Doomed For Metal Reviews

Fumes is a black metal band from Mexico, who formed just a few years ago in 2022.  After the release of their debut EP “ Stellar Murders Upwards ,” in 20222, the band proceeded to release a video and a live album.  The band has now dropped their full-length debut album “ Skeletal Wings Threshold .” Black metal is a genre which was formed for no other reason than to be a different sort of animal–against the grain of everything and pure misanthropic.  As much as I love the genre, and constantly amazed at its growth, so many black metal bands lack that original aesthetic that made black metal oddly appealing.   “ Skeletal Wings Threshold ,” doesn’t have this issue; this album sounds raw and violent, the sort of music that would get you killed if you went back in time and played it to the wrong person.  There is a real sense of seething danger across the album, bolstered by the band attempting to bring to life the worshipful vision of Death.  A black metal...

Mortuaire is a death metal band from France, who formed in 2021.  They have wasted little time in getting their music to the underground, releasing their debut a year later in 20022.  Just a few years afterwards, and they are debuting their first full-length album “ Monde Vide .”  I am unfamiliar with their EP but “ Monde Vide ” is a solid romp of nasty death metal that includes a lot of doom elements.  The band takes the route of Asphyx or Incantation , alternating between faster tempos and sprawling passage of slow, crushing doom. However, they have their own sound that is as dismal as it is brutal.  This album is surprisingly catchy in a lot of places—more catchy than music this damn disgusting usually is.  Of course, it’s riff based so the focus remains on the guitars but I can’t discount the bass and drums either—a powerful rhythm duo that never lets the song be anything other than sounding like you’re dying alone in a cave while rats eat your insides....

Vspolokh is a black metal band from Russia, who formed in 2004.  Their latest release, “ Мрьтвоземъ ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released a demo, three splits, and an EP.   I’ve never heard this band before but this album made me a fan.  I find this to be an unique album in some ways.  On the surface, it doesn’t do all that much to distinguish itself from other black metal bands.  However, as I listened to the album more and more, its depths began to grow until I was completely devoured by it.   It’s actually quite melodic and melancholic, a sort of “smooth” style of playing that flows very well.  Even though it’s abrasive and extreme, it also seems to just sort of wash over with its musical paintings, created by brush strokes lined with violent tragedy.  The use of clean tones, distortion, and even some of the leads keep it just outside the box enough without things getting too weird.  The first song, “ Kapa ...

Dawn of Solace is a doom metal band from Finland, who formed in 2005.  The band is one of many projects from the highly prolific musician Tuomas Saukkonen , also from Wolfheart , Before The Dawn , and Black Sun Aeon , among others.  Joining him on this doomed out musical path is clean vocalist Mikko Heikkilä , from the band Kaunis Kuolematon (who released a very good album in 2023).  “ Affliction Vortex ,” is the band’s fourth full-length album.  Across the album’s 9 song, 40 minute run time, Tuomas provides all the instruments and harsh vocals and Mikko gives an incredibly poignant performance with his always wonderful cleans.   There seems to be a greater use of growls/screams on this album—nothing but a good thing, to me.  It seems Red Moon Architect’s keyboardist Saku Moilanen provides keys as well.  In addition, Jukka Salovaara supplies lead guitars, though I am unsure to what capacity.  The duo’s music can be described as melodic dea...

Pathogenic is an extreme metal band from the United States, who formed in 2004.  Their latest album, “ Crowned In Corpse s,” is their third full-length album; they have also released three EPs. Their metallum page says they were black/death and now play extreme progressive metal/djent now but I’d say their sound hits a lot of different genres so all that still applies to varying degrees.  The important thing is that “ Crowned In Corpses ,” is a fantastic album with a lot of well-written songs.   To be honest, this album is my first experience with them so I don’t have any real basis for comparison.  But that’s ok because they have a sound all their own so the album, while fresh to me for obvious reasons, will still sound uniquely itself to even the most loyal fans.  It’s also catchy with a lot of cool hooks—music this abrasive yet this engaging is always a good thing.   There is a deathcore influence as well but it works in their favor, especially...

Canadian death/thrash legends Sarkasm have returned once more with their second full-length album, “ Carnival of Atrocities .”  After spending the 90’s pushing out demos, the band finally debuted their first full-length in 2023.   Admittedly, thrash metal isn’t a genre that I keep up with as I just find it has such a low number of quality bands and releases.  It seems everyone and their grandmother is putting out a thrash album and most of them sound like, well, someone’s grandmother putting out a thrash metal album.  But I don’t hate the genre and I will always give credit where it is due—and “ Carnival of Atrocities ,” deserves a lot of credit because it’s just, simply put, a damn good album.   What sets this album apart from both the old guard bands and all the new ones is that its so heavy.  Yes, speed is a factor but their sound forgoes the paper thin riffs for guitars with real heft and crunch to them.   The bass is also beefy and...

