Your No. 1 Source For Extreme And Atmospheric Music And Film.

Author Doogz

Though the late 80’s saw me vaguely interested in Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper and Guns N Roses, it was Ice-Ts “Original Gangsta” shortly before my 13th birthday that REALLY helped rock and metal capture my imagination thanks to the Bodycount demo on said album. A logical leap to RATM eventually led to a wealth of aural delights via Metallica, Sepultura, Carcass, then Cradle Of Filth. My obsession with discovering more extreme sounds has led me to semi-competently poke at bass guitar in a couple of bands, and occasionally dabble in the dark art of music journalism. Over 30 years later I’m still “chasing the dragon” for the next band that’ll make my hair stand on end.

Wintarnaht – Hriuwa (Talheim Records)

Utilising the early Old High German dialect (popular around the ninth and tenth century) instead of their modern mother-tongue, Wintarnaht propose an interesting concept before even striking a note. Styling themselves as “archaic pagan black metal”, this nonetheless has an… Continue Reading →

Dark Psychosis – The Edge Of Nowhere (Moribund Records)

Consisting primarily of multi-instrumentalist Xaphan (from a multitude of Michigan legends including Summon and Masochist), Dark Psychosis has been around in one form or another since 1996, expanding to a full live line-up briefly in 2013-14. “The Edge Of Nowhere” is their third… Continue Reading →

Katla – Allt þetta Helvítis Myrkur (Prophecy Productions)

Named for the giant volcano hidden beneath the ice cap of Mýrdalsjökull glacier in their homeland Iceland, Katla is a collaboration between multi-instrumentalist Einar Thorberg Gu∂mundsson and drummer Gu∂mundur Óli Pálmason previously of Solstifar fame. The duo have spent some… Continue Reading →

Insidious Disease – After Death (Nuclear Blast)

Far from being a new kid on the block, Insidious Disease are quite the supergroup. Amongst others, this line-up boasts Shane Embury on bass, Silenoz from Dimmu Borgir on guitar, and journeyman drummer Tony Laureno. A whole decade has passed… Continue Reading →

Prometheus – Resonant Echoes From Cosmos Of Old (I, Voidhanger Records)

Despite pushing out a couple of demos in the late noughties, it wasn’t until 2017 that Prometheus birthed a full album. Rather than steal fire from the gods, this particular Prometheus borrow contemporary dense atmospherics from Cruciamentum et al, melding… Continue Reading →

Dysylumn – Cosmogonie (Signal Rex)

This French duo have garnered much acclaim for their earlier efforts, this being their third album. “Cosmogonie” is a lengthy opus of progressive blackened death metal that runs over the manufacturing restrictions of a single CD; physical releases will be… Continue Reading →

Black Crown Initiate – Violent Portraits Of Doomed Escape (Century Media)

I’ve been following Black Crown Initiate with intense interest since demo-come-EP “Song Of The Crippled Bull” announced their brand of progressive death metal to the world in 2013. On the heels of said EP were two critically acclaimed albums, before… Continue Reading →

Gaerea – Limbo (Season Of Mist)

Gaerea are a Portuguese quintet that bounced into existence around 2016. Initially, the masks and uniformity of stage attire marked them out as somewhat of a gimmick, but their eponymous EP and subsequent 2018 debut album displayed substance that more… Continue Reading →

Dauþuz – Grubenfall 1727 (Amor Fati Productions)

After three full length albums since their 2016 inception, this German duo appear to be taking a breather by only releasing an EP this year. Don’t be fooled though, the three tracks here clock in at nearly 35 minutes. Thematically, Dauþuz… Continue Reading →

Vspolokh – Pomre (Purity Through Fire)

Perhaps an unfamiliar name to most, Russian black metal outfit Vspolokh have been around since 2004. Their debut album was released in 2010, with the intervening decade leading to this sophomore punctuated by a handful of split releases. Google insists… Continue Reading →

Withering Surface – Meet Your Maker (Mighty Music)

Behold, Denmark’s most celebrated melodeath export has returned from the dead! Withering Surface initially turned heads in 1998 with sophomore album “The Nude Ballet”, but it’s 2001s more polished “Walking On Phantom Ice” that is arguably the greatest of their… Continue Reading →

Akolyth – Akolyth (Amor Fati)

“Ritualistic” is a not a word naturally paired with blasting percussion, frenzied riffs and howling vocals, but it has recently become de riguer for black metal bands to promote themselves as such. Frankly I blame Behemoth and their overuse of… Continue Reading →

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