The Grey Men - Resentment (Album Review)

Release Date: September 21st 2026. Record Label: Woven Eye Propaganda. Format: CD/DD

Resentment - Tracklist

1.Resentment 05:12

2.Resentment, Part 2 02:35

3.Spite 06:07

4.Ruin 04:30

5.Useful 07:02

6.Coherence 02:27

7.Spite (noise) 06:06

Review

Resentment is the fifth album from Drone/Doom/Noise Rock collective The Grey Men who follow a similar style of music by the likes of EARTH, SUNN 0))) and NADJA. The album is not a straight-forward record with The Grey Men constructing an abstract narrative and sandbox to create, develop and play their music. There’s harsh atmospherics with some unsettling industrial and electrical themes being used throughout as some parts of the album remind me of Aphex Twin in places. 

The Grey Men at least play some “standard” musical notes on this record but they’re mostly played slowly and sometimes annoyingly they feel heavily out of place. However, this is still a fascinating and highly engaging listen with the songs all having a different tone, structure and musical delivery to each other. When the music does become more fascinated with Doom Metal and Drone Metal sounds, then there is a sense of haunting Industrial Metal themes dictating how the music grows into something more familiar whilst keeping that highly experimental sound.

The record works best when The Grey Men merge their experimental themes with a standard “riff-centric” message with the music still being Drone/Doom Metal obsessed. The intricate Post-Rock, Ambient Metal and Psych Metal soundscapes allow the violent vocals to remain cautiously lurking violently in the background. The album does have an eclectic soundtrack quality to it with gloomy synths and underused industrial themes transforming into a different style of extreme music. 

The two main weapons of choice for The Grey Men to deliver their music is VOLUME and DISTORTION which they apply throughout this album. Some parts of the album do feel like SUNN 0))) performing with WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM which you’ll fully appreciate on tracks such as Resentment Part Two and Spite. 

The Grey Men are wonderfully creative and brilliantly subversive with Resentment which perhaps leaves you more confused than entertained. However, this album is perhaps suited for long-time followers of Experimental Music with songs that don’t have a beginning, middle or end. I applaud The Grey Men for going down this route as the music is unbelievably harsh and superbly violent when you least expect this but one that also offers some blissful movements of distorted Post-Rock and Post-Metal.

Resentment is a great record and is a record that has real “CULT APPEAL” which always goes down a storm with the underground Doom/Drone Metal scene, If you’re in the mood for endless feedback loops, sonic distortion and amplified warfare being played when you least expect it then Resentment could actually be an exciting and thrilling prospect for folks to fully check out.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Burial Site - Deathdrone (Album Review)

Release Date: September 14th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Deathdrone - Tracklist

1.The Will to Death 07:10

2.Doomsday Clock 08:57 

3.Shadows Etched in Stone 03:23

4.Deathdrone 42:04

Members

Null - Vocals/Drums

Void - Guitars

Review

Deathdrone is the debut album from Death/Doom/Drone Metallers Burial Site where the name gives you a huge clue on what to expect for the album. As the band explore the lo-fi surroundings of the Death/Drone landscape with some brooding Doom Metal landscapes being added for gloomy effect. This isn’t the best produced record but it gives Burial Site some real brutal distorted heaviness into their music. 

The album is over sixty two minutes long spread across four tracks with the final Burial Site being over forty two minutes in length. There’s a warped psychological appeal that’s heard within the band’s music and with how lead vocalist Null’s harsh growls are delivered. The use of LOW & SLOW and DISTORTED grooves can be pitch black and ambient heavy within tracks The Will To Death and Doomsday Clock channeling the most violent aspects of SUNN 0))), EARTH and KHANATE.

