Reviewed: September 2021 Released: 2021, Firecum Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Lee Carter It’s an old argument, but we revisit it here: is there much point in reviewing re-releases? On the one hand, you have the potential scenarios of having the easiest writing session of your life (“Review: see comments from [DATE]”).…
sludge metal
In the Company of Serpents – Lux
Reviewed: September 2021 Released: 2021, Petrichor (original release: 2020) Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes In the Company of Serpents’ fourth full-length was initially a self-release last year, but is now seeing a fresh issue by Petrichor. Listening to it now, you can easily hear how it caught the label’s attention;…
Boozewa – Deb
Reviewed: August 2021 Released: 2021, self-released Rating: 3/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Deb is a two-song single from up-and-coming US doom merchants Boozewa. Despite only consisting of a couple of (by doom standards) fairly short songs, it manages to give a glimpse into some solid sounds and decent potential variety from…
Switchblade Jesus – Death Hymns
Reviewed: July 2021 Released: 2021, Hybrid Records Rating: 3/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes Death Hymns, the sophomore album of Texans Switchblade Jesus (cool name points +1), was actually released late 2020, but is now out in cassette format. Let’s see what it’s all about. Clocking in at just 27 minutes for…
Vokonis – Odyssey
Reviewed: April 2021 Released: 2021, The Sign Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Lee Carter There’s somewhat of an expectation with modern progressive metal music that it needs to sound somewhat introspective. Whether that is in harder, heavier subgenres such as death metal, or lighter examples, there’s a certain level of brood that…
Age of Woe – Envenom
Reviewed: March 2021 Released: 2021, Lifeforce Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Demitri Levantis Age of Woe, hailing from Sweden’s death metal capital, Gothenburg, have released their third full-length album, Envenom. This, along with their previous ventures into the worlds of doom, sludge, and crust punk, has made the band stand out…
Insomnium + Conjurer @ Islington Assembly Hall, London
Insomnium + Conjurer @ Islington Assembly Hall, London 19th January 2020 Review by Demitri Levantis Photos by Dovaldė Gaidelionytė
Ether Coven – Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering
Ether Coven – Everything is Temporary Except Suffering Reviewed: January 2020 Released: 2020, Century Media Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Aaron Yurkiewicz I’m admittedly pretty stoked about this record. Ether Coven (formerly “Ether”) are one of the best bands to come out of the South Florida metal scene in ages, embracing a…
Dawn Ray’d + Burning Vow + Wound @ The Black Heart, London
Dawn Ray’d + Burning Vow + Wound @ The Black Heart, London 23 October 2019 Review by Demitri Levantis Photos by Paweł Dziepak
MNRVA – Black Sky
Reviewed: October 2019 Released: 2019 – Self Released Rating: 3/5 Reviewer: Beandog Black Sky is a tricky record to review. If you’re into the sort of sludge encrusted doom that owes its weight to the likes of Electric Wizard, then there is actually very little to dislike about MNVRA‘s debut.…
Fister – Decade of Depression
Fister – Decade of Depression Reviewed: October, 2019 Released: 2019, Listenable Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Aaron Yurkiewicz To celebrate 10 years of codeine induced musical hallucinations, St. Louis doom merchants Fister have released the appropriately titled DECADE OF DEPRESSION, a collection of unlikely cover tunes that somehow work beautifully within…
Cazador – Failure To Thrive
Cazador – Failure To Thrive September 2019 Released: July 12th, 2019 / Self-Release Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine Hailing from the New England region here in the U.S., Cazador has been crushing audiences in the Boston underground scene since 2015. FAILURE TO THRIVE is the band’s debut studio…
Weedeater + ASG + Trippy Wicked and The Comsic Children Of The Night @ The Dome
Weedeater + ASG + Trippy Wicked and The Cosmic Children Of The Night @ The Dome, London 22nd July 2019 Review by Ambra Chilenwa Photography by Ryan Whitwell (Shotison Media)
Wardehns – Now Cometh the Foul
Reviewed: April 2019 Released: 2019, self-released Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: Kieron Hayes The cover of Wardehns’ new album depicts a pair of trolls/giants (with art based on Games Workshop’s Giant model, nice!) charging out from their foetid lair. Combine with the album’s title, “Now Cometh the Foul”, and you have an…
Old Man Lizard – True Misery
Reviewed: March 2019 Released: 2018 – Wasted State Records Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: Beandog Old Man Lizard have been belting out their particular brand of stoner and sludge since 2011. Inspired by the rural surroundings of their native Suffolk, the UK based power trio have certainly made their mark on the heavy…