Thinking that I was in for some sort of cosmic radiation drone doom (can’t miss the Earth reference in the band name), Bees Made Honey In The Vein Tree led me a merry dance over 79 minutes on Aion. It’s a release that moves from the quietest precincts to deliberately noisy and discordant sounds, taking in calm post-rock styles at some moments and clanging grungy doom at others, all the while maintaining an experimental undertone. As such, not at all the relaxing experience I had envisioned, but a fulfilling and thoughtful trip through the outer reaches of all that is slow and psychedelic nonetheless. (Edmund Morton)
Gates of Europe might just be the pinnacle of the discography of dark neofolk act Rome. Rooted in a dramatic narrative about the ongoing Ukraine conflict, the album simply has everything I search for in music: beautiful songs, tasteful arrangements, a powerful them, deeply passionate delivery, and a wonderful emotional arc that takes the listener through a whirlwind of moods and atmospheres. (Daniele Nosenzo)
On this fourth full length, Italians Sinheresy have refined their craft yet again. Event Horizon is a mesmerising, anthemic blast of expertly judged symphonic prog metal with industrial elements. Their instrumental skill is matched pound for pound by the fantastic interplay between Cecilia and Stefano on vocals. This all makes for a wonderful album that should suit a variety of different metallic tastes and is one of this year’s best easily. (Thomas Carne)
This Finnish solo project from Mikko Lehto (October Falls, Burial Choir) moves onto a second album of lengthily-titled ponderous black metal, and it captures the spirit of the genre from several angles, without requiring much tolerance to heaviness to enjoy. The plinking keys are practically ever-present, as are graceful doom-inspired riffs, which form the backbone of these 6 stargazing songs, but the most important element is surely the atmosphere. The musical formula spells out unabashed wonder and nature worship from almost the first note, making this a fairly typical yet worthy release. (Edmund Morton)
