time considering it features just four fully fledged tracks, and four synth/drone interludes. Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Alluvial – Death Is But A Door
Atlanta-based Alluvial hit the scene running in 2017 with their independently released full-length debut The Deep Longing For Annihilation, a wholly instrumental Death Metal record which caught the ears of the mighty Nuclear Blast Records, who subsequently snapped them up for their follow up Sarcoma in 2021. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Children of Bodom – A Chapter Called Children of Bodom (Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019)
On December 15, 2019, Children of Bodom played their final show in the Helsinki Ice Hall. A fitting venue for the Finnish band who had been plying their trade of Melodic Death Metal with a distinct influence of Classic Hard Rock for over twenty years.
ALBUM REVIEW: Paradise Lost – Icon 30
Named after the epic 17th-century biblical poem by John Milton, Paradise Lost are without a doubt one of the real success stories of British Heavy Metal. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Underdark – Managed Decline
With their second full-length record Managed Decline (Church Road Records), Underdark really have pushed the boundaries of the broader post-Black Metal sound by incorporating many different styles and influences, while also lyrically creating somewhat of a concept album that champions the working class in much the same way as Ashenspire’s 2022 album, Hostile Architecture.
EP REVIEW: Spiritbox – The Fear Of Fear
Spiritbox have seemingly been effortlessly surfing the a crest of a wave since their debut album Eternal Blue blew up back in 2021, and have enjoyed a whirlwind couple of years since hitting millions of streams and views on Spotify and YouTube, while playing some huge festival shows and hitting the road with the likes of Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Ghost and Bring Me The Horizon. Continue reading