Mini Reviews From Around The Bowl (11/5/26)
A mini November to remember
Uburen – Dødsdans i aske
Dusktone | September, 25, 2026
It never ceases to amaze me how many black metal bands are out there, especially ones with members my age or younger. Uburen is an interesting blackened Viking metal band that has been around for a solid decade and are now on album number 4, overall, and their second under Dusktone. If you’ve ever wondered how Enslaved would sound if they didn’t do prog/psychedelia, this is basically it, classic Norwegian style black metal that’s grim and cold, with a Viking grandiose flair, and really good production that benefits the overall sound, though the drums have their click-y moments here and there, but overall its still a decent record if you’re into Norwegian black metal. – Falxifer
Bloc Party – Anatomy of a Brief Romance
Contagious/Virgin | September 11, 2026
I’ve always wished Bloc Party was more popular than they are, while I wouldn’t say they’re irrelevant, they’re definitely not as popular as some of their contemporaries, and its kinda self-inflicted, due to constantly switching back and forth between post-punk and indietronica, and their newest album in 4 years feels like they seemingly found that sweet spot between serrated guitar pop and synth-driven beats. There’s a good balance between both electronica and post-punk, with the music sounding organic even amid heavy electronic beats and synth-bass, although some songs go either full post-punk or electronica, while the best moments are the melding of both styles. Still, definitely their most forward-thinking record in a long while but still not quiet reaching the height they clearly aim towards. – Falxifer
Protomartyr – Hotel Usona
Domino Recording Co. | September, 25, 2026
Bands like Detroit’s Protomartyr are the ones that other bands list as their favorites, which in turn makes them kinda hard to recommend and classify. On paper – or according to Wikipedia, they’re a noisy post-punk/art rock band with cerebral and topical lyrics that’s influenced by The Fall and Nick Cave, and you can definitely hear that, but it’s also not the full picture. This newest record by them continues the band’s peculiar style, though it’s also very, lounge? It’s definitely a very moody and lowkey record that features horns, piano and samples which give it a seedy vibe, like a film noir soundtrack, and it pairs really well with the band’s distinct “Detroit Rock City” grit and grime. As a whole it’s an expertly crafted record, but I still think it’s a bit too out there in many ways to fully recommend to people not already in the know. – Falxifer
Ludgar – Violent Visions
Dying Victims Productions | September 25, 2026
Dying Victims’ catalog spans the width between warm, inviting, downright dad-friendly traditional heavy metal and vicious thrash abominations dragged from the foulest pits. The unassumingly named Ludgar from Austria fall in the latter category, presenting blackened thrash of a deranged quality – at least sonically deranged. The positively ear-piercing shrieks of their frontman will probably be the defining factor that either makes or breaks this for you. They alternate with a menacing snarl and sit atop an excessively lo-fi vehicle so enamored with analog sound that there’s even some tape warble baked in. Such excentricities of production can go a long way to carry an album for me, even if the music itself might not offer a whole lot of novelty. Despite a couple of standout moments and some subtle psychedelic streaks, neither the dirt-caked riffs nor the songwriting stray too far from the genre’s basic tenets. Still, a reckless thrashing romp along the lines of Gouge or Evil Army with a more fiercely idiosyncratic note isn’t the worst way to spend half an hour, and it’s always a pleasure to find this kind of stuff outside of the Hells Headbangers roster. –Hans
