Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Rhode Island based metallic experimentalist duo The Body have become renowned, not just for their own unique brand of heaving, caustic, dread-laden doomgazing, but for their dynamic slew of collaborative projects which has seen them work with the likes of deathgrind extremists Full Of Hell, sludge metal bastions Thou and noisecore industrialists Uniform, to name but a few. Orchards Of A Futile Heaven is the latest work to join this ever-expansive list of collaborations, seeing the pair link up with Berlin based DJ and experimental producer Dis Fig (aka DJ Felicia Chen) in an effort "to find new avenues to make heavy music that looked beyond tropes of metal and electronic music by merging the two". The resulting maelstrom offers a cacophonous swarm of distorted, screeching electronics and ethereal, menacing vocals submerged beneath layers of haunting, nocturnal, sonic malevolence. Perfect for all the family.

Review: Th eighth full-length from former Misfits horror-crooner Glenn Danzig's solo project/band served as their first LP to not carry a number, following 777: I Luciferi which angled itself as the closing work of that initial seven volume sequence. Originally released in 2004, Circle Of Snakes continues the descent of Danzig into a rawer, more abrasive form of metallic leaning gothic hard rock, with a notable lowering of vocals in the mix in order to elevate the churning jaggedness of the instrumental rumble. Continuing to eschew the more industrial programming of previous Danzig entries and echoing the stripped back approach of 'Danzig 1' and the increased heaviness of the aforementioned Luciferi, the album would also mark the first appearance of Tommy Victor of Prong on guitars, helping to aid the audible malevolence and ultimately leading to one of the strongest contributions to Danzig's latter day 21st century output.

Review: Released first round time in 2002, Danzig's 777: I Luciferi is a step away from the programmed industrial influences of the two albums that preceded it in favour of a return to the metallic, rawer sound that helped Glenn Danzig stand apart from his horror shadowed punk beginnings. Now, more than 20 years on, this reissue is a reminder of Luciferi as a high watermark in the later work of one of the most controversial figures in metal, punk and hard rock.

Review: The long-gestating follow up to 1992's initial instalment, Black Aria II would finally arrive in 2006 after years of discussion from Misfits/Samhain horror-punk visionary Glenn Danzig, and further his exploration into the cavernous realms of modern classical dark ambience. Conceptually based around Lillith, the first wife of Adam, the material here is far more minimalist and starker than its gothic predecessor, while utilising a more varied array of instruments on top of the pre-established organ and strings, with more Eastern sonic influences to conjure a mercurial vision independent of the preceding volume. Complete with eerie chimes, chants and esoteric lamentations, the project marks one of Danzig's most intriguing works when compared to, say, his Elvis covers compilations, and offers a transportive, biblical, haunting narrative delivered almost exclusively via instrumental atmospherics and insidious gloom.

Review: Originally released in 1994, Transilvanian Hunger would serve as the fourth full-length from one of Norway's true black metal sons Darkthrone, who are often mentioned in the same frosted breath as Mayhem, Emperor, and Burzum (with controversial figure Varg Vikernes himself even penning the lyrics to four cuts on this very album). The band's first LP to be recorded as the duo of Nocturno Culto and Fenriz (a line-up they've maintained ever since) following the departure of Zephyrous the year prior, the project is often heralded as the final instalment of their quintessential trilogy beginning with 1992's A Blaze In The Northern Sky, and 1993's Under A Funeral Moon, while the year of its release also saw the sentencing of Burzum's Vikernes for the murder of Mayhem's Euronymous, marking an incredibly tumultuous time in the second wave Norwegian Black Metal scene that saw the genre garner exposure for all of the worst, yet macabrely fitting reasons. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, this reissue comes on a limited "corona" black and white smash vinyl.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Following on from 2021's hard left turn into dream-pop territory on Infinite Granite, San Francisco blackgaze legends in the making Deafheaven return with a work that they've always been striving towards. Their sixth full-length, Lonely People With Power, takes lessons from the saccharine shoegaze of their previous outing and injects it directly into the veins of their heaviest material since 2015's New Bermuda, culminating in a deft balancing act that finally combines vocalist George Clarke's shrieking, inhumane howls with his recently discovered crooning lilt, exuded as such on the beautiful warring of styles that is 'Heathen'. Elsewhere, 'Magnolia' provides a cataclysmic beast of proggy black metal akin to latter-day Emperor whereas 'Doberman' goes full euphoric blackened shoegaze reminiscent of 2013's breakout sophomore triumph Sunbather. Striking a unique chord between their equal and effortless understanding of black metal malevolence and the ethereality of cinematic post-rock, the album sees a notable trade off from their their usual smaller collection of lengthy, grandiose tracks that all clock in at over ten minutes a piece in favour of a more varied, yet succinct and instantaneous batch of cuts, 12 in total, marking the most that any Deafheaven project has ever offered.

