Amongst the packed djent arena, Danish troupe Ghost Iris has always been a strong and reliable act that have never quite managed to step up to the heady heights of the scenes leading lights, such as Monuments. In the face of a fast-moving scene, how can Ghost Iris now adapt? To use a wrestling metaphor, latest album Apple Of Discord (Long Branch Records) is the plucky and ever decent mid-carder suddenly about to make the main event push.Continue reading
Whilst the UK hasn’t always been recognised as a hotbed for Black Metal bar the occasional, exceptional case; recent times suggest the burgeoning of a rich scene in the underground; from the likes of A Forest Of Stars getting wide plaudits to the new breed which includes Wode, Underdark and Dawn Ray’d flying the flag. Also throwing their hat into the ring, Nottingham up-and-comers Antre offer a somewhat esoteric and widely influenced strain of the genre with a full-length debut that not only personifies the depth the genre has to offer but also puts them as a prime force in the UK’s scene.Continue reading
The relationship between Metal, heavy music and other genres has always been an intriguing and often intertwining one, where artists seem to fall under our umbrella without sharing obvious similar qualities. Case in point is that of Hexvessel, who despite an ever-changing output and a folky base to their sound, have intrinsic links to their native Black Metal scene that has hardly ever even encroached into the territory of distorted guitars.Continue reading
Tonight is a busy day for Metal in the Capital, with the dreaded evening of multiple gig clashes, within a few stops of the Northern Line alone. One stop down from tonight’s proceedings in Tufnell Park sees the Cerberus-like bill of Behemoth, At The Gates and Wolves In The Throne Room, whilst Camden Town sees Toundra for those seeking something more mellow, and Obscura for some who, well, aren’t. This goes someway to explaining why The Dome looks tonight to be, at best, around half capacity for much of the night. Not that this seems to dampen anyone’s mood, as all night the crowd are on fine form, showing the bands plenty of love and movement as well as respect to one another. Continue reading
For all the directions and manner of subject matter that Metal music conveys, for a record to be purely joyous and sincerely uplifting, not simply fun or adrenaline pumping, is a rarity. It is this feeling that Boston, Massachusetts’ own Astronoid tap in to. Their debut effort Air came from out of nowhere and made waves in some circles, whilst criminally going unnoticed by many others, with a sound entirely of their own. Where Air was an excellent and unique debut, their self-titled (both Blood Music) follow-up is Astronoid refining and fully realising who they are.Continue reading
If there is one thing that recent Progressive Rock acts have done, it is once and for all putting to bed the notion of the genre being predominantly style over substance, with a reliance on over-playing as opposed to having heart. A completely unfair assessment from day one of course; even just a cursory listen to the contemporary Prog Rock leaders such as Riverside, Steven Wilson, and The Pineapple Thief shows both an unwavering sense of emotion and a balance of challenging yet accessible song structuring.Continue reading
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
Whilst the initial blaze of the Djent movement may have extinguished, it is clear today that the embers are still burning. The likes of TesseracT, Skyharbor and Uneven Structure may have distanced themselves somewhat from that original sound but are still strong and creative forces, whilst the likes of Monuments are still embracing that core style and firmly delivering.Continue reading
It is pretty commonplace for the draw of music, especially heavy or extreme music, to be an integral part of the relationship that we have with hardship and the difficulties of life and of mental health. We more than likely have been through or know someone who has been through utter lows of mental health and perhaps have even considered or attempted suicide.Continue reading
Despite a heavy music scene that is abundant in talent, not many of India’s Metal bands have appeared on the radar outside of their native country. Aside from the likes of Demonic Resurrection especially, Bhayanak Maut and (although more an international band) Skyharbor, India’s Metal scene is still a hidden entity to many on the outside. With a formidable live presence and with an exciting debut full length in Miasma (self-released), if there is any justice, Mathcore mentalists Orchid should be poised to be the scene’s next breakout.Continue reading