Tag Archives: doom metal

Leonov – Wake

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Leonov, from Oslo, Norway, is a band that calls itself a blend of post-rock and metal. Wake is set to be their second release, after a self-titled album in 2014, and will be out on Fysisk Format on October 26. The quintet is made of Tåran Reidal on vocals and keyboards, Ole Jørgen Reindal and Rune Gilje on guitars, Morten Kjelling on bass, and Jon-Vetle Lunden on drums. It’s the first time I’m acquainted with the band, but a few minutes only sold me on it. Let’s see what it’s all about…

Wake commences rather … Read more

Birushanah – 灰ニナルマデ

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Naniwakko trio Birushanah released 灰ニナルマデ (Hai ni narumade) on October 3. The Japanese group has been around since 2002 under the moniker 毘盧釈那 (Birushana), and this latest opus is their fourth full-length release. The style of the band is sludge metal that includes a lot of elements from Japanese musical culture and pitched percussions.

This mix certainly makes them stand out musically. From the first minutes on 灰ニナルマデ, the pitched percussions come in and battle with the guitarist and singer for centre stage with their counter-intuitive melodies and unfamiliar harmonics. I’ve written about harmonics in … Read more

Maeth – Whaling Village

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Progressive stoner metal band Maeth has already wooed us with their previous album, Shrouded Mountain, which is exactly the kind of music I wanted stoner metal to be. Out of apparently nowhere, they released what is to be their last album, due to band members moving out: Whaling Village.

Adding to their already impressive sonic quality, this newcomer brings new aspects of the band’s sound to life, while keeping the things I liked the most well anchored. For example, the use of various bell cymbals, although somewhat shier than before, is still present and … Read more

Abraham – Look, Here Comes the Dark!, an Analysis Of

by Ignacio De Vincenzi

The Music

The Words

“Mankind’s worst enemy is itself” is a phrase that has been, is, and will be used for ages and ages to come. Since the dawn of our era, we’ve been using our gifted abilities for both good and evil purposes, and music has brought up this topic in a lot of songs and albums. However few bands dare to venture forth as Swiss post-metal band Abraham has done with their latest album Look, Here Comes the Dark!

With a concept double album about the end of times, the band explores the evolution of this post-apocalyptic setting … Read more

Soldat Hans – Es taut

by Matt Matheson

The Words

Soldat Hans is an outlier in their musical setting, lilting tranquilly somewhere in a liminal dimension between post-rock and post-metal. They are an outlier because they do not demand your attention in an immediate way, as most bands in the modern era of streaming and accessibility have to do. If a listener is bored of your track within fifteen seconds, they’re not coming back, so you have to compose songs that hook people with a certain urgency. Soldat Hans are not interested in appealing to those casual listeners; their songs are enormous, expansive, patient meditations on minimal themes. … Read more