Album Reviews Archives - Page 11 of 565

GAEREA – LOSS

Mar 232026

(Andy Synn attempts to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the new album from Gaerea)

A lot of people are probably telling you a lot of different things about Gaerea at the moment, running the gamut from pre-emptively calling Loss a total failure for “abandoning their Black Metal roots” to claiming that it’s a contender for “Album of the Year” that “redefines the Post-Black Metal landscape”.

But while that’s not, in and of itself, a bad thing – diversity of opinion and a variety of viewpoints can lead to rich and rewarding discussions – the main problem is that a lot of these opinions were set in stone before the album was even released, and now everyone is just digging in and doubling down in their ideological trenches, lobbing accusations and recriminations back and forth so fast that any sense of nuance in the conversation has long been… well… lost.

So let me clarify a few things right up front.

One, despite what some of the self-proclaimed “defenders of the faith” have been saying, Gaerea have not suddenly “turned into Sleep Token” (even if some of the more overtly saccharine, pop-friendly moments might occasionally hint at the comparison).

And, two, Loss is absolutely not the “new musical paradigm” that some of the more hyperbolic pre-release promotional materials would have you believe (and the suggestion that they’ve somehow embraced “the openness of Post Rock” by including a few quiet parts is almost insulting to the audience’s intelligence).

So what is it?

MR. CRABMAN AND THE SEAWEEDS: “NOTHING IN RETURN”

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Mar 232026

(DGR has made a fortunate new discovery, one outside his usual musical wheelhouses, and seeks to spread the word about it in the following review.)

Every year brings a cycle in which I swear up and down to try and expand my musical horizons, which for the most part I absolutely fail at. The early reaches of the year are usually the prime territory for this grand venture to have any hope of success though, because it is somewhat reliable – save for an odd plotting of years wherein January saw a giant flood – that those early parts will have plenty of room for new artists to take a shot at being out there and get some spotlight.

That beginning part of the year is a time of discovery, and every year does have a few interesting acts manage to break through the white noise in comparison to the summer exploraitons of old reliables and groups timing their releases around festival runs. This year, like I have in years past, has had me attempting to explore the doom genre some more, because if there’s any blind spot that I can openly admit to, the fuzzier side of doom is absolutely one of them. These ventures are a lot of fun because you can break past a surface-level understanding of things and actually acheive some sort of musical growth. If nothing else, it provides a new perspective point from which to see things.

The shaggier, fuzzed-out, and stoner side of doom will always have its fair share of oddballs. The walls of reverb and slow to mid tempos must be artistically freeing, and in that respect you do get groups who will name themselves some eyebrow-raising things just for the sheer fun of it. To explore this side of the genre is to be willingly caught off-guard from all ends, and that is how you wind up with a name like Mr. Crabman & The Seaweeds crossing your desk, amplified even more by their home location of the obviously well-known yet clearly easily missed psychadelic doom capital of the world…Finland. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): DEIMLER — “DARKNESS FALLS”

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Mar 192026

(written by Islander)

Death metal does not have to be interesting, innovative, or even moderately intelligent to be enjoyable. We all know this and most of us will freely admit it. In fact, sometimes it’s at its most enjoyable when its dumber than a box of rocks. And conversely, sometimes it can become so busy, disjointed, and intentionally unfamiliar that the band’s labored adventurousness is unpalatable, or so pretentiously serious that it becomes a big yawn (and not the yawning of our adored abysses).

On their new album Darkness Falls, the Spanish death metal band Deimler have found a sweet spot (indeed, many sweet spots) between these extremes. Their music is monstrous and mauling but it’s also frequently mind-boggling in its intricate adventurousness. It powerfully creates unsettling atmospheric auras but also hits like battering rams. It’s packed with hooks, and it includes guitar solos that are eye-opening rarities in the realms of death metal.

As vivid proof of these claims, today we’re premiering a full stream of Darkness Falls on the eve of its March 20 release by Awakening Records. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): HELL TREPANNER — “THE CONSECRATION OF ETERNAL IMPURITY”

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Mar 182026

(written by Islander)

“Darkness enthroned through the death of purity.” With that legend, the Peruvian band Hell Trepanner announce the inspiration for their new album, which will be released on March 20th by the respected Chinese label Awakening Records. The label provides a more extensive but no less daunting description:

The Consecration of Eternal Impurity is a ritual descent into the profane, where each track serves as a hymn to spiritual corruption and transcendence through chaos. This release explores the paradox between the sacred and the impure, narrating a process of inverted consecration in which purity is sacrificed to give way to a higher form of darkness. With abrasive riffs, relentless drums, and dense atmospheres, the work constructs an oppressive sonic landscape that invokes ancient deities, forgotten ruins, and forbidden ceremonies. It is a manifesto of blasphemous power that redefines the essence of ritualistic and obscure death metal.

As you’re about to discover through our full streaming premiere of this tremendous new album, Hell Trepanner powerfully carry forward the pentagram-strewn banner of South American extreme metal, and we’re proud to help flood the world with its horrid wonders. Continue reading »

GROWTH – UNDER THE UNDER

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Mar 182026

(Andy Synn was an early supporter of Growth and their debut album, so it only made sense for him to cover their long-gestating sophomore record, out next week)

Good things come, or so they say, to those who wait.

