Crusty Italian black metalists laCasta have been at it for more than a decade but are only now following up their 2020 debut In Aeturnvm with a new batch of sonic ugliness called Olibanvm (aka Frankincense). This relentless quartet—Marino Martellotta (bass), Sbrough (drums), Mario Morgante (guitars), Alessandro Donnaloia (vocals/synths)—are offering here a sneak peek of the nine tracks (in 34 minutes) that comprise their latest effort. It’s a suffocating and wretched concoction of black metal savagery and crusty hardcore intensity, traversing from blast beats to thudding, mid-tempo crunch, all accompanied by Donnaloia’s enraged, primal exortations.
Olibanvm was recorded, mixed and mastered by Sebastiano Lillo and Paolo Palmieri at Slap Studio in South Italy, 2025. It’s set for release on CD and digitally via Argonauta Records on May 8. Place your preorder here.
The band discussses the origin of the album title here:
“Frankincense (olibanum), the true incense, embodies the sacred and the cruel, summed in a powerful triad: Ancient as Egypt, Red as Blood, Precious as Gold. Born from deliberate wounds in the resilient Boswellia tree, its milky sap hardens into gem-like ‘tears.’ Once burned for pharaohs and deities, now it rises in funeral rites, each wisp of smoke carrying prayers, guiding souls and lingering as the scent of farewell and the mystery of death.”
Hailing from sunny Malta, we have post-metal exponents Krishna. Even the term post-metal seems a little reductionist as the word doesn’t fully encapsulate the vast blend of drone, ambient progressive, psychedelic and other sub genres that have influenced the band’s far-reaching sound. Previous efforts such as “Headless” demonstrate this broad and densely layered sound. This record in particular demonstrates the duo’s defiance and downright refusal to stick to traditional songwriting conventions as the album is comprised of a solitary 50 minute monolithic effort! Likely to deter casual spectators and lovers of music pumped out by the charts whilst being like catnip to those who seek something more unconventional and expansive in their music. “Absence Of Loss” is the band’s third release and aims to build on this foundation and demonstrate what they can bring to the world of alternative music.
Like anything in life, you can always view it from a glass half-empty point of view and reduce something to its bare constituent parts. Some may label the music as repetitive, especially with the pace of the song’s progressing like a glacial drip, and immediately write the album off. The 3 song’s hovering round the 25 minute may well certainly deter playlist curators and most radios.
Though here’s an alternative take. Whilst the music is indeed very gradual in its progression, think of it like a great stew or cooking Christmas dinner. Sure, you could throw something in the microwave, but it will be less satisfying than a meal you know you’ve had to graft and truly work for.
That’s how it feels here. Stick through these gradual progressions and you’ll be rewarded with huge cathartic bursts and hugely satisfying crescendos that make the investment in time feel absolutely worth it! Take ‘Abaddon’ for instance. The first 15 minutes or so allows you indulge in a seemingly minimalistic passage with intricate hypnotic guitar and bass lines intertwine to provide a deceptively complex tapestry, with the glass like tones being as aesthetic as they are soothing. The net result is a rather opulent passage that guides you into a relaxed trance like state, especially with the dynamics consistent and comforting. Then in the latter stages of the song, your eardrums will be flooded with the most infectious crunching grooves and chunky guitar riffs, sounding like something from the Mastadon playbook! 25 minutes pass way faster than 25 minutes should do! Though you won’t fully appreciate this crushing finale without going through the first passage.
‘Cryogenic Tomb’ is another example of this slow yet rewarding build, but provides a showcase of guitarist Tim’s vast knowledge of the effects pedals, carving out some rather delightful guitar tones, as introspective as they are atmospheric! Though the distortion comes out in the latter stages, shifting the point of attack and texture of the song. The album’s title track build’s on the theme of introspection, with ‘Absence Of Loss’ feeling bleak, austere, and melancholic in it’s delivery in the outset, before gradually morphing into something more aggressive and abrasive. When, once again, the wall of distortion closes in on you, the dynamics become less sombre, and the undertone becoming more urgent and frantic with each passing note! A gripping crescendo that is again best enjoyed when the song is listened to in whole!
Look, there’s no use sugarcoating this. Some people will simply not be into this kind of music, nor will they have the desire to sit through 25 minute songs! Though for some, this is a triumph in experimental music, demonstrating creativity and artistic expression that are truly boundless.
