Hey look, it’s Botanist, the band with the hammered dulcimer! A consequence of a world filled brimful of good metal bands is that bands become known by their unique thing. Paleobotany, though, is a concept album dedicated to the marvels of the gigantic plants that existed before the Chicxulub asteroid so rudely interrupted their existence. Come on in and see if this release is as big a hit as that!
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Thanatotherion – Alien Manifesto Review
Thanatotherion may be an unknown band, but the main brain power behind this project, Ominous Droning, has also made a name as Shelby Lermo of Ulthar. But it was clear from the start that Alien Manifesto wasn’t going to be a journey through space, but rather a direct confrontation with a monster. Lions and tigers and Bobo bears and one man black metal, oh my! Ok, ok, it’s blackened thrash. Trust us, it makes a difference.
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Vale of Pnath – Between the Worlds of Life and Death Review
The band that pops your metaphorical cherry on a genre and introduces you to the pleasures it can offer is a special one. Vale of Pnath is that band for me, being the ones to get me into technical death metal. Now they return with their third album Between the Worlds of Life and Death. Has the cherry stayed sweet, or have Vale of Pnath fallen into the pits of mediocrity?
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The Last of Lucy – Godform Review
As our resident expert for everything death, tech, and brutal, will Scuttlegoat be the easiest candidate for reviewing an album that he knows he won’t enjoy? Or is that kind of masochism only reserved for a certain black metal loving bat? Will this be The Last of Scuttlegoat or will he transcend into Godform?
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Inter Arma – New Heaven Review
Since diving into their body of work, fantastic experiments like the one-song prog excursion The Cavern speak of a restless band with a thirst for exploring. Both the hazy desert feel of Sulphur English and the at times show-off nature of The Cavern are important to New Heaven, as it turns out. New Heaven shocks from its first seconds by throwing its most dissonant foot forward in a jarring and feverish outburst. Welcome to dissoheaven.
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Couch Slut – You Could Do It Tonight Review
Couch Slut built their reputation on shocking violence, both sonically and lyrically. Join Alice F. as they navigate You Could Do It Tonight’s short, simplistic noise rock/sludge songs—that make you want to smash your head into a wall.
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Castle Rat – Into the Realm Review
I was sceptical of Castle Rat at first. For an indie band, the marketing seemed just a tad too purposeful and calculated. The band just nailed what makes a classic doom metal fan tick, with the lo-fi VHS style music videos, the hokey image and the sound in general. What happens when a Rat and a Goat enter the dungeon crawl?
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Nuclear Tomb – Terror Labyrinthian Review
To get my thrash kick, I often have to look outside the genre to albums that merge a thrash influence into the band’s work, such as with Paladin, Hammers of Misfortune or Vektor. Not to be forgotten, Voivod were way ahead of the game in this regard, and they are relevant to newcomers Nuclear Tomb in just how much this band looks backward. Is our Gator looking forward to a good dose of atomic riffage?
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Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss Review
This version of Full of Hell is more committed to one interpretation of their sound than before. This is the type of sound that some reviewers might be tempted to call “matured”. That phrase is usually a hack word for a reviewer so he can sell the idea to you that a band doing less is somehow good. But our Goat’s no hack and he’s got a lust for grind…
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Crypts of the Unknown: Bergraven – Det Framlidna Minnet
