My Belgian brothers sure know how to create brutal, ear-shattering BM. This LP departs from previously established style, which took me some getting used to. In the end, though, this album is still the unapologetically raw and awesome stuff I'd expect from them.

If you're thinking of ending it all after hearing this (like myself a moment ago), please realize it will get better. This is the bottom. You WILL forget and you WILL find actual music again. You have to believe 💙

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Argentina: +5402234930430
Australia: 131114
Austria: 017133374
Belgium: 106
Botswana: 3911270
Brazil: 212339191
Canada: 18662773553
China: 85223820000
Croatia: 014833888
Denmark: +4570201201
Egypt: 7621602
Finland: 040-5032199
France: ... read more

Can't help but feel elated when a band consistently puts out stellar material.

The last two records, though impressive and enjoyable, were not anything unique in the doom metal scene. However, with Close, the band is fusing different sounds and ideas into their music, diverting from their previous works. Messa does so in a way that does not impact their established character significantly. We still got the fantasticly eerie vocals, raw and dense guitar tones and the sublime doom-ish ... read more

Not terrible, not fantastic either. A lot of the lyrics are uninspiring, and I personally find the vocalist a bit obnoxious. Spoken word has never been something I really could appreciate. Nonetheless, there is a sense of wit and self-awareness throughout the album which I can appreciate and makes it bearable at the lowest points and enjoyable at the best of time. I thought the instrumentals, though a bit same-y, are a good vehicle for the narratives and the mixing is good. The FX and ... read more

For the past five years I've must have listened to every ghost album at least a dozen times, and considering Ghost's journey so far, IMPERA leaves me disappointed. I find it to be the most confusing Ghost album so far.

There is luckily some good tracks on here. I found myself especially enjoying Kaisarion, Hunter's Moon and Respite On The Spitalfields. These tracks remind me of what I like about Ghost; melodic, almost dance-able hard rock. Simple but catchy riffs which are approachable and ... read more

Here's something I didn't expect to listen to nor like as much as I did, but a friend finally convinced me. I have seen it pop up all over the internet for years, and the ethereal 80s nostalgic artwork never left my mind.

The album starts off strong with На дне, featuring an unforgettable heavy, dark synth bass line that I fell in love with immediately. Combined with the echo-y and nihilistic vocals, it creates a very dark atmosphere. But somehow, it combines that with a funky synth lead ... read more

They kind of sound like The Georgia Satellites if The Georgia Satellites consisted of your heavily inebriated uncle and his bar friends, performing at an open mic night at the local bar in Nowhereville, Tennessee. You know, the bar where, by 2am, half of the crowd is asleep and the other two are arguing. A prime example of a "so bad it's good" hard rock album, though. How can I not smile while listening to this?

This was a random bargain bin find of mine at a vinyl record market years ago. Here on Ekseption's debut, we find them reimagining classical music in a progressive rock style. The instrumentals are very good and the overall concept unique and worth a listen!

Finding commercial success within the Netherlands thanks to the singles The Fifth (based on Beethoven's 5th symphony) and Air (based on Bach's 3rd suite) on this album, the band continued to make albums which were criticaly well received. ... read more

Cult of Luna releases yet another record that oozes power and a sense of enormity I rarely find elsewhere. The band consistently delivers impressive walls of sound throughout, providing an atmosphere that is perfectly complemented by a high production quality. Putting on a pair of good headphones, sitting back and enjoying the journey (or rather, the long road north) made an hour and ten minutes go by all too fast.

Having only heard a handful of their LPs, this latest release is yet another ... read more

Combines overused and shallow lyrics with a painful lack of musical talent. I don't understand how anyone can unironically enjoy this. It's simply a frustrated man projecting his problems onto the outside world and "the system", done in a manner identical to about half of the punkish "anti-folk" scene.

I think this is Ghost's most immersive album, each track feeling right at home in the Ghost universe and theme. However, not a single track really stood out. At the same time no track was truly disappointing either... It's a solid but forgettable album, and I find that Infestissumam is the only Ghost album I never revisit for another listen.

Apart from their take on Roky Erikson's "If You Have Ghosts" and Army of Lovers' "Crucified", this collection of covers is rather disappointing.

A fantastic prog/folk rock production. Argus is one of the most underrated and overlooked albums of the early 70s. It's fun, engaging and has lots of interesting guitar work and tones. As a guitarist, a track like Leaf and Stream just absolutely elates me.

Amazing thrash metal album, and such a solid debut for Black Fast. I was instantly hooked by the pacing, rancid (of course, in a positive sense) guitar tones and vocals, all complimented greatly by the solid mastering and mixing. Highly recommended.

The first track is immediately a banger and starts the album of well, leaving me with curiosity about the rest. After the second track, the album calms down with some emotional ballads like Decima, which I enjoyed but this was probably the weakest track on the whole album. From that track on, though, Katatonia throws in a bunch of great tunes such as Sanction, Serac and Shifts. Each of these tracks has some interesting composition supported by very tight drums, forming a very solid basis for ... read more

Your Wilderness is a very nice prog album from the mid 2010s, every track is pleasant to listen to, the whole work consistently delivers solid soundscapes and enjoyable riffs. This is The Pineapple Thief's first album with Gavin Harrison as a drummer, and right from the beginning his flawless and tight drums add a lot to the sound. Being a big fan of Harrison's work with Porcupine Tree the years prior definitely makes me a bit biased though. :)

The lyrics were a bit uninspiring at the worst of ... read more

I've always had a soft spot for 'foreign' language metal, be it French, Russian, Japanese or anything in between. But this happens to be the first time I have had the pleasure of listening to some Māori metal. The language lends itself so well to this particular genre. Tangaroa is very powerful from start to finish, and the mixing sounds very good to me. About halfway there's a soft ballad which seems out of place. I liked it, but such a radical change in tempo and sound threw me off. Not a ... read more

This is truly a godly album (yes, I see the irony there). I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said about Black Sabbath. This is arguably the most influential metal band of all time, and this album is where it all started. The first time I heard this album was years ago, at 3AM in the morning, in a foreign country, on my way to catch an early flight. Though the album pre-dates Walkmans and smartphones, walking the dark streets of an unknown city is certainly one of the best ways to ... read more

This album is the epitomy of soulless and forgettable. Listening to this is outright depressing. From the legendary Jefferson Airplane, through to the Jefferson Starship era (perhaps, an early warning sign), one can say that by the 80s, they'd not only fallen from grace but crashed and burned. If I could erase just one album from my memory, it would be this one.

Someone's always playing corporation games, and it's the hypercommercial shell of a band called Starship.

Pretty neat album. The atmosphere is really good, and their vocalist has an impressive voice. Some of the guitar work was a bit generic but had its moments (I thought the solos on Moonhorse were particularly nice).