Articles by Chris Keith-Wright
Privation marks another bold step forward as Fange continues to fearlessly experiment.
Model/Actriz have been steadily bubbling away in the great creative do-or-die melting pot that New York is renowned as since 2016 – and now explode to life with their debut LP, ‘Dogsbody’.
As the quintet navigate through their maze-like mathy, progressive rock/metal melange, one could visibly see the joy ping-ponging between the band and their appreciative, entranced audience.
A hardware store drowning through a recording studio.
Let’s hope we have a strong few years of this brilliant young band taking over the world… It’s Black Country out there.
Alkerdeel’s fourth album is the sum of all that has gone before and is, to my ear, their finest achievement to date.
‘The Helm of Sorrow’ is a glorious extra from the minds of Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou.
The sophomore record from Black Wing delivers in spades and will please fans of old and will surely bring on board an entire new legion of fans.
Liturgy are a polarising band and their fifth LP, being an attempt to write an opera, will surely do them no favours in changing opinion. However, the record is incredible in how, for the most part, the quartet manage to pull off the impossible. Surely, the most ambitious album of 2020?
The band continue their constant and considerable evolution, but despite it all, genre debates and line-up changes aside, this record still sounds resolutely like Tombs. Only the best bands can do that.
A fine raw black metal debut album from Canadian trio, Liminal Shroud, unfortunately undercut by poor production that despite their aesthetic, weighs too heavily upon the material on offer.
Individually each track is worthy of praise, but with only three on offer, it’s difficult to understand what Kiova are really offering the listener.
Old school razor sharp death metal meets the more modern flourish of the genre, as well as the scrambling, hallucinatory implementation of grindcore. Devastating.
Shaidar Logoth’s third LP is remarkably accomplished and, despite only housing four tracks, takes the listener on an epic journey not soon forgotten.
A fine record, verdant with energy and growth, and truly – forgive me – a breath of fresh air in a scene that can prove itself stale or frozen of life.
‘May Our Chambers Be Full’ may at first feel like an odd listen, but it is endless rewarding, and, as it drags you into its own world, becomes ever more awe-inspiring.
If you’re willing to go on a wild ride, Convulsif will pay you back and then some with this LP. Recommended for all those with a screw loose.
Adult Themes is what is says on the tin: a record dealing with the issues we care about in our little lives. It just so happens to kick ass while doing it.
‘Legions of a Different Kind’ is a triumph. No more, no less. Bow down to your undead overlords. Their reign of terror has only just begun.
Wayfarer’s fourth LP is another unique mix of black metal and dark Americana – and their most successful to date. A record that transports the listener away from 2020 to an alternatively soundtracked Spaghetti Western, is a very welcome one indeed.
