Suffering Hour – In Passing Ascension
In Passing Ascension is a masterpiece from a scene (Minneapolis, MN) that is RED HOT right now.
Hollow World – Exanimate
The quintet as a whole has taken the five pieces to really compose an album, where other bands play different instruments, or even just play songs. Exanimate is one of those pieces of artwork where the whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts.
In The Company of Serpents – Ain-Soph Aur
Pick it up, wring it out, and you’ll have an ocean of feeling. This is one of those albums that simultaneously seems to last a lifetime and an instant, but you feel changed by listening.
Atoll – Fallout Frenzy
Any more than three minutes of exposure could result in radiation poisoning…
Boson – Domain of Ember
It’s a unique blend that I kind of like.
Celeste – Infidele(s)
The quartet draws you along the twisted pathways of a murky labyrinth of darkness. Much like their live performance, they provide the only light, only cutting marginally through the fog, and only where they want you to see.
Dawn Ray’d – The Unlawful Assembly
Dawn Ray’d plays an atmospheric style that is too raw to be atmospheric black metal.
Low Estate – Covert Cult of Death
Intriguing. Bizarre. Lots of push-pull dynamic with changes that come out of nowhere, but seem organic.
Sorcerer – The Crowning of the Fire King
…the band plays an intriguing mix of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and J.R.R. Tolkein.