From Corners Unknown

03/01/2023

A happy new year to all your ghouls and goblins out there.

Although it has been slow in these unknown corners, it is still going. I am about to post the review I wrote a while back and forgot to publish, so that's on me.

Bluenothing by Worm was a release that enticed me greatly and one that I found both exceptional, for the most part. A deluge of maddening abyssal sounds - they draw you in and crunch you to dust. The sound is heavy and weighty and a delightful blend of funeral doom and black metal. I highly recommend it.

I hope to be writing about some more exciting music this year so check back and see what new recommendations we have in store for you this year.

All the best for the year ahead.

-
Tim

Epic, sublime, mysterious and desolate

04/11/2022

Rosy Finch has come out with a powerful new EP titled Seconda Morte which draws themes from the Divine Comedy; fitting for a Spanish band to take on the classic Spanish poem that has inspired so much literature to come after. I won't harp on about it as I discuss it at length in the review but safe to say Rosy Finch deal with the material incredibly well, perhaps one of the most unique interpretations of the content I have heard or seen.

The album itself is a great listen, musically tight, with amazing vocals and killer production. The album veers between alternative metal/rock and psychedelic and on the whole is a great listen. Some of the composition is on the safe side but by no means uninteresting and most definitely worth a listen for you metal and rock heads out there, so what are you waiting for, go check it out.

A review of 2022 EP, Seconda Morte, from the Spanish heavy sludge trio Rosy Finch.

26/10/2022

I gravitate towards black metal when diving into new releases, mainly black metal with a twist. Well, this week I want to present to you Luminous Vault an electronica-laden black metal outfit made up of members of Artificial Brain and Oneirogen/Bloodmist.

Although black metal and electronic music are not new phenomena the way Luminous Vault goes about it is a fresh spin for me. The music is whimsical at times, and also psychedelic while still kicking you in the gooch in the heavier sections.

I also tend to find myself coming back to this record over and over again, something about the aesthetic is alluring. I highly recommend it so what are you waiting for? Go give it a listen.

A written review of the debut album, Animate the Emptiness, from New York's electronic-laced black metal duo, Luminous Vault.

23/09/2022

Crestfallen Dusk has put out one of the most exciting blends of metal and country rock/blues I have heard... probably ever. The first few times I listened to the album I was enamoured with the exciting blend of genres. It also helps that one of the two genres is lofi black metal which I am particularly partial to.

Although I have a lot of praise for the first half of the record, I do feel it starts to go on a bit towards the end but that's not to say I won't be returning to this album in the future. The first three tracks on the album are absolute bangers and I recommend everyone give the album a shot.

-

Tim

A review of the debut, self-titled album from Tennessee's Crestfallen Dusk.

15/09/2022

This review took me a while to put together, mainly because I love Primitive Man but ended up being conflicted about this new EP.

Let me start by saying I adore what Primitive Man does, they are one of the dirtiest, sludgiest, cave-man doomy bands out there. I have always found their music so powerful, hard-hitting and in sound, this EP is no different, it is saddened right from the get-go, and does not abate apart from some faster sections here and there.

After many, many listens to the album I did find myself growing a bit tired of the monotonous sound, although as I said I love what they do, they do the same thing an awful lot and that sometimes gets a bit tedious.

I do still love the band immensely but find myself wishing for something a little more adventurous from the band, not necessarily straying from doom but perhaps changing up the formula a bit.

I still highly recommend giving the album a few spins, just don't be like me and listen to it 30 times.

Take it easy, and keep well.

-
Tim

A review of the latest EP, Insurmountable, from the primeval doom trio, Primitive Man.

12/09/2022

Waddup, everyone! We hope you're all keeping well. Episode #239 is up. Wistful dreampunk, excoriating emoviolence, sludge-stomping noise rock, ice-laden death doom, and medieval folk rock are but a few of the timbres explored.

