Author Frank Allain
Maturity. A word that can really polarize opinions within the metal fraternity. Divisive inasmuch as that for every band that evolves with grace, refining their material, tempering naivety with greater self-awareness to deliver even more effective works there are those… Continue Reading →
Sinister, discordant guitars slither. Gregorian chants intone solemnly in the background. Drums tattoo a martial beat as the introduction builds. Yep, so far, so Deathspell Omega. Given that this US-based three-piece finish their latest record with a cover of ‘Malign… Continue Reading →
Estonian black metal described as a mix between Darkspace and Summoning – big names and truth be told, that’s pretty much what we get with this esoteric three-piece. At least on the surface anyway. Big washes of warm, spacey synths… Continue Reading →
Its records like this that make this whole album reviewing business feel worthwhile. Seemingly coming out of nowhere and promising big things, it is hugely refreshing to find that – for once – the label hyperbole regarding an album is… Continue Reading →
Now, the cynic inside of me might take a look at this and dismiss it as little more than Relapse attempting to jump on the shoegaze bandwagon that continues to trundle forwards with ever increasing momentum. The combination of extreme… Continue Reading →
In the wake of Isis’s demise a few years ago, there was a sense of uncertainty that crept into the whole ‘post-metal’ scene. What had felt at one time to be an unstoppable juggernaut of colossal riffs, epic soundscapes, downtuned… Continue Reading →
The latest addition to the burgeoning Indie Recordings stable, Woland assail us with something of a bizarre mix-up of sounds on their debut full-length LP ‘Hyperion’. Theirs is a sound that is rooted in black metal, however Woland are unafraid… Continue Reading →
With this record seemingly hot on the heels of 2012’s splendid ‘Carbon Based Anatomy’ EP, it was with an element of surprise that this scribe learned that Cynic’s latest full-length ‘Kindly Bent to Free Us’ has actually been gestating away… Continue Reading →
It’s an oft-used cliché but in the case of renowned prog-death-metal crew Cynic, it really is no exaggeration to state that they have never played by the rules. From their 1993 debut ‘Focus’, the prodigious talents of the band were… Continue Reading →
OK, so this is a rather daunting proposition – one 19-minute track bringing together the raw, bass-heavy black metal obscurity of Beglium’s Alkerdeel with the sickening noisescapes of Gnaw Their Tongues. It’s certainly an intriguing idea – Alkerdeel have been… Continue Reading →
Ah, good old Hecate Enthroned – veritable stalwarts of the UK Black Metal scene that have been around in one form or another for about twenty years whilst showing considerable resolve in the process. They’ve weathered the storms of trends… Continue Reading →
To suggest that anticipation for this gig was high would be something of an understatement – many people I know had invested in their tickets months in advance and given the general sense of good-feeling towards this incarnation of the… Continue Reading →