Burial Site experiment with Black Metal, Noise Metal and stripped down Sludge Metal for a sound that’s always viciously heavy. This album isn’t going to be for everyone and there are parts that I continue to struggle with as the experimental NOISE METAL aspects are even too deafening for me to listen to but it’s superbly played. The whole album feels like it was recorded in the PITS OF HELL with the band playing their brutal style of DRONE METAL to the closing seconds. The long drawn out instrumental passages are given multiple creative makeovers which allows Burial Site to keep the listener on the edge of their seat especially through the mammoth forty two minutes final track. 

The excellent third track Shadows Etched In Stone does allow Burial Site to play a cool sounding Post-Rock and Semi-Acoustic track that has a deeply satisfying emotional centre to it all.

The final track does have faster grooves and frenzied Black Metal attacks with subtle shades of Psychedelic Terror moving the album into some highly unexpected areas of music. If you’re a fan of MERZBOW and MIZMOR then this track will feel like PARADISE to you all. I appreciated the technical and creative approach that Burial Site bring to this track alone.

I’m happy to admit that even though I found this album very hard to listen to at times, I still had a very good experience with the album that actually put me into some highly unexpected moments of terror along the way.

Deathdrone is a must have record for dedicated fans of the Extreme Metal Scene if you’re feeling brave enough that is!!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Links

https://www.youtube.com/@BurialSiteDoom

https://www.instagram.com/burialsitedoom/ 

https://burialsitedoom.bandcamp.com 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6XhVRDcijy9saPfE4BB9Ou

30,000 Monkies - Super Rebound (Album Review)

Release Date: September 18th 2026. Record Label: FVN KULT RECORDS. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Super Rebound - Tracklist

1.THE GUMS

2.PRISM BREAK 

3.[HORNS WAILING]

4.MOUNTAINESQUE 4

5.UNSOUND HERO

6.[SIREN SINGING]

7.SUPER REBOUND 

8.SWERVER

9.[BELLS RINGING, TALE MELTING]

 

Members

Ruben Savelkoul (Guitar, Vocals, Programming)

Michiel De Naegel (Guitar, Vocals)

Cyril Beerten (Bass, Vocals)

Mattias Jonniaux (Drums)

Review

Doom/Sludge/Noise/Sonic Terrorists 30,000 Monkies return with their sixth album Super Rebound and it’s equally weird and brilliantly fucked as their previous albums. However, this is the band’s most heaviest, creative, riff-centric and dare I say hopefully optimistic despite the harsh and bleak savagery the band put the listener through. Taking the classic Post-Metal template used by the likes of NEUROSIS, ISIS and CULT OF LUNA before applying an experimental vibe that reminds of BORIS and THE MELVINS. 

The added use of Psych Metal, Industrial Metal, Punk Metal and Stoner Metal make drastic appearances throughout the album where 30,000 Monkies not only come to terms with their own musical legacy but also redefining and reinventing everything for the better. This album does have a warped schizophrenic vision but there’s a gloomy sense of rhythm and melody holding everything together with the bombastic vocals being sung violently but with real purpose. 

You can see the band applying a nightmarish delivery to their music but it’s superbly real and grounded even with 30,000 Monkies applying a scattered approach to the overlapping areas of music being played like their lives dependent on it. The Blackened Sludge melodies does remind me of KVELERTAK on certain parts of the album with 30,000 Monkikes developing a non-stop array of grooves, riffs and musical hooks to entice the listener with. 

30,000 Monkies perhaps over do things with the SONIC passages and feedback loops where the music could have a great “LESS IS MORE” delivery but I would be lying to myself if I don’t own up to the fact that the album works best when the band unleash a torrent of fucked up grooves that venture into the Experimental Metal spectrum. 

Super Rebound does feel too long at times but it’s never boring with 30,000 Monkies creating a non-stop symphony of chaotic violence on tracks such as The Gums, Prism Break, Mountainesque 4, Unsound Hero, Super Rebound and [Bells Ringing, Tales Melting]. You will probably need a few listens to fully understand the message that 30,000 Monkies are trying to deliver with Super Rebound. However, it’s worth doing this as I missed quite a lot during my first listen of the album. That’s mostly down to how many different areas of music that 30,000 continues to develop throughout the album.

