Altar Of Oblivion – Grand Gesture Of Defiance

Artist: Altar Of Oblivion Country: Denmark Label: Shadow Kingdom Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2012 One of the biggest surprises of 2009 was Denmarks Altar Of Oblivion. From out of the blue there was this really swinging doom/heavy metal…

Jumalhämärä – Resignaatio

Artist: Jumalhämärä Country: Finland Label: Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions Formats: CD Year: 2010 ‘Progression’ is a dirty word in combination with black metal. Bands like Satyricon have already struggled (unsuccessfully) with it. The art lies in combining primitive aesthetics and innovative…

Houwitser – Bestial Atrocity

Artist: Houwitser Country: The Netherlands Label: Sevared Records Format: CD Year: 2010 After Houwitser broke up in 2004, all band members went their separate ways, resulting in such bands as Blastcorps and Hail Of Bullets. Guitarist Michel Alderliefsten, however, felt he had some unfinished…

Sacrifice – The Ones I Condemn

Artist: Sacrifice Country: Canada Label: Cyclone Empire / Marquee Records / War On Music Formats: LP / CD Year: 2009 With the unstoppable stream of returning old Thrash Metal legends (as well as some lesser heroes), you would almost think…

Pandemia – Feet Of Anger

Artist: Pandemia Country: Czechia Label: War Anthem Records Formats: CD Year: 2009 German label War Anthem Records signed Czech band Pandemia, or perhaps they were stuck with them when they took over Morbid Records. If the latter is the case, then they can be…

Armour – Blitzkrieg Warrior [EP]

Artist: Armour Country: Finland Label: Anger Of Metal / Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 Together with Anger Of Metal the German advocate for real metal Iron Bonehead Productions comes with a very noble looking gatefold 7” EP…

Pantheon I – Worlds I Create

Artist: Pantheon I Country: Norway Label: Candlelight records Formats: CD Year: 2009 Pantheon I was formed around 2002, and features some members of 1349, Den Saakaldte and Sarkom. Their fairly unique mix of Black Metal with cellos and violins caught my eye…

1349 – Revelations of the Black Flame

Artist: 1349Country: NorwayLabel: Candlelight RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2009 The last few releases of the Norwegians of 1349 have been surrounded by a minor hype, and in particular for their last record ‘Hellfire’ that seemed to be justified. Not resting…

Black Pyramid – Black Pyamid [EP]

Artist: Black Pyramid Country: USA Label: Electric Earth Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 Usually I would not feature these kinds of bands, doom bands that lean too much to the stoner-side are usually not my thing and definitely don’t…

Bombs Of Hades – Carnivores [EP]

Artist: Bombs Of Hades Country: Sweden Label: Blood Harvest Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 I should’ve known better, really. I had this 7” EP here for quite some time before I started listening to it, the cover artwork for this…

Shackles – Traitors’ Gate

Artist: Shackles Country: Australia Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2009 After releasing two demos (one being re-released on CD on Kneel Before The Masters Throne) and a 7” EP these Australians were ready for their first…

Graveland – Wotan Mit Mir [EP]

Artist: Graveland Country: Poland Label: No Colours Records Formats: 12″ EP Year: 2008 This one-sided 12” on Darkland Records can be seen as some sort of an appetizer of the new full-length, “Spears Of Heaven”, that was released in April…

Dishammer – Vintage Addiction

Artist: Dishammer Country: Spain Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2008 The announcement of this LP was already enough to get me interested: ‘A perverted overdose of raw diabolic metal punk. Sounds like a fistfight between Hellhammer…

Assaulter – Salvation Like Destruction

Artist: Assaulter Country: Australia Label: High Roller Records / Iron Bonehead Productions / Pulverized Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2008 This first full-length release for this Australian duo is a collaboration between German labels Iron Bonehead Productions and High…

Axewielder – The Nightcrew

Artist: Axewielder Country: Germany Label: Metal Coven Records Formats: LP Year: 2009 After releasing a split 7” with Heathen Hoof and a picture 10” with the great title “Heavy Metal Law”, Axewielder now returns with their first full-length album. This…

Realmbuilder – Summon The Stone Throwers

Artist: Realmbuilder Country: USA Label: I Hate Records Formats: LP Year: 2009 While reading through the bands on the inlay that are thanked for their influence expectations run sky-high. A nice blend of all kinds of heroic and epic metal…

Syphilitic Vaginas – Black Motor Covenant [EP]

Artist: Syphilitic Vaginas Country: Sweden Label: RFL Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 Syphilitic Vaginas have been releasing quite a pile of obscure vinyls and tapes over the last three-or-so years. And though it might come as they are from…

Autopsy – Horrific Obsession [EP]

Artist: AutopsyCountry: USALabel: Peaceville RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2009 These are actually the most critical releases. Bands that always claimed not to go for any reunion and then … out of the blue, come up with new material. Still it is…

In Solitude – In Solitude

Artist: In Solitude Country: Sweden Label: High Roller Records / Pure Steel Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2008 This Swedish band with members from death metal band Katalysator (hailed in the Daniel Ekeroth’s book on Swedish Death Metal) and…

Sardonis – Sardonis [EP]

Artist: Sardonis Country: Belgium Label: Electric Earth Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 Sooner or later every review will mention that Sardonis is a two-man band that play instrumental doom/sludge songs – as they say, ‘4 skins and 6 strings’.…

Kivimetsan Druidi – Shadowheart

Artist: Kivimetsan Druidi Country: Finland Label: Century Media Formats: CD Year: 2008 In every scene that gets more popular by the day the record labels tend to sign every fart recorded that might sell. We saw that happening over two…

