Zun – Burial Sunrise Review
The appeal of desert rock as a musical genre has to be understood not just in musical terms, but in terms of the deep vein of imagery and mythology that its evocation of the American …
Wode – Wode Review
With only a single, three-song demo from five years ago to their name, the UK’s Wode is a relatively unknown quantity, which can be a welcome rarity in a musical culture that tends toward oversaturation …
Cantique Lépreux – Cendres Célestes Review
Two simple truths to begin: 1. Cantique Lépreux are very good at what they do. 2. What they do is play Quebecois black metal. For most of you, those two brief sentences are likely sufficient …
Obscura – Akroasis Review
Listening to Obscura is a little bit like standing in front of a smooth, rotating metal sculpture glinting in the sunlight. It looks different from every angle and feels impressive, but it remains slippery and …
Rotting Christ – Rituals Review
Given that heavy metal as a discrete set of sounds and practices has been around for roughy as long as the duration of the Cold War, the casual music fan can be forgiven for assuming …
Oranssi Pazuzu – Värähtelijä Review
When Oranssi Pazuzu‘s debut album, Muukalainen Puhuu, touched down in 2009, it was a shock to hear such a fully formed vision. Despite the fact that plenty of black metal bands had exploded the genre …
Aluk Todolo – Voix Review
How do you know what music is about? It seems like a silly question, but the answer often strongly influences how one experiences a given piece of music. The easiest clue is usually lyrical: if …
Avantasia – Ghostlights Review
This is, I swear, a review of the new album from Avantasia. It just… well, sometimes it takes a minute to get to where you end up wanting to go. Bands like Avantasia seem to …