The whole experience is wonderfully offbeat to the very end but 30,000 Monkies never lose sight on how to have fun with the record even if they’re confronting their own musical legacy and creative mortality within the main themes of Super Rebound. The multi-faceted approach of the album is absolutely groundbreaking in the grand scheme of things as you don’t experience this style of Doom, Sludge and Post-metal very often.

This was a very hard album to review where I must have written about five different versions before settling on this one. I apologise to everyone if I didn’t manage to capture the unique presence of this album but that’s what to expect for such a true original that allows 30,000 Monkies to be one of the most daring and highly original bands within the underground Doom/Sludge Metal scene today.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Viral Propaganda PR for the promo.

Super Rebound is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via FVN KULT RECORDS.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Blasphemists Temple - Demo (EP Review)

Release Date: July 07th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Tape

Demo - Tracklist

1.Devil's Flies 07:03

2.Thine 09:29

3.Curse 12:38

Lineup

Alistair Quietsch - Baritone, Vocals

Neil Smith - 7 String

Leo Hancill - Drums, Drones [Track 4]

Review

Blasphemists Temple make an almighty filthy impression with their heavy use of Drone, Noise and Doom Metal with its distorted environment giving any potential listener’s hearing an extensive workout. This is quite an experience when you listen to their debut demo for the first time. As Blasphemists Temple create violent slabs of grimy Droned Out Doom Metal with punishing vocals from Alistair Quietsch which feels like they are tapping into an unknown dimension of time and space.

With this being a DEMO release, the production values and recording techniques are quite DIY based with a sludgy appetite allowing the band to fully explore their Noise Rock persona that’s beaten through a solid mix of Post-Metal and Droned Out surroundings. There’s a manic Industrial Sledgehammer being applied within the screeching instrumental passages that feels like SUNN 0))), Author & Punisher and Killing Joke all joining musical forces at times. 

The opening track of Devil’s Flies is a nightmarish test of pure endurance to see how much punishment the listener can actually take as Blasphemists Temple employ an extreme style of Drone Metal into their music and I started to fall in line and actually enjoy this sordid exercise of pure sonic terror. The music may be too cerebral or one-note for some as this record is perhaps catered for the Extreme or Experimental crowd.

Second track Time opts for a riff-centric Post-Metal sound that’s filtered through an Industrial Metal filter once more. The song is all over the place with disjointed musical movements and violent Droned Out soundscapes that capture a decaying style of music that NEUROSIS created back in the day. The stripped back Psychedelic and Noise Rock grooves adds a level of gloomy carnage which still has a sense of twisted melody to it all. The vocals drift in and out of existence where they only appear when really needed. 

The final track Curse continues in a similar fashion as the previous two tracks but with a longer time frame of around thirteen minutes to play with. However, Blasphemists Temple do operate with a standard riff-centric Doom/Sludge Metal approach where a stunning Post-Rock sound emerges from the darkness which shows a different style of creative identity from the band. This is the standout track on the album as Blasphemists Temple allows themselves the perfect opportunity to add a level of calmness into their music whilst keeping a gloomy atmosphere slightly in the background.

Blasphemists Temple’s debut release is a violent delight and should allow them to gain a devoted loyal following within the underground metal scene.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

LinkTree | BandCamp

NILIM - Uncoiling (EP Review)

Release Date: December 12th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Uncoiling - Tracklisting

1.The Relic 

2.Psychic Collapse

3.The Sky Devouring Itself

4.Uncoiling

Lineup

JQ - Everything

Review

Drone/Doom/Post-Metal collective Nilim release their latest bleak offering Uncoiling which follows the same destructive and slowly played sounds heard on their debut record released earlier this year. This time round Nilim has a bleaker and heavier canvas to play with as more distorted and violent soundscapes emerge from the harsh Post-industrial backdrop of Sludge Metal surroundings. The sound is quite abstract with Nilim adapting an early NIN aesthetic with his vocals which seems it will move into a more extreme style at any unpredictable moment.

