Fun, Poppy Metalcore June 20, 2016

Newborn Mind
by Napoleon

Alright, kids. Time for a bit more metalcore today. All you skeezy purists can turn away now, but I still say you're missing out. UK band Napoleon makes some righteous tunes in the vein of The Story So Far, A Day to Remember, and Underoath. I caught a wiff of that tasty progressive riffing on "Diffe...

This is Not a Test June 20, 2016

Vessels
by Be'lakor

Be'lakor are an Australian band from Melborne. Named after the "dark master" from the Warhammer games, the band has become popular in the progressive death metal scene since their release of Stones Reach back in 2009.Metal Storm named that album the best melodeath release of the year. Since then, th...

Monument June 17, 2016

You Fail Me Redux
by Converge

So just so you know, this is less a review of the production updates to Converge's classic album and more of an excuse to vomit praise all over it. Alright then. Hopefully by now you are aware of Massachusetts post-hardcore/mathcore/hardcore/noise metal band Converge. The group released their first ...

Down in the Catacombs June 17, 2016

The Carnal Sabbath
by Helleborus

Helleborus is the latest emanation of Jerred Wyatt Houseman. You may have caught our review of another work of this Colorado duo this year inAkhenaten's Incantations Through the Gates of Irkalla.But Helleborus forgoes the strong Middle Eastern influences for straight doomy black metal.The project i...

Pulled a Mastodon June 17, 2016

Magma
by Gojira

It seems that Gojira have pulled a Mastodon. With their latest album, Magma, the French brand has traded much of their progressive tendencies in favor of alternative rock. Mind you,I'm not necessarily complaining. Rock is a completely valid genre when done right (and one lacking in great output righ...

Insomnium Meets Drudkh June 16, 2016

Sky Exile
by Vex

Central Texas melodic death metal group Vex take the word "atmospheric" to newheights. With their latest album,Sky Exile, the band takes you on an epic adventure within the comfort of your own headphones. Fusing melodeath and folk influences, the resulting sound is vast and quite beautiful. They hav...

Smells like teen spirit June 16, 2016

Split
by God Mother / Artemis

God Mother: a hardcore quartet out of Stockholm influenced by bands like Rotten Sound, Converge, and Gaza. Artemis: brother from a different mother sending their own brand of hardcore around the UK. The two groups have joined forces for a split release with WOOAAARGH. Given their similar style and p...

Atmospheric Industrial BM June 15, 2016

The Reverses
by Terra Tenebrosa

Terra Tenebrosa (roughly translated to dark Earth) was formed in 2009 from the dissolution of post-hardcore band Breach. These boys have found themselves far from their native genre since then. Now I have seen post-hardcore bands go blackened before, but never quite like this. The corpse has been st...

Survival Horror OST June 14, 2016

Codex Obscura Nomina
by Blut Aus Nord / Aevangelist

After listening to Codex Obscura Nomina, I was craving a collaboration between these guys and Mr. Silent Hill himself Akira Yamaoka. How perfect would that be? The man has spent decades establishing himself as the man to go too when you need to build an ominous, foreboding soundscape to the gaming e...

Black Metal Mini-Review Roundup June 14, 2016

Gjendd is a brand newa new Norwegian black metal band. This demo was released in April, but will now see a physical release via Hellthrasher Productions on the 24th. The band's sound is dissonant and highly technical, fusing dizzying instrumentation with the old second wave spirit. Think early Darkt...

The Windswept Moors of Ohio June 13, 2016

Blood & Shadow
by Winterhymn

Just shy of a9. I really wanted to give these guys that extra point, but I tend to reserve those 9's and 10's for albums with that extra kick of innovation. In terms of folk metal albums in the mode of melodic death metal though? This is nearly a 10. Hot on the heels of otherAmerican peers like Wild...

Start at The Traveler June 10, 2016

Reward in Purpose
by Astrakhan

Astrakhan is more or less a sludge and post-metal band out of Vancouver, CA. Let me start out by acknowledging the lower/average score here. Reward in Purpose is 30 minutes of an excellent album. This is of course a bit of a problem given that I just snipped about 15 minutes out of the runtime, and ...

Mini-Review Roundup: Skandal, Anion, Adolyne June 10, 2016

Skandal is a Leeds, UK band that describes their sound as "doom n' roll." The most obvious frame of reference is Motorhead, but I can hear a number of other influences from various genres from stoner rock to groove. There's even a very interesting Middle Eastern-sounding interlude on this EP, which ...

Yngwie Vikernes June 9, 2016

Weihung Auf Satan
by Waxen

Does anyone else appreciate the sound of second wave BM, but would like a little more variation in the guitar work at times? If so, meet Waxen. Guitar virtuoso Toby Knapp (Onward, Where Evil Follows, Godless Rising) has released a new black metal album called Weihung Auf Satan (Dedication to Satan)....

Spastic Death Grind June 9, 2016

We Are The Burden
by The Sound That Ends Creation

Goddam, The Sound That Ends Creation.What a great name. You wanted more death grind? You got it. This Allen, TXproject really does sound apocalyptic. Think Psyopus paired wtih Okazaki Fragments. It's like being murdered via belt sander. All from the mind of one Chris Dearing, this crushing debut We ...

Keeping The Gene Pool Pure June 8, 2016

Where Shadows Forever Reign
by Dark Funeral

Dark Funeral is a black metal band founded in Sweden back in 1993. Their roots extend back into the second wave whengroups like Mayhem,Darkthrone, and fellowSwedes Dissection were all creating the genre from the darker corners of 80's thrash metallike Venom and Bathory. The lineup has changed quite ...

Perfection June 8, 2016

Extance
by Aenaon

Super fan of our site, Mauricio, threatened me if I did not give this one the full review treatment. Rightly so. This is one of the most consistently impressive and engaging amalgams of styles I have heard in some time. It is worthy of the coveted 10/10...something I try not to give out too often (t...

To Infinity and Beyond June 7, 2016

Fragments of Infinity
by Obliterated

Obliterated is a death and thrash metal band from Italy. Racking up 30 minutes of music in just 4 tracks, their new release 'Fragments of Infinity' hasa progressive side as well; pooling influences from Vektor to DeathtoMegadeth. With tracks running anywhere from 5 to 12 minutes, Obliterated are not...

Suicide Swansong June 7, 2016

Into The Cunt Of The Witch
by Blliigghhtted

So big fat disclaimer on this one: Metal Trenches and myself do not support or wish to further Satanism or pro-suicide agendas. We are all about the music, and often that music comes from people with widely varying world views that we respect as long as it does not involve harming others. That being...

Blood in the Pit: Crust, Metallic Punk, and Grind June 7, 2016

California/London band Anopheli have been featured a number of times on this site. You know why? Because they deserve it. I put them on this particular list in recognition of their grittier side: tormented vocals, shrieks of pain, a mood that I described as "the sound of abject poverty." But unlike ...
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