Dan Obstkrieg’s Best Of 2016 – Let Them Bells Ring
Has anyone ever asked you why you listen to heavy metal? It happens to me, from time to time, and I always find myself without an answer. It’s not that I’m indignant at the question, …
Anaal Nathrakh – The Whole Of The Law Review
A question that is not as off-topic as it likely seems: are nihilism and humanism necessarily incompatible philosophical doctrines? Should we continue to believe in reason and progress when presented with constant suffering and apparent …
Auroch – Mute Books Review
Some bands wander by mistake. On their third album Mute Books, Canada’s Auroch have made an album that, while not exactly bad, is very much not an album I want to listen to. On its …
Lotus Thief – Gramarye Review
The most important fact to dispense with here is that Gramarye is a beautiful album. No prefix, no qualification, no caveat: beautiful, full stop. Although two of Lotus Thief’s members also play in Botanist, the …
Neurosis – Fires Within Fires Review
Fires Within Fires feels like aging. Now, hold up. I’m not talking about the ages of the members involved, or at least not directly. Neurosis’s music, at least from Enemy of the Sun onward (and …
Stilla – Skuggflock Review
Skuggflock is the third album in four years from Sweden’s Stilla, and although its potential appeal is wide-ranging, it will be of particular interest to anyone already invested in the unique micro-niche carved out by …
Vanhelgd – Temple Of Phobos Review
The open question: Do Vanhelgd play fashionable death metal unfashionably, or unfashionable death metal fashionably? On the one hand, Vanhelgd’s melodicism and (in particular) the potently reverbed vocals sometimes suggest a kinship with such peripatetic …
Hammers Of Misfortune – Dead Revolution Review
To be an ardent fan of heavy metal in 2016 is a curious thing. By many metrics, there has never been a better time to follow this music, whether judged by the sheer volume of …