Uncomplicated and unsettling doom metal is what Mansion are all about.

Kosmodrom is so skillfully written and crafted that it throws a lot of recent death doom releases into the shade. Monolithe show that it is no longer enough to just keep knocking out slowed down death metal riffs and throw some deep growls on top to appease the death doom cognoscenti - there is so much more that the style is capable of and the Frenchmen, like those cosmic pioneers are forging onwards and upwards in order to expand the minds of the human race.

This is a sensationally powerful album of post-metal. It's an instrumental album free of vocals, but don't let that put you off - it works singularly well. A real find.

I've been a fan of the Japanese stoner metal duo since their debut ep which saw light of day in 2017. They've come a fair way since those early days and have grown in confidence, with their sludgy stoner metal taking on a certain punkish swagger as they raise two fingers to all the naysayers. There are some killer cuts here, the opening riff to the single Abyss Woods is a real doozy for example and Yuko's guitar work in general is a treat as she fires off riffs and solos with equal abandon.

II is not an album for the impatient metalhead, but is a technically impressive (in both songwriting and performance) release that does not skimp on sheer aggression and heaviness when the music calls for it, but also contains plenty of nuances and variety.

These Chilean thrash-masters may well have produced the best thrash metal album to be released since the very early nineties. Fast, vibrant riffing, snarling vocals and a rhythm section that will destroy your apartment block if they play within a mile of it, deliver everything you could ever want from a thrash metal album. Then, following the opening one-two salvo, Extraviado opens up with a.. jazz clarinet.

Brilliant album from the modern capital of thrash metal - Chile. Aggressive and unrelenting like Kreator or Slayer with a degree of technicality and a modern production job that allows all concerned to shine. Great riffs and solos that should satisfy any real fan of thrash metal.

The sludge and death metal elements work in synergy with the industrial, the hot-blooded passion of the sludge metal vocals provide a searing counterpoint to the coldness of the machine-like death metal riffs. These are also overlaid with atmospheric sludge lead work that once more lends it a more human face and the layers help to build an interesting atmosphere that speaks of resistance to the inevitable that is yet tinged with a fatalistic futility, anger and self-loathing.

I absolutely love Archgoat's blistering approach. Their war-drenched blasphemies assault your eardrums and take no prisoners when it comes to black metal extremity. This latest release, Worship the Eternal Darkness, is not as much carpet bombing as a laser-guided, targeted approach however which results in quite a bit of variety from a band who usually crank out the war metal riffs like there's no tomorrow.

Three Bladed Doom (a purposely ridiculous title I suspect) is eight tracks spread over a mere thirty minutes and is a great length to put on when you just need a bit of a headbang with a smile on your face after another day of crap. With track titles like The Return of Klankenstein, Cult of the Dead and Droid Fucker you know you're getting the musical equivalent of a Roger Corman film rather than The Exorcist or The Shining and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Despite the thematic predominance of nature and the natural world, Gloosh never resorts to hokey folk metal cheesiness, but keeps within the realms of black metal, in the manner of more talented black metal naturalists, such as Wolves in the Throne Room. I quite enjoyed his debut Timewheel, but I consider this a considerable step up in quality, both with respect to the songwriting and dynamism of the performance and also the production values - the album sounds absolutely fantastic.

Impressive Scandinavian traditional doom metal, very much in the vein of Count Raven and Lord Vicar. Well actually there are technically only four tracks because the second half of the album consists of the three-part title track, although each part plays as a distinct track and work equally well in isolation. It is not an album that is out to push the envelope or even to try much new, but it is very well executed doom metal with some pretty memorable riffs and excellent lead work.

This is another project from Belgian multi-instrumentalist Déhà along with Slovakian vocalist Veronika Madžová. The album takes the form of a single, forty-minute track that melds together those most comfortable of bedfellows, funeral doom and atmospheric black metal. I think these two styles of extreme metal are perfect complements to each other at the best of times, and here Déhà expertly weaves them together into a cohesive and encompassing piece that is overflowing with atmosphere and mood.

A three-track EP originally released in 2011 from the vastly underrated Italian stoner doom outfit that lays out exactly what they are about. Thick riffs and psych-inflected leads dual with singer Dorian Bones' superb vocals to provide a top-notch doom metal experience.