Doomed For Metal Reviews

November Fire is a doom/stoner metal band from New England that formed in 1991.  Over the years members would come and go as the band recorded demos and played gigs throughout the Boston area; the band stayed active until 2004 and, after some sporadic reunions, returned to the scene in 2022.   Flash forward to 2024 and the band drops their full-length debut “ Through A Mournful Song .” My time with this album was well spent.  I’ve no doubt this is one of the more unique metal albums I’ve heard this year.  I would say doom is their foundation but they are hard to categorize.  A lot is going on in these songs and across its forty-minute runtime, the band doesn’t shy away from exploring variety within its dynamics.    There are a lot of psychedelic tendencies across its breadth and it often times has an unhinged quality, almost supernatural in a way.  The vocals from bassist Terry go a long way adding to the band’s special atmosphere.  His...

Immortal Bird is an extreme metal band from Chicago, Illinois, who formed in 2013.  Their latest album, ‘ Sin Querencia ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released two EPs. In 2019, I reviewed their previous full-length for Metal Temple, “ Thrive on Neglect ,” and absolutely loved it.  I still jam it occasionally so I’ve been waiting a long time to hear this new beast. The wait for “Sin Querencia,” was worth it–and then some.  This album continues the exploration of their sound without boundaries—there isn’t really any way to classify their sound other than simply calling it metal or Immortal Bird.  They are what they are and do what they do.  I could sit here all day and explain that I hear black metal and crust, among several other things, but it’s better if I just talk about why the album kicks ass and why this band is one of the best on the scene playing extreme metal.   The production is incredible—every instrument, every note, e...

The Gates of Slumbe r is a name I never thought I would see again but….behold, they have returned with their first full-length album since 2011!  Apparently they reformed in 2019, which is something I didn’t even know about.  Regardless, the boys are back in doom down and all is right in this world.  At least the doom world… I usually review albums while wearing headphones but, on occasion, I play the albums out loud to annoy my family.  I have to keep them on their toes, right?  Well I was jamming this new self-titled release (their 6th full-length album) and my wife said, “I don't like this, it sounds like Black Sabbath. I know, I know.  She isn’t a metalhead, and especially hates doom,  so just roll your eyes and try to move on.  I won’t divorce her over it but I did give her a history lesson on doom/Sabbath/Ozzy which she promptly ignored. Fortunately, a band sounding like Sabbath doesn’t bother me but, while the band’s influences are obviousl...

Golgothan Remains is a death metal band from Australia, that formed in 2015. “ Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death ,” is their fourth overall release; they also have a demo and two full-lengths. This short but very well executed tells a story in its 4 song, 20 minute runtime about two centuries-old creatures trying to find companionship but are unable to find it due to their evil spirit. It's an interesting concept and the music matches it head-on with a surprisingly dynamic sound. The atmosphere of the songs is incredible!  Black and doom metal elements can be found mixed in with their unrelenting death match.  Because of these elements, there is a chilling and horrific mood in each of the songs. The doom and black metal elements help bring about an ancient, arcane feel. The result is an album that is as brutal as expected but it's often times subtle with its details.   These subtle elements begin the EP on the first song “ Methuselah ,” and its intro that builds u...

Iniquitous Savagery is a brutal death metal band from the United Kingdom, that formed in 2012.  Their latest release, “ Edifice of Vicissitudes ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released an EP and a demo. “ Edifice of Vicissitude s,” is the band's first album in nearly a decade but they haven't skipped a beat or gone soft. If anything, the album is brutal death metal played in its most straightforward form. That also means it is an honest album that embraces its own sound and does exactly what it needs to do. Despite its singular vision of providing face-melting brutal crushing, it's a smartly written album with much going for it. It isn't often that an album of this nature has so many details that it becomes a grower that requires patience and multiple listens but here we are. Among the flesh-ripping slams, virtuous instrumentation abounds with technical flourishes, especially for the bass with absolutely fucking slaps ass. Multiple listens will rev...

