Devotion: Astral CatacombsOut 22nd April on Memento Mori This Spanish death metal curiosity returns for a much welcome revamp on their third offering ‘Astral Catacombs’. Despite the aesthetically tech-death cover art, Devotion walk the line between chasmic death/doom and the muscular, mid-paced earthed death metal of early Morgoth or Bolt Thrower. But Devotion are of... Continue Reading →

勝利萬歲 / Long Live VictoryOut 27th March on Pest Productions Xiamen’s Holyarrow delve into 20th Century history for their fourth and latest album ‘勝利萬歲’ (Long Live Victory), which sees them revamp their take on epic black metal into a militaristic sonic rendering appropriate for the mass mobilisations that defined the run up to Chinese independence.... Continue Reading →

Antagonyze: Interpretations of the Unknown WildernessOut 19th April on Chaos Records Boils the dark operas of The Chasm down to their raw materials, a process painful to watch but rewarding in outcomes. The questing surrealism of the Daniel Corchado’s signature compositional form is jettisoned at great cost, but the underlying architecture is pleasingly direct, efficient,... Continue Reading →

Black Metal CultOut 29th March on Osmose Productions It’s been 84 years since the release of ‘Sorrow Galaxies’. And finally the not awaited return of Les Légions Noires’ most well known alumnus is here at last. Given the dispute over the Suicide Circle name, it’s perhaps little wonder that Meyhna'ch would seek a less contentious outlet... Continue Reading →

The lads chat At the Gates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MrTCYHLIdM&t=2421s

Monstrosity are one of bands I turn to when craving death metal in trope form, expertly crafted but delivered in the most general sense, free of idiosyncrasy. Much like Malevolent Creation, and maybe Morpheus Descends, they offer a completely de-stylised, bipartisan interpretation of classic era death metal. At least on ‘Imperial Doom’. ‘Millenium’, with its... Continue Reading →

Urku Llanthu: Tarpuk AmsaOut 31st March on Takiri Productions Ecuadorian neofolk/ambient project Urku Llanthu return for album number four, this time for a lengthy concept piece on Jichi, a water deity native to the lowlands of the Andes. The light touch melodic flourishes exercised through phasing synths, haunting percussion, and a host of acoustic instrumentation... Continue Reading →

NomadOut 29th March on Osmose Productions Darkestrah find yet more mileage in the heavy/black/folk military procession metal innovated by Bathory, developed by Graveland, and imitated by everyone from Primordial to Russian and Ukrainian NS bands. The substance of their latest effort ‘Nomad’ consists of marching paced heavy metal riffing, impressive for the amount of information... Continue Reading →

The lads chat Immortal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDjdnaioGU