Hailing from Canterbury, UK, Ohhms specialise in long, doomy dirges. Their first two EPs – 2014’s Bloom and 2015’s Cold – along with last year’s debut full-length The Fool established them as the one the country’s go-to acts for 20-minute long deep dives into all things slow and heavy. Their new effort, Exist (all Holy Roar), continues in that same vein and manages to satisfy, even if it doesn’t rock the boat. Continue reading
There have been eleven Soulfly albums. Eleven! In total, frontman and four-string guitarist Max Cavalera has released 22 albums in just over 30 years. That man is prolific as he is unwavering, and with new album Ritual (Nuclear Blast), he continues to shred and growl in the same way he always has.Continue reading
Porcupine Tree’s Steve Wilson has released a greatest hits album! But don’t get too excited Sadly, it’s for that pop side-project you probably didn’t know or had tried to forget about.Continue reading
Along with his Kyuss bandmates, Brant Bjork helped create and define Desert Rock. And, across a dozen more solo albums, he has stayed largely in the comfy confines of hazy, laid back stonerisms. Mankind Woman (Heavy Psych Sounds/RidingEasy), the man’s latest effort, feels like a man happy to jam whatever he’s fancies and put it out there.Continue reading
Canadian metallic hardcore-influenced noise rock band KEN Mode are back with a new album, Loved (Season of Mist), but there’s no love to be found on it. Contrary to the name, the Winnipeg, Manitoba band’s seventh album is a solid slab of slow churning, nihilist hardcore that sounds like it could self-destruct at any minute.Continue reading
What is it about Japan that means they can produce such good doom bands? Hailing from Osaka, BlackLab is made up of duo Yuko Morino (guitars, vocals) and Chia Shiraishi (drums). Though technically the pair’s debut, the ‘2.0’ is to highlight the fact this is the band’s original demo give a polish and a re-release on a proper label. The core sound is still intact though; rough around the edges doom with plenty of creepy atmospherics.Continue reading
In today’s largely homogenised music scene, we’re always desperate for a “new” sound and bands that mix and mashup old styles to create something new always get plenty of attention. With their debut album, Black Wash (EVP/Hassle) Melbourne, Australia’s Pagan promises to unite the world’s two biggest consumers of black eyeliner; emos and black metallers.Continue reading
2015’s Absolution and 2016’s Hunted (20 Buck Spin) saw Denver, Colorado, doomsters Khemmis quickly jump into the hearts of many a fan and metal critic. Their blend of hooks and heaviness (can we call it melodoom?) garnered plenty of attention and some high rankings on a few well-respected end of year lists.
After announcing that they had broken up for all the classic “differences within the band” reasons in 2016, Swedish Retro Rockers Graveyard are back together, armed with a new album, and sounding as raw and melodic as ever. Continue reading
A new album only four years after their last release? At The Gates are almost returning to their productivity levels of the early-to-mid 1990s. To Drink From The Night Itself (Century Media) is the second album since the Swedish Melodic Death Metal pioneers reformed in 2008, and sixth overall.