Cryptorium is a Swedish death metal band who formed in 2022.  Their latest release, “ Descent Into Lunacy ” is their full-length debut album; they have also released a demo.  And what a debut this is!  “ Descent Into Lunacy ” isn’t going to reinvent the wheel but what it does is consist of eight tracks of blistering, old school death metal across just over 30 minutes.  It’s a very convincing sound that goes out of its way to pulverize with a deadly groove.   I absolutely love the way the album sounds: raw and gloomy as hell.  More so than a lot of other OSDM worship bands, this one truly embraces the values of the late 80’s/early 90’s underground death metal scene.  Vocalist/guitarist Fabbe is a disgusting human being–and I mean that in the nicest way possible.  His vocals are depraved, ridged growls with a lot of heft behind.  The dude is truly a beast but it doesn’t end with his monstrous vocal abuse.  His guitars are fantastic, thick ...

Trollcave is a funeral death/doom metal band from Spain, who formed in 2019. Their latest release, “Adoration of the Abyssal Trespasser ,” is their second EP; they have also released a full-length and a split. The two songs on this album, that equal to over 30 minutes of music, is among the most terrifying doom metal I have heard this year. Considering doom is my favorite genre and I’ve heard a billion different doom albums, that is saying a lot. This is the type of music that if you let a non-metal fan listen, they either won’t get it or they will break down and pray to jeebus over what they just heard. For people like me? It doesn’t get much better than this for funeral doom in 2024. I love this type of music and these two songs have everything in them that makes me feel that way.  Being a funeral doom band, the songs on this EP are long, slow, and as deep as the unfathomable abyss of some alien world. What I really like about the album is that it’s just as brutal as it is ...

The Holy Flesh is an atmospheric black metal band from the UK, who formed in 2019.  Their latest album, “ Advocate, Martyr and Redeemer ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released an EP.  It’s actually a one man project, from the musician known as Entity.  Over the years, this project has become one of the most interesting in the blackened scene.  The prior albums were an example of how a band can be extreme without actually being extreme.  Their music is very dark, raw, and occult but with “ Advocate, Martyr and Redeemer ,” the mysterious Entity has upped his game and released The Holy Flesh ’s best album yet.   Their previous album, “ Herald and Adversary ” showed signs of adding a bit more detail to their decidedly stripped down approach of their debut, “ Emissary and Vessel .”  It was a little more dense, a little more heavy, and progressed just enough to progress the sound from the first album without being too far removed. ...

The Mosaic Window is a one man black metal band from California, who formed in 2021. The project's latest release, “ Hemasanctum ,” is its second full-length album; an EP has also been released.  Although I didn’t review it, I did enjoy last year's “ Plight of Acceptance .”  “ Hemasanctum ” is a step up in every way and solidifies Andrew as a force to be reckoned with in black metal.  Although there was nothing wrong with the programmed drums from the previous album, having a live drummer this time around makes all the difference in the world.  Gabe Seeber ( Vale of Pnath , The Kennedy Veil ) adds a robust and hefty weight to the album, even when its at its most melodic moments.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt with all the death metal elements the album has to offer as well.  Combining melodic black metal captures the speed and energy the genre is known for while pulling on the heartstrings (more on that later) but death metal adds an extra layer of sonic pe...

Alkymist is a progressive doom/sludge metal band from Denmark, who formed in 2016. Their latest release, “ UnnDerr ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released an EP. This is my first time hearing the band’s music but this album is immensely impressive.  The guitar tone is PERFECT.  The riffs, of which there are many, have the density of doom and the caustic edge of sludge. Guitarist Stefan Key and bassist Kaspar Luke are string wizards, casting fiery rhythms out like the dirtiest, filthiest arsenal in the world—truly bludgeoning work.  Apparently, they have a new drummer named Per Silkjaer ; they better keep him because the dude is a goddamn animal.  It’s all spearheaded by the volatile vocals of Peter Bjørneg who fights and claws his way through the songs with abrasive vocals that are a cross between “I shoved sandpaper down my throat” and “wounded rabid animal that is super pissed off.” But it isn’t only all about the guitar and bass tones....

Shattered Hope is a death/doom metal band from Greece, who formed in 2022.  Their latest release, " Memoir ," is their overall sixth release and their first EP.  They have previously released two demos and three full-length albums. Shattered Hope ’s brand of death doom is a perfect storm of cavernous funeral doom, atmospheric depression, and Gothic tones.  All these elements blend together quite well, making for dynamic music that is immediately engaging despite the slower tempos they so obviously use.   “ Memoir ,” continues this trend and further solidifies their sound.  I look at this little EP as a statement: the band loves and understands the doom genre, their craft, and they aren’t going anywhere.  With just three songs, one of which is a cover, the band says a lot in a smaller amount of time than they normally have.  In under 27 minutes, the band has created a full encompassing doom metal album with huge scope and breadth.  I really l...

