Inosuke - Allomancer

Labels: Dancing Rabbit Records/Dingleberry Records/Friendly Otter/HellaDecentRecords/New Knee Records/Oliver Glenn Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 03 Nov 2025

Tracklist:

1. a thousand years of ash and mist

2. the well

3. god metal

4. braving the new world

5. catacendre

I first discovered US doom/screamo duo Inosuke back in late 2023 thanks to Zegema Beach Records and reviewed their debut LP rage/ruin in January of last year. They released their newest EP 'Allomancer' in November and kindly got in touch to let me know about it. They must know that I really appreciate bands who release music on a regular (annual) basis. Once again ZBR had a hand in this EP's release, alongside the other excellent DIY labels mentioned above.

Even before I hit play on this EP, I have to call out the amazing artwork by Martin McCoy (alongside the layout by Matt Quietsch) It’s so striking, especially with the autumnal colours. EP opener ‘a thousand years of ash and mist’ sounds way doomier than anything that was on rage/ruin to me, and a lot more off-kilter too. Inosuke as a duo work so hard to create a huge soundstage when they’re in full chat. When they quieten down, the atmosphere that takes hold is equally as big.

It’s often astounding how a band’s song-writing and creativity can be translated musically. From percussion to guitar and piano to vocals, Inosuke grow with every bar. ‘the well’ is less than half the length of Allomancer’s opener yet it’s instrumental twists and turns make it feel just as long, as the semi spoken-word/screamed vocals join in during it’s latter-half. They remind me of somebody else in their delivery, but I can’t remember who right now (it’ll probably come to me in the middle of the night!).

I genuinely hope that ‘god metal’ is a humorous swipe at religion in metal. All I know though, as the piano-led instrumentation gets louder and the vocals get harsher, is that it’s a subtle angst-laden song that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.

Penultimate song ‘braving the new world’ sees Inosuke retreating to a doomier position stylistically and I’m all for it. The riffs of Jason Kallicragas are excellent, while the drumming of Erik Anderson is truly pummelling at its most manic. Equally, Jason’s vocals (as I’ve already said) are vicious but also audible, which is rare. Erik’s recording and Jack Shirley’s mix/mastering helps to bring it all to life too.

Ending with ‘catacendre’, Inosuke move in an orchestral direction once again. This time, it’s solely the piano that leads with ambient sounds underneath. It’s a lovely way to end this EP. Inosuke have managed to chart their own path through the ever-growing tundra that’s made up of every band that’s vying for your attention ever! If you’re a fan of heavy screamo music or you’re just screamo-curious (sorry!), this is the release you should listen to next.

You can stream and purchase Allomancer digitally from Inosuke below:-

Inosuke - https://www.facebook.com/inosukeband

You can still grab physical copies from the labels below:-

New Knee Records - https://inosuke-knr.bandcamp.com/album/allomancer

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/allomancer / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/allomancer

Dancing Rabbit Records - https://www.instagram.com/dancingrabbitrec/

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/DingleberryRecords

Friendly Otter - https://www.facebook.com/friendlyotterrex

New Knee Records - https://www.instagram.com/newkneerecords/

Oliver Glenn Records - https://www.instagram.com/oliverglennrecords/

Zegema Beach Records - https://bsky.app/profile/zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social

Sun of the Dying - A Throne Of Ashes

Labels: AOP Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 21 Nov 2025

Tracklist:

1. Martyrs

2. Black Birds Beneath Your Sky

3. With Wings Aflame

4. The Greatest Of Winters

5. The House Of Asterion

6. Of Absence

I seriously need to do something about my inbox, but that's for another day! When I chose to write about the newest full-length from Spanish doom-death band Sun of the Dying, I had no idea it had been six years since their previous release The Earth Is Silent, which I wrote about back in December 2019. In cooperation with long time supporters AOP Records, Sun of the Dying have released A Throne Of Ashes on CD and vinyl formats, as well as digitally.

I find that I can listen to pretty much any genre of metal at any time of the year, but listening to doom-death on a dark/cold December night makes the experience even greater. Sun of the Dying open their newest album with the majestic ‘Martyrs’, which is filled with soaring gothic-like melodies and passages of searing death metal. I could draw on many comparisons here from both Scandinavia and the UK, but I’m not going to. It’s better that this music is allowed to stand alone.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that after such a melodramatic opener, Sun of the Dying would perhaps move in a more uptempo direction given the shorter length of ‘Black Birds Beneath Your Sky’; instead, they present a more minimalistic approach during the verses, which is punctuated by melodic choruses and heaviness that’s joined by choral brightness. 

This release contains boat loads of musical maturity, as the guitars, percussion and keys demonstrate throughout. ‘With Wings Aflame’ is beautifully symphonic early on and the mix of Eduardo Guilló’s deep melodic tones/harsh growls and the clean vocals of guest Antinoë seem to elevate the song and Sun of the Dying’s sound further as it progresses. 

