Latest Reviews
There are way too many records released every week - which one should you listen to? We want to help you by reviewing lots of records every week and you can also check out a little teaser before reading the whole thing. And if you want to, you can also browse through our archive and have a look at the amazing records you might have missed out on.
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Gilmore Trail - Impermanence
21 Jan 2022 - Knut
Post RockSomewhere in the midst of their previous album, The Floating World, there is distant thunder. On this new album there is a rumbling thunderstorm nearby at the beginning of the sixth track. Let that be a metaphor for this new album which has expanded the scope of the band´s epic music. The high pitched melodic guitars, the heavy crushing parts, the distinct leading bass and the energetic drumming are all there with guest musicians creating a visionary new musical path for the band at the same time being deeply rooted in Post-Rock.
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SOM - The Shape Of Everything
20 Jan 2022 - Simon
Doom-Pop / ShoegazeThe eagerly awaited album by SOM delivers exactly what you want from them. It’s a carefully crafted heavy gaze album with real heart.
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WANHEDA - Desert of Real
19 Jan 2022 - Jonas
Post-RockBelgium. Home to exceptional pommes frites, a surfeit of waffles, as well as dunk!festival, which is arguably the most important festival of post-rock as a genre, but also home to a plethora of bands and artists operating within the realms of that movement, some of which probably came into existence because of said festival. Needless to say, it’s a dream for many to have the privilege of gracing their stages at some point. The Leuven-based sextet, WANHEDA, played dunk!festival in 2019, in support of their debut EP, The Cenozoic Implosion, and now they’re back with their debut album – Desert of Real!
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Almeida Lopes Ernsting - Misanthrope
18 Jan 2022 - Stephan
Free Jazz, Impro JazzDespite - or because of - the plague, which still and again limits and cancels live shows worldwide, some artists have been remarkably prolific during 2021. Gonçalo Almeida is one of those guys. If you trace the nine different releases the Portuguese bass player, who switches between upright and electric bass, was involved in last year alone, you’ll soon find yourself on a wide sonic odyssey, which can keep you occupied for days. And something similar could probably be said about his two partners on this album, fellow countryman Luís Lopes on guitar and German drummer Phillipp Ernsting, fellow member of the sick Netherlands-based post metal/jazzcore trio Albatre.
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Underoath - Voyeurist
17 Jan 2022 - Sebastian
Post-Hardcore / MetalcoreIn 2004 Underoath released They’re Only Chasing Safety which is still considered one of the best post-hardcore albums of all time and now, after 18 years, can be rightfully called a classic. Will their newest work Voyeurist achieve the same fame or will it be just a small side-note in Underoath’s discography? We gotta wait a few years to find that out, but that should not stop us from giving the album a close listen now.
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Mizmor - Wit's End
16 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Psychedelic Metal”And sometimes I question is this truth / even / worth / knowing”. I think I have hardly heard a sentence with more weight in the last few months. ALN, the mastermind behind Mizmor delivers another one of those records which walk perfectly on that razor-sharp edge between instant appeal and intricately-detailed songwriting.
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Hadewych - Mes
15 Jan 2022 - Stephan
Experimental Dark Ámbient, Black Metal, IndustrialThe experimental dark ambient / black metal / industrial collective Hadewych features members of Trepaneringsritualen, Distel, Volksweerbaarheid and O Saala Sakraal. Having been around in different line-ups over fifteen years, they are about to call it a day with their final album Vier, while Johan Nÿland’s participation in the Dutch black metal Maalstroom special during the Roadburn festival 2019 might have been the last live show under this moniker. But now surprsingly there’s also another penultimate new album of the Dutch / German / Swedish project. Mes was initially only supposed to be the counterpart to the 2014 EP Nu, but it grew to a (still relatively short, but nonetheless) full album during its making.
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Burial - ANTIDAWN
14 Jan 2022 - Jonas
Dark Ambient/DubstepBurial’s long been considered one of the most enigmatic figures of the UK dubstep scene, and while it’s been 15 years since he released his latest album, Untrue, to critical acclaim, there’s been a steady trickle of singles, splits and EPs since then. Six days into the new year, Burial’s back with yet another EP, called “ANTIDAWN”, but it’s different.. Very different.
