Din Of Celestial Birds - Takeoffs & Landings (Album Review)

 

Release Date: August 07th 2026. Record Label: Various. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Takeoffs & Landings - Tracklist

1.Takeoffs & Landings [3:11]

2. Marmoris [5:21]

3. From This Summit We Can See The Heavens & Stars [5:33]

4. When Suddenly... [5:48]

5. You Are My Temple [5:42]

6. Migratory Patterns [3:58]

7. I Hope That Road Leads You Somewhere Beautiful, Somewhere You Belong [4:13]

8. Second Star To The Right, And Straight On 'Til Morning [6:41]

Lineup

Andie Gill - Guitar / Synths

Chris Core - Guitar

Tom Hazlehurst - Guitar

Matt Benatan - Bass / Synths

Vince Knight-Schrijver - Drums

Review

Instrumental Post-Rock/Post-Metal collective Din Of Celestial Birds follow up their acclaimed debut album The Night Is For Dreamers with their more expansive and bolder second album Takeoffs & Landings. Taking a more Alt Rock and Cinematic Rock approach to their music which allows the band to add new levels of emotional intensity to their music. This new creative approach allows the band to be closer to the likes of Pelican and Russian Circles whilst thinking outside the box with subtle Psych Rock melodies being quite forward thinking especially within the highly intricate synths that dominate the quieter Ambient moments.

Takeoffs & Landings starts quite emotional and superbly uplifting within the excellent opening tracks Takeoffs & Landings, Marmoris and From This Summit We Can See The Heavens & Stars. The sound is quite progressive with a lush spaced out energy appearing from the glorious synths but Din Of Celestial Birds always deploy an aggressive Post-Metal sound that brings a ferocious Atmospheric Sludge based energy to the record. The music is brilliantly fast and unapologetically intense which makes up some of the album's standout moments.

Din Of Celestial Birds spend a great amount of time developing the “Cinematic” score that’s the underlying power of this record which allows the band to move into many different arenas of Instrumental Rock with an unexpected Shoegaze delivery appearing when you least expect this. The powerful Post-Metal instrumental grooves do have that vibrant “underground” energy which transforms into something with wider commercial appeal and that’s no bad thing at all.

Din Of Celestial Birds aim for their biggest and heaviest sounds possible on tracks such as From This Summit We Can See The Heavens & Stars, When Suddenly, You Are My Temple, I Hope That Road Leads You Somewhere Beautiful, Somewhere You Belong and Second Star To The Right, And Straight On 'Til Morning.

There’s also a wicked Electronic score that can be heard within the background of the record which once again taps into the haunting blend of Cinematic Post-Rock or even “Soundtrack” based material. Whatever, you want to call this, bloody intense, emotionally charged, grounded and brilliantly real by a group of amazingly talented musicians. 

Takeoffs & Landings is a highly adventurous and superbly real album which can be quite challenging to listen to at times but it’s emotional rewards are HUGE with Din Of Celestial Birds proving why they’re fastly becoming one of the most promising and celebrated Post-Rock/Post-Metal bands the UK scene currently has right now.

These guys are simply unstoppable on this release where you feel genuinely part of the action. This is a type of an album that you never want to end and with first rate production values heard throughout then this is the complete package for devoted followers of the Post-Rock/Post-Metal scene can simply do without. 

Awesome. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Frenchie PR Trail for the promo.

Takeoffs & Landings Four is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl from the links below:

BIG SCARY MONSTERS (UK/EU) // A THOUSAND ARMS (US) // TOMATO (CHINA)

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

LAY BARE RECORDINGS to Host First-Ever London Festival; "Lay Bare Fest: Frequencies Across Borders"!

Lay Bare Recordings, an independent label known for its deep love of heavy, heartfelt, and boundary-pushing music, is set to cross the pond for the first time with its own festival. In a powerful cross-border collaboration, Lay Bare Fest: Frequencies Across Borders will take over The Black Heart in London on Saturday, September 27, 2025.

Tickets are on sale now! Get them HERE

Location: The Black Heart, London - Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025

Line-up:

Forlorn (UK)
Kulk (UK)
The Answer Lies in the Black Void (HU/ NL)
Coltaine (GER)
Rosy Finch (SP)
Mrs Frighthouse (UK)
Rats and Daggers (NL)
Taz Corona (UK)

Founded in 2013 by Désirée Hanssen in the Netherlands, Lay Bare Recordings has become a trusted home for artists who defy easy categorization. With a catalog of over 67 albums spanning doom, sludge, post-metal, and experimental sounds, the label prides itself on authenticity and community, supporting a DIY culture where passion and dedication come first. Every release is more than just music; it's a story pressed into wax, meant to be shared and treasured.

