I’m an Anubis Gate fanboy, take this review with a grain of salt; This is an awesome album, Covered in Black was pretty good, but it still felt like victory lap part 2 after the self titled. This album gets more creative, and “experimental” than any of their previous albums. I didn’t realize that I wanted Anubis Gate to indulge in more psychedelia, but now that they have I’m here for it. I know they’re big Pink Floyd fans and this album really showcases that influence. It’s at least a 9/10 and that score may go up as I spend more time with it. (Ian Yeara)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7YE0XD43ZU
Forged in Black’s third album is easily their best, not in any way to diminish their excellent previous output. This record bristles with high energy melody, wicked guitarlines and truly fabulous vocalisation that is theatrical in it’s delivery and storytelling without ever becoming sacharine or overindulgent. There is a huge brace of striking, clever slabs of thrash-infused NWOTHM bangers here for all, and at a budget price for it’s download to boot, there’s absolutely no reason for anyone with ears to avoid it. (Thomas Carne)
Our favourite Scottish lunatic Christopher Bowes returns with his sort-of-side-project-that-got-a-bit-out-of-hand-and-is-now-just-as-big-as-the-main-project project. Gloryhammer got some shit for the unceremonious sacking of Thomas Winkler, but he’s moved on and given us his own fun power metal record this year. However, he really couldn’t hope to hold a candle to the madness of Return To The Kingdom Of Fife. Armed with the smooth sheen of vocalist Michael Sozos, the Brits churn out anthem after anthem of dynamically varied and surprisingly complex symphonic power metal goodness. The songwriting is more expansive than ever, and it uses many recurring motifs from throughout the band’s discography (an instant win for me!). The artwork is handled once again by the awesome Dan Goldsworthy, and it depicts the on-going narrative of Gloryhammer’s faux-Scottish intergalactic/interdimensional/medieval fables which are, let’s be honest, completely fucking mental. What Return… manages, quite bewilderingly, is to be almost alarmingly moving. The way the music is enhanced by what’s happening in the plot can be bafflingly emotional. If you’re into Psychotic thaumaturgical peasant basket weavers-cum-evil wizards, that is. And I totally am. (Larry Best)
Hailing from Austria, this young three-piece have released only two albums and their latest, Meander, is a must-listen for readers lurking in the darkest corners of progressive metal. Mixing in equal parts progressive and post-metal aesthetics, Hills Like White Lions conjure up melancholic and highly hypnotic soundscapes that lull the listener into a reverie before exploding in furious, blast-beat-fuelled attacks of cathartic fury. Guided by Florian Wagner’s sombre croon, Meander’s 7 songs ebb and flow along a bleak but ultimately engrossing continuum that will appeal to fans of bands like Katatonia, Anathema, Disillusion, Solstafir and The Ocean. (Daniele Nosenzo)
It pisses me off that the second full-length from a band whose debut was one of my favourites of 2021 completely passed me by. Manic might seem like a generic new wave thrash band emulating the likes of Metallica and Megadeth (in fact, they bear striking resemblance to said veterans), but their sound has become easily identifiable. What they do, that stands them out from the Municipal Waste clones, is groove like fuck. Quite a bit of Centuries Of Spilled Blood is spent lumbering around at mid-tempo, hammering away with pounding chugs and half-time breakdowns. It’s the best possible thing that a thrash band can do, and Manic make the fuckin’ most of it. They can still bombard you with frenzied assaults like “Never-Ending Slaughter” and “For Us”, but if you’re not here for the stomping march of “Die By Fire”, the gritty crawl of “Under The Crow” or the oh-so-headbangable “Sacrificial Ruins” (one of my favourite songs of 2023), then I’m not here for you. These guys riff, and riff hard. That’s really what metal should be about. (Larry Best)
How do you follow up on a “part one” from 9 years ago? Well according to Scar Symmetry you pretend nothing has changed. It’s 2014, the riffs are heavy and catchy, the hooks are on point, but there’s something missing from part one. This album is pretty good, but it’s a minor step down from the previous album. It’s still a worthy addition to the Scar Symmetry catalog. (Ian Yeara)
I’m on record as being a Black Light Bacchanalia stan, It’s a very underappreciated album with great hooks. Nocturnes on the other hand was a bloated mess, that starts off relatively strong, but settles into a monotony of mid tempo romps and ballads. This album has terrible production (yes somehow worse than BLB), but the songwriting has passion and energy. The vocals while not stellar at least feel impassioned. Most importantly though despite some slower burn songs, this album has energy and aggression with some major House of Atreus vibes. If you can get over the production, there’s some really solid music on here. (Ian Yeara)
The second cool debut album with references to lithic qualities that I’ve loved this past month (the other is Lithik’s ‘Geomorphology’ full-length), Voidhaven arrive from Germany with 53 minutes of fully-formed death doom. Leaning neither to the lighter nor heavier side of the genre, the quintet (some of them with experience in Fvneral Fvkk and Crimson Swan) instead mix the crushing guitars and swooning keyboards that the genre can offer, sounding at times like My Dying Bride on a trek through the wilderness. ‘Lithic’ likewise takes the listener on an emotional trip, from stormy rage to reverential quiet, though mostly stays at low pace throughout. In the manner of good death doom, it engulfs very quickly, sucking the light out of the room to focus attention inwards. Perhaps under the radar for some, but a success in my eyes. (Edmund Morton)