Review: An incendiary, iconoclastic album in the intersection of shoegaze, metal and post-rock, Sunbather by Deafheaven has more or less gone down in recent history as a supreme meme, one of those projects whose popularity on the Internet is more than likely to render it godlike status for decades to come. This remixed version is not a 'remix album' as received ideas of 'remixing' might suggest, but rather a full-blown re-mix and remaster by the band's very own Jack Shirley, who intends to continually bolster its monolithic status by giving a fresh sonic rundown. Most notably, this edition is tailored to spatial audio setups, so that the most obsessively audiophilic among us might bask in its newfound three-sixty-degree washes. That, too, comes with a new coloured vinyl pressing and freshly designed sleeves to boot.

Review: The mid-90s were a time of immense change for the death metal scene, strongly linked to the endless progression of the genre's most vital pioneers Death, who in retrospect, appeared to be reshaping, retooling and expanding the genre for their current and future peers in real time. Having already switched out the lyrical gore obsessions of their early material for the socio-political ponderings of 1990's Spiritual Healing, before turning to more opaque, introspective ruminations on their superbly technical, progressive death metal opus Human in 1991, a two-year gap would occur (a lengthy creative respite in terms of their prolificacy) before the arrival of 1993's Individual Thought Patterns. During this time, metal drumming legend Gene Hoglan (Testament, Fear Factory) would enter the mix along with King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque, and this newly refurbished line up would continue to build upon the virtuosic hyper-technical prog-death blueprint of Human, but with a major increase of oppressive, metallic menace, leading many to consider the work to be Death's most mercurial balance of artistic complexity and vicious heaviness.

Review: Originally released in 1998, The Sound of Perseverance would serve as the seventh and subsequently final full-length from death metal pioneers Death, before mastermind Chuck Schuldiner's untimely loss due to brain cancer-related complications in 2001. Noted for being the only work with this specific line-up, featuring guitarist Shannon Hamm, drummer Richard Christy, and bassist Scott Clendenin (all members of Schuldiner's equally brilliant but often overlooked side-project Control Denied), this final death breath of fluid progressive tech-death greatness can sometimes fall through the cracks of the band's impeccable discography, and be fobbed off as a latter day addition sans the original core members, but mark our words, even the last Death album puts most modern death metal attempts to utter shame.

Review: Following on from 1988's seminal sophomore triumph Leprosy, pioneering death metal forefathers Death entered into the 90s with a work that would shift perception on, not only their own project, but the entire genre as an entity. Released in 1990, Spiritual Healing marked a notable embracing of more melodious compositions, largely due to the presence of lead guitarist James Murphy, with this LP being his only contribution to the band's discography, along with bassist Terry Butler. Coinciding with the simultaneous maximisation of technicality and melody, the album would also shift the lyrical approach of primary songwriter Chuck Schuldiner, who began moving away from gore and viscera-soaked tales and focusing more on the real-world horrors of drug addiction, poverty, serial killers, organised religion and corrupt faith healers, just like the one that adorns the iconic artwork.

Review: Disguised as the soundtrack to a pulpy, violent Grindhouse reimagining of Easy Rider, the third full-length from instrumental psychedelic doom-groovers The Death Wheelers rides engine bellowing down fictitious highways on beastly motorcycles, conjuring visual aesthetics without a single word uttered. Following on from their pummelling self-titled 2015 debut and 2020's cinematic-storytelling breakout, Divine Filth, their latest opus Chaos and the Art of Motorcycle Madness trades retrofitted fuzzed out blues solos with heaving heft and sludging machinations, while remaining poignantly restrained by a devoted purpose to their signature brand of classic doom-psych mayhem.

Review: Some 19 years later (and not a moment too soon) this great compilation from Nu Metal legends Deftones is seeing its much-needed repress - with an added remastering to sweeten the deal. A tough record to find at a stomachable price for a while, 'B Sides & Rarities' is full of acoustic versions, demos and covers of the likes of The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, The Cure and - most amusingly - Sade. 'Wax and Wane' is a severely underrated cover, a wicked interpretation filled with punchy guitars and, of course, Chino Moreno's mastery of blending metal and new wave vocals. The most popular of the tracks on offer here is, without doubt, 'Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want', their cover of The Smiths' 1984 B-side to 'William It Was Really Nothing' . It's a rollercoaster of a cover, with a wild guitar solo and filled with the same rumbling, underlying sadness that made the original such a staple. Who doesn't love a melancholic metal song?

Review: No matter what type of project Deftones followed up their career-defining White Pony with, it was destined to disappoint at least some of their devout fanbase. Originally released in 2003, the band's self-titled fourth effort would mark their final collaborative project with iconic producer Terry Date (until reuniting for 2020's Ohms), while notably eschewing much of the "nu-metal" residue that still clung to their sonic makeup. Embracing elements of trip-hop and post-metal, while directly linking the group to the "are they or aren't they shoegaze?" debate which has loomed overhead ever since, the album has seen a steady reassessment from lacklustre follow up to underappreciated gem. With any luck, this reissue should continue to help highlight the cause as cuts such as 'Minerva' still soar with triumphant yet sultry hypnotics while 'Hexagram' serves as one of the heftiest cuts in the band's canon. It didn't even need an additional title. This is simply Deftones, and it still slaps two decades on.