The actual music is quite fragmented with an ice-cold attitude which allows Nilim to explore other areas of Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal with a slight mechanical sound which you can fully experience within the excellent opening track The Relic. The lingering Drone and Noise effects adds a nightmarish quality to the whole record with a despairing Psychedelic attitude emerging from within which you can see Nilim exploring similar themes from the likes of NEUROSIS, GODFLESH and AUTHOR & PUNISHER. The song is quite subversive with its slow-to-mid paced music luring you into a false sense of security before beating the absolute SHIT out of you with its intense grooves that leaves no stone unturned in providing thrilling riffs from start to finish.

The second track Psychic Collapse continues with the nightmarish energy but with a dominant Industrial energy once again opening up the creative vortex to even more punishing outbursts of aggressive melody and psychedelic textures with an intense Post-Rock/Post-Metal vibe emerging from the darkness. The muscular slab of Sludge/Post-Metal atmospherics is quite grounded with JQ’s vocals holding everything together with a meaty NOISE ROCK and dare I say CAVEMAN DOOM presence. Pay close attention to the lyrics as they seal the deal with this being perhaps the heaviest and most memorable track on the whole EP. With the great use of Ambient and Psychedelic sound effects where NILIM really finds his true creative purpose in providing sounds that will haunt your dreams and nightmares for days.

Third track The Sky Devouring Itself being a pure Ambient/Post-Rock driven track with only minimal outbursts of Industrial and Post-Doom rhythms before returning to his Sludge Metal domain for the final moments with a slightly distorted environment closing the song in great style.

The final track Uncoiling allows Nilim the final choice to unleash another final outburst of nightmarish aggression but perhaps with the most riff-centric track on the whole release. There’s the extra use of Ambient. Post-Rock and Psychedelic textures keep everything within the Post-Metal and Sludge Metal domain but I absolutely adore the “less-is-more” attitude and technical ability that NILIM shows on this track alone. A great way to end this superb EP with.

Uncoiling is quite a dark and brooding experience but one that's not afraid to show moments of uplifting humility that's quite refreshing to hear for a record such as this. Awesome stuff. End Of.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | BandCamp

Introduce Yourselves: P+A+G+E+S

What is the name of your band?

The name of our band is, P+A+G+E+S, and it’s pronounced, “pages”. From 2014 - 2023, we used to call ourselves Morning Pages after the mind-clearing writing exercise by Julia Cameron from her book, The Artist’s Way. We mimicked the idea of catharsis and the improvisation of the writing method with a post-rock and soundscaping approach to visuals that we created internally and projected during live shows. We were (and still are) very inspired by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

The ‘+’ in between the band name’s letters resemble an equation. It’s esoteric and spellwork in that it’s a metaphorical symbol so the name becomes imbued with meaning. It represents balance or equilibrium through equality and inclusivity for the marginalized. The Pages in tarot represents new beginnings and catalysts for personal growth. In 2017, we pivoted to a heavier sound to represent our views and, in 2024, we simplified our name to P+A+G+E+S as part of solidifying our statement. We support women, LGBTQI+, BIPOC, human rights and animal rights. 

What is the genre of music that you play?

We play atmospheric noise, doom, drone, sludge punk and post-metal.

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

We are based in Cape Town, South Africa. Helo samo (the guitarist, vocalist and sample maker) and Frank Lunar (the bassist) came together in 2013 as an ambient duo. Caitlin Mkhasibe (the drummer) joined in 2014. Up until 2016, we had gone through various additional band members and, from 2017, the three of us became the stable members since then. Up until 2019, we were very underground in our approach. From 2019, we became intentional with how we put our current music out to the public and started planning to release our debut full length studio album, No More Can Be Done.

