Author Andrew Doherty
“Finland’s contribution to the world is strange, ambient music. Discuss”. This compilation bears that out. Traditional folk music is the essence, but the Finnish artists develop the concept and take it to another level. This collection is part of a… Continue Reading →
The upshot of Fleshvessel’s offering for this album is extreme metal of a black/death variety but also a symphonic sound comprising an overwhelming array of instruments, including the flute, ocarina, viola, harp, glockenspiel, darbuka, clarinet, jaw harp, Thai phin, trumpet… Continue Reading →
My friend Russ, who’s en expat now living in Santiago, Chile, tells me that his adopted country is a hotbed of heavy metal bands. I’ve come to realise this myself from the number of albums by Chilean bands which have… Continue Reading →
To me just the name The Zenith Passage sounds like the epitome of a prog band. This for certain is one part of it, as the band are known for constant movement and stylistic developments in a technical death metal… Continue Reading →
The line-up of this band is interesting, comprising members with a mix of influences from other bands, including All Out War, Pig Destroyer, Misery Index and Exhumed. Described as a fusion of “apocalyptic hardcore with vicious metal”, the band members… Continue Reading →
I took a saunter up the A1 and arrived at Newark County Showground. My objective was not to look at prize bulls, but to enjoy a day at UK TechFest. I have been a day tripper to this four-day event… Continue Reading →
This defiantly-titled EP comes from Obscurus Rex, a Greek metal band formed in 2021. No claims are made about the genre, so let’s listen. Of course to describe any album there has to be a point of reference. The first… Continue Reading →
This is the debut album from Widow’s Peak, a band which has been around since 2016. Technical progressive death metal is the declared style. It’s for fans of Beyond Creation, Atheist and Gorguts, they say. Yep. The opener is a… Continue Reading →
I read of a connection with Killswitch Engage. I see mention of hardcore and punk meeting metal, of experimentation, and of politicisation of content. The upshot was that I didn’t know what to expect from Death Ray Vision’s third album… Continue Reading →
Fallen Joy come back after a recorded silence of 8 years, hence its title I suppose, with a substantial second album of an intro followed by 13 songs. This melodic death metal band has been in existence since 2008. The… Continue Reading →
Two stalwarts of the French-Canadian black metal scene comprise Sacrenoir. Amongst many other bands, one plays with Forteresse while the other has appeared for them. “Les revenants” means “people who return” and these people returning among the ruins is, I’m… Continue Reading →
Research told me that this is the fourth album release by this Polish sludge post-metal band. Beyond this, I knew nothing about MuN when I started listening to “Nhemis”. I spent the first four minutes or so waiting for something… Continue Reading →