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Toundra - Hex
13 Jan 2022 - Daniel F.
Post RockToundra have always been subservient to the dark and mysterious, a mood they channel through the medium of sometimes murky, sometimes enlightening post rock music. Seven albums deep into their emphatic career, they have consistently dazzled with their immersive approach which is largely focused on driving, atmospheric rock with the odd exception - such as 2020’s ”Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari”, a soundtrack which was written to accompany the silent film of the same name in celebration of it’s 100th anniversary.
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King Bastard - It Came From The Void
13 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Psychedelic DoomKing Bastard might be one of the strangest names I have heard in a long time, because if there is one thing that history taught us over the centuries, it’s that bastards (normally) don’t become kings. So the name in itself is a paradox which will make you think – even though that is exactly the thing the band from the State of New York do not necessarily want you to do. It’s more about the emotions and how to influence them on their debut full-length It Came From The Void.
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MØL - Diorama
12 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Blackened New-Wave”Make Black Metal Beautiful (again)” - that might have been what Danish blackened hardcore – torchbearers MØL might have thought when they recorded their latest album ”Diorama”. On the one hand that is a blessing and on the other it is a basis for discussions.
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Sons Of Alpha Centauri - Push
11 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Post-Hardcore3.30am at night. On a Wednesday. With less than three hours of sleep left. After usually only having had 2,5 hours before. Nevertheless, if you woke me at that moment, played “Mother Mary“ or “#1 Defender”, “Roosevelt Champion III“ or “Crush On Everyone“ and asked what the connection was – I would probably already be up and banging to those four tunes and then shout the answer: “JONAH!!!” With the release of the latest record by Sons of Alpha Centauri, I could add another few songs, because the band based in Southern England released a wonderful record on the brink of post-metal and post-hardcore featuring the vocals of none other than emo-/post-hardcore legend Jonah Matranga!
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Fit For An Autopsy - Oh What The Future Holds
10 Jan 2022 - Daniel F.
DeathcoreThe biggest compliment that I can give the new Fit For An Autopsy album is that it sounds exactly how I expected (and wanted) it to. They are just one of those bands, a rare breed of deathcore outfit that go beyond simply relying on a cacophony of heavy breakdowns to build concise, curated soundscapes that linger and dwell in our psyche. I could count on one hand the list of bands that sound as well-rounded within the genre, and the New Jersey sextet would be scrambling for pole position on that list. 2019 saw them unleash the bone-shaking The Sea Of Tragic Beasts – the vinyl for which sits proudly and elegantly on my shelf – and was the perfect addition to an already prolific repertoire. 2022 sees them reload and set their sights set on exploding back into the limelight with their latest full length, Oh What The Future Holds.
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Glassing - Twin Dream
09 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Blackened Post-HardcoreThere are some releases which are never growing old on the ear – Glassing’s last full-length Spotted Horse was exactly such a release and thus the sheer joy is immeasurable when listening to their new full-length which delivers more than expected because it is exactly what one wanted – and more. Much more.
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ABANDONS - Live at Mutiny Information Cafe
08 Jan 2022 - Simon
cinematic post-rock Post-metalDenver based newcomers ABANDONS release their first album as a live experience. It’s quite a bold move but one which they ultimately manage to make work rather successfully
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OAR - The Blood You Crave
07 Jan 2022 - Knut
Post Black MetalIn 2017, the Australian band OAR released their first EP which even with a lo-fi approach was very promising. At the start of 2022, they live up to that promise releasing a remarkable first full-length album which gives a riveting listen with mighty soundscapes complementing the snarling and screaming vocals throughout the album. Add the stunning cover art by Osaki, with a motif from the spectacular Norwegian rock formation Trolltunga (“Troll´s Tongue”) stretching out 700 meters over a lake - it perfectly describes the music´s vastness.
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Ustalost - Before The Glinting Spell Unvests
05 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Psychedelic Black MetalBlack Metal seems to have become THE most fertile ground for one-man-projects over the last couple of decades and of the reasons for that might be the possibility of hiding yourself and your ideas behind a curtain of lo-fi mush then called “raw black metal” in order to conceal any songwriting flaws or inabilities. Welcome to the complete opposite – Ustalost! Their newest record might be one of the most unique things in black metal that you will hear all year!
