I guess Deathkings really missed us since the release of 2016’s All That is Beautiful and decided to do something really nice about it. Being the sweethearts that they are this Los Angeles collective have gifted us a little something in the form a new EP, Ex Nihilo (self-released). And while it’s only two tracks on the shorter end of the spectrum (compared to the usual Sludge/Doom fare) it’s a potent and deadly reminder of what Deathkings is capable of.Continue reading
Instrumental and/or Progressive Metal are incredibly tricky beasts to pull off well. Aside from the obvious chops required to make music without vocals that retain attention and engages in its own right, but to pull it off with showing heart and emotion too is an entirely different matter. Formed in 2015 by three prominent UK-based, virtuoso musicians, Toska turned heads with their debut EP Ode To The Author, and based on the technical prowess on this new full-length Fire By The Silos (both self-released), and it is easy to see why.Continue reading
In their time away from the music scene, life has been busy for Taiwanese act Chthonic. Five years have passed since their last studio album Bú-Tik (Spinefarm), and family has played a large part, most notably with married couple, bassist Doris Yeh and vocalist Freddy Lim, having a baby last year. Having also taken up politics, Lim swapped his stage make-up and black leather for a nice clean suit and tie, his progressive New Power Party, formed in 2015, becoming elected into the Taiwanese Parliament in January this year.Continue reading
From the fetid depths of Nottingham’s catacombs comes Shrykull, a duo whose severe, wicked noise would shake the foundation of their city. Debut album Shrykull (self-released) is a sub-half-hour blast through blackened hell and pummelling Sludge which commences with the unholy ‘Plagued’: a brutal maelström preceding a morose, often funereal-paced second movement which is wonderfully controlled by William Powell’s spiked riffs and Kez Whelan’s hammer blows. Whelan’s screams cut to the the bone, never better displayed than on the rampant ‘Deafened By The Echo’, Powell’s ireful guitar buzz covering the frantic yet controlled battery.Continue reading
I’m an absolute sucker for any art form which tries to tell a story and has some form of concept to it. I just love to have my nerd string pulled on I find I get way more invested in something if the artist(s) has gone that extra mile in creating something. In line with this come The Uncharted with debut EP Perspectives (self-released) where the story behind this release is that the technicality and progressiveness of the music is paired with an unknown narrator looking for the meaning of life through various ideas and philosophies he encounters.Continue reading
Nearly twenty years into this twenty first century of ours, and retro is once again the chicest tone in town. Fuzzed, bluesy guitars, seventies licks and threads, and an aching earnestness for a sound of yesteryear is where the coolest of cats are chilling. And down such alleyways we find Belgian quartet Black Mirrors and their impressive full length debut Look Into The Black Mirror (Napalm).Continue reading
When it comes to instrumental music, bands find themselves with the added challenge of how to captivate an audience without the charisma of a vocalist or a noticeable member fronting the band. It is not surprising then to discover the caliber of bands in the post-metal/post-rock community and the high bar they are setting fledgling ensembles that attempt to bring something new to the table.Continue reading
Adding in atmosphere to almost any subgenre of metal and you are left with, usually, a solid album. Take sludge metal and add atmosphere to it and you get Naisian. Their latest self-released EP release, Rejoinder, absolutely shreds and left me needing more. Three tracks are all there is on this quick EP, but that is the nature of the beast; beast being the perfect term here. Normally the EP releases fly under my radar and I catch up at the end of the year. I am glad this one fell into my lap.Continue reading
MSRY is the band that felt like the hardcore classification simply wasn’t enough, so they branded themselves as Miserable Hardcore. I first misread that as “melodic hardcore” but melody is in short supply on their self-released Safety First EP. Misery, however, is available in spades and that’s without mentioning the surplus of rage. And how does a power trio sans bassist work up such ugly emotions? By taking a look at the world at large, of course.Continue reading