Nestled in the gritty labyrinth of Cape Town’s underground metal scene, P+A+G+E+S have been forging an auditory maelstrom since 2019 and it’s finally been let loose. This formidable trio of musicians—Caitlin Mkhasibe on drums, Frank Lunar on Bass, and helo samo on guitar and vocals—has morphed into a force of brooding doom, viscous sludge, hypnotic drone, and expansive post-metal. Echoing the seismic gravity and misty veils of global mammoths like Neurosis and Isis, as well as the jagged, clamour-drenched ferocity of local luminaries like Wildernessking and Constellatia, their evolution pulses with a distinctly South African edge. No More Can Be Done, unleashed on October 25, 2025, cements their status as enigmatic trailblazers in the subterranean realm.
Simon Ratcliffe at Sound & Motion Studios produced a profound record that is both meditative and disturbing; confronting themes of “environmental collapse, systemic oppression, and perseverance in a decaying world.” Written between 2019 and 2024, the album was influenced by the pandemic period and “distils overwhelming global anxieties into stark mantras, spectral vocals, and crushing, dissonant riff work.” It was also tracked live in a single room, preserving raw intensity and an authentic presence. The artwork by helo samo depicts the life cycle of a dandelion, symbolising resilience in ruin.
Spanning over a period of around 40 minutes, listeners are plunged into a vortex of anguish and unyielding resolve. Emerging from the darkness, The Passage erupts in chaos and madness, coalescing into a slow and heavy pool of primal pain and despair. Hard and heavy, this beast moves through sonic landscapes, monstrous and seemingly unstoppable for millennia. Eventually it fades into memory, deep within the recesses of the mind; as if entering a state of slumber after satiating its immense hunger, leaving mountains levelled and oceans torn asunder. We enter a dreamlike realm of rest and reprieve known as Ascension, only to be rattled and reawakened by ceremonial drums, thunderous bass, and relentless riffage known as Shine On.
The final frontier of the forlorn to face is Moribund; my personal favourite track on the album. Starting sinister and mysterious with a riff reminiscent of dwelling in dark forests unfamiliar. The bass is bulbous and beguiling, the percussion penetrating to the deepest scenes of the soul; with snarls and whispers washing weary wanderers towards what one would wish is where pounding hearts are placed to pause in peace.
Mark your calendars for their album release gig at The Masque Theatre on February 7, 2026 for a soul-stirring scene in Cape Town’s cozy confines. By this work that P+A+G+E+S has wrought, it affirms that amid cataclysm, heavy music endures as a fierce beacon of defiance.
Dwell in Darkness. Live in Light.
-Lunis Voidbright
Purchase here → https://pagesdoom.bandcamp.com/album/no-more-can-be-done
Watch video here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNumDOT_KZc
Buy tickets here → https://www.quicket.co.za/events/351998-pages-no-more-can-be-done-album-release-show/#/