Acherontas

Shrine of Insanabilis – Vast Vortex Litanies Review

Shrine of Insanabilis – Vast Vortex Litanies Review

“This year, I learned that anonymity can only carry you so far in life. Ask Mr. Tobias Forge or either of the two proposed leaders from two of the bazillion Batushkas out there how that all panned out in the end, at least in terms of legal issues. And since their debut album, 2015’s impressive-if-repetitive Disciples of the Void, we’ve learned that Shrine of Insanabilis are German, and that their drummer, Serpenth, also played in Acherontas. Ah, well, so much for mystery.” He would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for you meddling kids.

Vuohi – Witchcraft Warfare Review

Vuohi – Witchcraft Warfare Review

“It’s 6:50 PM on a cold Saturday night. I’m tapping my foot impatiently, waiting for my lovely girlfriend — a few months my elder, and perhaps a bit slower moving, therefore — to come out from her room. ‘Come on, darling,’ I say, double-checking my tie in the mirror, ‘we’ll be late if we don’t leave soon.’ I hear the door open, and expect to be floored; she always looks so good in dresses, and this is a formal event. I turn around and do a triple-take — she’s wearing a strawberry onesie. I’m left confused as to what her intentions were, and I may perhaps never figure it out. May as well make the most of it, right? This ethos permeated my listening time with the Finnish band Vuohi’s debut full-length Witchcraft Warfare.” Kitchen sink-core.

Blaze of Perdition – Conscious Darkness Review

Blaze of Perdition – Conscious Darkness Review

Blaze of Perdition is a Polish band, and Poland is a largely Catholic country. Conscious Darkness, their follow-up to the solid Near Death Revelations, is a black metal record, which in the vast majority of cases entails irreligious or fervently anti-religious content. This is black metal fused with death metal, but not blackened death; the Polish, along with the Germans, are particularly good at this!” Poles of blackened fury.

Spectral Voice – Eroded Corridors of Unbeing Review

Spectral Voice – Eroded Corridors of Unbeing Review

“Any reviewer is more experienced with one subgenre than another, and that experience gives a more focused sense of what’s worth hearing and what’s not so compelling. This is why you’ll often see a weird or almost non-metal record get a good review and decent death metal platter an underwhelming one; something merely decent can sound far better without a wide-ranging experience, as what is the benchmark? That begs the question of why you’d have anyone write outside of their wheelhouse, and the answer is simple: because a review is one opinion and not the final word on a record.” Opinions, man….

The AMG Staff Picks the Top Ten Records o’ 2015: There’s No Accounting for Anything Anymore

The AMG Staff Picks the Top Ten Records o’ 2015: There’s No Accounting for Anything Anymore

“We’ve reached the end of 2015 and this year I’m personally editing these Top Ten lists. For the first time (ever) I am reading the production of the different writers we’ve assembled over the last few years. I am shocked. I am dismayed. I feel angry, offended, galled. But I am not surprised. Under Steel Druhm and Madam X‘s indulgent care and averted gaze the young Angry Metal Staffers have run amok. Alas, after having actually consumed of the words these gentlemen produce, I’m firing them all. It’s back to the drawing board: me, Steel Druhm, and as much metalcore as you can eat!”

Blaze of Perdition – Near Death Revelations Review

Blaze of Perdition – Near Death Revelations Review

“Metal addresses death regularly, running the gamut from cartoonish violence to sobering reflection, but ultimately we do our best to avoid reflecting on the most pressing death in our lives: our own. The fragility of life and our ever-present drift toward death is sometimes thrust into one’s immediate vision, forcing them to confront the terrifying final frontier for every human being. Such was the case for Polish black metal band Blaze of Perdition, who were involved in a terrible road accident in 2013 which tragically took the life of bassist Ikaroz and left vocalist S. and drummer Vizun seriously injured, with the former temporarily in a coma. Near Death Revelations, the band’s third studio album, sees men who witnessed the death of a friend and faced their own put this harrowing experience to music.” Music from the tunnel of light sounds pretty interesting.