At Doomed For Metal Reviews, my goal is, and always will for long as this blog exists, to promote the metal underground.  However, there are exceptions to every rule— Lacuna Coil and their 10th studio album (11th if you count the re-recording of Comalies ) “ Sleepless Empire .” They might not be known to the average soccer man or be playing a Superbowl halftime show anytime soon but Lacuna Coil are pretty big for what they are and definitely no longer underground.  So why them?  What makes Lacuna Coil so special that I would stop writing about all the death, doom, and black metal out there to speak of them? Because of what they mean to me and my tastes.  In my burgeoning late high school years when I first started discovering the crazy world of metal, Lacuna Coil were among the very first metal bands I ever got into.  Unlike a lot of other bands of that era, this band has never fallen off the radar for me—I still listen to them and have enjoyed every release sin...

Kaiser is a stoner metal band from Finland, who formed in 2013. Their latest release, the appropriately  titled “ 2nd Sound ,” is the band's second full-length album. They have also released an EP and a split. “ 2nd Sound ,” is huge and dirty, combining elements of doom and good ol rock and roll. With such a description, I was expecting a lot of riffs and groove. Well, got a planet sized load of riffs and grooves. Vocalist Otu handles the guitar and apparently can use it to form entire mountain ranges of stoner heaviness.  It isn't just the guitars that are glorious– Pex 's bass guitar it's an entity in of itself. RiQ 's drums offer a lot as well—giant swarms of sound created by thumping bass and a catchy hard rock aesthetic that makes every song catchy as they are heavy. The album opens with “ Brotha ,” and it immediately settles in with sharp, bombastic drums. The groove backs it up as it melds with the guitar. The synergy between the rhythm and leads is fantastic...

Guiltless is a sludge/doom/post metal band from Seattle, Washington who formed in 2022.  Their latest release, “ Teeth To Sky ” is their full-length debut; they have also released an EP. The band is new to the scene but the members are not—the band consists of vocalist/guitarist/noise Josh Graham and guitarist/noise Dan Hawkins , each of them from A Storm of Light .  Rounding out the rhythm section is bassist Sacha Dunable ( Intronaut , Bereft ) and drummer Billy Graves ( Generation of Vipers ).  “ Teeth To Sky ,” is an album that, according to their press release, “looks both inwards and out to convey the encompassing mixture of hope, despair and determination which comes from observing life as we know it today.”  For me, the music contained within 8 songs, 41 minute runtime definitely captures a lot of raw emotions and frustrations.  It’s an interesting take because the album is basically a beatdown in musical form yet there is a sense of hope to go along wit...

Avulsed is a death metal band from Spain, who formed in 1991.  Their latest album, “ Phoenix Cryptobiosis ,” is their eighth full-length album; they have also released numerous splits, EPs, compilations, and demos.   This album was somewhat of a surprise for me because I, stupidly, didn’t even know the band was still active.  Regardless, this is their first full-length since 2016 so maybe I can be forgiven for not keeping up. The wait was worth it because this album is the fucking balls. It doesn’t really change the game for themselves or the genre but Avulsed  have long since been one the most most consistent and reliable bands in extreme metal and there is something to be said for that! Besides, Avulsed has never been a band to shy away from incorporating more than just death metal into their music.  There are thrash and melodic passages sprinkled throughout the album so it still sounds fresh for a band this far into their career.   The producti...

Fireblood is a doom/sludge band from Charlotte, North Carolina.  Last year I reviwed their debut EP " Hellalujah ," and gave it high marks. They have returned with their second EP " Goatslayer ," and it's 21 minute of sludgy, groovy doom/sludge metal. Without a doubt, the band has upped their game in every conceivable way! Somehow the band found a way to take their formula and make it even more intense---these four songs are absolutely redonkulous in their density; each riff feels like it is moving the Earth. It's not just the guitars though---every instrument is pushed to the next level. The appeal of the band, at least for me, is their southern roots are just straight up nasty---abrasive sludge and crushing doom but it's also catchy as hell. It might be a groove, a scream, or even the snap of the rhythm breaking the bones of the ears but the band always makes their songs memorable.  Production is balanced too---raw, no doubt but with a depth to it tha...

