Long Islanders False Gods emerged in 2015 from the ashes of the well-regarded Skeletondealer! Prior releases include a trio of EP’s: 2016’s Wasteland; 2017’s Reports From Oblivion; and 2019’s The Serpent And The Ladde. Twenty-twenty’s full-length debut No Symmetry…Only Disillusion followed soon after, as did 2022’s Neurotopia and finally a 2023 split with Japan’s Abiuro. Continue reading
For Metal to feel its heaviest, it must also hold with the powerful attack of the guitar, a bleak emotional darkness to it, or it is just guitars beating your ears as fast as they can.
Phobetor has succeeded in finding the sweet spot here with their new album, A Solitary Sigil (Black Jasper Records).
Heavily rooted in the traditional Doom Metal-centered alignment, Athens-based Tèlma has consistently presented melancholic sounds with ceremonial atmospheres. They have been around for roughly eight years and are profoundly inspired by many names across the globe when it comes to musical influences – including Russia’s Scald, Finland’s Reverend Bizarre, and Chile’s Procession – though most listeners probably also can sense some Candlemass-esque hints of references in their sounds.
Ain’t no surprises here.
Belgian miscreants Brutal Sphincter are here for two things: to pen gut-busting Goregrind that is filled with as much viscera as groove, and to inject quite a fair share of tongue-in-cheek humor. Continue reading
Kalamazoo, Michigan is home to Bronson Arm (Blake Bickel – Guitar/Vocals, Garrett Yates – Drums) who are back with a new release a mere year after last year’s self-titled debut. The oddly titled Casket Schwagg (Learning Curve Records) is described as a politically charged album by Bickel despite the band not being politically charged themselves, whether this proves potentially off-putting to some remains to be seen. Continue reading
Polish Death Metal titans Behemoth arrive with a more epic and focused sound on Shit Ov God (Nuclear Blast). Continue reading
Månen ska lysa din väg, the Prosthetic Records debut from Post-Hardcore four-piece Svarta Havet, is a melancholic menagerie of quaint aggression, and being the first release from the Finns on a new label, it’s a damn good first showing.Continue reading
Mark Garrett is a name that metal fans need to quickly become accustomed to, if they haven’t already. Continue reading
Tetramorphe Impure is helmed by Damien from Mortuary Drape, but The Sunset Of Being (Aesthetic Death Records) is not Italian Black Metal, but a brand of Death-Doom leaning more into the Death Metal side of the equation, thanks to the drummer’s fetish for double bass. Continue reading
Since the late seventies, Annie Bandez (known as Little Annie) has carved out a singular path as a singer, painter, and performance artist. Over the years she has collaborated with many luminaries of the Alternative music scene. With (Cold Spring) is a compilation that brings together many of Annie’s key collaborations on one record for the first time.Continue reading