Reviews – Audio

Ruins: Cauldron

Originally released in 2008 in their homeland, Australian-based Ruins’ Cauldron is a solid cut of minimalist black metal that comes off as being fairly accessible.

Wodensthrone: Loss

Despite only releasing a number of splits, the debut album from Wodensthrone is incredibly lush, haunting and in some ways, quite ‘delicate’ for what is considered ‘true’ pagan black metal.

Church Of Misery: Houses of the Unholy

If you’ve heard the previous two Church Of Misery albums and quite enjoyed them, then you won’t be disappointed with their latest and third full length release. Houses of the Unholy follows the same formula as 2001’s Master of Brutality and 2004’s Second Coming: bluesy lead riffing over heavily distorted rumbling bass accompanied by an incoherent, gruff vocal delivery that reminds me of inebriated Neil Fallon of Clutch.

Jared Hynes reviews the newest studio effort by Japan’s serial killer-obsessed doomsters Church Of Misery.

Chaos Synopsis: Kvlt Of Dementia

Chaos Synopsis is a Brazilian based thrash/death metal band that has recently released their first full length album. They play a highly intensive, brutal, aggressive and fast style of metal that is very similar to early Slayer.

Black Anvil: Time Insults The Mind

Like Goatwhore, like Crucifist, Black Anvil is not so much preoccupied with the thin-sounding Scandinavian aspect of black metal (although we are privy to the odd melodic movement reminiscent of Dissection) as they are completely obsessed with the mid-1980s first wave of Bathory, Possessed, and early Celtic Frost, the kind of primitive, immediate, old school metal with crust-infused riffs thick enough to stick to your ribs.

Adrien Begrand reviews the fantastic new debut release by NYC black metal/punk trio Black Anvil.