Record(s) o’ the Month – August 2015

Here at Angry Metal Guy we try to keep you on your toes. One of the ways that we do that is by randomly publishing the Record(s) o’ the Month whenever we want to. It’s a great way to really cause problems for those who set their schedules by it, tell jokes about how late it is, or generally reference it in any way that isn’t reading it when it has the good grace of being published. This is all done with the sure intentionality of a surely intentional person who is not unreliable, but instead totally reliable and is absolutely 100% in control of when the Record(s) o’ the Month get posted. Under no circumstances should other conclusions be drawn; if such conclusions are drawn, you would be foolish to have drawn such conclusions and I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you

Myrkur - M

Myrkur’s magnificent M has me all atwitter, and despite stupid debates about trueness and metal cred and all the rampant bullshit that having a (*gasp*) woman who also makes (*gasp*) indie rock making black metal stirs up, we here at Angry Metal Guy give absolutely zero fucks. M is a great record, which shows off its mastermind’s vision; beautiful and terrible to behold. With its own unique voice, M captures the feeling of the second wave of black metal without ever being derivative and, as L. Saunders wrote, “the album’s glistening melodies, addictive hooks and gloomy melancholy make deep impressions that are not easily shaken.” That feels like an understatement to me. Obviously, Mr. Saunders desperately requires lessons in hyperbole!

Runner(s) up:

Cattle Decapitation - the Anthropocene Extinction 01Cattle Decapitation // The Anthropocene Extinction: During the month of August our dear little Kronos handed out 4.5’s like Donald Trump gave out other people’s phone numbers: with a gusto and bravado that would be admirable if it didn’t reflect so badly on the rest of us. He slathered Cattle Decapitation’s latest with high praise, calling it “an incredibly compelling listening experience and the most quotable extreme metal album in recent memory,” before threatening everyone who doesn’t buy it with Left Wing Extremist Violence: “If you don’t buy this album, myself, Smokey the Bear, and Captain Planet will show up at your house with some choice words. And claws.” It was documented here and will appear in the court documents later.

Blue Öyster Cult - Plus SatanismBlue Öyster Cult // Plus Satanism: August saw the release of not one, but two records that follow this beautiful formula to the Unholy Land, producing records that get Steel Druhm worked into a righteous lather. Year of the Goat’s epic The Unspeakable was hailed as “one of the bigger surprises this year,” which was “good enough to send me preaching their merits to the notoriously hostile, jaded and maladroit AMG staff.” This was followed up by fellow Swedes (though, from the other ___köping) Ghost’s most excellent of third releases. Meloria means “better” in Latin, and the band is right about that. Meloria sports some of the poppiest satanic rock this world has ever known, and yet isn’t so simple that one doesn’t want to come back and spin it again. Say what you want about the hype, Ghost’s songwriting and approach are slick, gripping, and entertaining as hell. Between these two platters, I think the market has been cornered.

P.S.:

You totally annihilated our monthly view count for August. As a reward, I’ll let you in on a little secret. The word of the month was “throbbing.” Thank you so much for your continued readership and for helping us throb our way to the top of the metal blogosphere.

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