Dark folk is an all-around enthralling genre with a wide range of well-known names, from Vàli to Ulvesang, but recently, what especially has been catching my attention is the new release from Xasthur – namely Disharmonic Variations, out via Lupus Lounge. Specializing in Black Metal and avant-garde releases, the label has worked with various names of note, including Nachtmystium and Austere.Continue reading
Don’t call it a comeback.
After dispatching a certain troublesome vocalist, South African Deathcore titans Vulvodynia did the only thing they know how: returned with Entabeni (Unique Leader Records), a rapturous, bites-your-head-off full-length that only furthers the outfit’s comfortable position atop the genre.Continue reading
Despite signing with a big-name label, it’s extremely refreshing to find out that hardcore-influenced death metallers 200 Stab Wounds have retained everything that makes their sound great: pounding, catchy riffs; a rancid atmosphere; and thrashy guitar fills when necessary.Continue reading
Slugcrust embody everything – and I mean everything – that makes grindcore the most intense, most unique and most captivating subgenre in the entire scene. Having released a pair of EPs and the hellacious slab that was Ecocide (number 10 on my album of the year list) in 2022, the South Carolina-based maniacs have blessed us all with another EP.Continue reading
Sincerity is difficult to fake – ask any politician in the build-up to an election – yet post-rock Manchester collective Pijn (pronounced “pine”) keep it real on their powerful, atmospheric, heartfelt new album, From Low Beams Of Hope (Floodlit Recordings).Continue reading
Eschewing entirely the notions of guitars and bass, two-piece Industrial / Electronica / call-it-what-you’d-like outfit Bangladeafy take a less-is-more approach for sixth full-length, Vulture (Nefarious Industries), with a (pleasingly) heavy emphasis on blending songs into the next, cementing that this record should be listened to the old-school way.Continue reading
Virginia’s very own Construct Of Lethe has released three full-length albums to this day, with A Kindness Dealt In Venom being the most recent, out via Transcending Obscurity Records. The Death Metal unit seems to be fond of incorporating the lyrical themes of chaotic psychological terror into their songs, but on this album they managed to encompass an even more wider range of emotions, from suicidal depression, self-hatred and existential void. Continue reading
Like many sub-genres, Progressive Rock has seen a stylistic ebb and flow, with a few strong bands rising to set the tone that inspired those who followed in their wake.
As Metal veterans, The Ghost Next Door takes you back to prog’s high water mark in the mid-nineties when bands like Tool and Faith No More rose to prominence and broke boundaries. On Classic Songs of Death And Dismemberment (Ripple Records), they create a moody blend of post-grunge-tinged Rock that puts the lyrics front and center. At the heart of the songs are social observations and commentaries on the state of the world. Continue reading
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
There is something about the Sepultura sound which has rightfully allowed it to stand the test of time. It could be the bombastically frantic stringwork which has the capacity to power some cities. It could also be the cavernous, cacophonous screams and shouts. The drums never disappoint, and the production is mischievous yet meticulously guided.Continue reading