Tag: review

  • Slomatics – Canyons

    Slomatics – Canyons

    There’s something to be said for originality in doom. With most of the bands whose names contain either Witch or Wizard, you kind of know what kind of generic riffage and occult symbolism you’re gonna get. But Slomatics, their name just oozes doom, without sounding like everyone else. And when it comes to the music,…

  • Spirit Adrift – Divided by Darkness

    Spirit Adrift – Divided by Darkness

    Spirit Adrift’s previous album, Curse of Conception, was one of the best doom metal, if not overall metal albums of 2017. I know it ranked quite highly on my year-end top 10 list – and I definitely wasn’t alone. But now I’ve heard that they’ve switched things up a bit for their latest record. While…

  • Magic Circle – Departed Souls

    Magic Circle – Departed Souls

    Magic Circle’s first two albums are considered underground classics of true doom metal, so when they announced that Departed Souls, their first new record in four and a half years, was going to be more “70’s sounding,” there was some cause for concern. But I can assure you that if you like your doom of…

  • Out Of Line Weekender 2019, Day 2

    Out Of Line Weekender 2019, Day 2

    Astra Kulturhaus – Berlin, Germany Out Of Line Weekender 2019 edition was taking place on 04.-06. April at Astra Kulturhaus Berlin, Germany. The three day affair was covering electronic, techno and various heavy metal genres. Check out our coverage of Day 1 and Day 3. Day 2 in review Friday night started with Incubite DJ…

  • Out Of Line Weekender 2019, Day 1

    Out Of Line Weekender 2019, Day 1

    Astra Kulturhaus – Berlin, Germany Out Of Line Weekender 2019 edition was taking place on 04.-06. April at Astra Kulturhaus Berlin, Germany. The three day affair was covering electronic, techno and various heavy metal genres. Thursday was completely under the sign of electronic music. Friday was unifying both worlds and hosting two headliners. And Saturday…

  • Nomad Son – The Darkening

    Nomad Son – The Darkening

    Metal-on-Metal is a superb label. I haven’t encountered anything from them yet that wasn’t first class, and Nomad Son are no exception. Hailing from Malta, an island that produces a lot of fine metal bands (particularly in proportion to its population!), Nomad Sun play extremely proficient heavy metal, to my mind NWOBHM influenced with the…

  • Reviewing history

    Reviewing history

    More historical fiction book reviews by Steve Earles Cornwall: Romans to Victorians by Derek Tait One of my earliest memories is a childhood holiday to Cornwall, indeed to this day I still have a keyring from that holiday as a keepsake. I also have a great nostalgia for the original Poldark tv series (though not…

  • Swanfest, March 2019

    Swanfest, March 2019

    Swanfest @ City National Grove, Anaheim, California, March 30, 2019 First Swanfest, 2019, and can’t wait for many more to come. When you first arrive General Admission already had a line going around not one but two corners. The VIP line was fairly long too, but both lines moved along quickly to get everyone in…

  • Tensei – Constellate LP

    Tensei – Constellate LP

    Over the last few years, The Flaming Lips have really come a long way from being the LSD-dipped and surrealist punk band that they were when they emerged from the wilds of Oklahoma in 1983. Since then, the hard left musical turns that they were perceived to have taken have become streamlined and the group…

  • Smoulder – Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring

    Smoulder – Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring

    Epic doom is alive and well in 2019! Not only do we have a new Candlemass, with Johan Langqvist—and a guest appearance from Iommi—but there are also a few new outfits eschewing bongs and wizards for swords and sorcery, all in the name of doom. Among this new wave of heaviness is Toronto’s Smoulder, who…