Covid Diaries achieves what few others will – it captures the essence of 2020. It’s grim and foreboding, charting the narratives of the sceptics, the faithful and of Earth itself. It’s a grand satire that works on almost every level and if it’s uncomfortable to listen to, that’s because we are living in uncomfortable times.

That Which Whets The Saccharine Palate is an album that works because it feels wrong and sounds great. It’s almost ungainly, like it doesn’t quite fit in its own skin, but like any good monstrosity, that is its beauty.

David Bowes spoke to Alison Chesley of Helen Money about her latest album Atomic and the joys of being embraced by the metal community.

It’s a ragged rendition of Sonic Youth’s ‘White Kross’ that puts the perfect rusty nail in the night’s coffin . . . a weird and wonderful conclusion to a night of utter sonic devastation.

For an album that could have been a cut-and-paste mishmash of two disparate releases, what Whitehead has instead delivered is an intensely personal work that is beautiful, chilling and heart-wrenchingly inked in sorrow, one whose story comes not from words or melody but rather from the atmosphere of overwhelming solitude that permeates it.

An intriguing look at the roots of a band who have carved out their own place in the death metal universe as well as a glimpse of the state of Australian extreme scene in the mid ‘90s.

If anything really defines Boris’ appeal tonight it’s the double-whammy of ‘Coma’ and ‘LOVE’, two nebulous, droning titans . . . These are where Wata is given her chance to flex her muscles to the utmost, layering distortion and squealing semi-melodies and then ramping up each of them until the room becomes nothing but a fog of sound and dry ice.

Just before the release of the critically acclaimed Death Atlas, we cornered Cattle Decapitation’s Josh Elmore to talk legacy, history and what humanity is doing wrong.

It goes without saying that Cattle Decapitation are one of a kind. They’re a forward-thinking outfit that hit harder than most but underpin their brutality with a globally conscious viewpoint steeped in frustration at every moronic misstep that our species manages to take with each passing day. So why are they so damn enjoyable to watch? Well, that’s what tonight aims to uncover.

Between the set-list, the gorgeous visuals and the curation of the whole evening’s entertainment, there’s a sense of watching something that had been honed to perfection before anyone had even gotten a glimpse of it. The sound is immaculately crisp, Miller’s guitar slotting neatly between post-punk breeze and jagged-pop swagger, and a trio of covers towards the set’s end wink at nostalgia while staying true to the band’s idiosyncrasies.

David Bowes spoke to Nile guitarist Karl Sanders prior to their Glasgow show and rather than have us sling our hook, he was more than happy to answer a few questions about their phenomenal ninth album, Vile Nilotic Rites.

David Bowes spoke to GosT mastermind Baalberith to discuss the important things in life – Satan, synths and heavy metal.

EOS is an imposing album, something that captures the horror and solitude of cosmic nothingness through atmosphere, space and skilful manipulation of all the tools at their disposal, and even if its runtime might be a barrier to some, it’s worth the effort if you long for a black metal album that you can completely immerse yourself in.

Melt-Banana . . . exude a fervent passion for their music and a sense of hyperactive aggression underpins their work that’s not lost on the crowd, who spend the full set in a desperate, sweaty crush to get a foot closer to the riffs.

While much of Valediction finds itself divided between mid-80s Gothicism and unhinged fury, GosT has a deft knack for finding the elements of both that can fit comfortably beside each other and bonding them with a great hook or a deliriously Moroder-esque beat.

Whereas their debut worked due to its haphazard mishmashing of disparate genres and ‘Metal Resistance’ sought to capitalise on their success by adding a more focused, song-driven approach, ‘Metal Galaxy’ somehow crams the best parts from both into a 50-minute explosion of joy, silliness and hooks big enough to snag a megalodon.

Nile have always been a band who toe the line between tradition and innovation and after 25 years, the thought that they might have run out of tricks surely passed through the mind of many before this evening; but if nothing else, their performance was proof that they have truly been reborn by the will of Osiris.

While Ravnsvart might not be the black metal record that we all didn’t know we needed, it is a ridiculously well put-together and occasionally brain-melting trip through the Oslo backwoods and the more obscure reaches of the infernal void.

Given the musicians involved, it’s almost impossible to gauge in advance how it will sound. If anything, that’s the most predictable thing about a release that never quite goes the way you would expect…

There’s a point after the show where someone is overheard stating that what they had just witnessed is “the future of music”, and that doesn’t seem far off. Vampillia are avant-garde with purpose: a collection of like-minded and immensely talented musicians who have somehow found each other and let us join in the magic.

Tonight is an exceptional performance even by the band’s own demanding standards. Considering how it must seem to the casual bystander that they can do no wrong these days, it’s good to know that they’re still capable of meeting expectations head-on and maybe even surpassing them.