Artists featured in this one include Atvm, Penance Stare, BATHOLITH, Bergfried, moreru, Disfigured Robot Child, CMD094, Candy, Ashenspire, Dawnwalker, Chat Pile, WAKE, and a heap of other bands. The full list of what we discuss is over on our site (link in the ol' comments). As always, thank you all so much for tuning in! We hope there's an intriguing find or two lurking within our world salads.

25/08/2022

So funny story, I wrote this review in January when this album came out but forgot to publish it for some reason. Although the release is about 7 months old, it is still just as relevant because the album's brutal, grinding nature still reflects life in modern society all too well.

The aggressive, almost horrific quality the music exudes is startling at first but slowly drills its way into your brain and lays those sweet earworm eggs that eventually hatch into an obsessive need to listen to the album on repeat.

Not for the faint of heart but for those liking their music on the intense side, this is a two thumbs up and five bags of popcorn recommendation.

-
Tim

A review of the fourth studio album, There's Always Blood at the End of the Road, from Wiegedood.

17/08/2022

So it's been a hell of a long time since I got round to reviewing an album but hoowee this one is a banger.

Hiss by Singaporean grind band Wormrot is one of the most interesting metal albums I have heard in a very long time. The first time I put it on my ears were eviscerated but also soothed with the sweet balm of progressive grindcore. I say progressive grindcore because I don't know what else to call this album. It's definitely not just 'grindcore', the album is so diverse in sound that I would rather slap on the tag of 'experimental metal' than anything else specific. .

Either way, you still get those sweet, sweet blasts, and grinds and shrieks that all whiz by like a crack addict late to meet his dealer.

Excuse my colourful language, but I don't know how else to express that I highly recommend this album. It is a masterpiece, go listen now.

-

Tim

An album review of the latest opus, Hiss, from the Singaporean grind trio, Wormrot.

03/08/2022

Ayyy, what's up everyone. I hope you're all keeping well. Given the month-long span between podcast episodes, I wanted to attempt to supplement the rambles with some additional album, EP, or split recommendations. These are releases we would have liked to cover on the podcast, but haven't (our excuse: there is a metric ton of new material dropping this year, and we're struggling to keep pace).

You can read a little more about the series at the link below. Among the artists covered in this first volume are Aequorea, Brainwash Machine, Brobdingnagian, days of blue, Effluence, feth, Keosz, Made of Teeth, Pär Boström, Randal Collier-Ford, Slamadeus, Visions of Yōkai, Vultoro, wombscape, and Wormrot. Thank you so much for reading!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/noise/releases-weve-missed-vol-1/

15/06/2022

Hey all! Ryan here. I hope you're keeping well. I just wanted to provide a quick update on the podcast, and note a slight tweak I'm going to make regarding band/artist coverage.

Connor and I are going to slow the episode release to once per month going forward. We've had a few too many curveballs lobbed at our skulls this year, and it's made it difficult to maintain our usual cadence. That being said, we owe a massive thank you to all who tune into our rambles. It means a whole hell of a lot to continue to receive your support, especially during the past few turbulent years.

On the band/artist coverage front, I'm going to start sharing more albums, EPs, splits, and/or singles. With the month-long downtime between episodes, and the slew of excellent and interesting releases pouring out on a seemingly weekly basis, there's no way we can keep up (granted, it's not like we've ever been known to be topical). So, expect more Bandcamp links to bands/artists we've been enjoying as of late.

Be warned, however, that my disfigured "taste" knows no bounds and thus, the recommendations will more than likely be a scattershot. Noise rock, dungeon synth, dark ambient, death metal, you name it. I'll note the genre/style with each post in an effort to not blindside you.

Okay, that's enough waffling from me. Thank you all again for your support. Recommendations are forthcoming, and a new episode will drop this upcoming Monday. Take care til then!

25/04/2022

Hey folks - we hope you're all keeping well! It's been awhiiiile since our last podcast episode, but we dropped a new "Reviews and Other Rambles" earlier this morning. In it, we ramble about some of the latest releases from Heavy Meta, Blastanus, Allegaeon, An Isolated Mind, Human Cull, Autosarcophagy, BIGWATER, IIRA, TRAPS / Sander Cohen, and many others.

