Tag Archives: post-metal

Mord’a’stigmata – Dreams of Quiet Places

by Matt Matheson

Mord’a’stigmata—not a name that is easily forgotten—has been a name on the periphery of my radar for years. The Polish group’s brand of bleak metal never captivated me enough to warrant much attention, but on fifth full-length Dreams of Quiet Places they have refined their sound into something impossible to ignore. Both composition and production have taken a substantial step up from 2017’s Hope, with nods to purveyors of blackened sludge like Rorcal and older Altar of Plagues, alongside psychedelic elements reminiscent of Entropia and older A Forest of Stars (or their lesser-known reincarnation, The Water Witch… Read more

Haken – Vector

by Jeff Nixon

The Music

The Words

Haken are back at it again with their fifth album Vector releasing this Friday, October 26th. A surprisingly short album, clocking in at just under 50 minutes, with only one track “Veil” breaking the 10 minute mark. That’s not to say this album isn’t still jam packed with prog metal goodness. The album starts off with “Clear” a short instrumental intro similar to “affinity.exe” off their last album. This leads right into the first single “The Good Doctor” a fun song that sets the theme for the album.

According to the band, this album very riff … Read more

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

Entropia – शूत्य स्थान / Vacuum

by Matt Matheson

The Music

The Words

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: a priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar. The priest is actually a huge Oranssi Pazuzu fan. The rabbi is wearing a Thy Catafalque shirt. The minister was blasting Neurosis in his car when he pulled up. The bar is actually a jazz club. There’s a swing band playing.

That’s as far as I feel like pushing the ridiculous setup, but here’s the punchline: Entropia‘s शूत्य स्थान (Shoony sthaan) / Vacuum is psychedelic blackened sludge metal with a twist—not a gimmick, mind you, but a … Read more

Autumn Creatures – Funeral Garden

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Autumn Creatures is not a new name, exactly. They’ve been around since at least 2013, but it’s through Funeral Garden that I’ve discovered them. The band is made up of a core of five musicians, and they are joined on this release by a string quartet, which gives a whole new depth to the band’s music.

The band plays an essentially instrumental sort of post-metal with keyboards adding to the usual “metal band” sound. On top of that, the string quartet appears here and there for extended periods of time where atmosphere supersedes riffs. What’s more, … Read more