Anaal Nathrakh – Passion

If heavy metal is left field music then surely Anaal Nathrakh are on the very left wing of the left field. For the last ten years or so they have consistently challenged perceptions, not to mention ear drums, of what is aurally possible. Their sense of the extreme, their relentless pursuit of punishing sounds, often done with a self regarding glint in their nihilisitic eye has been an exemplary lesson in uncomprising brutality.

Interview With Wolverine

It’s often said that the best art originates from suffering. That’s certainly the case with Swedish progressive rock band Wolverine and their Communication Lost album. It’s a really dark effort based on some intense personal issues and struggles individual band members had to face. Drummer Marcus Losbjer (ML) and vocalist Stefan Zell (SZ) talked candidly about the dark times before releasing Communication Lost, their reconciliation with the current status of the band and some releases both gents are really looking forward to..

Wolverine – Communication Lost

Communication Lost is the fourth full length album by the Swedish progsters of Wolverine. It’s the successor to the Still album, which was released back in 2006. It has been a long wait, so let’s see what these lads have been tinkering with for the last five years.

Wolverine – Still

Wolverine are a progressive rock band from Sweden. They started out as a melodic death metal act, but through the years they evolved to the progressive entity they are today. Their third album Still was released back in 2006. While listening to this record I can’t help feeling baffled about the lack of recognition for Wolverine from the general public.

Xerath – II

I was pretty enthusiastic about Xerath’s debut album, simply entitled I. That record was a fresh blend of Meshuggah styled dissonant guitar riffs, odd time changes and a thick layer of symphonic elements. There was some room for improvement though. Not all the tunes were that memorable and their trademark sound was a bit too much at times. Xerath have returned to the fold with a new album, entitled II. Let’s see whether they have improved upon themselves.

Altar Of Plagues – Mammal

Altar Of Plagues are an Irish ensemble specialised in making an eerie and catatonic combination of black metal and postcore. They’ve been around for quite some time now, resulting in a couple of EP’s and one full length album, entitled White Tomb. These guys make a grand return with their latest effort, called Mammal.

Altar Of Plagues – White Tomb

Ireland isn’t known for having a particular large metal scene, but they do have some high calibre bands over there. Mourning Beloveth, Primordial and Cruachan are fine examples of that. Recently I stumbled upon Altar Of Plagues, an Irish atmospheric black metal ensemble. Subject of review is their White Tomb album, which is also their first full length. Let’s have a closer look.

Limbonic Art – Phantasmagoria

In the past the creative core of Limbonic Art was formed by Daemon and Morfeus. This resulted in a couple of blazing albums in the shape of Moon In The Scorpio (1996), Ad Noctum – Dynasty Of Death (1999) and The Ultimate Death Worship (2002). Limbonic Art folded back in 2003, but was brought back to life again with The Legacy Of Evil (2007) as a result. Tension remained and subsequently Morfeus left the band. Daemon is since the sole member of Limbonic Art. Let’s see how all this shaped Phantasmagoria, the band’s latest record.

Blood Of Kingu – Sun In The House Of The Scorpion

Blood Of Kingu is one of the projects/bands of Roman Saenko. He’s also active in Drudkh. I’m quite familiar with black metal from Norway and France, but I didn’t know there was also such a thing as a Ukrainian black metal scene. Blood Of Kingu turns out to be a great starting point with their excellent Sun In The House Of The Scorpion album.

Omnium Gatherum – The Redshift

Omnium Gatherum are a melodic death metal band from Finland. They have a couple of albums under their belt, including Spirits And August Lights (2003), Stuck Here On Snakes Way (2007) and The Redshift (2008). Subject of this review is their third studio record, entitled The Redshift.