We hope you find an intriguing recommendation or two here. As always, thank you so much for tuning in!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/podcast/234-reviews-and-other-rambles-heavy-meta-blastanus-allegaeon-an-isolated-mind-and-more/

28/03/2022

Ay, slime writhers! We hope you're all well. It's been a month since our last episode, but we have a new one that dropped a couple hours ago. In it, we babble on about the latest releases from bands like Pensées Nocturnes, Rolo Tomassi, Chalk Hands, Zeal & Ardor, She Said Destroy, Scud, YRRE, Ta***ic Bile, Spors, and a slew of others. Quite the variety insofar that many artists featured blend a smattering of seemingly disparate tones, which catapulted our word slop into echelons unfathomable.

As always, thank you so much for tuning in! We hope there are some intriguing discoveries lurking within.

https://fromcornersunknown.com/podcast/233-reviews-and-other-rambles-pensees-nocturnes-rolo-tomassi-chalk-hands-zeal-ardor-and-more/

28/02/2022

What's up, tar dwellers. We've got another podcast episode up. In it, we ramble about the latest releases from bands like HIPPOTRAKTOR, Foxtails, Dormant Ordeal, YUGGOT, Sunless, Andrew Black, the Rhino Body Lover compilation, Effluence, Serotonin Leakage, and a slew of other artists (the full list is over on our site). Noises that are sopping and putrid, warped and rhythmic, chill, dreamlike, and excoriating.

This episode also marks a slight alteration in our podcast output. We've maintained a steady biweekly pace for who knows how long, but we're paring it back to one episode every three weeks. Our respective personal lives have been making it tough to forge ahead at our biweekly tempo, hence the adjustment. Going forward, we'll be covering a handful of extra artists per episode to offset our now slower cadence. That being said, thank you all so much for tuning in!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/podcast/232-reviews-and-other-rambles-hippotraktor-foxtails-dormant-ordeal-yuggot-and-more/

14/02/2022

Morning all! We got a new podcast episode up. Alongside it, we're ecstatic to debut a new art piece created for our "Reviews and Other Rambles" series by William Hay!

In this episode, we ramble about frequencies that are meditative and harsh, doomy and heartfelt, eccentric, cheeky, and cudgeling. Some of the artists featured include (relatively) new releases from Remain Sedate, Creature, Trenches, Ethereal Shroud, Papangu, Sugar Horse, Breaths, and a bevy of others. Thank you all so much for tuning in!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/hardcore/231-reviews-and-other-rambles-remain-sedate-creature-trenches-ethereal-shroud-and-more/

04/02/2022

Happy new year to all ye from unknown corners. I hope it has been a relatively postive start to the year despite the constant threat of impending death.

First review of the new year for me and looking at the lineup I have planned, most definitely a promising year ahead. I start this year with a somewhat short yet divisive EP. Mizmor's newest release 'Wit's End' is a mixed bag, one of the tracks being fantastic while the second being lackluster. Mizmor's brand of blackened doom is very unique and is still an artist I respect greatly despite my lukewarm response to the second track and still highly recommend this release even if it is only for the title track.

Next up in line for review Wiegedood! :D

Stay safe and take it easy
-
Tim

Perfection followed by something lukewarm.

31/01/2022

Morning, void dwellers! In our latest podcast episode, I sit down and chat with Art Tuttle, a licensed and practicing trauma therapist based out of Boston. He composes harsh, meditative drones as Uttered in Tongues, and also plays bass and constructs noisescapes for the grinding black metal quartet, Diva Karr.

The conversation focuses on the intersection of meditative drones and mental health, however, we do explore a litany of other tangents, like Art's process for creating his own noise instruments and the various methods by which he crafts his compositions. That being said, I sincerely hope you enjoy our exchange; and thank you so much for tuning in!

