5 hymns of bleak, bland and mastery ( You Decide )

Wolvhammer-The Monuments of Ash- CD/ Digital/LP ( Blood Music)

Just from the 1st track of this album I will say there is a much dirtier thrash and sludge element mix in with the more sinister complex Black metal of old.  You can hear a Hardcore and Nola vibe to new Wolvhammer for sure. I like the more torn throat vocal approach with the nasty rhythmic action going on. Wolvhammer even have a Doomy side this time out  . I would want to call this  Sludgy Black Doom in the way it  comes over to the listener. If you like the way  Bands like  Satyricon, Darkthrone and  even new Marduk are showing  a much more  experimental side so is  Wolvhammer with throwing in these  retro and melodic sides .  I honestly could be way off base with this but it's what I'm hearing  and how the  album is  flowing with my ears . There are some  Florida  Death metal movements you can feel the  Tampa  Death scene happening through out as well  but the more  I listen it  Sludgy and  Crusty with  Thrash and Blackened over tone. All I know is this is an impressive release and will get them noticed in 2018 extreme metal world .

http://www.blood-music.com/

Godthrymm- A Grand Reclamation-CD/ Digital (Transcending Records)

So what do you think you will hear when members of Solstice, My Dying Bride and Anathema get together and create an album?  Will it be Epic Goth Doom with some  Melodic  Death elements ... Well Surprise we are very much going to say yes. I here elements of  Celtic Frost and St Vitus going on  Hamish and Shaun were both in Solstice and My Dying Bride and Shaun had time in Anathema. You get  where we are going with this .I think the overly clean vocals come with a Skyclad element too . I really love the Death inspired Doom music with that Epic overtone. I just wish there wasn't such a clean regal vocal approach .  I do like this very much when it has that early Cathedral meets early Katatonia  vibe going on.  There are moments were Paradise Lost come shinning through as well. This album needs to be a bit less Rise Above and a bit more Peaceville and Avantgarde music. The Growls really work well I can say that. Nice work over all . Just a bit less clean vocals on the next please..

http://www.transcendingrecords.com/

Izegrim- Beheaded by trust- CD/ Digital EP ( Self Released)

This 4 song  new creation from the  Female fronted  Death/Thrashers is more melodic and  blistering then earlier work that was more melodic Death with some thrashing moments. This has a very  90's  Earache and Roadrunner sound for me . So if you like  Carcass, Entombed, Atrophy and Whiplash all mixed together into something with the fury and passion to make an pit start going in a circle. The music has that heavier  Testament and Exodus element going on as well . The  Guttural meets power thrash vocals really add layers to the album as a whole. Those soaring solos on the 4 tracks really are something to behold. The drumming on a made men IE. Hoglan or Tempesta.. This is one  crushing metallic album and needs to be noticed you are on call to spread the word .

https://www.izegrim.com/

Living  Altar- Scythes towards Psyche- CD/ Digital ( Inferna Profundus )

Raw Noisy Fast as fuck Black metal that I have heard in the 90's with bands like  Marduk,  Mayhem , Beastial Warlust, Horna , Krieg and  Waitan to mention a few. It's not  terrible at all just all been done before and the Thrash elements make it feel all the more dated in presentation. I love blistering raw black metal as much as the next person but this seems like it was just quickly put together for a wow moment of extremity and there is no real substance to this like the others I have mentioned. Ok 4 songs in and I rather go to something else that tell you I'm not feeling it for this band so I'm moving on .

http://living-altar.bandcamp.com/

Chrch- Light will consume us all- CD/ Digital/ LP (Neurot Recordings)

Just from the beginning of Chrch I'm getting a creepy Occult  Dark Doom vibe about the band that is almost Post Metal and Avant as we go. The guitars are down right haunting to say the least. Yes the 1st track is 20 minutes long and it gets so sludgy and crusty in the doom that I feel like I listening to bands like  Noothgrush, 13, Eyehategod,  Cavity, Damad, Crisis, Julie Christmas, Grief and Bethlehem to say a few.  I love the amazing female vocals going on here. So much pain and nightmarish elements in all that is cried and screamed from vocals.  There are some even very  Babes in Toyland elements going on there. The Chanting/ Guttural  male vocals are something Different all together. These 3 songs will clearly change the way you look at Doom and Drone music. I really can not put my head around how inventive and out of the box thinking this is for a doom band and we need more there is even moments where they have Sabbath Assembly and Ide of Gemini movements. I just going to to finish off with this is as heavy can get get and mystical as magic will allow and punk as doom will allow to be with it not being called Doom. Welcome to the new age of suffering and I  adore it ..

http://www.neurotrecordings.com/