A casual discussion about Shostakovich by two Bruckner enthusiasts (Jason and Sébastien). A graduate from the Royal Conservatory of Liège in Belgium (1st prize organ, 1st prize harmony, 1st prize history of music, 1st prize musical analysis); Sébastien Letocart is a self-taught composer, who has built his musical equally by studying ancient music (i.e. Josquin... Continue Reading →

Wolves in Winter: The Calling QuietOut 24th February on Argonauta Records Wolves in Winter are the latest chapter in the lengthy annals of West Yorkshire doom metal. With members of Monolith Cult, Lazarus Blackstar, Solstice, and Iron Rat joining forces on ‘The Calling Quiet’. Superficially, this is an agreeably drab iteration of damp Northern misery,... Continue Reading →

In this video we unpack this month's box from Headbangers Trough, a legally distinct metal subscription service to the metalhead box, and we make a pitch to Carlsberg to sponsor the channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nttf6dCPNF4

Genre lifecycles are a fascinating thing. But whilst the greater part of our attention is usually fixated on the origin story, the concept of genre death remains oblique. For underground movements such as thrash or death metal, the moment when true commercialisation is at its most apparent is often cited as the point of no... Continue Reading →

Oerheks: LandschapsanachronismenOut 22nd February on Amor Fati Productions Obscure, peripheral, melancholy, yet oddly wistful, there’s no denying the rich emotional brew Belgium’s Oerheks whip up on their latest demo ‘Landschapsanachronismen’. A pleasingly symmetrical release consisting of two epic pieces of obscure black metal pulling at similar heartstrings as those attempted by much of the post... Continue Reading →

The lads chat Celtic Frost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atS759nYEgs

Summing up why we like the music we do is a unique challenge. We spend so much time at the coalface of specificity that stepping back and admiring the totality of our taste is akin to leaving Plato’s cave. We lack the language or even the psychology to fully perceive our surroundings, let alone articulate... Continue Reading →

https://youtu.be/PIIjh7HB_tM Why did England never witness an enduring black metal scene? Does this fit within a wider historical narrative of England as Europe's black sheep?

KoboldThe village in the frozen mountains The description for this release ends with the sentence “short dungeon-pop compositions in 16-bit style and magic melodies that will transport you straight when you was young and carefree” (typo retained for clarity). Never has a blurb for an album been more nakedly honest. Kobold resides in that corner... Continue Reading →

Sarpa: Mauta TalaOut 17th February, self-released The number of modern artists that take to the smorgasbord of history to serve as their creative muse is telling. Concocting uncanny blends harvested from different eras and regions piecemeal . Even more telling is how explicitly many of them are in admitting that this is precisely what they... Continue Reading →