Ruins: Cauldron
Originally released in 2008 in their homeland, Australian-based Ruins’ Cauldron is a solid cut of minimalist black metal that comes off as being fairly accessible.
Reviews – Audio
Echoes Of Eternity: As Shadows Burn
California gothic /progressive metal outfit Echoes of Eternity return with nine new tracks on their second full length album As Shadows Burn.
Wodensthrone: Loss
Despite only releasing a number of splits, the debut album from Wodensthrone is incredibly lush, haunting and in some ways, quite ‘delicate’ for what is considered ‘true’ pagan black metal.
Thornafire: Vorex Deconstrucción
Hailing from Santiago, Chile, Thornafire have offered up a slab of death metal that has some very impressive moments but that mostly comes off as being fairly monotonous.
Church Of Misery: Houses of the Unholy
If you’ve heard the previous two Church Of Misery albums and quite enjoyed them, then you won’t be disappointed with their latest and third full length release. Houses of the Unholy follows the same formula as 2001’s Master of Brutality and 2004’s Second Coming: bluesy lead riffing over heavily distorted rumbling bass accompanied by an incoherent, gruff vocal delivery that reminds me of inebriated Neil Fallon of Clutch.
Jared Hynes reviews the newest studio effort by Japan’s serial killer-obsessed doomsters Church Of Misery.
Chaos Synopsis: Kvlt Of Dementia
Chaos Synopsis is a Brazilian based thrash/death metal band that has recently released their first full length album. They play a highly intensive, brutal, aggressive and fast style of metal that is very similar to early Slayer.
Vanmakt: Ad Luciferi Regnum
With the rise of the blackened death metal sound, this record is a pleasant surprise. These Swedes make it evident that their creativity as a whole was expressed with much ease.
Black Anvil: Time Insults The Mind
Like Goatwhore, like Crucifist, Black Anvil is not so much preoccupied with the thin-sounding Scandinavian aspect of black metal (although we are privy to the odd melodic movement reminiscent of Dissection) as they are completely obsessed with the mid-1980s first wave of Bathory, Possessed, and early Celtic Frost, the kind of primitive, immediate, old school metal with crust-infused riffs thick enough to stick to your ribs.
Adrien Begrand reviews the fantastic new debut release by NYC black metal/punk trio Black Anvil.
Trouble: Psalm 9/The Skull (reissues)
Sadly, most of Trouble’s albums are long out of print, which makes Escapi’s decision to reissue the first two in expanded, remastered formats that much sweeter. Released individually in slipcase, two-disc versions, both 1984’s Psalm 9 and the following year’s The Skull have been digitally remastered, and are much louder and clearer than the original CD issues.
Newly reissued again in North America this September through Dismanic, Sean Palmerston revisits the first two classic slabs of doom by Chicago’s legendary TROUBLE
Glittertind: Landkjenning
Glittertind is essentially a two-man band, which makes tracks such as the rollicking “Longships and Mead” interesting. The song reminds me of something The Pogues or our Canadian counterpart, Sprit of the West, might release – a blend of traditional Norwegian folk melodies with the addition of electric guitars, a slightly sped-up tempo and punk attitude…