ALBUM REVIEW: Abhoria – Depths


Whilst Los Angeles’ Ashen Horde may have favoured a more Northern European tint their Black Metal sound, members of that band have gone on to form Abhoria. On Depths (Prosthetic Records) they continue to uphold their legacy of legitimacy seamlessly. This means they can create an authentic mood to translate this sound tangibly, however, there still is the question… can you write a song?Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Almost Dead – Destruction Is All We Know


In 2024, opening your album with a song about warheads falling from the sky is not only timely but casts you as the needed herald of this year’s coming apocalypse and Almost Dead proves themselves to be up for the job on the aptly titled, Destruction Is All We Know (Innerstrength Records).

While they mix thrash and hardcore influences, an important detail when you take into consideration the thrash bands whose names stood the test of time, are those that did so by writing songs that were not only memorable, but employed singers whose voices stood out and did not default to having the vocals a mere obligatory afterthought. Something that metal strayed from over the past decade, but Almost Dead don’t fall prey to.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Lucifer – Lucifer V


In the beginning … there was Lucifer! And now this fifth full-length outing for the “occult metal” outfit proves to be a thoroughly satisfying, good ol’ heavy rock ’n’ roll album which, at its very best – the outstanding “Slow Dance In A Crypt” – can be downright beautiful and utterly beguiling.

With song-writing nous, all-round playing chops and excellent production, including a superb, crunchy guitar sound, Lucifer V (Nuclear Blast Records) has at its heart the clean, clear, commanding voice of Johanna Platow Andersson.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Yersin – The Scythe Is Remorseless


A beguiling atmosphere. A deliberate sense of urgency. A cacophony of turmoil and finality: blackened Grindcore-meets-crust purveyors Yersin needed only a hair under twenty-five minutes to effectively and enthusiastically encapsulate all of the above mentioned techniques, and then some.

The Scythe Is Remorseless (Trepanation Recordings) sounds as if the Sunderland-based trio recorded seven tracks in the midst of an apocalyptic phenomenon known only to them. The sound bites and pierces; the vocals pummel and decimate. Together, it’s enthralling.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Sgàile – Traverse The Bealach


Sometimes an album cover can give a very descriptive sense of the music contained within. Traverse the Bealach (Avantgarde Records), the second album by multi-instrumentalist Tony Dunn (under the name Sgàile) portrays a solitary figure, gazing out over a stormy landscape.

Is danger on the horizon? Is there a treacherous journey ahead? Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Saevus Finis – Facilis Descensus Averno


For quite some time now, but arguably in the last few years especially, Transcending Obscurity Records has been one of the most consistently excellent champions for new, exciting and often innovative extreme metal acts, both in quality and in the sheer volume of their releases. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Engulf – The Dying Planet Weeps


The Dying Planet Weeps (Everlasting Spew Records) – Engulf‘s first full-length – is the solo project of Hal Microutsicos (Blasphemous.) The opening track benefits from a dissonant throb, rather than following the course most death metal takes in pummeling you with a head-first assault.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Cariosus – Will, Until Beauty


Labeled as a Melodic Death Metal band, Cariosus instead is better defined as a melting pot of exquisite musical elements. Though that descriptor may not sound as flashy or attention grabbing, bear with me (it’s worth it). Will, Until Beauty (Self-Released), the duo’s first full-length, meshes deathcore, metalcore, tech-death and even some progressive techniques while boasting eight thunderous – thunderous – tracks.Continue reading