We are fully independent, remain very punk and DIY in our ethos as we’re all artists and do a lot of the band’s creative direction, copy, photography, illustration, design, videos and editing, social media, props and costumes. For this debut release, we’re extremely fortunate to be able to work with our good friend, Simon Ratcliffe of Sound and Motion Studios to record the album; the lovely folks that helped us create the Shine On music video, Louise Coetzer and Oscar O’Ryan; Rouleaux van der Merwe of Permanent Record, who organized the vinyl pressing and Warren Gibson of Plug Music Agency is helping us promote the album.

What can people expect from your music?

People can expect to hear low, raw, emotionally charged music with distorted, low tuned instruments and sparse vocal lines. The sound resembles the overlapping themes of existential dread, geopolitical and environmental despair caused by greedy, colonial imperialists while searching for light and resilience to fight back.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

No More Can Be Done is our debut album and it was released on October 25th 2025.

We recorded it with Simon Ratcliffe and Carl Roberts at Sound and Motion Studios in Cape Town. It was a phenomenal experience as the studio’s team do a lot of work for film and TV, which meant Simon understood the atmospheric element of our album. He brought out the best in us and was one of the first people to believe in our vision for the album. The old church in which the studio is located is beautiful and really inspiring.

Do you have any live shows coming up?

We have a few upcoming live shows in Cape Town:

We will be the opening band at Madman Mayhem at District on November 28th 2025. This event is organized by FOUL PLAY and Planet Karavan (Rico Niezen). This will be our first public show as P+A+G+E+S.

On February 7th 2026, we will have our album launch at the Masque Theatre in Muizenberg. In the same month, we will record a Spinal Session at Spinal Tap Bar in Observatory, where we will work with Carl Nienaber to create a special beer on tap, which will be available for the public screening at his bar.

On April 4th 2026, we will play a doom-themed show at District again, opening for  bands, Constellatia and Vast Vale.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

People can find our music videos and recorded live sets on YouTube: @PAGES_DOOM

Our music is only available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp: pagesdoom.bandcamp.com

We are on Instagram as @pages_doom

Thanks Plug Music Agency for all of the details.

P+A+G+E+S - No More Can Be Done (Album Review)

Release Date: October 25th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

No More Can Be Done - Tracklisting

1.The Passage 15:09

2.Ascension 04:40

3.Devastation Junkie (Bonus Track) 06:00

4.Shine On 06:22 

5.Moribund 08:27

Member

Caitlin Mkhasibe - drums

Frank Lunar - bass

helo samo - guitar, vocals, sampling and textural noise.

Review

No More Can Be Done is the debut album from South African Drone/Doom/Noise/Post-Metal collective P+A+G+E+S and it’s quite a bleak, captivating and uncompromising affair with the band drawing upon a wide range of influences to conjure a dark musical odyssey which is quite violent for the best of times. There’s elements of Post-Rock and Ambient surroundings in places but P+A+G+E+S mostly dwell in the Drone and Post-Black Metal environments where their dark musical melodies fully take shape. 

The twisted Noise/Drone Metal atmospherics feel fuelled by the stuff of nightmares and I can see influences such as NEUROSIS, SWANS, AUTHOR & PUNISHER, SUMAC and CONAN starting to emerge especially through the epic opening track The Passage. As P+A+G+E+S slowly drill into your sub conscience and find what scares you the most with long drawn out musical passages and distorted rhythms that’s buried under a ton of guttural noises and brutal vocals. The music is slow, brooding and darkly twisted with a slight Industrial Metal or Mechanical Doom energy starting to emerge. Things do appear faster with sublime samples and extended soundscapes for perhaps the most daring song on the whole album.