Abhorration is a death metal band from Norway, who formed in 2020.  Although they released a demo in 2021, “ Demonolatry ” is their full-length debut album. This album is absolutely bat shit insane.  Seriously, “ Demonolatry ” is raw and goes for the kill 10% of the time.  After jamming the hell out of this album, I felt physically exhausted and a little beaten down.  That’s a compliment and it’s also something I feel a lot of modern death metal is lacking, even the best of it.   Death metal was originally a genre that actually frightened people and went against everything with good taste and mainstream leanings. “ Demonolatry ” captures that feeling, the aura of disgusting,  uncompromising violence.  The production and mix is fantastic.  The press release mentioned it was analog and every beat, every note could be heard and felt.  That pretty much nails exactly what I’m hearing–it’s raw, powerful, and boosts the already visceral nature ...

The  Mist From The Mountains is a black metal band from Finland, who formed in 2020.  Their latest release “ Portal - The Gathering of Storms ” is their second-full length album.  I actually reviewed their debut album, “ Monumental ” back in 2022 for Metal Temple.  I didn’t hate it but I thought it was only slightly above average.  I still write for Metal Temple but this time I’m tackling their music on my blog. I'm happy to write that this album is pretty great—the band has really upped their game.  My biggest complaint about their debut was their ideas weren’t seamless or integrated enough across the songs as a whole.  “ Portal ” remedies that and is a much more cohesive experience, with the songs containing a natural flow that brings out their depth. The songs are long, the shortest one being nearly 8 minutes, and the six songs take nearly an  hour to reach the album’s end.  I didn’t find the length as bothersome this time—every song here...

I doubt anyone reading this needs an intro but just in case your were born a few days ago and very quickly learned to read, Massacre are an utterly legendary death metal band, who formed in 1984. The band has come and gone over the years but “ Necrolution ,” marks their fifth full-length album but they have also released a ton of demos, EPs, compilations and live albums.  They returned once more in 2021 with their “ Resurgence ” album. Not wasting any time, the band is now unleashing “ Necrolution .” The influential vocalist Kam Lee is once again at the helm—and he still sounds violent as he'll.   Guitarists Rogga Johansson and Jonny Pettersson also return. Hopefully I don't have to explain who they are but both of them are in a thousand bands but most notably Paganizer ( Johansson ) and Wombbath ( Pettersson ). Bassist Mike Borders ( Ravaged by the Yeti ) returns as well and his massive rhythm machine is joined by their new drummer Jon Rudin ( Just Before Dawn , amon...

Livløs is a melodic death metal band from Denmark, who formed in 2014. Their latest album, “ The Crescent King ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released an EP. “ The Crescent King ” is a robust, meaty album with a big sound to it. Across it’s 10 song, 48 minute runtime, the band offers a lot of content that’s presented in an engaging way and catchy songwriting.    The album is apparently a concept album, detailing the journey of " The Crescent King ", who travels through space and time to discover the secrets of not only himself but also of humanity.  It’s an interesting concept but fortunately, the music remains just as interesting. Although clearly rooted in the foundations of melodic death’s hallowed roots, their sound is more detailed than most other melodic death albums I’ve heard this year.  It’s also dark, moodier, and has a modern heaviness to it that compliments the melodies and harmonies so much that the album feels weighty even when...

Chaos Invocation is a black metal band from Germany, who formed in 2004. Their latest release, “ Wherever We Roam… ” is their fifth full-length album; they have also released one demo, a split and a compilation. This album straight up destroys in the best way possible.  It’s against the grain of everything and there isn’t one moment where the band decides to compromise on anything.  It’s focused on it’s blackened atmosphere with a razor sharp degree that should come as no surprise but still highly impressive.  With all that being said, it has an unique feel to it and it’s approach separates itself from its influences and other bands in the genres. It’s a smart album that presents its chaos in an intelligible way and with much purpose.  The compositions are extreme  but engaging and exciting all the way through.  The energy across the eight song, 45 minute runtime is both maddening and infectious.  The opening, and title, song begins with clean notes a...