Anciients
Heart Of Oak
Season of Mist (2013)
The debut album, Heart of Oak, for the Canadian extreme/progressive metal band, Anciients, is a fascinating one. And do not think that this is going to be your standard “progressive” band, where technicality is more important than feeling or substance. This band is an extremely difficult one to categorize so the term “progressive” is used here in a very vague … Read more
Arckanum
Fenris Kindir
Season of Mist (2013)
Swedish black metal entity Arckanum - led by Shamaatae – have been a constant presence on the chaos-driven scene since the band’s early 90s inception and their material is as prolific as it is devastatingly weird and wonderful. Arckanum have always been a little, well, bonkers, and Fenris Kindir is no exception to that rule. From the career highlight of … Read more
Cynic
The Portal Tapes
Season of Mist (2012)
In order for me to talk about this album, you're going to need some [CONTEXT].If there's one thing I absolutely hate about Cynic, it's their squandered potential. In 1993, right in the middle of the technical death metal craze that bore the likes of Atheist, Nocturnus and Suffocation, as well as refined the raw sounds of Death, Sarcófago and Meshuggah, … Read more
Dodecahedron
Kwintessens
Season of Mist (2017)
The word quintessence derives from the Latin “quintus” and the english “essence,” translated roughly to the fifth essence. The reason for the number appearing in this instance comes from medieval philosophy, where quintessence was considered to be the fifth addition to the four classical elements (earth, wind, fire and water,) one that exists in the heavenly bodies, and is inherent, … Read more
Emptiness
Not For Music
Season of Mist (2017)
Belgium’s Emptiness have spent much of their career eschewing traditional approaches and with Not for Music they continue to imbue their singular take on black metal with wholly impure vibrations and ever more intriguing design elements. One such decision is the inclusion of Jeordie White (Marilyn Manson’s Twiggy Ramirez) on production duties and it’s this somewhat unusual choice that gives … Read more
Esben and the Witch
Older Terrors
Season of Mist (2016)
Taking their name from a well-known Danish fairytale, the trio from Brighton entered with confidence the alternative rock world. A series of EPs and three full-length records, with Violet Cries and Wash The Sins Not Only the Face especially standing out, has led the band down an interesting road, as their alternative rock style took on elements from indie rock … Read more
Gaahl's Wyrd
GastiR - Ghosts Invited
Season of Mist (2019)
Kristian Eivind Espedal, otherwise knows as Ghaahl has been a polarizing fixture on the Norwegian Black Metal scene since the mid 90s, fronting bands such as Gorgoroth and God Seed. In the nine years fronting Gorgoroth, Gaahl helped to create some the most vicious and brutal darkness in the genre without ever really straying from the true Norwegian style.But Gaahl’s … Read more
Hyborian
Volume II (2020)
Season of Mist (2020)
Hyborian is balls to the wall raw sludge metal hailing from Kansas City, Missouri. Volume II is their third album and what feels like a overall continuation from their previous record, Volume I. From the very beginning of the 8 song, 40 minute masterpiece is the song Driven by Hunger which gives you a perfect taste of what the rest … Read more
Impure Wilhelmina
Antidote
Season of Mist (2021)
My girlfriend asked me, earlier this year: “why does all music you like sound so bloody serious?”. At first I denied this and listed a couple of bands and albums that sound more party-like, but after giving it some thought I had to agree. I really lean towards the stuff that sounds bloody serious. In comes Impure Wilhelmina, who can … Read more
Impure Wilhelmina
Radiation
Season of Mist (2017)
Why I choose to review Radiation I can’t exactly recall (perhaps sharing members with Rorcal and Vuyvr did the trick, perhaps it was just the description “post-hardcore” that triggered my interest); whatever it was, the album surprised me, let me tell you that. I was expecting post-hardcore from this Swiss band (as the promo said it would deliver just that) … Read more
Ken Mode
Entrench
Season of Mist (2013)
Ken Mode from Canada have been around for quite a while. The band was formed back in 1999, releasing their debut album, Mongrel, in 2003. Since then three more full-lengths followed (Reprisal, Mennonite and Venerable) until Ken Mode reached their absolute peak with the enthralling Entrench. Listening to the album what seems so surreal is that, even though this is … Read more
Kylesa
From The Vaults, Vol. 1
Season of Mist (2012)
It’s been a little over two years since Savannah, GA’s beastly crew of psychedelic-hardcore-crust-punk-sludge-metal purveyors Kylesa have released their last full-length record, Spiral Shadow. While the band continued to work on a sixth studio album, which is slated for release later this spring, they also wanted to give the fans something special in the interim. From the Vaults, Vol. 1 … Read more
Mayhem
Ordo Ad Chao
Season of Mist (2007)
Black Metal: (n) a subgenre of heavy metal music that uses screamed Satanic lyrics, fast guitar playing and drumming, and heavily distorted music with a focus on satanic imagery and occult themes. For some, the above definition is redundant. Some of you reading this review are already familiar with Mayhem and their, shall we say, tumultuous history. For the rest, … Read more
Revenge
Strike.Smother.Dehumanize
Season of Mist (2020)
At this point Canadian extreme metal malcontent J. Read has had two entirely different but noteworthy careers. The man (something I assume he identifies as, and not a woodlen spirit, demon, or other apparition) helped to invent one of the more punishing confluences of metal subgenres as the vocalist and drummer for pioneering war metal generals Conqueror, and since 2000 … Read more
Rotting Christ
Aealo
Season of Mist (2010)
If you're like me, you've seen the name 'Rotting Christ' thrown around for years, but you never listened to the band because you assumed it was an unremarkable throwback black metal band whose albums suffer from unbearably bad recording quality. But since Earwax in Madison was carrying the band's new album, I figured I'd give them a quick listen, because … Read more
Saint Vitus
Saint Vitus
Season of Mist (2019)
On paper, it’s really a miracle Saint Vitus was able to last as long as they did. The forefathers of what became “doom” started out in Los Angeles just a couple of years before the sunset strip exploded in a hail of spandex and aquanet. Surviving numerous lineup changes, this self titled opus features original vocalist Scott Reagers, who has … Read more
Saor
Origins
Season of Mist (2022)
Saor is back and this brings me a lot of joy. I only started digging into the band at the recommendation of a friend for folk infused metal sometime late in 2020. The first thing I started listening to was Forgotten Paths and it really managed to lure me in with “Monadh”. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the general emphasis … Read more
The Great Old Ones
EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy
Season of Mist (2017)
The influence of H.P. Lovecraft in popular culture is undeniable, and its presence in the metal genre is highlighted from classic Metallica tracks, to off-kilter acts like Blind Idiot God. The Great Old Ones, a French post-black metal outfit, proudly embrace this tradition, as their suggests, exploring the themes of cosmicism through the years, starting with their debut album, Al … Read more