No More Can Be Done lasts for around thirty six minutes which is spread across five tracks and P+A+G+E+S do similar things or perhaps even greater damage on the shorter tracks. As they have less time to play with but P+A+G+E+S are always one step ahead of the listener by creating multiple dimensions of distorted DRONE and fucked up POST-METAL energy. This style of music overlaps with areas of Black Metal fury that’s grounded by thrilling Sludge Metal grooves which have real bite to them thanks to helo samo’s intense vocals and musical virtuoso playing on guitars, samples and textural noise. 

Though, Caitlin Mkhasibe on Drums and Frank Lunar on Bass play their part by creating harsh rhythms and violent structures that dominate the musical landscape on the other standout tracks of Devastation Junkie and Moribund. The music may be bleak and experimental for some but this is my first exposure of Post-Metal from the South African underground scene and I absolutely adore the violent chaos and carnage that P+A+G+E+S create out of nowhere. The record can be downright mean and abstract in places but it’s also an highly addictive and aggressive style of Post-Metal which isn’t afraid to show it’s heavy reliance on the Extreme side of Atmospheric Sludge. 

P+A+G+E+S do create deft touches of lovely sounding Ambient based Post-Rock interludes on the record mostly on second track Ascension which brings a loving RUSSIAN CIRCLES attitude into the mix. However,  these moments are often short before the band returns to their highly destructive sound.

The fourth track of Shine On is where P+A+G+E+S impressed me the most by creating a world of Shoegaze dynamics that's populated by areas of Sludge Metal, Noise, Psych, Post-Rock and an unforgiving attitude where everything is played with a stripped back energy that is mostly down to the excellent production values.

Overall, No More Can Be Done is a highly captivating, superbly intelligent and fearless record to emerge from the South African underground HEAVY METAL scene. Check this out if you dig your Post-Metal on the more violent side of life and you’ll be richly rewarded with a highly original record that deserves to be heard by the biggest audience possible.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Plug Music Agency for the promo.

No More Can Be Done can be bought now on DD/Vinyl

Links

Instagram | YouTube | BandCamp

Black/Noise/Sludge Metallers BELIEVE IN NOTHING have released their second new single 'Complete Desolation'

Believe In Nothing is an Eastbourne-based sludge/noise band founded in 2023. Consisting of Caine Hemmingway (vocals/noise), Lawrence Rodriguez (guitar), Steve Collier (guitar) and Jasper Lyons (drums). Believe In Nothing utilise layers of cacophonous and erratic noise, overlaid with gruesome

harsh vocals to build up a bleak atmosphere of dread through both their on-record and live performances.

Despite only making their live debut in May 2024, the band have quickly made themselves known as a force to be reckoned with, having already supported the likes of Mizmor, Harrowed and Unyielding Love in their short timeline. With their debut single ‘Boiling Stone’ released via Bandcamp in June 2024, the band have signed to UK heavyweights Church Road Records for a string of 2025 releases, that will cement them as the dissonant soundtrack to the bleak reality we exist in.

They released their first new offering in the form of ‘What Would You Do?’ on March 25th. The track is an interesting blend of post punk meets insanely heavy riffs akin to Primitive Man and Eyehategod. The band are now back with their second new single ‘Complete Desolation’, which sees them doubling down on the heaviness. This song is as unforgiving as the planet we inhabit.

“The song "Complete Desolation" is an early song we wrote that helped shape the overall sound of the band. It forces you into a future where the wars have been fought, and the mistakes have been made. Primal horror and an economy of pain are all that remain” - Believe In Nothing

Band members:

Caine Hemmingway - Vocals / Noise
Jasper Lyons - Drums
Lawrence Rodriguez - Guitar
Steve Collier - Guitar

Credits:

Recorded at Bad Habit/Echo Zoo studios in Eastbourne by Jasper Lyons and Matt Pugh. Mixed and mastered by Wayne Adams of Bear Bites Horse studios.

Links

Official | BandCamp

Thanks to Church Road Records for all of the info.