Reviews written by: Colin McNamara

Reviews

Astral Sleep - We Are Already Living In The End Of Times

<p>Finland’s Astral Sleep has gone through quite the sound changes in the last few years. Originally a Death Doom band with a thick, almost Funeral Doom sounding sound with the lo fi production but also having gothic and psychedelic tinges. Over time, especially with the psychedelic touches, they got more prominent and more present, and now with th...

26/04/2023

Exul - Path To The Unknown

<p>Poland’s Exul have been around since 2011, but the time it has taken to get things really going has taken quite a while. Active for a short bit then taking a break before becoming active again, 2023 is finally seeing a full length debut after a few demos, so the title “Path To The Unknown” is very fitting because listeners/ fans, and even the ba...

25/04/2023

Hackberry - Breathing Space

<p>Hackberry are pretty unknown, but those that do know they are a five piece from the Netherlands that perform all instrumental prog/psychedelic rock or metal, depending on the track they are hearing. The music here is definitely not by any means aggressive or abrasive, like a Post Metal trip or overly dramatic and keyboard soaked like that of sol...

24/04/2023

Litost - Pathos

<p>Litost hail from Spain, and “Pathos” is their 2nd full length album right along the lines of their debut, “Ethos.” Following a similar approach with a few more surprises, one should not take this black metal releases lightly or think it is going to be a raw ‘kvlt’ affair (like Judas Iscariot) or an overly dramatized black metal symphony (like th...

19/04/2023

Ars Notoria - Chronicles

<p>“Chronicles” is the debut full length from French solo Death Metal band Ars Notoria. Headed by Antoine Grasser since 2017 who has been part of other acts like Beyond the Void, which was formed more recently, listeners are going to get a bit more of technical side of what they’ve heard from Grasser in the past and compared to other projects he ha...

18/04/2023

Astarium / Fire Messiah - Split

<p>Here we have 2 black metal bands but very different sounds. The first is Astarium from Russia, headed since 2005 solely by Sin. Sin creates a more symphonic atmospheric black metal similar to a mix of very early Cradle of Filth mixed with early Satyricon. Expect a very wintery feel with the croaked vocals, buzz saw guitars, and landscape of lush...

16/02/2023

Epidemic Scorn - Destrumanity

<p>Face stomping death metal is what one gets when hearing the 6th album from Germany’s Epidemic Scorn, “Destrumanity.” A mix of mid paced to slow death metal similar to that of Kataklysm meets early Insomnium. There is a lot of melody involved among the heaviness such as on the track ‘The Day After Tomorrow.’ Then there are the more straightforwar...

15/02/2023

Wendigo - Темный Ритуал

<p>Wendigo is a rather interesting band as there is almost no information out there on them. A mix of what one could call thrash sludge, the music is all over the place with anywhere from a country western feel to it mid paced thrash with progressive elements. Almost all in Russian there is a bit of a language barrier but every track seems pretty d...

13/02/2023

Obscuris - A Sinister Coming Into This World

<p>“A Sinister Coming Into This World” is the debut full length release headed by blackened death metal group, Obscuris. Hailing from the Netherlands, this 2 man band led by MD on drums and MV on vocals, guitar, and bass unleash a freight train of non stop fury that is a mix of 1349 meets Cannibal Corpse with little room for melody or soft moments....

08/02/2023

Mother Of Graves - Where The Shadows Adorn

<p>“Where The Shadows Adorn” is the debut full length from Indianapolis U.S.A. based Mother Of Graves. A melodic death doom outfit, this five piece creates a sound that is well balanced and crafted in the vein of Rapture or the likes of Katatonia’s “Brave Murder Day.” The sound is dark and depressing but surprisingly clean and melodic at the same t...

18/01/2023

Atrocia - Contamination

<p>France’s Atrocia seem to have stepped up their game with their third album “Contamination.” Determined to not come off as a Vader clone, these guys seem to have added more death metal into their style vs the typical death thrash hybrid. With a new guitarist at the helm, one can really tell the difference between this album and the last. The musi...

04/01/2023

Aviscerus - Visceral Depths

<p>7 years later since their EP back in 2015, Australia’s Aviscerus finally unleash their debut full length for listeners to enjoy. Fans get a heavy dosage of melodic death metal mixed with groove metal in the vein of Darkane meets Truent for some rather mid paced simple, but engaging music. ‘Guidance’ kicks things off with a rather repetitive chug...

04/01/2023