Living dark may be the best revenge as Cleveland's Frayle suggest on their debut LP. Fans of gothic and black metal will rejoice as will those who love Portishead and Cocteau Twins.
New York's New Age Grate create an electronic soundscape interwoven with strands of Goth and doom on their new single, "Sylvia Won't Lie".
The last month of the 2010s was defined by an explosion of black metal grimness, modern and retro sprinkled with death metal brutality, caustic hardcore and some historic re-releases.
Neurosis and Jarboe collaborated on a stunning album of heavy metal experimentation back in 2003. Now the album has been remastered and it's time for a fresh appraisal.
On Nighttime Stories, instrumental quartet Pelican make the most out of working without a singer, proving that some narratives are best built without words.
Sabbath Assembly's "A Welcome Below" is a gorgeous and cathartic exploration into the journey of self-discovery and leaving behind that which oppresses us.
A doomy concoction with black and thrash metal undercurrents, Thonian Horde throws extreme metal some groove on this blast from the upcoming LP, Downfall.
Have you lost control? Are you nearly drowning? Or are you able to survive? Thunderclap asks these questions and more with heavy hooks and DNA-altering riffs on their new album Inebriocean.
From Drastus' monumental second LP to Mystifier's righteous comeback, to Venom Prison's evolution towards death metal infamy, and enthralling debut full-lengths from Devil Master, VLTIMAS, Heaume Mortal, and more, March's MetalMatters highlights a bounty of subversive brilliance.
Yob's Our Raw Heart topped PopMatters Best of Metal 2018 list. Here, Yob's Mike Scheidt meets with neurophilosopher Christopher James Stevens to discuss music and mystical experiences.
In her debut record with Vouna, Yianna Bekris combines the ferocity of black metal and the weight of doom/death with traditional Greek folk influences to produce an intriguing release.
Experimental heavy rock outfit a Storm of Light returns with a new video, "Prime Time", ahead of first album in five years, Anthroscene.
To characterize Our Raw Heart as consistent is not to damn the record with faint praise as Yob's music is as powerful and beautiful as ever.
Black Salvation is a band that works the psychedelia into the hard rock with skill, and it makes for a very listenable album in Uncertainty Is Bliss.
Confidence oozes from Khemmis' Desolation . It's a six-song, 41-minute battle cry of triumph—and that's exactly what you want from doom-brandishing heavy metal.
Underneath the catchy melodies and snazzy artwork, Ghost have created one of the cleverest heavy metal records in recent memory.
King Witch arrive at something like genuine progressive doom metal - atmospheric, heaving, dynamic doom riffs powered by strikingly sonorous vocals.
Finnish doom/death overlords Hooded Menace return with Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed which reaffirms their position in today's metal pantheon.
There's common ground between all 20 metal albums despite musical differences: the ability to provide a cathartic release for the creator and the consumer alike, right when we need it most.
Process of Guilt's dogged DIY survival during harsh economic times in a country not particularly well-known on a global level for its metal is proof that if you continue to stubbornly follow your passion good things can happen.
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