Symphonic Melodeath May 28, 2015

the Highest of Dystopia
by Serenity In Murder

Serenity in Murder are a Japanese sextet that play a particularly epic brand of symphonic melodic death metal. A simple listen to “Await Me Your Oath” will give you a pretty strong impression of what to expect from this album. Between the lush, often folky keyboards and stellar riffing, I was certai...

Simply Stunning May 27, 2015

Umbras de Barbagia
by Downfall of Nur

So yet again, it’s 2015, and despite all of my convictions held that post-black is a trite and boring affair, I have been proven wrong. After being severely underwhelmed by last year’s Deafhaven and its thousands of art-school imitators, group after group have shown me the light. The solution is s...

Stunning Progressive Opus May 25, 2015

Beware the Sword You Cannot See
by A Forest of Stars

Peaks and valleys. If Beware the Sword You Cannot See is a landscape, it is a goddam treacherous one. A Forest of Stars crafts a brand of atmospheric black metal that champions effective use of crescendo. Fusing passages not far removed from mewithoutyou with equal parts Rush, Panopticon, and got...

Spectacular Post-Black Debut May 24, 2015

Au-Dessus
by Au-Dessus

Au-Dessus is a black metal band from Lithuania. There’s actually a lot of post-black in this album; from the progressive, melodious atmosphere to the cascading guitar chords. Yet Au-Dessus is far from another Drudkh clone. For every passage of post-metal magic, expect a ferocious counterpoint. I ...

An Oddly Soothing Thunderstorm May 23, 2015

Malícia
by Tod Huetet Uebel

To call Tod Huetet Uebel black metal would be misleading. Hailing from Lisban, Portugal, this duo plays a particularly aggressive brand of post-black. While the almost constant, hammering blastbeats and shrieks are familiar to the former genre, the inclusion of death metal vocals and post-metal guit...

Woah... May 23, 2015

Truth Knowledge Vision
by Torrential Downpour

Torrential Downpour's tag list on Bandcamp reads thusly: “experimental heavy-psych metal psychedelic space metal.” Alternatively, this site lists them as “technical post-thrash metal.” Who is right? Everyone and no one. This album will leave you staring angrily at your iTunes library for the better ...

Digital Meshuggah May 20, 2015

Ascendancy
by Tyrant of Death

Where do I even begin? Some reviews seem to write themselves, but Tyrant of Death’s latest album has me at a loss for words. No metaphors, no cheeky remarks. I’ve got nothing. But I will say this: Ascendancy is by far the best industrial metal album of 2014, and easily makes it into the top 5 I...

The US can do folk too May 14, 2015

Sleep at the Edge of the Earth
by Wilderun

When I think Boston, I think Red Sox, Dropkick Murphys, Good Will Hunting, and the Departed. Yes, I’m one of those idiots who throws on the overdone accent, re-enacts the “Are you a caawp?” scene, and blasts “Shipping Off to Boston” on Saint Paddy’s Day. But now, for the second time, Wilderun is her...

"He's Seeing Monsters..." May 6, 2015

Too Dark Park
by Skinny Puppy

How do you commit a nightmare to recording? David Lynch has come mighty close with his films. When it comes to audio, however, Too Dark Park takes the cake. There are some other worthy contenders out there, particularly from the depths of atmospheric/ambient black metal; but none of them have carrie...

Surprisingly Mature Debut May 2, 2015

W Szaleństwie
by Srogość

If there is one country outside of Scandinavia that knows how to get the black metal vibe right, it’s Poland. Not even Germany can match the ability to get that necessary chilly, icy element that encapsulates the genre. Hailing from the land of blackened death metal pioneers Vader and Behemoth, what...

Wait...what? May 1, 2015

Graveward
by Sigh

Let's cut to the chase: this is some weird, wild stuff. Heavy metal, brass-heavy symphonics, black metal, occasionally 80's thrash-sounding hooks, neo-classical solos, JPop, saxophone solos...This has a little bit of everything, and you never really know when or where it is going to happen. "The Tom...

2014 A Space Odyssey May 1, 2015

The Fall of Therenia
by Aspherium

Sometimes an epic opening track just can’t deliver a great album. With Aspherium’s sophomore LP, that would be wrong. Dead wrong. It opens with a really neat fusion of a Babylonian, Behemoth-sounding riff with a more melodeath sound similar to Mors Principium Est. These fusions will become a pattern...

Colossal April 23, 2015

Koloss
by Meshuggah

The most common complaint I hear about Meshuggah, from the monotone vocals to the djent-spawning guitar crunch, is repetitiveness. It is true that a passing listen yields a surface-level of uniformity that some may find unappealing. However, there was an interview with the band stating something tha...

Poised For Greatness April 1, 2015

Gateway to the Antisphere
by Sulphur Aeon

Sulphur Aeon are a blackened death metal band from Germany. Finding some success with the debut LP, Swallowed By The Ocean's Tide, they have returned two years later to share some new Cthulu-inspired tunes and breath-taking album art in Gateway To The Antisphere. After hearing the first single, "Dil...

MeloSymphTechDeath March 31, 2015

Infinite Fields
by Irreversible Mechanism

There must be something in the water in Belarus that is turning a new generation of youth into amazing metal musicians. That whole region of the world is killing it this year, but I think this is the second solid group out of that actual country to have a stellar release in the past two months. Taki...

Blackflesh? Godblack? March 30, 2015

The Architects of Extermination
by Kommandant

Kommandant, despite the very European-sounding name and album art (KMFDM? Is that you?), are a black metal band based out of Chicago. Sporting a few releases since 2008, The Architects of Extermination is their 3rd full-length album. New to the group, I was interested enough after hearing their s...

Return of the 2nd Wave March 27, 2015

Palemoon
by Corpus Christii

Corpus Christii caught my eye when perusing the March 2015 release list via bandcamp. The 3 tracks available on their page seemed destined to satisfy my need for the occasional black metal that one needn’t think about; only smile while burning in its flame. I was unfamiliar with the group, so seei...

Hard Work Pays Off March 27, 2015

Veritas
by Dekadent

Hailing from Slovenia, Dekadent play a unique brand of melodic death and black metal. Seemingly fed up with record labels they describe on their page as having screwed the group over more than once, they have taken it upon themselves to record this album without such restraint through crowd-sourcing...

Aztec Black Metal March 8, 2015

Aq'Ab'Al
by Volahn

It was the excited conversation in Metal Storm's very own shoutbox along with Mr. Doctor's enthusiastic review that brought me to this album. I must say, my initial impression was strong. I have been less than impressed by a lot of recent black metal I have heard, and I am especially wary of any fro...

Accessibly Weird March 3, 2015

Scar Sighted
by Leviathan

I’m not quite part of the inner-circle when it comes to Wrest. People have recommended plenty Leviathan to me and I have always walked away fairly indifferent. Sure, I think he is talented, but he also just fails to fully engage me. However, I do feel that Scar Sighted has managed to take me at leas...
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