Beneath Oblivion – “From Man To Dust” (2011)

Beneath Oblivion, From Man to Dust (2011)

Intentionally ugly, yes?

My review of the second album from Ohio’s sludge-botherers Beneath Oblivion is up now at MetalReview.  From Man to Dust is a massive document of punishing doom that could sorely use some editing, but still succeeds despite (or perhaps because of) its flaws.  From Man to Dust is out later in September on the Mylene Sheath.

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Seidr – “For Winter Fire” (2011)

Seidr, For Winter Fire (2011)

A haunting woodland chapel

My review of the fantastic debut album from Louisville, Kentucky’s Seidr (a project affiliated with the excellent black metal project Panopticon) is up now at MetalReview.  For Winter Fire is both towering and delicate, and is out now on The Flenser.

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Sonne Adam – “Transformation” (2011)

Sonne Adam, Transformation (2011)

A gorgeously dark vista

My review of the debut album from Israel’s Sonne Adam is up now at MetalReview.  Popular (underground) consensus seems to be with Necros Christos, but I’ll take Sonne Adam’s more compact and infinitely less dull take on the style any day.  Transformation is out now on Century Media Records.

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Elitist – “Fear In A Handful Of Dust” (2011)

Elitist, Fear In A Handful Of Dust (2011)

Only black and white is real

My review of the debut album by Portland, Oregon’s Elitist is up now at MetalReview.  Fear in a Handful of Dust is a leering, toothless grin of an album, sure to frighten your neighbors and give you a headache in all the right ways.  The album is out now on Season Of Mist, which, we are pleased to report, seems to be doing an admirable job of overcompensating for a certain recent, uh, morbid debacle.

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Dark Castle – “Surrender To All Life Beyond Form” (2011)

Dark Castle, Surrender To All Life Beyond Form (2011)

Surrender to this delightful artwork

My review of the outstanding second album from Floridian two-piece Dark Castle is up now over at MetalReview.  No other record this year has taken so long to win me over and then so forcefully convinced me of its greatness.  If you’ve found yourself a bit puzzled by the hype around this album, you’re not alone.  As an initial skeptic, however, I promise you that I am well and truly converted, and that if you give this album the proper time, it may just pull you into its dense and throbbing orbit.  As a measure of the album’s charms, consider this: I don’t even own a turntable but I’m still considering snapping up one of the limited-to-500-pieces colored vinyl editions.  Surrender To All Life Beyond Form is out now on Profound Lore.

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My Dying Bride – “Evinta” (2011)

My Dying Bride, Evinta (2011)

Lazy artwork, or the laziest artwork?

My review of the ambitious but tremendously flawed new anniversary project from My Dying Bride is up now at MetalReview.  Evinta could have been a reasonably successful experiment, but ends up falling almost completely flat, emphasizing the band’s uber-goth, over-exaggerated sorrow that I’ve always been able to overlook when it was tempered with the proper gut-punching doom/death metal.  Still, if 90 minutes (or two hours, if you have the [mis]fortune to acquire the three-disc version) of floaty, weepy-as-shit neoclassical synth-pandering is just your cup o’ tea, Evinta is out now on Peaceville.

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Coffins – “Ancient Torture” (2011)

Coffins, Ancient Torture (Compilation) (2011)

Appropriately gruesome

My review of the quite excellent compilation of non-album goodies from Japan’s doom/death bruisers Coffins is up now at MetalReview.  Ancient Torture is out now on Deepsend Records.

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Apostle Of Solitude/The Flight Of Sleipnir/Rituals Of The Oak – “Split” (2011)

Apostle Of Solitude / The Flight Of Sleipnir / Rituals Of The Oak, Split (2011)

Old wizard

My review of the delightful three-way split between similar-minded doom fiends Apostle Of Solitude, The Flight Of Sleipnir, and Rituals Of The Oak is up now at MetalReview.  I wax a bit pretentious on the purpose of split albums, but all things told, this is a nice, seamless 50-minute trip.  The split is out now (on either CD or LP) through Eyes Like Snow, the heavy/doom division of Northern Silence Productions.

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A Storm Of Light – “As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us…” (2011)

A Storm Of Light, As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade (2011)

We get it, man - you like overstuffed collage art.

My review of the latest album from the Josh Graham-led post-metallers A Storm Of Light is up now over at MetalReview.  It’s unfortunately a rather dull album, and most definitely a step backward from the much more interesting second album, 2009’s Forgive Us Our Trespasses.  As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us… is out now on Profound Lore Records.

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Across Tundras – “Sage” (2011)

Across Tundras, Sage (2011)

A perfectly dusty sage

My review of the latest album from Western doom/Americana rockers Across Tundras is up now at MetalReview.  It is quite excellent, and speaks, most likely, to the latent ’49-er within us all.  Sage is out now on Neurot Recordings.

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