Category: Reviews – Audio
Glorious metal in all its earthly forms, compressed onto shiny plastic discs or into digital files. Which ones will become the soundtrack to your life?
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Contrarian – To Perceive is to Suffer
Contrarian is a four man wrecking crew, a technical quartet who weave epic songs in the vein of late-era Death albums (with the help of drumming phenomenon George Kollias, known for his role in the infamous Nile) and Cynic. The epic masterpiece The Sound of Perseverance comes to mind when I sit down and start to…
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Usnea – Portals Into Futility
Portland post-doomsters Usnea are getting all literary on us with their second album, with a suggested reading list that includes Dune, The Handmaid’s Tale and Demon Haunted World. You’d certainly be able to polish off a few chapters in the time it takes to listen to Portals Into Futility, a five-track, 55-minute effort. The album…
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M.U.T.A.N.K. – W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T.
To misquote that great film ‘Conan The Barbarian’, ‘what is good in metal?’ And the short answer is MUTANK! Why? Because they get it. Metal is supposed to be fun, uplifting and life-affirming. It’s supposed to bring us together, which is a good thing in a world tearing itself apart. In short, Mutank get it;…
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Biblical – The City That Always Sleeps
Last time I saw Biblical live, at the Silver Dollar farewell shindig, I mentioned that they were long overdue for a new album. Little did I know that their second full-length record was on its way—on Tee Pee Records, no less! The City That Always Sleeps offers eight tracks in roughly 37-and-a-half minutes, kicking off with…
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Pereplut – At The Ancient Times
Pagan folk metal from Russia. I don’t understand the lyrics but the music is excellent. It does conjure up images of a world where Baba Yaga waits for the unexpected in a darkened forest. Production and musicianship is first class, at times melancholy but most cheerful… like a Russian Skyclad or Mael Mhordha. Love the cover artwork…
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Downcast Twilight – Under the Wings of the Aquila
Hailing from Russia, but with lyrics in English, Downcast Twilight are most accomplished musicians and could compete on any international stage. Their song-writing is strong, the tracks all cover various periods in history, and clearly a lot of work has gone into their production. It is death metal with folk influences, but really it has…
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Decrepit Birth – Axis Mundi
Axis Mundi is certain to become a staple of the death metal genre and a classic of the scene, I have no doubt about this. Decrepit Birth‘s 2017 output is very possibly the best death metal album of the year and without question it is undoubtedly my favourite release of the year. After the awesome…
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No Funeral / Livid split
From the frozen tundras of Minnesota comes a spiritual successor to that Noothgrush/Corrupted split from 20 years back (which was recently reissued by 20 Buck Spin). Though I’ve never heard of either act before, both No Funeral and Livid both play sludge metal the bad ol’ fashioned way, stretching just three songs over 37 minutes…
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Decapitated – Anticult
Decapitated‘s career has encompassed major ups and huge downs, including the tragic death of original drummer and founding member Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka. Kieltyka was only 23 years old when he passed away due to serious head injuries caused by a severe accident that involved Decapitated’s tour bus and a large transport truck carrying wood on…
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Northumbria – Markland
As I sit high on a cliff face, gently sweating from the humidity of a mid-July afternoon I am surrounded by life. The circumferential soundscapes of Northumbria‘s Markland fuse with the natural sound of my environment. Birds chirp and caw, leaves rustle, animals scurry unseen. Gentle waves lap upon the shore giving the forest a…