DoomVS – Dead Words Speak

Artist: DoomVSCountry: SwedenLabel: Firedoom MusicFormats: CDYear: 2008 Since 2004 the rather strangely named project Doom:VS is Johan Ericson’s way to keep himself busy. Besides his main band, Draconian, he finds the time to get his solo project going as well. And with “Dead Words…

Tangorodrim – Justus Ex Fide Vivit

Artist: TangorodrimCountry: IsraelLabel: Doomentia Records / Southern Lord RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2007 The name of this extreme raw black metal outfit from Israel (though the members are from Russian origin) translates to “Mountains Of Oppression”, taken from JRR Tolkien’s Lord Of…

In Solitude – Hidden Danger [EP]

Artist: In Solitude Country: Sweden Label: Swedish Metal Productions Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 Once in a while there are some new bands that sound so much like those old metal LP’s you might/should have that it is almost hard…

Trench Hell – Southern Cross Ripper [EP]

Artist: Trench HellCountry: AustraliaLabel: Hells Headbangers Records / Home Taping CrueltiesFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2008 After the great “Alcoholic Disaster” EP from four years back, these Australians are back with a 12” consisting of six ultra…

Darkthrone – Dark Thrones And Black Flags

Artist: DarkthroneCountry: NorwayLabel: Peaceville RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2008 After the last Darkthrone album many of their early fans dropped off, saying that this is punk and has nothing to do with metal anymore. That may be, but didn’t Darkthrone…

Agathocles – Grind Is Protest

Artist: Agathocles Country: Belgium Label: Displeased Records Formats: CD Year: 2008 Second album from these longlasting Belgians on Displeased Records, which means that Agathocles is, for the first time in their twenty-year-plus career, widely available in record stores and almost…

Frailty – Lost Lifeless Lights

Artist: Frailty Country: Latvia Label: Solitude Productions Formats: CD Year: 2008 Doom metal was always celebrated as a kind of ‘elitist’ genre, as it has always been a very small and rather narrow-minded genre. Over the years many bands have…

Bloody Sign – The 3rd Escape [EP]

Artist: Bloody SignCountry: FranceLabel: Blood HarvestFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2008 Though I always thought that these French guys of Bloody Sign weren’t the best in their genre, they still know how to get their music spread. Numerous splits and underground releases are available and are actually…

Nunslaughter – Hell On Holland [7″ EP]

Artist: Nunslaughter Country: USA Label: Autopsy Kitchen Records / Battle Kommand Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 This is another one from the ‘Hell On…’-series, it is rumoured that this is the last one to be released, so, finally the…

Earthride – Taming Of The Demons [Re-Release]

Artist: Earthride Country: USA Label: Doomentia Records Formats: LP Year: 2008 Once in a while a new labels stands up and dedicates itself on releasing great vinyl records only, recently one of those labels is Doomentia Records, based in the…

Obituary – Left To Die [EP]

Artist: Obituary Country: USA Label: Candlelight Records Formats: CD EP Year: 2008 Obituary’s new one is a four-track EP (not counting the video-track for ‘Evil Ways’, taken from their last album) which will most likely closes the gap between the…

The Puritan – The Black Law [EP}

Artist: The Puritan Country: Finland Label: I Hate Records Formats: 12″ EP Year: 2008 This Finnish band was quickly started after the folding of one of doom’s greatest, Reverend Bizarre. Albert Witchfinder, here under his own name, brought back his…

The Devil’s Blood – The Graveyard Shuffle [EP]

Artist: The Devil’s Blood Country: The Netherlands Label: Ván Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2008 Out of the blue, really out of the blue there was this band from Eindhoven, Holland. Not quite announced by anything or anyone, they were…

Cobalt – Landfill Breastmilk Beast [EP]

Artist: CobaltCountry: USALabel: Profound Lore RecordsFormats: CD EPYear: 2008 Last year’s “Eater Of Birds”-album was very well received by press and public alike, and was pretty much a surprise to both parties. The well crafted black metal fits well in…

Funeral Moth – Funeral Moth [EP]

Artist: Funeral Moth Country: Japan Label: Weird Truth Productions Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Already released as a two-track demo-tape, this Japanese ultra-slow funeral doom act got its first official release with this two-tracks mini CD. Though Japan is not…

God Macabre – The Winterlong [Re-Release]

Artist: God Macabre Country: Sweden Label: Blood Harvest Formats: LP Year: 2008 As with many other great Swedish death metal releases, “The Winterlong” by God Macabre was a bit overlooked at the time of its release and failed to get…

Bloodstone – Hour Of The Gate [Compilation]

Artist: BloodstoneCountry: SwedenLabel: Blood HarvestFormats: LPYear: 2008 As every death metal fan from the very first days or any vinyl collector would confirm, old school Swedish death metal is be experienced on vinyl exclusively. But, unfortunately not all great albums have been issued on the…

Magnus – Scarlet Slaughter [Re-Release]

Artist: Magnus Country: Poland Label: Blood Harvest Formats: LP Year: 2007 Sometimes you walk into something that you never heard of and surprises you in a pleasant way. This was the case when I got a package through the post…

Trinacria – Travel Now Journey Infinitely

Artist: Trinacria – Travel Now Journey InfinitelyCountry: Chile / GermanyLabel: Indie RecordingsFormats: CDYear: 2008 What do you get when you put three members of Enslaved in the same room with people from a noise band and various other projects? A…

Jex Thoth – Jex Thoth

Artist: Jex Thoth Country: USA Label: I Hate Records Formats: CD Year: 2008 Last year around the same time as the release date of this album (April 28th, 2008) I got a mini CD that left me in a state…

Necrovation – Breed Deadness Blood

Artist: Necrovation Country: Sweden Label: Blood Harvest Formats: LP / CD Year: 2008 For the true followers of the Swedish death metal scene the name of Necrovation will definitely ring a bell. The band already released a cool demo-tape, a…