Umbersound is a doom metal band from New York, who hit the scene just a few years ago in 2022 with its debut EP “ Sense of Place .”  The band, which is actually a one-man project from Grey Skies Fallen guitarist Joe D’Angelo , has wasted little time and is now releasing their second full-length album, “ If The Flies Could Sing. ”  Joe and the rest of his band mates in Grey Skies Fallen released one of best doom albums last year with “ Molded By Broken Hands .”   So did Joe work his magic again, this time on his own? Hell yes, he did. Was there ever any doubt?  This album has provided me with a lot of enjoyment.  The cover art is chilling with a message and just disturbing enough to still be grounded in bitter reality. I'd say this is a good way to describe this album. This is definitely a doom album but it's approach is quite varied and dynamic. The songs can be crushing, brutal, straightforward and even atmospheric.  It's a cohesive album with a s...

Beneath A Steel Sky is a post-rock/metal band that was born out of the bleakness and uncertainty of 2020.  They started as an instrumental band but have since evolved into a full ensemble with vocals. “ Cleave ,” is their full-length debut album.  I’m a big fan of post-metal because it’s often both dreamy and stormy.  “ Cleave ,” is an album that I would describe as being those two things but it’s also dynamic with stellar usage of both light and dark tones.  There are a lot of subtle details across the album’s 7 song, 40 minute runtime but the way it flows and just feels like I absorb and experience it, rather than just listening, makes the entire process smooth and very emotional.   Post-metal isn’t exactly known as the most happy of genres but there is a sense of clarity and hope that is exuded from the pores of the music, even if the core sound itself is dour and tragic.  The clean parts of the music use liminal spaces very well and what isn’t pla...

Phrenelith is a death metal band from Denmark, who formed in 2013.  Their latest album, “ Ashen Womb ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released six demos, two EPs, two splits, and a compilation. Although I didn’t review it, their previous full-length, “ Chimaera ,” was an excellent album so I’ve been looking forward to this new adventure in death metal supremacy.  What I’ve always liked about this band, and what “Ashen Womb,” continues, is how sulphuric and hellish they sound.  Yes, it’s brutal, bludgeoning, and any number of other adjectives I could throw its way in terms of its sonic density but that’s not all they have to offer.   I have found this album to be quite atmospheric.  By that I, of course, don’t mean keys, clean passage, or clean vocal lines.  Much like Immolation ’s “ Harnessing Ruin ,” this album generate its dismal landscape by doing nothing more than playing death fucking metal.  But across the entire album the...

Naked Whipper is a blackened grindcore band from Germany, who formed in 1993. Despite the length of time that has passed, their latest release “ Chapel Defilement ,” is only their second full-length album; they have also released two EPs. As with anything in life, it is quality not quantity that matters. Simply put, “ Chapel Defilement ,” is a filthy example of extremity and a payoff worth its weight in the gallons of blood that drip from the claws of this beastly entity.  The production is both raw yet clear. The vocals and guitar tone are definitely teetering on the edge of an abyssal dark, each note and growl carving out another notch into the ears of which it enters. However, the overall sound, production wise, is surprisingly smooth which, rather than taking away from the band’s barbarous nature, actually makes each sickening moment stand out all the more deadly.  The drums are maddening—racious, archaic but robust with a full, wide range. The double bass in particu...

Membaris is a black metal band from Germany, who formed in 1999. Their latest release, “ Black Plasma Armour ,” is their sixth full-length album; they have also released two splits and a demo. I’ve never heard of Membaris before receiving this promo but I’m definitely a fan now. This album is FANTASTIC. It has a sound that is firmly rooted in 90’s black metal but it’s so much more than that. Upon first listen, it hits all the hallmarks of the genre; make no mistake, this is terrifying and furious. However, it’s also far more layered and intricate than it reveals itself on first listen. The song arrangements are so deftly organized that multiple listens were easy—I was so engaged that I didn’t have a choice in the matter.  The music is just atmospheric and melodic enough, without the need of being labeled as either of those sub genres. At times, this album took me back to my early days of discovering extreme music, specifically when I first heard bands like Old Man’s Chil...

Onirophagus is a death/doom metal band from Spain, who formed in 2011.  Their latest release, “ Revelations From The Void ,” is their third full-length album.   I received the promo for this album months ago and I have listened to it very consistently—it has stayed with me and provided a lot of quality listens.  This was actually the first doom metal album for 2025 that I heard.  I’ve listened to, and reviewed, several more since then but this one is still near the top for among the best releases SO FAR this year.   This is dark, deep music with bottomless depth.  Much like the title suggests, this is music that sounds like it is being vomited forth from some hellish realm of skinless, blood-soaked nightmares.  Deeply rooted in extreme metal, this is an often slow, cavernous album that is even heavier than expected.  It’s also very well-written and engaging.  Yes, the songs bring me to the edge of the abyss but they also make me wan...