This sextet has mastered the art of throwing the listener off the scent when it comes to musical direction, as ‘The Greatest Of Winters’ highlights. From the fast, blasting intro to the doom-laden verses to follow; there’s no room for guessing what Sun of the Dying are gonna do next. What they do is inject the song with a breathy mix of introspection and death metal ferocity all rolled into one cohesive package. The keys towards the end are absolutely beautiful too.

Penultimate song ’The House Of Asterion’ is heavy right from the off but once again, Sun of the Dying lull you into a false sense of security (for those of you who prefer your doom-death leaning more towards death metal), as they drop back into another loverly melodic passage soon after. Some might say that their song-writing and structure is traditional in one sense, but at the same time there’s an unexpected nature to it as well. The mix of gothic gloom, downtempo heaviness and orchestral unease accentuates that point.

Closing with ‘Of Absence’, Sun of the Dying have one more chance to explore their exquisitely melodic side, where keys and guitars rule over the drums as the harsh vocals enter the fray,. Thankfully, the vocals don’t overpower the music as a whole and add to what is a gloriously emotive song, filled with fantastic melodic elements.

This album is a beautiful body of work from a band that continue to forge their own path. The only genuine similarity I can draw on here would be Portuguese doom/death band Moonspell; however, Sun of the Dying in their own right need to be appreciated. Epic and thought-provoking in every sense.

You can purchase A Throne Of Ashes on all formats from Sun of the Dying below:-

Physical copies can also be ordered from AOP Records here - https://shop.aoprecords.de/gb/49-sun-of-the-dying.

Sun of the Dying - https://www.facebook.com/SunofTheDying

AOP Records - https://www.facebook.com/aoprecs

Car Bomb - Tiles Whisper Dreams EP

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 01 Aug 2025

Tracklist:

1. Blindsides

2. Paroxysm

3. Tiles Whisper Dreams

It's the 1st of December today, which means it's officially acceptable for people to put up Xmas decorations (if you're in the UK, you'll know what I'm on about). What it doesn't mean though is that you can publish your end-of-year lists; save that for 2026. With that out the way, I'm not done with 2025, as this review demonstrates.

US Mathcore/Metal band Car Bomb self-released their newest EP back in August. After forming in 2000, they have pretty much been self-releasing all of their music; save for their 2007 full-length Centralia and a split 7" with Burnt By The Sun, which were both released via Relapse Records. This EP saw the light of day just over two years after their Live At Santa Cruz album in 2023.

The progressive end of metal has been growing exponentially over the last couple of years and Car Bomb slotting themselves back into that growth makes complete sense. Tiles Whisper Dreams sees them making use of the EP format perfectly. Starting off with ‘Blindsides’, Car Bomb waste no time in plunging you Into a sense of confusion with fast/slow instrumentation and harsh/clean vocals. There’s no point in hoping for a traditional verse-chorus-verse structure because that’s not what they’re about; instead, you should expect music that pushes boundaries in terms of time-signature and sound in general.

‘Paroxysm’ is a lot more immediate in delivery and a lot more aligned to the prog-metal of Meshuggah to begin with, before Car Bomb switches it up with grinding tempos and disgustingly good breakdowns. At times the clean vocals remind me of Chino Moreno from Deftones, but only just. At the end of the day, whatever comparisons I come up with mean nothing really. Car Bomb are very much their own beast and that’s how it should be.

Closing with the title-track ‘Tiles Whisper Dreams’, Car Bomb deliver one last dysfunctional, crazy blast of mathcore. It leans towards more straightforward metal early on before growing into mind-bending extremity later on. It’s performed with such passion and professionalism from beginning to end, as is the whole EP to be honest.

It’s often hard for bands to convey their sound to listeners during such short EP’s. Car Bomb being Car Bomb though, they manage it perfectly. The world may be getting caught up with AI and how It’s going to take over and enslave us all, but one thing it can’t do (yet at least) is make music sound genuine. Thank Jebus for both metal and Car Bomb.  

You can buy this EP on all formats directly from Car Bomb below:-

Car Bomb - https://www.facebook.com/CarBomb

Hoari - Hoari EP

Labels: Some Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 10 Oct 2024

Tracklist:

1. 26.17.1.4.1

2. Обретение

3. Гвозди Гнева

4. В Объятиях Бездны

5. Единое Целое

6. Церемония

2025 is almost at an end (only four or so weeks to go), which is absolutely bonkers for many reasons. One such reason is feeling like I've missed out on so much new music, while trying my best to keep on top of it all (never gonna happen!). That previous sentence rings true though when you consider that this self-titled debut release from Russian band Hoari was originally released in October 2024.

