Artificial Brain

Afterbirth – In But Not Of Review

By Ferox on October 18, 2023 in Reviews, 110 comments

“It took Afterbirth more than two decades to launch their first deep space probe with 2017’s The Time Traveler’s Dilemma. The Long Island gurglers were worth the wait, as that album and 2020’s ingenious Four Dimensional Flesh sketched out the band’s vision of prog-enhanced brutal death metal. Kronos deemed Four Dimensional Flesh “one of the most charismatic and original death metal albums you’ll ever hear,” and in the wake of that triumph a new Afterbirth slab qualifies as a full-fledged Event.” Strong Islands birth strong sounds.

Wormhole – Almost Human Review

By Kenstrosity on September 20, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Slam, Technical Death Metal, 135 comments

“WOOOOOORRRRRMMMMMHHHOOOOOLLLLLEEE!!! Indeed, my friends, the time has come for another installment of worm-y, hole-y goodness and in 2023, the Baltimore-based brutal tech-slam battalion is bigger and badder than ever. Armed with a new bassist (Basil Chiasson) and vocalist (Julian Kersey), the Kumar brothers’ Metroid and Doom inspired, sci-fi extreme metal project prepares a third advance of quality tunes entitled Almost Human.” The WHOLE Worm.

Blindfolded and Led to the Woods – Rejecting Obliteration Review

By Dear Hollow on May 27, 2023 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 31 comments

“Blindfolded and Led to the Woods is a quartet from Christchurch, New Zealand, having gone through a rebirth with 2021’s excellent Nightmare Withdrawals. Previously a humor-based deathcore band, the act saw new beginnings with their third full-length, embracing a caustic blend of dissonant, technical, and progressive death metal with a much more surreal and punishing palette promising avant-garde realms and scenic vistas alike.” Out to the woodshed.

Asystole – Siren to Blight Review

By Thus Spoke on April 5, 2023 in Reviews, 61 comments

“New York certainly produces some tasty, technical, twisted music. Home to glittering Artificial Brain, soundscape-warping Pyrrhon, and jazzy Imperial Triumphant, among others. Asystole follow in the footsteps of this pedigree in both origin and sound with hyper-dissonant death metal that grabs some of the harsher elements of black metal and grind along the way.” Taste the Pig Apple.

Anachronism – Meanders Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on January 27, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, 83 comments

“The word ‘meanders’ itself describes more than just the state of lesser dissonance heavy or atmospheric acts who clash songs out of existence with contrapuntal Tetris. Rather, Anachronism with their latest leans on the artistic concept of the meanders as they might appear in a mosaic, ornamental patterns of winding or interlocking lines.” Musical blocks in sonic temples.

Doom_et_Al’s and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2022

By Dr. A.N. Grier on December 27, 2022 in Blog Posts, Lists, 115 comments

Doom_et_Al and Dear Hollow spice up the season with their Top Ten(ish) of 2022. Come for the selections, stay to harass them over same.

Woods of Desolation – The Falling Tide Review

By Ferox on December 5, 2022 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Post-Metal, 34 comments

“Australia’s Woods of Desolation makes metal to metaphor by. The band’s evocative style of blackgaze, preoccupied with the natural world and the passage of time, provokes strong reactions from their small but passionate cadre of fans. The Falling Tide is WoD’s first album since 2014’s As the Stars. That one dropped during what can be called Peak Blackgaze, when outfits like Alcest and especially Deafheaven briefly captivated mainstream audiences and divided the backpatch set with their twinkling takes on metal’s trvest subgenre.” All star gazers.

Devenial Verdict – Ash Blind Review

By Thus Spoke on October 28, 2022 in Reviews, 29 comments

“Atmospheric and dissonant death metal was my gateway into death more broadly. I missed entirely the blood-and-guts-strewn pathway of Cannibal Corpse, and instead fell head-over-heels for Ulcerate. If I’d come across Finland’s Devenial Verdict in my younger years, I might have passed over them, for their former output has been primarily in the brutal death metal vein. Although they’ve been lurking around since 2009, Ash Blind is their first full-length, representing thirteen years of evolution. A transformation from bludgeoning brutality into darkly melodic, eerily atmospheric dissonance that hasn’t forgotten how to be horrically heavy.” Death in development.

Warforged – The Grove | Sundial Review

By Kenstrosity on September 7, 2022 in Reviews, Deathcore, Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal, 64 comments

“It took an unprecedented length of time for me to appreciate Warforged’s debut I: Voice back in 2019. In fact, I was so moved by the record once it finally clicked that I awarded it an enthusiastic 1.5-point upgrade. Naturally, that puts a lot of pressure on the follow-up, entitled The Grove | Sundial. Upon learning that Adrian Perez—who was in charge of lead vocals, keyboards, sampling, piano, and lyrics on I: Voice—separated from the project, I balked.” Forging a new weapon.

Reeking Aura – Blood and Bonemeal Review

By Maddog on August 2, 2022 in Reviews, Death Doom, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 23 comments

As a hippie vegan with a houseplant obsession, I know all too much about blood and bone meal. If you’ve ever bought organic fertilizer, it likely contained these horrifying but nutrient-rich byproducts of slaughterhouses. While much less objectionable, Reeking Aura’s debut Blood and Bonemeal is no less vile than its namesake. Boasting band members from Grey Skies Fallen, Artificial Brain, and Buckshot Facelift, Blood and Bonemeal harks back to the halcyon days of Autopsy and Asphyx, dishing out grimy death metal riffs across the tempo spectrum.” What’s that smell?