- Sunday, 17 December
Außerwelt – Transitions (post-black metal)
- Monday, 18 December
An Autumn for Crippled Children – Trust (blackgaze)
Haunts – A Lack of Empathy (post-rock)
- Wednesday, 20 December
Andrew McCommons – Passion; Obsession (instrumental melodic progressive metal)
Indurate – Panopticonic Phantasm (instrumental progressive metal)
Jiggly – Demos 2016-2017 (experimental math rock)
Opposite Day & Sam Arnold – Space Taste Race Part Zero (experimental progressive rock)
- Friday, 22 December
Ur – Black Vortex (black metal)
Свентояр (Sventoyar) – Ethnix (Slavic folk progressive metal)
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British post-rock collective Haunts recently released their debut output. A Lack of Empathy, just shy of the thirty minutes mark, is a refreshing take on the genre, thanks to Dalma’s violins expanding into reverberating swells, and Kurt’s minimalistic drumming, using a variety of rim shots and uncommon percussions to fill the available space, and, finally, the omnipresent synths, which fulfill their purpose without being overwhelming. Like clanths in an abandoned shack, Haunts remind us of old, simpler times while, on the other hand, providing us with new ways to confront the future. My favourite effort on this EP is … 
Germany’s post-black metal outfit Außerwelt recently released their debut full-length album, Transitions. The album starts without hesitation and into the soaring riffs of “Isolate the Sun”. Their intention is clear: Transitions is about crafting an atmospheric aura not too far from the mellower post-rock scene, but with added tremolo riffs, and other crushing chords and pounding drums. As far as post-black metal goes, this is quite on the soft side, acting as a bridge or gateway from and to post-rock and black metal. This is a really well crafted album, as each song on it thoroughly explores a theme …