Hoari features members of Wowod, Cross Bringer, Euglena and many more bands as well. Their self-titled EP was released digitally by the band themselves and as a very limited 10" lathe pressing via Some Records, before USA/Canadian label (and purveyor of everything super-good about screamo) Zegema Beach Records did a tape release in August just gone.

It feel’s very odd to be writing about a Russian band/release that’s not related to Polar Summer Records, but I don’t make the rules. Hoari is a pretty new band that’s made up of some seasoned musicians. Opening their self-titled EP with the rousing ambient noise of ’26.17.1.4.1’, they build expectation for what’s to come through the use of feedback, samples and electronica. ‘Обретение’ jolts into life after the briefest of pauses, revealing a heavy, angular take on hardcore that’s darker than it is post. It’s subtly blackened while being more math-like in places too.

‘Гвозди Гнева’ follows in much the same vein and I’m sure I’ve used this comparison before, but it reminds me of the chaotic/metallic sound of Noise Trail Immersion. It’s a song that’s over in a flash at just over a minute in length. That being said, it feels much longer than that. ‘В Объятиях Бездны’ reminds me of why I like bands that play through those awkward in-between song passages, as this release does make use of subtle pauses that affect momentum ever so slightly. That’s a very minor complaint though as Hoari quickly up the ante.

Their metallic riffs, pulsing bass, raging percussion and equally disturbing vocals show how easily experienced performers can gel with one another to create a sound that’s so engrossing. ‘Единое Целое’ acts as a penultimate battering ram, showing Hoari at their most blistering. Energetic, panic-inducing and utterly enormous in sound. There’s no escaping their intensity.

EP closer ‘Церемония’ treads a familiar path initially, though it’s also complimented by moments of sludgier atmospherics and slower tempos later on. It benefits from greater atmosphere and breathiness that comes to the fore during its instrumental mid-section. There’s something truly majestic about it, even when the sporadic vocals hit. The way they slow the tempo down towards the end could be considered slightly jarring but it works so well in the context of this EP.

Given the quality of the musicians that make up Hoari, it’s no surprise that this debut EP is a stellar one. Hoari   have laid down yet another marker for screamo and hardcore in the far reaches of Eastern Europe.

You can stream and purchase the EP as a name-your-price download from Hoari below:-

The lathe cut records from Some Records were limited to 30, so they're likely sold out. You can reach out to the label here (as I could be wrong on that) - https://www.instagram.com/some.awesome.rec

Tapes copies from ZBR are sold out on their bandcamp page but you can still grab copies directly from them below:-

ZBR CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/hoari

ZBR USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/hoari

ZBR - https://bsky.app/profile/zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social

Ondine - Exhausted

Labels: Polar Summer Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 10 Aug 2017

Tracklist:

1. Exhausted

2. Denial And Rejection

3. Chained

4. Decay

I'm jumping back into the back catalogue of Russian label Polar Summer Records after what seems like an age. Since my last review of the two-song self-titled EP from Saat, I've been lucky enough to add a number of the label's releases to my personal collection thanks to a very gracious seller on Discogs. I managed to get a copy of this very EP on tape much earlier though.

Russia's Ondine released this EP digitally and on tape back in 2017. They went on to release a second EP called Recycled in 2018, but haven't been heard of since. What's striking to me is that they are made up of member from Ensslin, Buran and If I Die Tomorrow, especially because Ensslin made such an impact on me when I first heard Thumbsucker. Enough about other bands though, let's focus on this EP.

Ondine are described as being a punk/melodic hardcore band and you’d be forgiven for wondering if that was true on EP opener ‘Exhausted’, as it starts with spoken-word samples and orderly instrumentation that builds up to a point where Ondine are able to show their heavier side. ‘Denial And Rejection’ is where Ondine’s melodic hardcore influence shows through. Their melodic approach to instrumentation coupled with a mix of English spoken-word/screaming is genuinely rousing, making it easy to think they could be from anywhere in the world. 

Musically, this is a beautiful release. It has a feel/sound that’s very similar to early La Dispute (I think) and that’s no bad thing as ‘Chained’ flows through a mid-paced journey that speaks louder than you’d expect. Closing with ‘Decay’, Ondine retreat into more ambient/instrumental territory where the firework-like sounds in the background are both endearing and also slightly unnerving. 

Ondine wrote a beautiful EP here. One that gives hope to humanity, which I’m sure they would agree with. In a time when UK politicians (or ex-politicians at least) are quite rightly being found guilty of accepting bribes to talk up an oppressive/communist regime, at least we can rejoice in music like this.

You can stream and purchase this EP as a name-your-price download from Ondine below:-

Tape copies from Polar Summer are sold out.

Polar Summer Records - https://polarxsummer.bandcamp.com/album/exhausted