Leila Abdul-Rauf is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer who has been part of various bands (Vastum, Hammers of Misfortune, Saros, Amber Asylum) since the 1990s. Calls From a Seething Edge (Cyclic Law Music / Syrup Moose Records) is her fifth solo album.Continue reading
Hailing from Rome and with a name inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem Raven is Kingcrow, after a six-year gap between albums they are back with Hopium (Season of Mist). Theirs is an emotive brand of Prog Rock but the Metal of the previous album The Persistence, has been dialled down with atmospheric, ambient, Electronic, and Alt Rock elements playing a larger part. Continue reading
Locrian made three New England stops on their current tour making The Alchemy in Providence, RI the first up on the list with support from the Cleveland-based composer High Aura’d and A Monolithic Dome featuring members of Elizabeth Colour Wheel of Boston. I went into the show kind of blind since I had only been asked to review it maybe 48 hours previous and had no previous knowledge of either of the supporting bands.Continue reading
In a world where you can never keep on top of everything being released, we can be pretty confident that there isn’t anything else in 2024 quite like Malconfort and the band’s debut, Humanism (Transcending Obscurity Records).Continue reading
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
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
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
Long-running Prog Metal legends Return To Earth have released their new EP, Octavius, via Nashville record label Bald Freak Music. Against their type, Octavius is an ambient electronic music album made only with synthesizers and owing to their love of composers and movie soundtracks. The band released their debut album Captains of Industry in 2007 via Metal Blade Records, and a series of independent releases over the years. Octavius is produced The band features Ron Scalzo, former drummer for Coheed and Cambira, and The Dillinger Escape Plan – Chris Pennie, and Brett Aveni. Buy and stream the record below.Continue reading
As one half of the infamous Funeral Doom Metal band Bell Witch, Dylan Desmond is a musician renowned for powerful and contemplative soundscapes and is no stranger for emotive music. Following from the band’s Patreon launch a couple of years ago, Desmond has since been prominently experimenting with Ambient, synth-led music in part made to accompany segments of films (as anyone who has seen Bell Witch live will attest to their use of visual artistry in their performances). A further result of this is this solo output Je Est Un Autre, with a moniker taken from quotes of surrealist poet Arthur Rimbaud which, unsurprisingly, is a deep thought-provoking piece. Continue reading
It’s said that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes, but thanks to the anonymous Parisian duo of Void & Moon, we might soon want to add a third item. Abandonne (Self-Released), the duo’s second album as Hiverlucide, continues the pair’s run (whether as Hiverlucide, Non Serviam or Biollante) of having a new release every few months that’ll defy whatever expectations you might have. Continue reading