Solstafir - Berdreyminn
“Unsurprisingly, Berdreyminn is a work of staggering depth, tapping into an ethereal netherworld of droney guitars, mournful piano-driven dirges and prismatic crescendos that converge beyond the five bodily senses. From first single Ísafold, a new vibe emerges, wholly distinct from Ótta, playing out in pulsating 80s tempos and a gauzey backdrop of moody atmospherics.”
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Dream Evil - Six
“Despite a seven-year absence, Six begins just as they left off with a humongous anthem entitled Dream Evil that was presumably forged in the fire pits of a Valhalla blacksmith. High-profile players such as Ozzy guitarist Gus G and Snowy Shaw have graced the band’s lineup, but since the beginning Niklas Isfeldt has been Nordström’s brother in arms.”
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Danzig - Black Laden Crown
“Hot on the heels of last year’s feverishly celebrated Misfits reunion, Glenn Danzig returns with his first album of all-new material in seven years. 2015 saw him stumble into self-parodic territory with his grimace-inducing covers collection, Skeletons. With Black Laden Crown, however, Danzig has somewhat righted the ship, revisiting his nightmarish alternate reality of 50s drag strip depravity and all of the devils, darkness and death a goth could ever want.”
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Pyreship - The Liars Bend Low
“Barely a year after forming, these sludgy Houston noise merchants debut with a grinding, five-track foray into alt-metal, doom and grunge. Think Soundgarden and Neurosis jamming together in the middle of a Death Valley sandstorm. Rather than skew towards the dense and monolithic, Pyreship have clearly got a feel for crafting memorable doom hooks that suffer no lack of force.”
Below The Sun - Alien World
“This Siberian doom quintet’s interstellar obsessions continue abound on their second album, with its concept built upon the classic 1961 sci-fi novel, Solaris. The record explores the labyrinth of the human psyche within a ponderous palette of crushing doom and ethereal mystery.”
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In Reverence - The Selected Breed
“Buoyed by a small but effusive response to the two preview tracks they released in 2016, In Reverence arrive at the release of their full-length debut looking and sounding full of confidence. The Selected Breed is that rare beast: a debut album that sounds like the work of skilled veterans, replete with refined songwriting and performances that embrace passion and precision.”
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Maria Ja Marsialaiset - Pysy Hereilla
“The eight pointed, infectious songs on this 27-minute LP weave together wisps of ragged glam stomp, Finnish boogie, stoner doom and punk. There’s a first-take spontaneity to the performances and a nice warm heft to the production, but the vocals are something else altogether.”
The best new metal albums you can buy this week