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Misanthur - Ephemeris
04 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Post-Black-Metal, AvantgardeCzęstochowa is Southern Poland‘ s Silesia-region is famous worldwide for the icon of a Black Madonna in a nearby monastery which is centripetal point of many legends – my favorite one is the legend of a soldier who struck the icon twice with a sword and who then was struck by lightning! Many people know about the Black Madonna? Yes, but do many metal fans know about it? Maybe more than one thinks, but from now on, they should know the city as the origin of a pretty promising metal band called Misanthur!
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Maudits - Angle Mort
03 Jan 2022 - Ben
Ambient, Post-Rock, Post-MetalParis’s accursed Maudits have released their second record – an EP of five songs – two brand new tracks and three reworked versions of earlier material - after the departure of their bassist. Diving deeper than their previous release, Angle Mort sees the band bring greater eloquence to their sound.
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Dakhma - Blessings Of Amurdad
02 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Zoroastrian Black MetalDakhma is one of the myriads of projects rooted in the Helvetic Underground Committee which we already featured heavily here on VoS. Although each of these projects has its signature sound or signature story-line there is none as unique as Dakhma with its singular blend of sounds from the Middle East and the Zoroastrian background of their black metal thunders! Their new full-length Blessings Of Amurdad is yet another proof for that!
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Dead Neanderthals & Aaron Turner - Corporeal Flux
01 Jan 2022 - Stephan
Noise-Rock, Avantgarde, SludgeWith advancing age and the repeated experience that the reset from month twelve to one so far has never activated some magic switch which would suddenly change the trajectory of humanity to the better, one could very well argue that the celebration of New Year’s Eve is a rather hollow affair. But luckily for everyone who’s feeling that way there are some beloved traditions which still keep justifying the festivities. Like Dead Neanderthals releasing a sick digital EP exactly one day before the end of every year.
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Ripcord Records Compilation - You Matter
31 Dec 2021 - Knut
Black Metal, Blackgaze, Post Black Metal, Doom Metal, Post Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, Trash MetalWhat a great compilation Ripcord Records has released! With the help of 101 bands the label has put together this compilation to raise money for the charity organization Papyrus in the UK, which helps young people struggling with suicidal thoughts. You get a lot through this compilation, not only to contribute to the good cause, but you will also discover many new bands and new music. Twelve hours and 17 minutes of great metal-related music is a good way to end the year and start fresh into the new year.
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The Answer Lies In The Black Void - Forlorn
30 Dec 2021 - Thorsten
DoomThe Gathering, for many people, are the first thing that comes to mind when being asked about a (Dutch) doom band with female lead vocals. Now we might have another one with the next enchanting 2021 release by Jason Köhnen, who once proves to be a wizard of many trades as he and his partner Martina Horváth release another collaboration – this time under the telling moniker The Answer Lies In The Black Void.
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Papangu - Holoceno
28 Dec 2021 - Thorsten
Progressive Sludge MetalI honestly hate it when things like the following happen. I literally hate it and I will also later one tell you why. One of my most hated “events” is when at the end of the year someone claims to have found that one record from that year that we should all listen to because it is the record of the year - and I have never heard about the record or the band. Being curious me I have to check it out and now comes that “hate” moment – the person on social media was right! Maybe this is not THE album of 2021, but shit, it’s really, really good because it stills my eclectic mindset like only a few have done in 2021. And we here at VoS urgently need someone from South America to prevent us from not listening to records like Papangu’s amazing Holoceno! Urgently!!
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Mütterlein - Bring Down The Flags
27 Dec 2021 - Thorsten
Ambient Noise MetalMütterlein sounds a bit like “Lingua Ignota in metal” while she is having a musical flirt with Burial Hex and both are listening to some krauty psychedelia from the early 70s. Confusing? Not at all. Rather coherent one could say because it all flows perfectly. That’s the magic of the second release of this project by former Overmars-vocalist Marion Leclerq.
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