8 travelers of sonic understanding have been reviewed for your consideration

NOVEMBERS DOOM Hamartia- CD/ Digital ( The End Records)

These Chicago Doom, Death, Gothic and Progressive Metal Stalwarts are presenting me with their 10th album and it's start off with a Dark Death metal monster that I can say is as good as anything I have hear from the band and I have Know Paul and Larry since the early 90's. There is a power, melody and a fury going on here that seems to been rekindled and for one I'm damn happy to hear this. The guttural vocals and very 90's Blackened Death tone screams out from the first track.  The Band just seems to know how to mix elements of Moonspell, Katatonia and Paradise Lost into something all very much  Novembers Doom. The clean vocals are more a spiritual sermon on those ancient Goth Doom mountain tops. The can just bring chills to you with the dark sounds that still have majesty and hope in them . Hamartia is a return to earlier material and sounds but with a fresh 2017 ideal behind them. I really hope The End Records knows what kind of talent they have this this band as the never have musical setback sometimes it really does just take months to fully absorb what that band is putting in front of you. I swear I even hear elements of  Amorphis and Saturnus in these songs. I will say that though the album came out a few months back . You all need to take a listen or revisit this album and I very glad I got the time to listen, review and respect November Doom again.

http://theendrecords.com/

Norse- The Divine light of a new Sun- CD/ Digital ( Transcending Obscurity)

Heathen inspired avant black metal is what I get just from the begin of this album from the land of OZ. There is a very industrial element going on esp in the drums and over all bass tone and then the brittle and melodic guitars over a very grim and cold vocal style that reminds of bands like Saytricon, Blut Aus Nord, Mayhem and Red Harvest. I wasn't not ready for a black metal album this complex and diverse. This this full on mixing element of Havok Unit, MZ412, And Oceans, Shining and Vond in to something very different and interesting to say the least.  Norse are very biting and spiteful band on this release at least and you can feel and hear the venom through out the album. I would like to call it at time full on post black metal but that would really be simplifying what the band is trying to create. This is truly a ground breaking release for Norse and the exposure needs to be much grander then that is happening 

https://tometal.com/

Common Eider, King Eider -Shrines for the Unwanted, Respite for the Cast Aside- Tape /Book/ Digital ( Senitient Ruin Labs)

Haunting, Distant, Spacial Dark ambient with very occult element going on here . You can hear some very minimalist disturbing sounds going on over the 9+ minutes of the 1st track. If you bands like Schloss tegal, Sleep Research Facility, Lustmord and Inade. This is going to have a wonderful home in you experimental music collection.  You have an intense headphone listening experience coming if you want is all i really need to say. I going to keep this one a bit shorter and you really just need to experience this . File under Minimal Occult Symphonic Black Ambient..

http://sentientruin.com/ 

Funeral Tears- Beyond the Horizon- CD/ Digital (Satanath/ Cimmerian Shade)

What is going on here is a one man Blackened  Doom/ Death band that reminds we of a few bands right of the bat that should impress. Shapes of Despair, Thergothon and Dusk and  Winter. The sorrow and bleak sounding arrangement work so well with the Black/ Doom vocals and over all presentation of the release. Doom is suppose to be heavy and slow which are both very easily met here on Funeral Tears album. Long songs as well. Nothing under 7 minutes here my friends. I would like to have heard a bit more fullness to the drums on the album other then that . There are some very gothic elements on the album as well and all that does is enhance the over all somber mood of this album.  The clean guitars  and synths give me a very Unholy and Dolorian feeling as I listen. Excellent work from this one man Russian force.

http://satanath.com/

https://cimmerianshaderecordings.com/

Cult of Erinyes- Tiberivs - CD/ Digital ( Caverna Abismal Records )

 Sometimes you hear a band and it's just something that will be a moment in time that will stay with you always stay with until you talk about it well with Cult of Erinyes we have a very bizzare mix of  Noise, Progressive Metal, Black metal and very very many left field musical ideas that just a catching my fancy as a music reviewer, fan and out side of the box musician. This really does mix all those styles . I would think we would find this band on a label like Ajna Offensive , I Voidhanger,  Season of Mist or even Nordvis .. Again you see where my mindset is on a band like this and the album just becomes more impressive as you listen through out . The ebbs and flows of dissident sound, Ritualistic Vocals and the Dark droning elements just always wins me over.  If in closing you want to have an impressive black metal band it needs to be sinister in tone and concept . Cult of Erinyes does that ten fold..

http://www.cavernaabismal.com/

Lethe- The First Corpse on the moon- CD/ Digital ( My Kingdom Music)

This band impressed the hell out of me on there debut album and now this this we are digging deeper into Dark Electro, Avant Prog Rock, Ethereal metal and flowing soundscapes that take to realms of music I never want to escape from  Tor-Helge Skei and Anna Murphy mix in elements of  The Gathering, Manes, Ulver, 3rd and the Mortal, Madder Mortem and Dead can dance into something that only amazing Male / Female vocals combos can create. The Beautiful and wonder coming from an album like this will have me listening to it 15, 20, 50 God 2000 times. I love the Reggae , Trip hop, Break beat elements all in this with all I spoke about as well. There is just so much soul in an album like this you will be missing a part of you if you don't that the time and listen to Lethe. There are game changer album and then there are life changing music this is clear in the column of the latter . It's time just to get this album and move forward on this next musical chapter of your life.

http://mykingdommusic.net/

Where the sun comes down- Welcome- CD/ Digital ( Minotauro Records)

Music of this genre can be very hit it or miss for me and this variety of fuzzed out stoner rock that is stuck very much in the mid 70's really is not my cup of teat they do it will and it members of  SS Death & Paul Chains band so they have mastered it. I'm just not feeling it at all. If you are a fan of that Rise Above/ Meteor City world all i can say is run towards the light and feel the warm fuzzy after glow. Monster Magnet and Nudeswirl this is not and that is where my path lies with music of this level.

http://www.minotaurorecords.com/

LOCUST LEAVES - A Subtler Kind Of Light - CD/ Digital ( I Voidanger )

Lookie Lookie speaking of this very label more awesome outside oddball avant metal that mixs  Prog, Thrash, Classic Metal and Blackened Doom elements into something that really sound like  Slough Feg, Arcturus, Sanctuary and Rhaspody all into an amazing and wonderfully confusing metallic journey into bands like Manes , Code, Vintersorg and Ihsahn all at the same time. I could just name drop amazing music all day long or you could just get off your ass and get the album. Help out an amazing band and label get the music out to more people by playing it so they can move the sound at hand to even more folks that need to hear this. Locust Leaves . You just keep making music like this and I will keep writing your praises to all that will and can read this.

http://i-voidhanger.com/