The Stronghold encompasses the best aspects of instrumental metal. The tracks have character and vibrance. They are heavy and lumbering yet maintain a tight sonic structure with haunting melodies. Incroyable!

When Chastity Belt soars to their apex, they reach a dizzying height of memorable glistening melody and shiny sonic wistfulness. Live Love Laugh is an exciting addition to the band’s catalogue and showcases a band that continues to evolve and improve upon their infectious sound. Bravo!

Well, sometimes just writing good catchy songs is enough. Gama Bomb’s Bats is no pretension, no BS, straightforward, enjoyable metal.

Morgöth Tales is a celebration of the band and their incredible music and long career. An absolute must for progressive metal and metal fans alike. 

I recommend finding a well-lit room and letting Onhou’s stunning creativity douse your mind and body in some fine doomy goodness. You may however, never be the same again…

Dead Cross II impresses. It is a powerful, no holds barred sonic rumble, that in spite of its monstrous, almost combative ferocity, still manages some gratifying melody and intriguing experimentation.

Arkhon shows the quality and passion of one of the most underrated artists of our time.

Hologram adds five solid tracks to APTBS weaponized sonic noise arsenal. The EP demonstrates wonderful creativity and diverse, highly engaging material. APTBS impress once again.

À Travers Les Lambeaux is a great work. It is ambitious, interesting and extreme. It is a delicious amalgam of darkest forms of metal and yet finds various ways to push the boundaries with challenging arrangements, atmospheric embellishments and diverse vocal treatments.

Shaam Larein impresses in this debut release. It oozes with potential and quality. This is some seriously gorgeous, multi-layered gothy music that resonates on many levels. Her voice is the centrepiece of Sculpture.

The band has remained true to themselves and created the foundation of a new inspired and gratifying sonic cornerstone for their future sound. It has a sincere, warm vibe that illustrates their love of music and their love of making this music together.

The album has a palpable tension running through the pulse of its tracks. It may not satisfy all things to all her fans but it is unquestionably another impressive addition to her ever-growing discography. The songs on Birth Of Violence merge cleverly placed, effective instrumentation, foreboding atmospherics over inventive acoustic guitar. The draw, however, remains Chelsea’s distinctive, ethereal and captivating voice. Throughout the album, her longing for home is unmistakable with every word sung.

The trio show some impressive musicianship, eloquent compositional creativity and convincing songwriting throughout Horologist. The album is time well spent on its well-conceived slow journey to Mars.

It is a strikingly emotional, ascertainably emotive, beautifully artistic, ponderously atmospheric, measured jagged burn. It offers a lot to take in and its lustre may be slow to reveal itself to some listeners.

This album reasserts Conan on the throne of Doom Metal. Every track on Existential Void Guardian brings the goods. And the goods are a heavy, slog through some fine riffs, turbulent drums and that grim, soul-crushing, bass tone…

An aggressive tempest of brutal metal, spinning wildly in a sinister sonic blender. A fearsome and furious dark metal journey that demands your attention and shows some impressive creativity and agile musicianship, especially for a debut release.

Attention is paid to crafting enticing melodies, clever musical passages and pummeling riffs…an incredible, visceral, bountifully dark, complete album.

Screaming Females sound confident and imaginative as All At Once overflows with groovy melodies and songs drenched in riveting guitar work. An excellent, well balanced, complete album.

Searching for their sound OVUM mix strings to some of their tracks with mixed results. When sticking to their post-rock roots however their sound really soars. Overall, a solid addition to OVUM’s catalogue.

Soaring yet tempestuous, the melodies and bold, vibrant and inviting; the atmospheres hit with the fury of molten lava while the vocals imbue the band’s sound with a biting diabolical intensity. Auðn’s ‘Farvegir Fyrndar’ radiates with the indomitable fury and majesty of black metal.

An incredible heartbreakingly emotive journey, drenched in riveting layers of noise, industrial and electronic music, which is all tied together by Zola’s passionate and wholly engrossing vocals. The highest possible recommendation for this album. Give it a complete listen. I expect we’ll see it on many end-of-year lists.