Writer. SPB Social Media Contributor.
Considering VNV Nation have been around for most of my life and are one of my favourite bands both on record and live, it’s weird to say that this is the first time I am writing some kind of review about them. Being more versed in the metal side of the musical sphere probably has something to do with it, … Read more
Forgive me, for a moment, while I take some time to explain that sitting down to write this piece was difficult. I stopped and started several times and that’s not counting the amount of days I spent just thinking about writing a review. You see, Katatonia are an institution and I felt that trying to describe their music was a … Read more
It’s always a joy to learn Cult of Luna will be releasing something new and as the Swedes have proved time and time again, their passion for their craft is far from waning. Through atmospheric post-metal, the band create textures that range from heightened drama to serene vocal passages to incandescent rage on a journey towards the cold stars of … Read more
Inhumanity Vortex started life in Poland in 2008 as the project of Tomasz Dziekoński and has slowly evolved over time into a sort of cyber tech-death metal band that has grown beyond the initial seeds of inspiration from those early days. Having released a handful of pre-production demos and EPs prior to Reverse Engineering in the winter of 2020, Inhumanity … Read more
Do you ever go through phases of listening to the same music over and over and over again? Why would I listen to something new when I could listen to X ten times in a row, or that song off Y a couple of times a day? Sometimes something new and cool does fall through the cracks in the brain … Read more
Acathexis – Immerse (Amor Fati/Extraconscious Records) Acathexis’ self-titled debut from 2018 is one that still bears repeated listens, personally, many years later. With some of the best known and hardest working musicians within black metal behind the band, it was always clear that this is a band to watch. Featuring Jacob Buczarski, Déhà and Dany Tee (each with a list … Read more
Arkhtinn – 三度目の災害 (Prava Collective) The mysterious Prava Collective release music by a handful of artists (who may or may not be in every band or at least more than one), each digital drop containing a plethora of music that encompasses the entire label’s roster while Amor Fati handle the physical side of things. Arkhtinn were the first to come … Read more
It's time, once again, for Only Death Is Real to make an appearance. This is the twenty second edition of the column and I'll be honest with you, writing is becoming harder each time. Sitting down to purposefully do something is difficult, opening the laptop seems to get scarier and just hitting the keys and trying to say something cohesive … Read more
It’s been said before, probably by me, that ROME is one of the hardest working musical projects out there. In the last year alone Jerome Reuter (the main driving force of the band) has released two full lengths, a live album and gone on at least two European tours. How … Read more
Cult Of Luna + A.A. Williams and Brutus Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland Cult Of Luna’s power lies in their ability to build layers of sound and with it, layers of emotion. Their live show has long been held in high regard for its stunning light effects, the huge walls of sound … Read more
Conjurer + Earth Moves and Armed For Apocalypse KIFF, Aarau, Switzerland Conjurer's rise has been one that seems particularly fast with the band making huge strides in only three years of existence. However, it’s been as much a case of working hard as being in the right place, at the … Read more
Sunn O))) with Caspar Brötzmann, 09/10/2019 Kaserne, Basel CH On this cold, somewhat rainy evening in Basel, the expectations for what will come are high. Sunn O))) are riding the waves of Life Metal, released earlier this year to great acclaim and a partner to the still to come Pyroclasts, … Read more
Released originally in 2018 in limited quantities, We Are Falling is the most recent full-length from Polish forest folk act By The Spirits. After gaining cult status within the neo-folk scene after its release and the band going on to play with several well known figures in that musical world … Read more
French band Diablation may be a new name for the underground black metal scene, yet they have long been a part of the French musical world with members who have previously played in Seth and Ad Inferna, making up the band. They are soon to release their debut album, Allégeance, … Read more
The long running Roadburn Festival will be back for a special edition in 2021. Having been postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Festival also announced that the 2021 edition would not be able to take place in the way that fans are used to. However, the organisational … Read more
“Eerie Freezing Winds” marks Obscurae’s return from the cold and is the second single to be released from their forthcoming album, To Walk the Path of Sorrows. While, technically, many of these songs have been available before, the band have reworked and rerecorded them in order to be in line … Read more
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