“I’m a simple n00b. I like my meat rare, my Dr. Pepper with ice[1. Shoutout to adults who drink soda.], and my black metal raw. I don’t ask for much, just give me some chunky riffs and the vision to support them and you have my axe. What Minneapolis’ traditional doomers Kult Of The Wizard have done on their latest offering, Gold, is so much more and it’s made a simple n00b like myself all warm inside in a way that the usual holiday cheer of the season doesn’t normally bring about.” N00b appeal.
“After a hazy binge of balls-to-the-wall classic heavy metal, I was pleased to see the latest offering from St. Petersburg’s Epitimia land in my inbox. Allusion is my first exposure to the melancholic group and after browsing their past discography prior to spinning this latest outing, I was eager to hear where this next descent into the otherworldly realm of beautiful violence would take them.” Cold comforts.
“There is a fine line between cringe and cheese. The latter is a savory substance that has embalmed many a God of Metal throughout the ages, and while the former can be bewitching in some of its shapes, it’s all the same loathed by most of us. Cheese is a crucial ingredient to all metal that I love, and of late I find that my desire for that silky, golden mass has become more and more difficult to satiate. Just as my craving was reaching peak levels and I hurried to spin Manowar’s “Sons of Odin” for the 666th time, the rattle of the promo bin beg I pay heed.” Sing for your steel!
“There’s a secret art to writing a good song. It’s an art that cannot easily be taught and ultimately everyone must seek this riddle of steel alone. ‘Tis foretold that those who find it will come to wield great power. To ride as mighty warriors across the meadows of metal upon majestic steeds. Enter New York’s Hittman who have been honing their particular brand of US Power Metal since the early ’80s and it’s after years of testing their mettle on this fabled quest that they deliver unto us their latest offering: the strangely titled Destroy All Humans.” Out of witness protection.
“Spinning In The Shadows gives the listener the proper feel of the foundation laid down by bands like Satan and even hints at the high-energy go-for-broke attitude exhibited by the first two Iron Maiden LP’s. If that was enough, though, there would be no delineation of classic groups versus also-rans.” Re-storming the olde school.
“Bands who churn up a variety of styles within their sound present some challenges to music consumers and the journalists who cover them. On the one hand they provide a host of talking points in a single review, while on the other they make it difficult to categorize and pigeonhole. And there is nothing wrong with that, per se. One glance at where heavy metal music has drifted from its 1970s roots is all it takes to affirm that these mash-ups of styles can and often do enrich the genre.” Genre pile-up ahead.
“Black metal is a branch of the heavy metal tree that once, a long time ago, traded on fear and a reputation for violence and chaos. Nowadays, the genre does not inspire nearly the same degree of terror it once did. Somewhere between corpse-painted cat memes, dalliances with commercial success, and the general overreach of the internet, the teeth of those early days have been filed down quite a bit; another form of dark expression saturated by the direct sunlight of too much attention. Enter Domgård, a band formed in Göteborg, Sweden back in 1997 by Jonas Almén, aka Vindkall.”
“A ferocious frenzy. An icy calm. Both are phrases describing points in Deus Mortem’s new album Kosmocide. Due to the seemingly contradictory nature of these two descriptions, one might be skeptical that such dissonant moods could commingle on the same record without creating an inconsistent sound. On their new opus, Deus Mortem do in fact commingle them and still manage to produce a record fans of classic era black metal acts from the 80s and 90s will salivate over.” Ceremony of opposites.
“Slayer’s first few albums were bloody good weren’t they? I know it, you know it, and Californian death thrashers Laceration know it too. It’s all here, that slightly grating scooped-mids guitar tone, heaping helpings of shredding riffs, throat-ripping vocals. Not only that but these guys also enjoy quite a bit of early Metallica and Sepultura too, and chances are that if you’re a fan of any of that stuff, there will be something for you to enjoy on Remnants. Friendly violent fun.
“January has been… slow for quality metal releases. Can Hecate Enthroned buck the trend and save us all? Embrace of the Godless Aeon is the sixth album from these Brits as they push past the twentieth year in their recording career. Coming off a five year release gap and sporting a new vocalist, is there any hellfire left in their demonic well of blackened death metal?” Embrace the orchestration.
