“Anyone already familiar with the most popular, debatably metal bands of the 80s (Def Leppard, Whitesnake) will understand what’s going on with Lionheart. Big power chords in the verses, big vocals in the choruses, crunchy but accessible riffs, and an overly of keyboards that sometimes take the form of a piano and sometimes something synthier. Dragonfly largely makes for an upbeat, easy-going sort of listen.” Lions and bugs and Brits, oh my!
El Cuervo
The Moor – Ombra Review
“Those who know me know that Opeth is one of my favorite bands. Those who know me well know that Still Life is my favorite Opeth record. Those who know me extremely well know that “The Moor” was the first Opeth track I heard. The prospect of anything remotely resembling their golden period of music from 1999 until 2005 is very exciting to me. It was on this basis that I chose to review Ombra by Italy’s The Moor, especially in light of the “progressive metal” tag on its one sheet.” Is less Moor?
Isenordal – Requiem for Eirênê Review
“There’s one music quality I treasure above all else: dynamism. Without conscious thought I find myself drifting towards music in the promo pool promising varied or creative music. In the case of Washington’s Isenordal, the one sheet for their third full-length release, entitled Requiem for Eirênê, described music fusing funeral doom, black metal and neofolk. Few albums pledge such dynamism so I was eager to hear their take on this blend, and discover whether it would be as exciting as the description.” Dynamism or death.
The EP, Split and Single Post Part 2 [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
Part 2 of the The EP, Split and Single You Might Have Missed is upon you. How much did you really miss out on during 2023?
Aureole – Alunarian Bellmaster Review
“What unifies the uniquely melodic take on funeral doom heard in Drown and the cavernous death metal of Tchornobog? The answer is Ukraine’s Markov Soroka, the multi-instrumentalist behind both projects, and also a third considered today: Aureole. Alunarian Bellmaster represents his third record under this title, but the first in 8 years.” Bells in a warzone.
Savaged – Night Stealer Review
“Sometimes a band offers exactly what you want. One glance at Night Stealer by Savaged gave me all I needed to choose it from the promo dump. A roaring space panther scratching a moon in front of an exploding planet? This is exactly the volume-upping, beer-downing, old man-moshing palate cleanser that I needed after a black metal review. Though Spain may not be known for such loutish behavior, Savaged are keen to stake a place for it at heavy/speed metal’s dinner table.” Wild days, Savaged nights.
The EP, Split and Single Post Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
Did you miss any quality EPs, splits, or singles in 2023? Of course you did!
Vemod – The Deepening Review
“The sophomore album can be a make-or-break moment. Does a band double-down on what made their first release remarkable, or dilute its impact and fade into obscurity? The Deepening by Vemod is such a record, although comes so long after the debut that the band might as well be new again. 12 years is a long gap and a long time in which a band may reinvent itself. The Deepening finds these Norwegians deepening their own lore through a new take on their original black metal – but has the gap afforded their new sound quality too?” Deep or sunken?
One List to Debase Them All: AngryMetal Guy.com’s Aggregated Top 20 of 2023
Listurnalia 23 comes to its close as a particularly perplexed and disconcerted El Señor Cuervo counts everything up and makes a list of the albums which garnered the Angry Metal Groupthink™ seal of approval. Needless to say, this year has portended some disturbing developments.
El Cuervo’s and GardensTale’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
The days grow short and Listurnalia grows ever more refined and thoughful. Or so you would like. See what El Cuervo and GardensTale do to the curve.