Reviews Archive
-
-
Ghost Bath
Starmourner
By Andrew McKaysmith | 06 June, 2017
Dennis Mikula is the driving force behind Ghost Bath and Ghost Bath are one polarising band. During the promo rounds for Moonlover, Mikula never corrected media assumptions the band hailed from Chongqing, China. This lead to peculiar arti...
-
-
Suffocation
...Of the Dark Light
By Michael O'Brien | 06 June, 2017
Approaching ...Of the Dark Light for the first time a couple of weeks or so ago, it occurred to me that it’s actually been quite a while since I’ve been really drawn to and hooked by a new Suffocation release. My first instinc...
-
-
Sólstafir
Berdreyminn
By Michael O'Brien | 25 May, 2017
While I understand that many view 2009’s Köld as Sólstafir’s watershed album (and they may well be absolutely spot on for all I know as I’ve not heard it), I wasn’t introduced to the band until their 20...
-
-
Obelyskkh
The Providence
By Michael O'Brien | 23 April, 2017
Even though I’ve been a fan of the style for quite a while now, I have to admit to feeling pretty burned out on the sludge/stoner doom genre these days. While there are definitely bands occupying this space that are doing interesting things,...
-
-
Steel Panther
Lower the Bar
By Simon Milburn | 19 April, 2017
It would be reasonable to be a little worried about Steel Panther. Have they peaked already? Could they hit new highs? Or perhaps, that should be new lows? More than likely, the answer is a little of all of those really. By now, fanthers know what...
-
-
Obituary
Obituary
By Simon Milburn | 18 April, 2017
It’s equally easy as it is challenging to review a new release from Obituary. “How is that possible?” you may rightly ask. Well, consider this - it’s a generally safe rule of thumb that Obituary is a known quantity with res...
-
-
Pallbearer
Heartless
By Chris Gibbs | 10 April, 2017
Melodic doom metal band, Pallbearer, impressed doom lovers across the globe with their excellent 2012 debut, Sorrow and Extinction, and we all rejoiced in the splendour of their 2014 sophomore release, the Billy Anderson produced Foun...
-
-
Warbringer
Woe to the Vanquished
By Simon Crawley | 08 April, 2017
Thrash is a highly coveted strain of heavy metal. Its speed, groove, and gritty aggression are elements diehard fans hold dear and get very protective over when the progressive arm of metal sidles up to it. In some ways, death and black metal have...
-
-
Desecrator
To the Gallows
By Andrew McKaysmith | 07 April, 2017
D-e-s-e-c-r-a-t-o-r... D-e-s-e-c-r-a-t-o-r... I can hear the chants reverberating through clubs and venues across the globe. The (name of band) chant is for only the most worthy and it is offered by the salacious hordes when the lights dim and int...
-
-
Empusae
Lueur
By Michael O'Brien | 07 April, 2017
With a string of interesting albums being released over the year or so that I’ve been aware of their existence, I’m at the point where I pay attention to just about everything that Belgian label Consouling Sounds puts out these days, a...
-
-
Ulver
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
By Michael O'Brien | 04 April, 2017
Despite their longevity and their prolific nature, I have to admit that Ulver’s career has largely been a mystery to me over the years. Perhaps it's by virtue of the fact that I got in on the ground floor with them on 1995’s Bergta...
-
-
Doomsday Kingdom, The
The Doomsday Kingdom
By Andrew McKaysmith | 30 March, 2017
I opened up the promo files to the self-titled album from The Doomsday Kingdom not expecting much. This is another review where I had no background on the artist. What a bloody surprise I was about to receive!
The Doomsday Kingdo...
-
-
Mantar
The Spell
By Andrew McKaysmith | 28 March, 2017
With their latest EP, The Spell, Hamburg's very own noise makers, Mantar, offer barely palatable blackened doom riffage to accompany the tortured vocal stylings of guitarist/vocalist Hanno.
I've already mentioned that Mantar are f...
-
-
Junius
Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light
By Michael O'Brien | 26 March, 2017
Ever since I was introduced to them via their second album, Reports from the Threshold of Death, back in 2011, I’ve loved the idea of Junius more than I’ve loved the reality of them. The band’s dreamy take on post-rock -...
-
-
Charm The Fury, The
The Sick, Dumb & Happy
By Andrew McKaysmith | 24 March, 2017
I was very fortunate to have the chance to chat over the phone to Caroline Westendorp (vox) & Mathijs Tieken (drums) one bright morning on the Sunshine Coast. While I am used to degrees of enthusiasm, what I copped from these two was a full fr...
-
-
Drug Honkey
Cloak of Skies
By Michael O'Brien | 23 March, 2017
Before receiving this promo, if you'd told me that I'd be reviewing an album from a band named Drug Honkey, I would've laughed, but I can’t imagine I would’ve believed you. Here we are, though, and amusing name notwithstanding, Clo...
-
-
Havok
Conformicide
By Simon Crawley | 20 March, 2017
Havok is a band I only came to know at the time they unleashed 2011’s Time is Up upon modern day thrash. One cannot ask for a better introduction. Time is Up remains a personal favourite and go-to album when my mood lends i...
-
-
Bear Mace
Butchering the Colossus
By Simon Crawley | 20 March, 2017
In keeping to the gruesome theme, this is an album that, like a bear trap, will crack both the air and your bones as it smashes closed upon your stumbling across it. With beginnings dating back to 2012, this five-strong band hailing from Chicago l...
-
-
Body Count
Bloodlust
By Simon Milburn | 17 March, 2017
There are always "those" bands that come along at the right point in time and change the musical landscape forever. Bands like The Doors, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Metallica, Death, and many, many others. But sometimes, a band comes along with such in-...
-
-
Memoriam
For the Fallen
By Simon Milburn | 16 March, 2017
Upfront and in the interest of transparency, I’ve been a Bolt Thrower fan since I heard “World Eater” (from 1989’s Realm of Chaos). When War Master was released in 1991, it cemented my love for the band. T...
