For those unaware, there has been a resurgence in metal when it comes to unsettling, haunting noise and eerie, sonically paralyzing sound.
Tag Archives: atmospheric
EP REVIEW: Wolves In The Throne Room – Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge
A mere two years removed from the fifty-minute colossus that is Primordial Arcana, Wolves In The Throne Room have undertaken a full 180 with Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge (Relapse Records). The four-track extended play is spearheaded by “Beholden To Clan”, and is supplemented by three instrumental-dominant tracks.
ALBUM REVIEW: Mairu – Sol Cultus
There’s gotta be a start to every trajectory of a soul-crushing sonic chronicle. The Liverpool-based post-sludge metal overlords Mairu had just started embarking on their subliminal journey through their debut LP entitled Sol Cultus (Trepanation Recordings).
ALBUM REVIEW: Gateway – Galgeendod
Distortion and volume alone do not equate to heavy. Heaviness is the feeling these sounds invoke. Sonic alchemy can be oppressive, horrifying, depressing, creepy or somehow unsettling; Gateway finds themselves touching on all of these feelings on their new album Galgeendood (Transcending Obscurity Records). Belgium is not at the top of my list when it comes to places I might expect this kind of subterranean death doom to emerge from, but here we are. This album is the follow-up to Robert Van Oyen’s 2015 debut, under the Gateway moniker.Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: Rotting Christ – Carach Angren – Uada – Gaerea at Gramercy Theater
Not to keep fans waiting long after their “Devastation on the Nation” tour last summer (in which they rocked Saint Vitus Bar with a doubleheader), Rotting Christ made their NYC return.
ALBUM REVIEW: Foretoken – Triumphs
In late 2020, Foretoken warned the entire world of one thing: the Virginia Beach-based duo is on a mission to completely shake up the status quo. Three years later, Triumphs (Prosthetic Records) is proof positive the mission is so far a smashing success.
ALBUM REVIEW: Katatonia – Sky Void Of Stars – Napalm Records
It is an often overlooked but undeniable fact that up to the present day, Katatonia is on a phenomenal creative run; arguably one of the best in Metal music, in general. Since 2006’s The Great Cold Distance (and arguably even before this), Katatonia have been consistently put out near classics up to 2016’s excellent The Fall Of Hearts, with even 2020’s hiatus ending City Burials (all Peaceville) standing shoulder to shoulder with such works. Firmly returned from a brief absence, 2023 sees the band’s second album since this return, on a new label home for the first time in their career.
ALBUM REVIEW: Constellatia – Magisterial Romance
A core facet of the human experience is that of compelling, powerful emotions. About how within our busy lives, halting for a moment can bring with it overwhelming feelings; positive or negative, and perhaps even ultimately unexpected. How such moments can highlight your headspace more than you even realised until you have that reprieve? It is this mindset that South Africa’s Constellatia are perfectly suited to with the latest release Magisterial Romance (Season of Mist) serving a worthy soundtrack to a reflective pause.
EP REVIEW: Irist – Gloria
Nuclear Blast Records have been on somewhat of a roll recently, releasing big new albums from the likes of Machine Head, Soulfly, and Behemoth in recent weeks. But one of their lesser-known bands Irist certainly deserve some attention, and their new EP Gloria (Nuclear Blast) is the first new music they’ve released since their debut album Order Of The Mind arrived in 2020.
ALBUM REVIEW: Crippled Black Pheonix – Benefyre
Banefyre (Season of Mist) is the twelfth album from Crippled Black Phoenix, the category-defying collective centred around Justin Greaves, a former doom metal drummer (for bands such as Electric Wizard and Iron Monkey) turned multi-instrumentalist songwriter. The current studio lineup of the band has Greaves joined by longstanding vocalist Belinda Kordic, plus more recent recruits Helen Stanley (keys, synths, trumpet), Andy Taylor (guitars), and new second vocalist and third guitarist Joel Segerstedt.