This one-day label showcase is a collaborative effort between Lay Bare Recordings, Chaos Theory, and Pride Management. In a fractured post-Brexit landscape, the festival stands as a statement, a call to unite the UK and European underground scenes at a time when collaboration is more crucial and complicated than ever. Lay Bare Fest is about building bridges between people who believe the underground still matters - not just between countries, but between all who support it, from musicians to music lovers, labels, bookers, and photographers. It's a gathering for the open-minded to connect through music.

Known for amplifying genre-defying creativity, Lay Bare Fest is hosting a lineup that reflects unity over division. Expect genre-defying, boundary-pushing Lay Bare acts like Rosy Finch (SP), Coltaine (GER), Mrs Frighthouse (UK), The Answer Lies in the Black Void (HU/ NL) and Rats and Daggers (NL). And recently added upcoming bands Taz Corona (UK), Forlorn (UK) and Kulk (UK).

Adding to the excitement, the event will feature three exclusive album release shows in the UK for Mrs Frighthouse, The Answer Lies in the Black Void, and Coltaine, who will all be playing their recently released albums for the first time in the country.

Experience the energy. Feel the frequencies. Be part of the Lay Bare Family.

For more info visit:

https://laybarerecordings.com
https://www.facebook.com/laybarerecordings
https://www.instagram.com/laybarerecordings

Thanks to All Noir PR and Frenchie PR Trail for the details.

Urzah - The Scorching Gaze (Album Review)

Release Date: May 03rd 2024. Record Label: APF Records. Formats: CD/DD/Cassette

The Scorching Gaze: Tracklisting

1.I, Empyrean 04:21

2.Lacrimare (Misery's Shadow) 05:08

3.Immateria Noir 07:05

4.(Interlude) 00:51

5.A Storm Is Ever Approaching 03:40

6.The Aesthetic 01:45

7.Of Decay 03:52

8.Thera I: Sea Of Flames 09:08

9.Thera II: Embers Of Descent 05:58

Band Members

James Brown - Drums

Ed Fairman - Vocals and guitar

Les Grodek - Bass

Tom McElveen - Guitar

Review

Sludge/Stoner Metallers Urzah bring a Progressive Metal energy to their blistering debut album The Scorching Gaze which sees the band tread the path dominated by the likes of Mastodon, Baroness and High On Fire. However, Urzah proves they can hold their own with their wicked style of music that combines Groove, Thrash, Psych and Post-Metal soundscapes. The record has some sublime thrash beats and breakdowns that are heard very early on within the album on the excellent opening tracks of Empyrean and Lacrimare (Misery's Shadow).

There’s a slight Hardcore sound that almost verges into metalcore territory which perhaps comes mostly through Ed’s aggressive vocals which he performs like a seasoned veteran throughout the album. You can hear echoes of bands such as Cave In, Old Man Gloom and even Elder when the band ventures into Psychedelic waters. The soundscapes are vast and quite distant when they appear but they also give The Scorching Gaze a more cinematic sound.

Urzah have a great way of combining the harsher and violent instrumental sounds with the more charismatic Psychedelic Stoner Metal grooves which meet on the battlefield of intense Groove Metal/Post-Metal dynamics on the sublime tracks of Immateria Noir, A Storm Is Approaching and the brilliantly monolithic two part tracks of Thera I: Sea Of Flames and Thera II: Embers Of Descent.

You can see why the band has supported and played with the likes of BONGZILLA, OHHMS, Dopelord, Tuskar and Grave Lines. The record oozes class from every level with Urzah proving to be quite a true force of nature with the creative ideas and sounds contained on this album. The Scorching Gaze is one wild and unpredictable ride which will impress you with the multiple different styles of Sludge/Stoner Metal that Urzah have at their disposal.

This is an album you simply cannot ignore and with the record having superb production values throughout, Urzah have delivered the goods with this release. 

Outstanding. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Frenchie PR Trail for the promo.

