Crust Punk

Doldrey – Celestial Deconstruction Review

Doldrey – Celestial Deconstruction Review

“Having just covered the latest iteration of classic Gothenburg melodeath with The Halo Effect, it only made sense to tackle the one millionth take on buzzy, fuzzy Entombedcore, this time by way of Singapore’s Doldrey. This unsung act dropped an EP in 2019 and 2022 sees the full-length debut hit the mean streets. Billing themselves as “Deathpunk,” their style is not far removed from crusty acts like Mammoth Grinder, but more firmly tethered to the early days of the Stockholm sound. This means the HM-2s are set to ‘Brutal Stun’ and the d-beats are available for bulk purchase.” Noisy punks, noisy punks…

Morrow – The Quiet Earth Review

Morrow – The Quiet Earth Review

“When you mention epic storytelling, your brain will zero in on the usual suspects: novels (The Lord of the Rings), movies (Star Wars), and video games (Mass Effect). Music normally doesn’t spring to mind unless you’re aware of the work of Alex CF. The former Fall of Efrafa vocalist crafted an epic tale of post-apocalyptic tribalism that has spanned not only eight releases so far, but across three separate bands: the sludgy futuristic Archivist, the overdriven doom of Anopheli, and today’s band, the downtrodden-yet-defiantly hopeful Morrow.” Unquiet epics.

Unru – Die Wiederkehr des Verdrängten Review

Unru – Die Wiederkehr des Verdrängten Review

“There’s something about abstractness in music that rides a fine line between tantalizing and off-putting. While anything tagged “avant-garde” is immediately greeted by a chorus of hissing and boos, there are ways to create effectively challenging tunes using relatively standard methods. Some metallic styles are born out of this aesthetic, as post-metal’s emphasis on landscapes or drone’s focus on overwhelming density spring to mind, but black metal has always maintained a bit more straightforward nostalgia in the unholy trinity: tremolo, blastbeats, and shrieks. Unru seeks to challenge such things.” Dare to be difficult.

Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards Review

Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards Review

“Are you a bastard? Have you ever wandered outside your house and, I don’t know, be grabbing a Monster Pipeline Punch and a corn dog or some shit and all the sudden it dawns on you: “I’m a bastard”? We get abused regularly over here at AMG HQ, with phrases such as “overrating bastards,” “everyone shut up,” and “no, Doom_et_Al, Deafheaven still sucks” being hurled this way and that like swarms of angry bees armed with mini-javelins: doesn’t kill or seriously injure, just hurts a little more each day. As such, Wolfbastard is the soundtrack of our workplace, because us overrating bastards are getting hammered regularly – both in the good and in the bad.” Hammer time.

Reaper – The Atonality of Flesh Review

Reaper – The Atonality of Flesh Review

“It was just over one year ago that I wrote about mysterious Swedish duo Reaper and their debut record Unholy Nordic Noise. A viciously irreverent mixture of first-wave black metal, speed metal, and crusty HM-2-laden punk, the record saw the band going boldly where many bands had gone before and successfully delivering a short and sweet platter of simple, yet satisfying blasphemy. The disgustingly croaked vocals combined with the musical style to give me the impression of Abbath taking a bath with Bathory’s Bathory, and the resulting sound was as cathartic as it was entertaining. Well, these guys seem to believe that more is more, so they wasted no time in following the debut up with The Atonality of Flesh.” Tone up that flesh for summer.

Miasmal Sabbath – Ominous Radiance Review

Miasmal Sabbath – Ominous Radiance Review

“Ah, long songs. They’re bitterly divisive and can (like most things in this genre) evoke strong emotions. Perhaps it’s because there are so many forms they can take. There’s early prog metal in the vein of Rush’s 2112, using shorter songs that make up an extended, conceptual track. There’s the Firelink approach, melding explosive passages with slower interludes, resulting in longer tracks that sustain interest through variety. There’s also the road taken by bands like Sleep, crafting dense, slower jams that create atmosphere while pummeling you with riff after smoky riff. So which road does death metal power trio Miasmal Sabbath take on their debut full-length Ominous Radiance?” Come, come, endure the Sabbath.

Henry Kane – Age of the Idiot Review

Henry Kane – Age of the Idiot Review

“It’s been nearly two months since I last wrote a review for a Jonny Pettersson project, so I’m long overdue for another one. I’m beginning to think that we should probably give Pettersson and fellow Swede Rogga Johansson a cool team name like ‘The Teeming Twins,’ ‘The Boys of Bounty,’ ‘The Copious Corps,’ or my favorite, ‘The Patriarchy of Profuseness.'” Snatch and jab.

Calligram – The Eye Is The First Circle Review

Calligram – The Eye Is The First Circle Review

“How can music communicate the feeling of dread? While all styles are able, metal’s inherent darkness fits like a glove. While it’s easy to provide aural bludgeoning or emphasize excess, the discipline of restraint takes time and effort. From the post-metal dirges of Neurosis, the avant-garde buildups of Eryn Non Dae., the spiraling doom of Swallowed, the blackened payoffs of Cultes des Ghoules, and the death metal environs of Desolate Shrine, it revels in darkness, plays with menace, but most notably, waits patiently.” Waiting in the darkness.

Ruinas – Ikonoklasta Review

Ruinas – Ikonoklasta Review

“The world today is a frustrating place. You try to go on vacation and miss your flight because some idiot got into a fender bender and caused a traffic jam. You try to go out to eat and can’t find anywhere to park. You try to take a shit and are forced to wipe your ass with an old washcloth because every store within 100 miles is sold out of toilet paper. In times like these, nothing helps more than a pure blast of raw aggression, an aural rampage that obliterates any and all sense of frustration from your mind. I find deathgrind works particularly well in this regard, especially albums like Death Toll 80K’s incendiary and rifftastic Harsh Realities. Seeing Ruinas listed under the deathgrind tag, I hoped this newfound Spanish group would offer just what I was looking for during a time in my life that’s been more frustrating than usual.” Ain’t no cure for the TP blues.