Now that we’re in May, we’re closing in fast on Call of the Wild and we’re going to be back for another year! So we’re getting to know as many of the bands set to play the Trailblazer Stage in 2026 that we can pin down. Voodoo Sioux play the Saturday. Simple things first – … Continue reading Road to Call of the Wild 2026: Voodoo Sioux
Feverjaw hit with urgency and emotional weight on We Exist In Transit, a towering alt rock anthem balancing crushing intensity with genuine vulnerability. Built around pounding drums, massive guitar walls, and soaring hooks, the track tackles the unpredictability of depression without surrendering to hopelessness. Instead, Feverjaw channel that inner turbulence into something cathartic and strangely uplifting, turning heaviness into momentum. The addition of Dale Crover on backing vocals adds extra grit beneath the song’s widescreen energy, but it’s the emotional honesty at the center that leaves the deepest mark.
We Exist In Transit feels restless, human, and defiantly alive.
Performing at Loud As Hell Open Air Festival 2026 w/ Fallujah, Allegaeon, Summoning the Lich, Crimson Shadows, Edge of Paradise, and more!
Fresh off the release of their debut album This Is The Way, West Coast extreme‑metal force Gravemass has announced a run of Western Canadian tour dates for summer 2026. The trek, appropriately titled “This Is The Way Tour 2026,” will see the band unleash their ferocious live assault across British Columbia and Alberta from July 31st to August 8th (dates listed below).
The tour follows the eruption of This Is The Way, a debut forged from decades of West Coast metal lineage. Featuring members of Zimmers Hole, Punch Drunk, 3 Inches of Blood, Revocation, Just Cause, West of Hell, Savannah, Process, Subversion, and The Golers, Gravemass is the convergence of long‑standing forces within Vancouver’s extreme‑music underground.
Guitarist Mayan Hate, who wrote the album’s music in an intense two‑month burst, describes the project as a natural evolution among lifelong friends.
“We’re all West Coast metal heads who’ve known each other for decades. I wrote the music between breaks in other projects and showed it to Lorde Heathen. He immediately wanted in. From there, we recruited the rest of the band, guys we’ve all known forever.”
Vocalist Lorde Heathen also adds;
“Brutal, angry, fast, dark, and evil, this album delivers exactly that: an unrelenting barrage of sinister riffing, death‑metal vocal ferocity, and rhythmic devastation. It draws from the chaos of the modern world. All the lyrics come from the shit‑hole world order that exists right now.”
Track Listing: 1. Slaves To Pain – 2:38 2. This Is The Way – 3:45 3. Horned King – 2:54 4. Harvest of Souls – 2:53 5. Spitting Hell – 2:07 6. Black Bell – 2:50 7. Fallen – 3:27 8. Gravemass – 3:51 9. Abandon – 2:01 10. Poison Temple – 3:11 Album Length: 29:41
While This Is The Way was written by Mayan Hate with lyrics by Lorde Heathen, the band confirms that album two is already underway and will be a fully collaborative effort.
Gravemass will also appear at Loud As Hell Open Air Festival 2026, joining a stacked lineup featuring Fallujah, Allegaeon, Summoning the Lich, Crimson Shadows, Edge of Paradise, and more. Festival info is available at: https://www.loudashell.ca.
Known for channeling the ferocity of their influences, Slayer, Venom, Morbid Angel, Watain, and Napalm Death, Gravemass promises a live show that is nothing short of a full‑scale assault.
“The live show is where we bring it all together. We want to bring this experience to the masses,” says Lorde Heathen.
With This Is The Way unleashed March 6, 2026, via End Game Records Inc., Gravemass now turns its focus to the stage, marking the beginning of a new chapter in West Coast extreme metal. More music, more brutality, and a deeper collaborative evolution lie ahead.
Gravemass – Western Canada – This Is The Way Tour 2026: July 31 – Bridgeview Theater – Kamloops, BC Aug 1 – Loud As Hell Open Air Festival – Drumheller, AB Aug 3 – Temple – Edmonton, AB Aug 4 – The Owl – Lethbridge, AB Aug 5 – The Royal – Nelson, BC Aug 6 – The Globe – Nanaimo, BC Aug 7 – The Lucky Bar – Victoria, BC Aug 8 – Green Auto – Vancouver, BC
We liked “Wants For Everyone” and “Fool In Your Room” — the first two singles from Slippers’ upcoming debut album Slippers 08 — both so much that they each made our lists of the Best Songs Of The Week. Today Madeline Babuka Black is sharing the album’s final single “Wasted Tonight,” a sweet and fuzzy…
