Jun
23
2011
Steel Druhm
Draconian // A Rose for the Apocalypse
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Apocalypse WOW!
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: www.draconian.se | myspace.com/draconianmusic
Release Dates: EU: 2011.06.21 | US: 06.22.2011
It’s Angry Metal Confession time kiddies. Steel Druhm has many things he should confess but for now, lets focus on aspects of the metal scene I’ve grown weary of. First up has to be symphonic black metal. Its been done, overdone, redone and ultimately, undone. Another very overused gimmick is beauty and the beast vocals (death metal vox paired with soaring, usually operatic, female vocals). Since Theatre of Tragedy came out with Velvet Darkness They Fear, every gothic metal band under the moon tried their hand at the style and while it can be amazing, it’s been overblown in a major way. Because of the staleness in this approach, only the very best practitioners leave any impression on me. Draconian is one such expert unit and while I liked their early material, I LOVED their 2008 release Turning Seasons Within. That opus managed to balance heavy doom with ethereal gothic sensibilties and they made the beauty and beast approach work magnificently. Now with A Rose for the Apocalypse, these Swedish glumsters have done it yet again and offer a top quality gothic-doom/death album brimming with emotion, intensity and dark atmosphere. Its good enough to make me rethink my position on the entire paradigm and its a real slobberknocker of a metal album. Continue reading
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23 comments | tags: 2011, 4.5, A Rose for the Apokalypse, Ashen, Autumn, Brave Murder Day, Death Metal, Demiurg, Doom Metal, Draconian, Katatonia, Napalm Records, Paradise Lost, Rapture, Review, Reviews, Shadowgarden, Swedish Metal, The Gathering, Theatre of Tragedy, Turning Seasons Within | posted in 2011, 4.5, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal
Jul
21
2010
Angry Metal Guy
Demiurg // Slakthus Gamleby
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Fanfuckingtastic
Label: Cyclone Empire
Websites: myspace.com/demiurgofficial
Release Dates: July 30th, 2010
When I was doing my interview with Ed Warby last November, I reached the end of the review and he mentioned that I hadn’t asked about Demiurg. Embarrassed, I admitted that I hadn’t heard Demiurg and was quickly informed as to its nature. To paraphrase Warby (who plays drums in this band, in case you didn’t know that) this is the “Rolls Royce” among vocalist Rogga Johansson’s bands and a real juggernaut of Swedish death metal. He hooked me up with a copy of The Hate Chamber, the band’s second record, and I was duly impressed. The band, made up of Rogga (Bone Gnawer, Paganizer, Ribspreader, The Grotesquery), Dan Swanö (maybe you’ve heard of him), Johan Berglund (This Haven, The Grotesquery) and Ed Warby (The 11th Hour, Gorefest, Hail of Bullets, and more), has come back in 2010 with a new take on their already well-developed and unique sound. Continue reading
Like this review or article? Hate advertisements? Buy me a beer to show your appreciation for it (and to keep me too drunk to sign the advertising contracts). $5 for a glass and $10.00 for a pitcher are my helpful suggestions.
4 comments | tags: 2010, 4.5, Autumn, Bloodbath, Bolt Thrower, Bone Gnawer, Cyclone Empire Records, Dan Swanö, Demiurg, Ed Warby, Edge of Sanity, Gorefest, Grave, Hail of Bullets, Johan Berglund, Marjan Welman, Paganizer, Record o' the Month, Review, Ribspreader, Rogga Johansson, Slakthus Gamleby, The 11th Hour, The Grotesquery, The Hate Chamber | posted in 2010, 4.5, Cyclone Empire, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Record o' the Month, Reviews, Swedish Metal