Hidden will be available to buy now on CD/DD/Cassette via APF Records.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Linktree

TORPOR - Abscission (Album Review)

Release Date: September 15th 2023. Record Label: Human Worth. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Abscission - Tracklisting

1.Interior Gestures 10:46

2.As Shadow Follows Body 09:20

3.Accidie 06:16

4.Carbon 03:32

5.Island of Abandonment 10:59

Members

Jon Taylor - Guitar and vocals

Lauren Mason - Bass, Rhodes and vocals

Simon Mason - Drums, electronics and vocals

Review:

Abscission is the new album from Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal collective TORPOR and sees the band offer a combination of pitch black melodies, soaring grooves and harsh vocals that are held together by a layer of Post-Metal nihilism. TORPOR have always continued to evolve with every release they’ve created and Abscission is no different with some of their best creative output on this album alone. The record dives right into the Psyche of Progressive Sludge Metal that a first rate Post-Metal band should do with TORPOR playing similar grooves and sounds of bands such as ISIS and Cult Of Luna but with a more ferocious sound.

Opening song Interior Gestures combines Blackened Doom atmospherics with Ambient Post-Rock textures that move into the Sludge/Post-Metal arena with lead vocalist Jon Taylor’s brutal style being open and honest with a more threatening presence that is quite easy to fully understand which gives the song a more uncompromising feel. Ambient and Psychedelic instrumental parts lead the way on the later stages of the track with Lauren’s ghostly voiceover giving a more Gothic and Post-Doom vibe to the song. 

Second song As Shadow Follows Body is another mind-expanding Post-Metal epic running past the nine minute mark. Distorted sounds slowly change into nightmarish Droned Out elements with TORPOR bringing that Pitch-Black mentality to their music which feels like a never ending sense of DREAD and DESPAIR. The music sees TORPOR play a more extreme style of Post-Metal but there’s still a sense of DREAMLIKE quality to their music with the trippy Psychedelic parts that appear beneath the band’s blend of heavy and downtrodden Sludge Metal. The vocals are exquisite yet again with the different styles of harsh growls and clean vocals that appear occasionally. TORPOR starts changing the melodic tone and direction of their music with more soulful styles of Post-Rock appearing for a more Atmospheric feeling. The later stages are more violent, fast-paced and wonderfully chaotic with that aggressive metallic sound allowing TORPOR to play some of the heaviest and most technically impressive sounds on the album.

Third song Accidie opens with an Industrial sound that wouldn’t go amiss from an Author & Punisher album. This song is quite clinical with its delivery which is down to the Industrial Rock/Metal creative approach to the song. TORPOR still retains that Sludge/Post-Metal sound but everything else is given a more Doomed Out makeover that feels orchestrated by NIN in places. The world-weary Psychedelic grooves are more Doom/Post-Rock driven with some of my favourite instrumental parts of the album held within song. The vocals are more extreme but the overlapping of distorted instrumental sounds allows TORPOR to play one of the standout tracks on the album especially when the song takes a more multi-layered approach with that punishing bass driven sound.

Fourth song is an Ambient/Drone/Industrial based song with frantic and down-tuned guitars being more of the Crust Punk world with its eerie style of Industrial breakdowns and mechanically delivered grooves. With a foreboding sense of Doom that’s made possible by the use of sonically driven Synths that feels like having a bad ACID TRIP listening to 90’s Digital Hardcore. One of the most nightmarish and uncompromising tracks held on the album which is made even better by the short running time of the track.

The final track Island Of Abandonment is where TORPOR lays everything on the line with a more theatrical song which moves slowly at its own gloomy Post-Doom beat. The subtle flashes of Psych and Ambient sounds hints at a more violent sonic experience heading our way. TORPOR use that multilayered style of Blackened Doom with a thrilling Industrial edge yet again which leaves the Sludge Metal and Post-Metal aspects of their music to slowly gain traction and ultimately complete dominance of where the song fully ends up becoming. The Black Metal aspect of this track is what makes this to become one of the heaviest songs that TORPOR have released to date with incredible drumming by Simon who is also responsible for the first rate ELECTRONIC parts of the album.

Abscission is one of the most technically impressive and forward thinking releases of the UK Sludge Metal/Post-Metal scene I’ve heard in quite some time. The album has a bleak sounding MONOLITHIC tone that is very hard to ignore that should elevate TORPOR to higher levels within the global Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal scenes.

Simply unmissable. End of.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Frenchie PR Trail for the promo.

Abscission is available to buy on DD/Vinyl via Human Worth from September 15th 2023.

Links:

Linktree | BandCamp