Style: progressive metal, black metal, sludge metal, post-metal (Mixed Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Iron Maiden, Neurosis
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 2 October 2026

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I’m no stranger to metal’s DIY scene. The small basement venues, bathed in fairy lighting with a permanent linger of cigarette smoke, hold a space for aspiring creatives to share their art in an accepting space. The sleepless nights I endured listening to my brother’s grindcore band rehearse were made worth it when I saw the adrenaline and excitement ooze from him on stage. Many bands that sell out stadiums today wove the DIY ethos into their identity when they first began, proving that hard work can garner success should one be consistent¹. While there’s a mixed bag of quality and hard work within the DIY space, it’s clear that passion is what brings people together to showcase the creativity they hold within themselves. 

Next up on the bill is Pterosaur, a musical duo from the UK who, unfortunately, aren’t paleontologists and are instead looking to add some edge to the small yet mighty DIY stage. Their debut EP Webs We Weave combines sludge, blackened prog metal, and some thrash elements, with all parts played and recorded by members Dylan Dodds and Matt Smith. With a blend of ideas from different sections of the metal umbrella, Pterosaur hope to add some standout energy in their local presence and gain some footing in the performing world. 

Webs We Weave opens with a drum-focused groove, establishing simple yet driving 4/4 rhythmic patterns that support galloping, distorted guitars as they transition into heavy riffing. Across the four-track EP, the distortion of the guitars lends itself to a ‘beginner’ metal band sound, with lots of fuzz that covers the quality of notes and riffs. While not an inherently bad quality to have, especially when executed in a live setting, it prevents the music from reaching harmony between all the instrumental parts, and tends to drown out the soundscape in indeterminate noise. Opener “Oh, the Webs We Weave” lives by the strong rhythmic grooves of the drums and doesn’t let up—the entire track consists of the same drum pattern and three-note guitar melody, with little variance aside from a serviceable drum solo partway through. The album does have flitting variety between the four tracks, yet each song tends to stick to a main riff or two: great for a fun mosh, but translates a bit monotonously on recording. 

Smith’s vocals fit the aggressive tone of Webs We Weave, adding a gruff, harsh textural layer over the rest of the soundscape’s warmer distortion; although, the cleans leave a bit to be desired. These harsher vocals are the standout of “Ember”. The track opens with a bit of a jump in complexity with the addition of spacey synths and a polyrhythmic drum break, except the drums end up stumbling  in the mix, coming across uneven when they eventually do settle into a groove. It’s unfortunate, as Pterosaur do a good job of playing in time because of the simpler songwriting. “Tendrils Flail (Had Enough?)” combines the building blocks of the tracks before it, blasting decently engaging riffing and melody, especially when transitioning into a synthy, atmospheric bridge before crashing back down into verse section with the essence of trash and a bit of dynamism from the guitars. 

Pterosaur brand their DIY identity and ethos within Webs We Weave. The simplicity of their angry riffs and the few moments of shakiness convey a sound of a duo who, while passionate about music, are still finding their footing in the world of music. Recording and mixing music on one’s own comes with a steep learning curve, yet Pterosaur took the challenge head-on anyway, albeit with varying levels of success. While Webs We Weave is an EP that would inject some raw energy into an underground show, the transition to recording and streaming is rocky, making for a rougher debut that still needs some ironing to smooth out a handful of pretty big kinks. 

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Recommended Tracks: Beware the Cockerel, Tendrils Flail (Had Enough?)
You may also like: MAKE, Witch Ripper
Final verdict: 3/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Instagram

Label: Independent

Pterosaur is:
– Dylan Dodds (Drums, Backing Vocals)
– Matt Smith (Guitar, Vocals)

1.  Most formidable among them in the metal scene being Metallica, Iron Maiden, Dying Fetus, and the more modern Knocked Loose and Periphery; although, metal seems to have a higher average of DIY beginning bands than other genres, possibly due to the nature of the music. ↩︎