Review: Rumour has it that only 15 cassette tapes were initially distributed of this rare demo collection, which earlier in 2024 was revealed to be the most expensive cassette tape ever sold on Discogs (going for a hefty $5,000), though the common consensus is that surely more exist out in the ether. Available digitally for years but now arriving on a remarkably limited run of wax, these demos also appeared on the (Like) Linus compilation CD and feature John Taylor on drums as Abe Cunningham would be in the midst of touring with his original alternative metal outfit Phallucy at the time of recording. Featuring the entire demo which pre-dates their 1995 debut Adrenaline LP, including cuts such as the aforementioned '(Like) Linus' as well as 'Hump', and 'Plastic', this expanded version also boasts early takes of album tracks like 'Engine No. 9', and 'Nosebleed', painting one of the clearest pictures of the band's nu-metal teething phase while creatively and sonically striving to push those confines in a similar manner to early material from their peers in Incubus. Funky, jagged and raw, yet already exuding that signature sultry chaotic nuance, this collection is so OG that initial copies even labelled the band as The Deftones.

Review: Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson is back with his first solo album in nearly 20 years. The Mandrake Project is the singer's seventh studio solo album in total and the most long awaited too. 'Afterglow of Ragnarok' was the first single released prior to the album and received a great response for the song's heavy sound and catchy chorus, while another single, 'Rain on the Graves', sees Bruce delivering a narrative style of lyric not a million miles from Maiden's 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner'. This Deluxe Edition comes in gatefold on 180-gram vinyl 2xLP.

Review: Originally released in 2004, Miss Machine would serve as the revitalised sophomore effort from mathcore visionaries The Dillinger Escape Plan. Following the departure of original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis after their groundbreaking 1999 debut LP Calculating Infinity, and their collaborative Irony Is A Dead Scene EP with Faith No More/Mr. Bungle/Fantomas vocal absurdist Mike Patton, the band would enlist the hulking, feral Greg Puciato, a frontman with a far more intense shriek than his predecessor while also coming from the school of Patton's eccentric dynamism with his expansive range. The resulting work would chart an entirely new course for the collective, with Puciato retaining his presence throughout their next five full-lengths, while the newfound balancing act between dissonant, mind-melting polyrhythmic hardcore and avant-garde industrial jazz-prog, would become their future sonic playground. Yes, much of the Dillinger Escape Plan identity was carved out before Puciato's arrival, but Miss Machine is often cited as the album where all of the jagged, oddly shaped pieces finally fit into place.

Review: Originally released in 2012 and serving as the sequel to 2000's The Very Beast Of Dio greatest hits compilation which boasted choice cuts from the metal/rock icon's first six studio albums and live EP, Vol. 2 picks up right where its predecessor left off, covering the final four of the ten Dio full-lengths - Angry Machines (1996), Magica (2000), Killing The Dragon (2002), and Master Of The Moon (2004). Naturally devoid of peak prowess anthems such as 'Holy Diver', this collection is for the completionists, die-hards and those who actually paid enough attention throughout the years to mark the endearing amount of emotion and care that went into all of the output Ronnie James Dio would put his name on, all the way up his final years.

Review: Based out of Melbourne, Australia, Takiaya Reed (better known as Divide & Dissolve) is a one-woman monolithic force of industrial-tinged, neo-classical leaning instrumental doom metal. Originally a duo, 2023's fourth full-length Systemic marked the first effort from the project following the departure of percussionist Sylvie Nehill (of M?ori and White-Australian heritage), with guitarist/saxophonist Reed (of Tsalagi and African-American heritage) embarking on a solo venture from there on out. Her second singular display of overtly political, droning sonic dread comes in the form of Insatiable, which coalesces mercurial beauty with bombastic abrasion, almost as if sonically illustrating the warring of mindsets active in our collective conscious. From drawing ire back in 2018 for their controversial music video for 'Resistance' which featured spitting and spraying urine-coloured water on monuments of colonial figures such as Captain James Cook and John Batman, Reed has made it clear ever since that their punishing instrumentals are designed with the artful intention of "decolonising, decentralising, disestablishing, and destroying white supremacy", which she makes overwhelming ends to accomplish without a single word uttered.

Review: Yet another addition to Rhino Records’ Start Your Ear Off Right series hears a reissue of prog metal band Dream Theater’s fifth studio album and first ever concept album. A sequel to the thrillingly titled Metropolis-Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper, this record builds an intensive recollective sonic theatre out of the mosaic themes of memory and depersonalisation. Themed around the subject of a young man undergoing past life regression therapy, the record is a compelling, initially psychotic howl into the night, and yet it proves an ultimately integrative, recursive experience, adding themes of murderousness and prophetic fate.

Review: Via a distinctive blend of death metal, doom metal and ambient, Dream Unending's music inspires thoughts of rapture, intensity and the sublime, as though we're gazing into a colossal form much greater than ourselves. Comprised of Tomb Mold's Derrick Vella and Innumerable Forms' Justin DeTore, the result of their kinship is sinister, gloomy, arpeggiating and guitarry, and contains screams so guttural they could usurp the thrones of god-kings. Coming to limited red, orange and blue splatter vinyl LP format, this one isn't to be missed.