And, goddamn, have I been waiting for the new record from underground Aussie sensations Growth for a while now… ever since I discovered them and their outstanding debut album (which you can, and should, read more about here) back in 2020, in fact.

Sure, it may have taken them longer than I might have liked (though not as long as some of their countrymen, who I’m still waiting on) to produce the goods, but if good things really do come to those who wait, then surely the extra long wait means it’ll be extra good?

ENSHINE: “ELEVATION”

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Mar 182026

(In January of this year the Swedish/French duo Enshine released their first new album in more than a decade. The odds or DGR failing to review it have been slim or none, and at last he has done so.)

Tenured readers of the NoCleanSinging hallowed halls will recognize the name Enshine as one we have covered a decent amount in years past. The introspective, philosophical, skyward-gazing melodrama of the death and doom duo has held much appeal around here during their times of activity. Comprised of musicians Jari Lindholm and Sebastien Pierre, Enshine have sought to unify the strengths of the pair’s many other projects into something that utilized the aspirations of a genre that often evokes dreamlike qualities.

Positioned within a subset of doom with a stronger focus on beauty within the idea of melancholy rather than an outright crushing of the spirit. Atmospheric without being overwhelmingly sad, you’re just as often made to feel like you’re a piece of cloth caught in the wind floating high in the clouds just as often as you are brought back down to Earth and pressed into the ground. Little wonder then, that of the three Enshine releases up to this point, the band’s cover art has either been picturesque hues of blue and white among mountainous landscapes or hyper-colored renderings of the stars. Enshine combines the aspirations of two individuals whose other bands and their own solo careers have aspired to set listeners in a similar head space, both spiritual and introvertedly-philosophical – and very, very heavy on the keyboard leads. Continue reading »

IS IT AN ALBUM? IS IT AN EP? NO, IT’S…

Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET No Responses »

Mar 172026

…something in between, according to our own Andy Synn anyway!

It’s funny isn’t it, that nebulous, ill-defined dividing line that separates an EP from an album?

I’ve encountered releases longer than Reign in Blood that still feel like an EP by comparison, just as I’ve listened to records shorter than some EPs which still – in spite of this – come across like a complete and fully fleshed-out album.

Ultimately it often just comes down to a question of feel, which is why the album/EP experience is often so subjective.

Which means it’s up to you to decide whether the latest releases from Votive and Wielded Steel sit on one side of that divide or the other.

BOG MÖNSTER: “DUELLING HORRORS”

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Mar 172026

(This is DGR’s review of a new EP released earlier this month by the Australian trio Bog Mönster.)

When the collection of everything you intend to review consists of a smorgasbord of EPs and albums, tackling two songs can feel both like cheating and like mana from the heavens. The brain doesn’t have to keep track of as much but also you’re kicking yourself for daring to veer from the intended path. However, sometimes you will have a release that speaks loud enough that it compels you to spread the word about it.

Australian sludge group Bog Mönster’s newest EP Duelling Horrors is one such release, consisting of the aforementioned two songs and about ten and a half minutes of music. Bog Mönster had an EP and an album to their name prior to these Duelling Horrors, and their newest arrives close to two years after their previously mentioned album Servants Of The Necrosect back in 2024. Continue reading »

LAMB OF GOD – INTO OBLIVION

Album Reviews 2 Responses »

Mar 162026

(Andy Synn makes a rare exception to our rule about mainly covering underground bands to share his thoughts on some of the Metal scene’s most infamous sons)

Longevity, as the book I’m currently reading would tell you, can be both a blessing and a curse.

And while Lamb of God have certainly been blessed with a long and successful career, they’ve also been cursed – even if it’s the sort of curse I think most of us would be happy to accept – with having to constantly try and live up to the very high standard set in their early years.

Let’s face it, that initial trilogy – New American Gospel, As The Palaces Burn, and Ashes of the Wake – continues to cast a very long shadow, and while there have certainly been moments of brightness here and there (both Wrath and Resolution in particular have some underrated bangers on them) their work since then has, in hindsight, been more about consolidating their position at the top of the card than trying to re-set the bar.

But that was then, and this is now, and – despite the old truism that you shouldn’t judge a book (or album) by its cover – the decision to switch to a new logo for the first time in 20+ years suggests that there might just be something more going on this time than simply going through the motions or fulfilling contractual obligations.

Is it a rebirth? No, I wouldn’t go quite that far. But a renewal? Now that’s where things get interesting…

BOSSE-DE-NAGE: “HIDDEN FIRES BURN HOTTEST”

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Mar 162026

(The Flenser has released the first new album by Bosse-de-Nage in eight years, and today Todd Manning shares his thoughts about it.)

Avant-garde metal band Bosse-de-Nage disappeared from the scene years ago, their absence as mysterious as their sound. They appeared dormant if not disbanded, but in truth, they have been slowly crafting their new album, Hidden Fires Burn Hottest. Now it’s time for the world to hear what they have been working on.

Bosse-de-Nage has always been hard to pin down, usually classified as black metal but that only works compared to other genres. Trying to understand Hidden Fires Burn the Hottest is like engaging in negative theology, it is easier to list the things it is not rather than define what it is. Continue reading »

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