Dec 122025
 

(Andy Synn finishes off “List Week” with a bunch of his personal favourites)

Here we are again folks, at the end of the road (for now, at least… I’ll probably still sneak in a few more reviews, including another “Best of British” and a “Things You May Have Missed”, before the end of the year).

And, as always, I’m finishing off “List Week” with my “Personal Top Ten”, i.e. the ten albums that have hit me the hardest, or stayed with me the longest, or otherwise just spent the most time on my regular playlist during 2025.

They aren’t necessarily the biggest names (several of them, in fact, are brand new bands making their first steps onto the wider stage this year), or even the “best” albums (some of them didn’t even make the cut for my “Great” list), but they’re definitely the ones (including some which came as a surprise to me) which had the biggest impact on my listening habits in 2025.

Of course there are lots of other artists/albums I wish I could have included here – honourable mentions go out to the likes of TombsMonolith, Crossed, Abigail Williams, and Terzij de Horde, all of whom were very much in the running for a place in my “Personal Top Ten” (the latter coming close to making the “Critical Top Ten” too) – but it should still give you some good insight into how my tastes have developed/regressed/mutated over the course of the year!

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May 272025
 

(Andy Synn makes his first attempt at catching up with all the killer new releases from the last month)

As you may have noticed, my posting rate has been way down this month, mostly because I was off enjoying myself – first at Northwest Terror Fest in Seattle (after which I stuck around to hang out with the rest of the NCS crew and extended family) and then at Maryland Deathfest (which, as of writing this, ended about 15 hours ago, give or take) in Baltimore.

To make up for this I plan on doing not one, not two, but three editions of “Things You May Have Missed” for May, focussing on a hefty helping of artists/albums I would have written about if I’d not been so busy (and by “busy” I mean “busy having fun”).

As usual (though not always, to be fair) I’ve tried to cover as many bases, and as many different genres (and sub-genres), as possible in each article – variety is the spice of life, after all – in the hope of not only introducing some of you to your favourite new band or record but also, possibly, pushing you a little outside of your comfort zone and getting you to check out something you wouldn’t normally listen to.

So let’s begin, shall we?

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Apr 202025
 

(written by Islander)

I didn’t think I would do this column today. First, because yesterday I agreed to an emergency request for a premiere today in celebration of the high holiday. And second, because I didn’t go to sleep until 2 am this morning due to an alcohol-fueled reunion with old friends last night.

But so far I haven’t received what I agreed to premiere, and though my brain is very fuzzy I’m thinking some blackish music might clear away the fuzz. So, blaze and praise, here we go. Continue reading »