We'll have a new Reviews and Other Rambles episode dropping in two weeks (maybe one, if I can find the bandwidth to edit, but pls don't hold me to it).

https://fromcornersunknown.com/noise/230-interview-uttered-in-tongues-meditative-harsh-drone/

17/01/2022

What's up, cavern revelers! Happy 2022! It's been awhiiiile since we've published a podcast episode, but we're settling back into our groove after taking some time off.

In this new one, we yammer on about the latest releases from Be'lakor, Scowl, PLEBEIAN GRANDSTAND, Archspire, Dead and Dripping, Willzyx, and a deluge of other bands (the remainder of which you can find at the link below). Thank you all so much for tuning in!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/noise/229-reviews-and-other-rambles-belakor-scowl-plebeian-grandstand-archspire-and-more/

16/12/2021

This might well be my last post for the year and although my output has been a bit slower than I have liked this year, it has allowed me to spend more time with fewer albums which has been positive in it's own way.

And what fitting way to end the year with the wintery musings of Wolves In The Throne Room. Though I can't say this has been my favourite release from the band to date the album is still a riveting listen, engaging and possibly one of the darker sounding albums the band has ever released. Although the songs are shorter the album itself is meaty, covered in a layer of murky, metaphorical gravy and one I wolfed down with glee, growing more hungry with each listen.

If you are looking for a great album to close this year from hell look no further than Primordial Arcana.

I wish you all a happy holidays and festive season, and I hope you all will join me in saying "thank you and f**k off" to this year.

-

Tim

Winter has come and winter is staying.

13/12/2021

What's up, abyss wallowers. We have a new podcast episode up where we attempt to dissect the latest releases from Rongeur, Stormkeep, Down With Rent, TEETH, Mors Verum, and a litany of other bands.

We're going to take a breather for the remainder of December, so expect a new episode in the first half of January next year. Thank you all so much for tuning in, and we hope you enjoy the mealy-mouthed word sputtering!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/dungeon-synth/228-reviews-and-other-rambles-rongeur-stormkeep-down-with-rent-teeth-and-more/

29/11/2021

We have a new "reviews and other rambles" podcast episode up! In it, we attempt to cover the latest material from bands like Frontierer, MASADA, Injury Reserve, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, Infinity Land, מאשין מיוזיק - Machine Music (Compilation), Fleshvessel, Goblin Priest, and many others. Quite the disparate array of tunes and other noises on this one, as is typical for us. Thank you so much for tuning in, and we sincerely hope you enjoy the banter!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/metal/227-reviews-and-other-rambles-frontierer-masada-injury-reserve-the-grasshopper-lies-heavy-and-more/

15/11/2021

Morning all! Just a bit ago, I dropped a new podcast interview. In it, I chat with Harry (vocalist) and Luke (bassist) of the proggy London death metal quartet Atvm. They talk about their debut LP (Famine, Putrid and Fu***ng Endless), lyrical themes, how one actually pronounces their band name, and a litany of other details I'll leave for you to discover. I sincerely hope you enjoy our back and forth, as it was quite the hilarious exchange rife with tangents and jests. Thank you all so much for tuning in!

https://fromcornersunknown.com/metal/226-interview-atvm/

01/11/2021

Salutations void denizens! We both hope you're all doing well. This podcast episode marks a shake-up in our format. While we love delving deep into one album per episode, we've found it cumbersome to maintain as there are so many albums we want to talk about, but don't have the time to dedicate to them. So, we decided to try a new approach. This is much more conversational and laidback.

In this episode, we cover Wordclock, BUMMER, Trophy Scars, GRIZZLOR, Knock Over City, Knocked Loose, Gonemage, Don't Grow Old, Insomnium, and many others. Thank you all so much for your continued support! 🖤

PS: Since this is quite different from our typical style, we'd love to hear feedback or any constructive criticism you have for us.

https://fromcornersunknown.com/psychedelic/225-reviews-and-other-rambles-wordclock-bummer-trophy-scars-grizzlor-and-more/