Record(s) o’ the Month – February 2013

So as everyone from the southern hemisphere has apparently noticed, a record of the month for February has not actually be chosen. This is, honestly, because the month really didn’t shine like one would hope it would have. Not to say that none of the records were good or even very good – they were! — but while others at the blog were fairly enthusiastic about certain releases, none of them really reached the heights that I think they should have to be awarded with the Record o’ the Month with ease. Still, a tradition is a tradition, and Angry Metal Readers have been pestering me non-stop about it. So, here it is.

The Record o’ the Month of February, 2013 is Cnoc An Tursa The Giants of Auld. While some have smeared this record, accusing the band of sounding like a band of unworthy Swiss galavantars (who shall go unnamed here out of my disdain for them), I prefer to think of them as free-thinking Scottish nationalists who finally have taken up kilts and decided to declare their independence from God and Queen. I’ll take that over any group of faux-Germans pretending to be from Scotland and just ripping off Dark Tranquillity riffs. Anyway, beyond defending Cnoc An Tursa’s honor against needless smears, this is just a damned fine melodic black metal record. It is recommended that you check it out. Boom. Passive form. How do you like them apples, bitches?

Cnoc An tursa

Runners Up:

Audrey Horne - YoungbloodAudrey Horne // YoungbloodAccording to the honorable (and venerable) Steel Druhm, Audrey Horne’s latest release grew on him and he’s since continued to come back to it. I, too, like the old school, playful feel that these Norwegians break out on this rowdy romp of rock n’ roll rebelliousness and return to it regularly. Sure, it’s old school – and therefore by its very nature dated – but it’s hard to argue with such righteous songs. Pop this one in on a Friday night at a party and you will be guaranteed a good time. Even if the vocalist does remind me of the band Atomic Boy.

Steven Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories)Steven Wilson // The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) — Both Alex and I agree that Steven Wilson really hit a homerun with his new record The Raven that Refused to Sing (and its Overlong Title). The prog is good, and while it’s not pushing the boundaries of what we understand prog to be (a hard thing to do if you think about it since it’s prog… oh god, my head hurts), but it’s still a motherfucking rad record with a lot of really cool stuff on it. Seriously, buy it on vinyl, play it through your nice system and enjoy it.

The Fall of Every SeasonThe Fall of Every Season // Amends — Alright, this record definitely belongs on this list and I should have put it here. For fans of proggy doom, this record really hit the sweet spot. It was like a sweet mixture of old Katatonia and Opeth with seriously immense growls. The songs are long, but depending on who you are that probably works well for you and the tracks are melodic as shit. The big problem is that it’s so over mastered that you can’t listen to it in any speakers that don’t suck. So, put your cans away and pull out your ‘ear buds,’ otherwise you’ll get too much crackling.

Omnium Gatherum - BeyondOmnium Gatherum // BeyondIt has been brought to my attention that I am the only person who thought that Omnium Gatherum’s new record was meh. Everyone else around here thinks that it was a really great record and that while it wasn’t quite living up to the fresh and enrapturing New World Shadows, it was still a damned fine record. While they’re wrong, they do highly recommend this record and suggest that you go out and check it out. I think you should buy the new Mors Principium Est instead. But that’s just me, I guess.

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