Apr18

Corrective Measures: Angry Metal Guy’s Stack o’ Shame Edition

Corrective Measures: Angry Metal Guy’s Stack o’ Shame Edition

By Angry Metal Guy on July 6, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Blood Music, Death Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Italian Metal, Kscope, Melodic Death Metal, Napalm Records, Neo-Classical Metal, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Rock, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, chiptunes, 86 comments

“Like with video games or books, one’s “Stack o’ Shame” is the stuff one intends to do but has not been able to do for one reason or another. These reviews are all too late to write full 600-800 word reviews for. On the other hand, I am going to be way too busy this winter to be able to handle writing a bunch of TYMHM. So, I am invoking my right to rule through this (hopefully one-off) post that rounds up some stuff that I fully intended to review and didn’t. So by ways of an apology to both you, the readers, and the albums in my Stack o’ Shame, I bring you some angry, metal blurbs. Mea culpa.” Sometimes sorry is enough.

Nekrogoblikon – Welcome to Bonkers Review

Nekrogoblikon – Welcome to Bonkers Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 18, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Mystery Box, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 86 comments

“This band – best described to the uninitiated as an amalgamation of Finnish and American strains of melodic death metal with a side of Finntroll eccentricities – has, for all its goblin gimmickry, transcended its shtick as a damn good metal act, effortlessly tying catchy kinetic rhythms with sticky Euro-folk hooks into a reliably infectious concoction. Of course, the uninitiated wouldn’t know this by listening to Welcome to Bonkers.” Bears!

Ewig.Endlich. – Auf Grund Review

Ewig.Endlich. – Auf Grund Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 15, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Dedication Records, German Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, WOOAAARGH, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 36 comments

“I love last year’s Ghost Bath release. I say this not to stir up yet another round of fruitless discussion debating the validity of the band, but rather to place this review in context. As much of a fan as I am of traditional black metal, I’m by no means a purist, and I see value in the genre’s post-rock inspired incarnation as a means of borrowing and remixing traditional blackened tropes in an unexpectedly serene context. Ewig.Endlich. displays an acute understanding of how this formula works; their debut LP, Auf Grund, runs the gamut from melancholic post-rock to traditional black metal and does so with a respectable level of competence.” Competence is its own reward.

Traitor – Knee Deep in the Dead Review

Traitor – Knee Deep in the Dead Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on May 13, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Violent Creek Records, Thrash Metal, 74 comments

“When visiting unsavory bathroom stalls, one can often find an invitation to call a phone number for a good time written on the walls. This type of advertising never worked for me, but when I see an album cover drawn by Ed Repka adorned with a hilariously muscular Predator and an album title ripped straight from Doom, I’m confident that a good time awaits me. Stall vandals lack an understanding of a good niche market. Traitor’s latest record, Knee-Deep in the Dead, does not.” Traitor’s Great.

Depravity – Evil Upheaval Review

Depravity – Evil Upheaval Review

By Ferrous Beuller on May 11, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Transcending Obscurity, Death Metal, 86 comments

“Death metal, in all of its fevered furor, tests us with many of life’s most potent questions. Spanning such pleas as ‘why, David Vincent, why?’ to simply ‘why did Chuck never change his surname to Skulldiner?’ Whatever the line of inquiry, we can all agree that one question remains more pressing than all others combined. What happens when the Cannibal Corpse itself is cannibalized, its putrid properties mingled and made stock for only the most sadistic of stews? Such death-ception demands to be acknowledged and Australia’s very own Depravity have the answer — debut, Evil Upheaval.” Meat n’ greet.

Totalselfhatred – Solitude Review

Totalselfhatred – Solitude Review

By Treble Yell on May 7, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Osmose Productions, Post-metal, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 42 comments

“The Australian summer is defined by a great many things but none more so than the irresistible sanctuary of our sprawling beaches. Umber bodies glisten and preen, hot chips sting the air with vinegar and the roar of the surf is a siren that beckons with a deafening song. Those sun-dappled waves bear a deception, however, because beyond the surface of their undulating splendor belies the dark rips that drag people down into an airless oblivion. I kept thinking about this frightful dichotomy as I listened to Solitude by Finland’s Totalselfhatred, a musical cry for help bifurcated by aching beauty and self-destruction.” Fear and loathing at the beauty parlor.

Riot V – Armor of Light Review

Riot V – Armor of Light Review

By Steel Druhm on May 7, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 71 comments

“Riot (V) is one of America’s oldest, most enduring metal bands and the pride of New York City. From their launch way back in the late 1970s through countless lineup changes and setbacks, they’ve pushed forward with typical New Yorker stubbornness. In a way they’re the American Saxon, forever rocking onward though greater recognition and fame perpetually eludes them.” Is it time to Riot? Yes, yes it is.