Beneath a Steel Sky’s debut, Cleave, goes far beyond being just another album title. Divided into two distinct sides, like an existential sandwich, this post rock/post metal debut seems carefully structured. It’s an A and B. It’s a start and a finish. It’s a rock and a metal. Two sides, one post-y sky!
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Pillar of Light – Caldera Review
The second a band chooses to use a Lewandowski painting for their cover, they set a certain expectation. Ever since his association with Bell Witch’s seminal funeral doom album, Mirror Reaper, this decision implies a certain confidence in quality. Detroit’s own Pillar of Light should know this. With the quiet-loud formula brought to bear on their debut album, Caldera, they make the case that they earn this monolithic cover through sheer emotional heft. It just might blow your top off.
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This Week In Metal, 2024 Week 26
Another week, another round of metal reviews in the bag. Words are tough, so we assembled the highlights. And if you want to read the latest reviews for the new offerings from Hemorrhoid, Ulcerate, and Julie Christmas, you can do that too! Yes, that’s right, Christmas in June!
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Julie Christmas – Ridiculous and Full of Blood Review
The raw intensity and emotional depth of Julie Christmas and her sound
with Battle of Mice opened our Inksterium’s ears to a new spectrum of sonic possibilities. And now, fourteen years after her solo debut, Julie Christmas is once again taking our reviewer through a labyrinth of dark and complex textures and feelings. Don’t let that smile fool you though… or maybe let it and grin bloody with Julie Christmas.
Ulcerate – Cutting the Throat of God Review
Stylistic shifts present issues for bands and can be great when they work. Unfortunately, some bands miss the mark entirely. Ulcerate is one such band who had a drastic style change. But you know what they say, if you’ve tempted the Gods with change, all you gotta do is cut their throats.
Read moreThis Week In Metal, 2024 Week 25
Another week, another round of metal reviews in the bag. Words are tough, so we assembled the highlights. And if you want to read the latest reviews for the new offerings from Malignancy, Matrass, and Mythologik, you can do that too! This week is brought to you by the letter M.
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Matrass – Cathedrals Review
Believe me when I say that I approached Matrass initially with trepidation as the promo text declared that oft tricky “modern” goal. But Matrass then also declared that with this full-length debut, Cathedrals, they aimed to shed groove from their sound and lean heavier into post waters. So which direction are they bedding down after all?
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Suldusk – Anthesis Review
When Emily Highfield released her debut Suldusk album Lunar Falls, Metalligator wasn’t particularly convinced. For its few harsh edges, the folk music did not particularly strike a chord, and the album just flowed by without making much of an impact. But Anthesis? What the folk happened here??
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Defying – Wadera Review
Is it black metal? Post metal? Prog metal? These are the important questions that Anti-Peat asks regarding what Poland’s Defying have done with Wadera, a horror film inspired concept album about revenge from beyond the grave. Don’t be a-scared-a of the Wadera!
Read moreUnlock the Krypts
Crypts of the Unknown: Lorn – Arrayed Claws
