“Whether we missed it digging through the promo sump or it wasn’t deposited in there to begin with, the reflection commensurate with the end of a year makes us remember records that weren’t featured on the blog that nonetheless deserved to be. This little post is an effort of some of us here to put a dent, however tiny, in that issue.” Death gets a second chance.
“The band’s influences should be obvious from the cover — the logo screams Dismember, and the prevalence of blue reminds one of Left Hand Path. It’s a chillier blue though, which fits with the Swedish black metal once removed element of their sound, which seems to be culled from Sarcasm. Remains is from Mexico, which makes their sound uprooted from Sweden in a fundamental way — this is what makes them interesting. Put another way, this can’t be a pure Swe-death record because it’s a death metal record from Mexico.” Heavy on the chaos, please.
“While I can certainly appreciate awesome riffing, furious roaring, and bestial drumming, I’ve always felt like the approach just needs something… more. Melodeath, death-doom, and similar styles are what have resonated with me more strongly in the past, leaving “just” death metal largely off of my radar. A short while ago, I reviewed the latest from Mettadone, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the modern take on the style. Fast-forward to the present, and here I am again, giving death metal another chance in my life.” Death adds life.
“Barring pre-Hero Bölzer, I’ve never seen a band without a full-length generate as much passion as Sadistic Intent. The southern California death metal band formed in 1987 and have released little more than four EPs in their career, yet they’re still earning high slots at festivals and seem to be adored by a lot of people. It’s a testament to the quality of their music, I suppose, and I must admit their musty take on early Morbid Angel has tickled my fancy on more than one occasion. Yet their sporadic and limited output generates an obvious demand for more music in the style, and that’s where Infernal Conjuration come in.” Infernal overkill.
“During their halcyon years Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax loomed large over the thrash landscape, basking in success and spawning a fanbase so large it defied a horizon. But there existed a tier below the A and B-listers, bands like Allegiance, Heathen and Xentrix who eked out a modest existence built on solid albums supported by a coterie of eager followers. This is not a vein you’d expect a modern thrash band to mine for inspiration, yet that is exactly where Hellnite have chosen to strike their pickaxe with their debut album, Midnight Terrors.” Mine the medium.
“Sacrocurse’s 2014 debut Unholier Master holds a special place in my heart, but not for obvious reasons. If you’ll allow me to indulge in some selfish personal reflection. Unholier Master represented my first published piece here at Angry Metal Guy, so naturally, it has conjured up pleasant feelings of nostalgia as I prepare to sink my teeth into the band’s sophomore LP, Gnostic Holocaust.” And the AMG bathrooms have sparkled ever since.
![Acrania – Fearless [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/cover-768x768.jpg)
“Acrania is so fresh it makes Genghis Tron look like Bloodbath and so fun it makes Revocation look like the National Society of Accountants.” Accountants are nowhere near as much fun as lawyers.
“There are times where I suspect that this website exerts some sort of observer effect on the bands we review. AMG writers have had several interactions with musicians that likely influenced their output, and at least one band that seems to have reunited for no reason other than being in a 90’s Metal Weirdness column here. This brings me to international tech-death collective Serocs, whose album The Next was critiqued here a couple years ago.” Respect our authoritah!
I don’t know of many downfalls that could be described as majestic, nor had I previously crossed paths with these Mexican mercenaries, the brainchild of Jacobo Córdova from Zombiefication and various other underground bands. Perusing their background I discovered Majestic Downfall have been kicking round the traps for the best part of a decade, with …When Dead marking their fourth Long Player. Doom and death go together like ebony and ivory.
“Being that I had money and nothing else to do, I purchased the sophomore release [Katun] of Mexican blackened-death metallers Hacavitz.” Money and idle hands lead to poor musical choices. Always.
