Your No. 1 Source For Extreme And Atmospheric Music And Film.

Author Chris Davison

I've been a metal fan since before I can remember anything else, more or less. My dad was always playing Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and AC/DC, so you can probably blame whatever crap score I have just awarded your terrible demo band indirectly to him. I spent my teenage years obsessing about thrash metal, before obsessing about all metal from that point onwards until now. I started reviewing music when Doug McClure was still trying to find the Land That Time Forgot, and in that time I have single handedly listened to every album ever released from Russia and the Baltic States. I live in a rural idyll, and so I don't get to gigs all that often, and thus you can always find me at Bloodstock clutching a flagon of rot-gut cider and smelling like a recently exhumed corpse, making the most of seeing a) other metal fans and b) metal bands. I once got poked in the eye by Lee Dorrian, and Fast Eddie Clarke told me he was still great. I also pulled Lesley Crowther's hair; The rest is just rumour.

Civerous – Maze Envy (20 Buck Spin)

A sophomore full length album from this Los Angeles based death/doom crew. I’m going to confess that I hadn’t heard of the band before, and in fact didn’t particularly “get” this album at first listen. I was listening to it… Continue Reading →

The Neptune Power Federation – Goodnight My Children (Cruz Del Sur)

Ah, the return of the Australian / alien weirdo-classic rock act! I’ve been reviewing these guys for quite a while now, and I have to say that they’ve slowly but surely won me over. I have a fondness for classic… Continue Reading →

Stygian Crown – Funeral for a King (Cruz Del Sur)

The return of Stygian Crown has come just at the right time. Their 2020 album, “Stygian Crown” saw them obtain my second best record of 2020, and I’ve been waiting for an excellent epic doom album since the last Thronehammer… Continue Reading →

Thy Shining Curse – Theurgia (ViciSolum Productions)

So, a bit of a change here. Symphonic death metal from Pittsburgh, but with a Greek philosophical foundation. Confused?  The accompanying PR blurb says: ““Theurgia” is a collection of seven musical rites, revolving around a common thematic axis; transgressing the… Continue Reading →

Vanir – Epitome (Mighty Music)

Vanir have been about for a lot longer than you might think. The Danish Viking metal merchants actually produced their first album back in 1991, though I got into them back in around 2016 with the “Aldar Ruk” record. It’s… Continue Reading →

Accelerated Mutation – System E.P. (S/R)

Five short tracks from the West Midlands based lunatics Accelerated Mutation on their latest review. The three piece of Mike Petalengro (vocals), Tim Connor (guitars) and Simon Heywood (drums) are back with five songs of manic, thrash-based grindcore with something… Continue Reading →

Lord Dying – Clandestine Transcendence (MNRK Heavy)

It’s great to have a new album out from progressive doom-merchants Lord Dying. The four piece outfit from Portland Oregon have been steadily making a name for themselves, equally from a pretty solid back catalogue, and partly from treading the… Continue Reading →

Stuka Squadron – Interview

Bullets can’t kill them. Daggers? Hatchets? Fat chance. Not even ill-advised splinter groups of Iron Knights could completely destroy these wretched revenants. From beyond, beyond the grave, the Stuka Squadron have roared back into unlife with the magnificent Zeppelin album…. Continue Reading →

Stuka Squadron – Zeppelin (Metal on Metal)

I honestly did not believe that this was going to ever happen. The rumours of a new album have been around for a long time. Mainstay and bassist Lord Pyre has seemingly pulled off the impossible and got a stable… Continue Reading →

Six Foot Six – Beggar’s Hill (Scarlet Records)

I didn’t know a lot about Six Foot Six, but here’s the low down on what I’ve been able to find out: this is their third album, and guitarist and vocalist Kristoffer Gobel was briefly the vocalist for Falcolner. He’s… Continue Reading →

Thronehammer – Kingslayer (Supreme Chaos)

The choice of an opening track is always, always a statement of intent. Once you’ve got past atmospheric or brief instrumental guff that some bands put out there, the first proper track that you get is the benchmark and standard… Continue Reading →

Decembre Noir – Your Sunset My Sunrise (Lifeforce Records)

It’s the fifth full length album by my calculations for German band Decembre Noir since 2014. I don’t believe I had the pleasure before, but usually Lifeforce Records are a fair barometer that the music within is likely to be… Continue Reading →

« Older posts

© 2024 Ave Noctum — Powered by WordPress

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