Author Andrew Doherty
When I first listened to this, I was sitting on an all stations rail replacement bus service from Stansted to Cambridge. A jolly good accompaniment it was too, not least because its whole being is clearly geared towards taking us… Continue Reading →
Apparently Plus Une Main A Mordre (Another Hand to Bite) “seeks balance between the struggle and the letting go, passing from chaos to quiet in revelatory circular motions”. Well, I certainly got the struggle behind it. The large scale, sweeping,… Continue Reading →
We are gently led into an epic soundscape. This is the duo’s sixth album of electronic post rock. The mere title “The Fallen Ones” suggests gloom and melancholy but whilst the title track has a sultry air, the progression is… Continue Reading →
The interesting thing about Norway’s Wobbler, whose fourth album this is, is that they push boundaries in the world of prog, yet their music is so recognisable. This, without doubt, is the charm of it. This prog that they peddle… Continue Reading →
Sometimes you listen to a band, which sounds uncannily like another one that you know well. This is the case here. I’d not heard of Hourswill, whose second album this is, but for me there is a stunning resemblance in… Continue Reading →
French black metal has a good pedigree. Here’s another band, Heir, from Toulouse, who deliver “disillusioned post-black metal, dark, either fast or heavy, sometimes bright, but always dedicated to an atmosphere of contemplation or desolation”. Their CV so far comprises… Continue Reading →
The term “gothic” seems to have a particular meaning in Germany. My experience of rummaging around record stores there is that everything, including Opeth, counts as gothic. From the self-explanatory “Gothic Electronic Anthems” (2003) onwards, Gothminister have been pumping out… Continue Reading →
I remember watching Power Quest a few years ago. I am sure they were supporting Helloween and it was at the Camden Palace, or Koko as it now is. My recollection is of cheesy jollity. To their credit, Power Quest… Continue Reading →
Co-founded by two members of In Mourning, this is Antarktis’s debut album. The first things that struck me about were its heaviness and its similarity to Cult of Luna by virtue of its long and expansive chords, broken up by… Continue Reading →
As the title suggests, this album is a sequel. The first part “Dark Dragons of the Cosmos” was well received. The seemingly timeless Vinterriket is half of Battle Dagorath. What we’re led to expect here are distant and dreamlike ominous… Continue Reading →
Psych rock and atmospheric prog rock are at the heart of this album from Norwegian band Himmellegeme, so it’s not surprising to see the points of reference as Sigur Rós, Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley. To make this work,… Continue Reading →
In all probability my ageing brain is fading but I am struggling think of British power metal bands. I did come up in my deliberations with Bal-Sagoth, and to a point there is a comparison here as Isle of Avalon… Continue Reading →