Since their inception in 1999, and across ten albums Japan’s Mono have been an enlightening creative force, one that is never afraid to usher in new textures and layers in to their sound and adopt experimentation. Rarely sitting still in one straightforward sound, Mono have dabbled with a range from greater orchestration to more experimental and ambient aspects, and are a much beloved treasure as a result.Continue reading
Tis the season… for Black Metal! To celebrate, Ghost Cult runs the rule over several of this Winter’s coldest releases… Continue reading
Otherwise known as CEKE for obvious reasons, Ambient art-collective Common Eider, King Eider has been prolific this year, with new album A Wound Of Earth (Cloister Recordings) following its predecessor A Wound Of Body (Cyclic Law / Sentient Ruin Laboratories) by a mere two months. This latest effort houses four tracks of dark, spectral noise that unsettles the mind.Continue reading
For the virginal, when a band’s lineage includes members from Black Metal legends Acherontas and Nåstrond, it’s a fair bet that the new band might follow that bloodline. Not in the case of Shibalba. Stars Al-Med Hum (Agonia Records), the latest issue from this Greek / Swedish hybrid follows their chosen path of ethereal, cosmic Drone and is again partially delivered by instruments of the earth.Continue reading
The incredible productivity of transatlantic duo Ævangelist – six albums and a host of EPs littering its eight-year existence – is matched only by the nerve-shredding nature of the music. The Blackened Death chaos mirrors the evil and pestilence rife in today’s inhumane, technical age, and this is further reflected in latest album Matricide in the Temple of Omega (I, Voidhanger Records).Continue reading
Even amongst a thriving but crowded Tech / Progressive Metal scene, Northampton (UK)’s Voices From The Fuselage have the potential and the quality to stand out. With a label re-release in 2016 and the presence of former TesseracT vocalist Ashe O’Hara at the forefront, their previous album Odyssey: Destroyer Of Worlds provided a benchmark album for UK Progressive Metal with a rich and layered sound combined with towering melodies and near pop sensibilities, showing them to have real crossover appeal.Continue reading
So here’s me expecting The Mon to be a product of a maniacal Scottish ego. Imagine my surprise to find that it’s an alter-ego of Urlo, bassist and vocalist of Italian heavyweights Ufomammut: and, far from that trio’s cosmic crescendo, Doppelleben (Shadow Kingdom Records) is far more introspective and pared back.Continue reading
Even for lovers of the Doom genre such as myself, it’s never a bad thing when a new variant on the strain comes along. Step forward Vouna, a Washington state-based project, whose synth-heavy take on the Funeral sound adds lush, frosted textures to a bleak atmosphere.Continue reading
You Won’t Get What You Want (Ipecac) sees the welcome return of Rhode Island creatives Daughters: this being their first album since their 2013 reformation, and fourth in all. The band’s affinity for complex noise is undiminished yet has refined with age and experience.Continue reading
Several years ago I reviewed a local gig containing a set by Manchester-based post-Hardcore band Knifecrimes, and enjoyed a chat with their fresh-faced East Anglian guitarist. These days Joe Clayton still classes Manchester as home but is now a sought-after producer and mastermind of the multi-faceted, enigmatic Pijn, whose first album proper Loss (Holy Roar) is a pulsing ball of creativity.Continue reading