Symphony for the devil

Works by Dobrinka Tabakova, Shirley J Thompson et al Black Oak Ensemble Cédille CDR90000237 69:59 mins Black Oak Ensemble is a string trio on a mission. The ensemble is hungry to expand the repertoire

The genre-agnostic mastermind behind Zeal & Ardor gives us a tour of his quirky record collection

With their 2022 debut album, Cardinal Black showed the world how the budding guitar hero in their ranks could thrive in a band environment. Here, Chris Buck explains how its follow-up has taken his playing and songwriting to the next level

As Wacken fast approaches, we find out how a small gathering in Germany evolved into one of the world’s biggest metal fests

Jonas Renkse is forging new landscapes in Katatonia ’s gloom-laden prog metal world. Following the departure of founding guitarist Anders Nyström, a new-look line-up has released Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State . The vocalist and songwriter reveals the vivid dream that inspired the album and his plans for the new incarnation of the band.

shouting forever into the receiver Anne Denholm (harp), Louise McMonagle (cello), Jonathan Morton (violin) et al NMC NMC D285 61:56 mins Tackling social themes and reckoning with history is part of wh