Taphos: "Come Ethereal Darkness"

No victim to trend or riffless nightmares

We're really being spoiled with the amount of gruesome Danish death metal coming out these days. With bands like Phrenelith, Undergang, Deiquisitor and Sulphurous causing a teeth-rattling ruckus, it's amazing there's even still more room in hell for another contender - The mighty Taphos.

Fedrespor: "Tid"

Through experimentation, Tid leaps into uncertainty with great success

With norse-themed folk I've come to except the likes of Wardruna, who seem obsessed - at least from a laymans point of view - with quote unquote authenticity and historical accuracy in their instrumentation. With the popularity of the soundtrack of the Vikings series, that style has in its own niche become almost commonplace, altough precious few do it well.

Anna Von Hausswolff: "Dead Magic"

A bridge over the deep waters that separate styles

Thanks to a former boss who recommended me her previous album, Anna Von Hausswolff is now one of those artists that I continually look forward to hearing from. The Miraculous from 2015 received a 9/10 rating, and I'm happy to say that while 2018's Dead Magic is in many areas a vastly different endeavour, it is absolutely as deserving of the same score.

Galdur: "Age of Legends"

Un-cheesy dungeon music masterpiece

Though at first glance micro-genres like dungeon synth can sound rather restrictive and samey across numerous artists, there are several roads you can take as an artist. Some opt for a folk-inspired approach with many classical, real life instruments, while others emulate the midi-soundtracks of old fantasy RPGs for a more synthetic feel. Others still resort to a more true-to-life orchestral feel. You can count Galdur's 2016 opus Age of Legends among the latter.

Sammal: "Suuliekki"

Brilliant fourth entry from Finnish prog-rockers

When a piece of music is excessively catchy it often comes with the issue that you grow tired of it quicker. Catchiness often comes from simple, repeated melodies and easy-to-follow song structures. But Sammal's brand of catchiness is a creature entirely different. Every time I receive a new Sammal release in my inbox, it takes exactly one listen to get the entire album stuck in my head.

Eruption: "Cloaks of Oblivion"

Giving the oldies a run for their money, one down-stroked thrash chord at a time.

Who would've thought a country like Slovenia would be home to some absolutely world class acts? Of course it isn't really a stretch of the imagination, but even so it's not often you hear from them on an international basis. In 2016, Teleport impressed with progressive thrash tunes on the Ascendance EP, but 2017 is ruled supremely by Eruption.

Sons of Crom: "The Black Tower"

The strongest arm in modern heavy metal

I can tell by the quality of The Black Tower that my lacking acquaintance with the duo's album debut from 2014, Riddle of Steel, is a huge mistake that will soon have to be mended. From the name one would expect fairly traditional heavy metal, but The Black Tower is anything but bound by the shackles of tradition.

Sunken: "Departure"

Bombarded by cosmic rays, Sunken scour the farthest corners of Earth to bring the best that atmospheric black metal has to offer.

The days of Arescet are long gone, with the band having more than a few years ago transformed into what we see and hear before us today: Sunken. A nautical leviathan of black metal. It has been quite the wait since the band's demo debut The Crackling of Embers, but the wait has been well worth it.

Astra: "The Black Chord"

Hyperbole aside, The Black Chord still stands as one of modern times' best prog rock albums, even 5 years on

Though arguably the decade of progressive rock was the 1970's, it's impressive to find that there are still being produced absolutely timeless and phenomenal prog rock albums 40 years on. San Diego's Astra is clearly Floydian in concept and execution, but there is so much more to their sound than a mere Pink Floyd clone.

Bonobo: "Migration"

Deeply personal compositions which should appeal to audiophiles and substance-freaks alike

Though Bonobo has already cemented his place among the greatest of chilled out electronica, he drives this placement home fifty times over with his newest opus, Migration. As if the works of Bonobo didn't already suggest it, the title of the newest album also suggest that this composer isn't keeping still when it comes to style and genre. Migration is simplistic yet swelling, not quite as fuzzy as, say, Black Sands, but he definitely keeps to his own general aesthetic, perhaps only more substantial and fine-tuned this time around.

Swamp Witch: "Gnosis"

The soundtrack to your worst nightmare

Every so often a band will emerge with little to no warning and simply floor you with its sonic output. One such band is Swamp Witch, with their 2011 EP Gnosis, which forcibly injects tainted acid into the veins of the listener and sends them on a journey of murkey, distorted psychedelia.

Oliver: "Mechanical"

Fans of retro-future synth music, behold!

Though the duo known as Oliver hails from Los Angeles, their sound could easily see them mistaken for a French house group, and indeed they compare favourably to the likes of Justice with a production job as crisp as the air on an exceptionally cold and dry winters day.

Incarceration: "Sacrifice"

The apex predator of death metal

Having garnered much praise through numerous reviews, the Brazilian/German death-thrashers Incarceration are now more or less a household name within certain circles of death. I had the extreme pleasure of witnessing their performance at the last edition of the Danish death metal festival, Kill-Town Death Fest, where they played the smallest stage, Dødsmaskinen. Witnessing their savage performance seemed like a privilege in itself, especially with frontman Daniel sporting his trademark grin throughout the show in front of a packed house. 

Ozric Tentacles: "Jurassic Shift"

Obviously not completely hidden away, but nevertheless an oft overlooked classic

Though some consider them a mainstay in progressive and psychedelic rock, Ozric Tentacles remain one of the UK's best kept secrets. Their output since the 80s has been consistent in both volume and quality, with their trademark adventurous rhythmsection with overpowering melodies changing very little over the years.

Journey to Ixtlan: "Journey to Ixtlan"

An organic sound blanket that falls gracefully on the ground, covering everything in its mesa colours

Clay Ruby is undoubtedly most well known for Burial Hex (or one of the countless other groups he has been involved with over the years), and given his involvement in such a staggering amount of groups, bands and projects, most are bound to overlook the massively leviathan album that is Journey to Ixtlan.

Somnam: "Melancholy's Masquerade"

Appealingly demented ventures into electronics and ambience

Somnam began some time back in 2005 in Finland, but the one-man project has miraculously endured the passing of time with bravour, having released a full length album as recently as 2015.

Philip Glass: "Koyaanisqatsi"

The stuff of legend compressed into one of the best and most iconic film scores in history

Philip Glass is of course widely reknowned for his involvement in an alternative approach to classical music, and the genesis of experimental minimalistic music and ambient. The crowd he associates with includes other legendary musicians and composers such as Steve Reich and Moondog, and both David Bowie and Brian Eno, among many others, have expressed their enthusiasm with his music.

Stalker: "Satanic Panic"

Wild speed metal flagellations

It is not often - unless you specifically seek it out - that you hear about new bands from New Zealand. And when you do, it is even rarer for that band to be one of those exciting new names that randomly pops up every so often. Bands like Ranger from Finland and Encyrcle from Denmark both fit the bill, and Stalker from Wellington are most definitely one of those new names to look out for!

Black Mountain: "IV"

The prominent Canadian band continues to experiment, but seem to have written their master thesis

With a few albums behind them, Black Mountain have never shyed away from blurring the already undefinable lines between drugged out indie rock and finicky stoner rock. Their latest effort, the fourth album IV, again shows that the group are constantly experimenting with their sound, while the half-psychedelic ramblings which is the core of their style remains largely the same.

Hammerfall: "Built to Last"

As the regular writer on TONEwood is obviously way too busy listening to tapes, sewing on limited edition patches and doing other trve metal stuff, and not having the golden hair it takes, I was given the opportunity to write a review of the new Hammerfall album Built to Last and – if you’re already a fan of Hammerfall – you are in for an absolute treat!