Alternative Archives - Page 2 of 5

Eternal Rest – The Picture Of Hatred (Death Metal)

November 16, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Brisbane has been coming out with some pretty awesome metal lately and Eternal Rest are no exception to this. Their third album The Picture Of Hatred has a lot to boast about for a band from such a humble part of the world (arse end of Australia, I’m here too so I can admit it) such as having this release on the American label Gore House Productions, album art from french artist Remy Cooper and being mixed by the iconic Dan Swano (what?!). With this in mind you might be imagining something quite fancy or even melodic… Yeah nah, this album is filthy, often finding itself on the grind side of death. There’s a sense of nihilism and discomfort, so naturally I enjoy it. […]

Album Review: Toluca – Soras 8.3 (Post Black/Screamo)

November 13, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

This year has been incredible and if you’ve been reading for a bit now then you’ve seen me become increasingly excited about metal over the course of 2019. I was starting to think it may slump then I started getting some really good submissions from very talented bands putting out music towards the end of the year. Death Metal, black metal and hardcore have been insane this year and so has sludge but until today I didn’t realise I was missing something that I fondly remember having last year – A solid and true to form post hardcore album in the visage of bands like Boss-De-Nage or Birds In Row. Toluca offers an experience equally eloquent and abrasive from the lands of Russia with their new album Soras. Out November 29th via Tokyo Jupiter Records. […]

Interview: Bloody Sadism (Iranian solo grind project)

November 9, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Here is an interview with Bloody Sadism conducted by Noob Heavy writer Mass. Typically I (Carcassbomb) have done all of the interviews and this is the first one by someone else, as such I have left the formatting closer to their own preferences and hopefully I’ll see more in the future from all of our scenes. Here’s an insight into the world of Iranian metal, which is a very underground and subversive part of their culture. […]

Album Review: Holy Serpent – Endless 10 (Stoner/Gaze)

November 4, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Endless is straight up ‘the shit’, that’s the most important fact of this review. It’s an album that has made me swoon like few others this year and it’s not exactly that metal or heavy. It is however, perfectly suited to the current climate of stoner rock and doom, bringing something quite zesty and refreshing, a fusion of fuzz, alt rock and doom rock. I’m hearing influences from Type O Negative and My Bloody Valentine, it’s super inspired and engorged with energy despite the doomy tempo. They nailed it musically and in terms of doom aesthetic – something Australia has been refining for some time now. […]

Album Review: Rings Of Saturn – Gidim 10 (Deathcore)

October 28, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Rings Of Saturn have been around for a bit perfecting their insane brand of techno death metal, and with this latest album they prove they can soar alongside current titans Infant Annihilator and Cattle Decapitation. 2019 keeps upping the vocal game and setting an insane standard that most just can’t compete with. Add an overgrown child prodigy of a guitarist and you’ve got the essence of RoS, it’s excessive… and fancy. Utilizing brutality with finesse rather than toxic bravado. I’ve heard so many albums try to reach this peak but fall short, so it’s not without pause that I consider this one of the greatest tech death works of like… the decade? Imagine if Dragonforce was good. […]

Album Review: The Ritual Aura – Velothi 8.2 (Tech Death)

October 15, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Before even pressing play I am more or less in love with this album and I think the concept of Morrowind Metal has been a long ass time coming. Morrowind was the game of my life, no doubt about it, I found it at Video Ezy on original XBOX when I was 11. I played Morrowind and only Morrowind until Oblivion was released on 360 when I was 15. I have an encyclopedia like memory of that game and its many quest lines, as well as exploits. I found that fucking Dwemer Cube about 300 times. I’ve played it plenty as an adult too, fully modded. This is even more in my wheelhouse than Dark Souls. The Ritual Aura are also an Australian band with great album art. The music would have to suck more balls than I can imagine being sucked to fuck this up. […]

Album Review: Sugar Wounds – Mechanical Friends (Grind/Gaze)

October 6, 2019 zaxrecordreviews

Like many things in the information age, extreme metal has become over saturated and more accessible than ever. Now, this is a good thing and a bad thing for bands and listeners alike. As a listener, you have access to tons of amazing albums by tons of amazing bands that you would have never heard otherwise, but you’ll find yourself getting bored with certain sounds and styles, things can get redundant. As a band, it’s easier than ever to make and promote your music, but it’s hard to standout in a musical landscape where most things have been done. I will always stand by the idea that generic does not equal bad, however it’s always exciting and refreshing to hear something you’ve never heard before. […]

Album Review: Insomnium – Heart Like A Grave 9.6 (Melo Death)

October 6, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Insomnium – the band that got me hooked on melodic death metal for life. And here we are with their latest album, Heart Like a Grave. And what a gem of an album it is! The sound of the album and the image it depicts through words and melodies are as bleak and dispirited as the taiga forests and fens of their motherland in winter. It takes the cheery and chirpy soul and renders it depressed and forlorn, casting it into the abyss of desolation. […]

Album Review: Opeth – In Cauda Venenum 8.5

October 4, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Very few names in the history of prog metal can shine as dazzlingly as Opeth does, and even fewer bands have had such a repertoire of stunning albums as those of Opeth throughout their career of 30 years. They have established themselves as an undisputable act of Swedish metal and have also been able to garner a huge fan base in addition to instilling imposing respect among fellow musicians and critics alike. Their brand of progressive death metal in their early years and their own take on progressive metal in their midcareer were the main basis for this awe-inspiring stature the band enjoys these days. However, starting maybe with Heritage (2011), the band inclined ever more toward progressive rock, bringing their metal roots with themselves to this rather ‘new’ sphere – of course ‘new’ for the band. Taking this different approach, they proved to prioritize progression and holding this issue above all else. They are a true “progressive” band. […]

Interview with Cold In Berlin (UK Doom)

September 30, 2019 Noob Heavy admin

Cold In Berlin have been playing equally atmospheric and abrasive live performances in London for almost a decade now. Starting with the essence of a post punk band and gradually absorbing the darkness of the world developing around them, dragging along with them a sense of doom. Their latest album, Rituals Of Surrender is a gothed up stoner doom album that releases on the 11th of October. I had a chance to hear the album early and very much enjoyed it, I also went back through their previous releases to find they basically started as an awesome band and stayed that way. So I’m very happy to present my interview with Cold In Berlin, an entertaining read whether you know the band or not (Just press play) […]