Grand Magus

Contrite Metal Guy – Mistakes Were Made

By Carcharodon on July 19, 2021 in Blog Posts, Contrite Metal Guy, 37 comments

“The life of the unpaid, overworked metal reviewer is not an easy one. Cascading promos, unreasonable deadlines, draconian editors and the unwashed metal mobs – it makes for a swirling maelstrom of music and madness. In all that tumult, errors are bound to happen and sometimes our initial impression of an album may not be completely accurate. With time and distance comes wisdom, and so we’ve decided to pull back the confessional curtain and reveal our biggest blunders, missteps, oversights and ratings face-plants. Consider this our sincere AMGea culpa. Redemption is retroactive, forgiveness is mandatory.” Shame is the mindfiller.

The Quill – Earthrise Review

By GardensTale on April 4, 2021 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 22 comments

“Man, what a milestone for The Quill. Not a lot of bands, even many of legendary status, survive long enough to see the release of their 10th album, but here we are. Not that I can say I’ve been following the band since its inception. For one, I wasn’t born yet in 1986. For two, my first brush with the band was their last release, Born From Fire, which I reviewed all the way back in 2017. At the time, I much enjoyed their style of straightforward proto-metal, but more than an hour of this style is a lot for any band, especially when a portion of it is spent on subpar material. Have the Swedes hired an editor this iteration, or are we going into overtime once more?” Dad patrol.

Wytch Hazel – Wytch Hazel III: Pentecost Review

By Steel Druhm on October 30, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 103 comments

“Steel prophecies are to be heeded! Back in the Year of Our Lord 2018 I covered the sophomore release by U.K. retro rockers Wytch Hazel and verily did I proclaim that II: Sojourn sounded like the album that drops right before a band uncorks their truly killer magnum opus. Well kiddies, that .44 magnum is here with Wytch Hazel III: Pentecost.” The third judgment.

Spirit Adrift – Enlightened in Eternity Review

By Grymm on October 12, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 127 comments

“Look up “prolific” in the dictionary, and there’s a good chance you’ll see Nate Garrett’s name somewhere in there. Besides spending time in doom/death merchants Gatecreeper, Garrett’s also tirelessly spent energy and time with his main project, Spirit Adrift, having released three acclaimed albums in the span of four years. However, with 2020 being the year that it is, Garrett felt the need to do some massive soul-searching, choosing to focus on the more positive aspects in ourselves, and decided a massive upheaval was necessary in order to survive, let alone succeed. In doing so, he’s stepped down from the ‘creeper and put all of his energy back into his main gig. With renewed focus and a change of attitude, Enlightened in Eternity, the fourth album in five years, is upon us.” Enlighten the dark.

Capilla Ardiente – The Siege [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By Holdeneye on December 16, 2019 in 2019, Chilean Metal, Doom Metal, High Roller Records, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Doom Metal, 55 comments

“Keep your stoner doom and your funeral doom, and give me Solitude Aeturnus, While Heaven Wept, and Crypt Sermon’s debut any day. 2019 saw the masters themselves release an album with mixed results, and while I enjoyed much of this year’s Crypt Sermon and found Atlantean Kodex and Fvneral Fvkk to be powerful platters of doom, Isole’s latest came closest to giving me that classic hopeless lovin’ feeling. But nothing could quite fill that cross-impaled ~~horny~~ horned skull shaped hole in my heart. Until I heard Capilla Ardiente’s The Siege, that is.” Doom is its own reward.

Earth Messiah – Ouroboros Review

By Carcharodon on March 31, 2019 in 2019, Argonauta Records, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Swedish Metal, Stoner Metal, 38 comments

“Gothenburg three-piece Earth Messiah are also going old school with their full-length debut Ouroboros. The Swedes’ downtuned, heavy stoner-rock sound is ripped straight out of the late 1990s and follows on from a solid two-track demo, Nocturnal Thoughtgrinder, which they put out in January 2018. A full cycle of the seasons (and a record deal with Argonauta Records) later, are Earth Messiah reborn or stuck living in the past?” Stones and time.

Iron Fire – Beyond the Void Review

By GardensTale on March 7, 2019 in 2019, Crime Records, Danish Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal, 129 comments

“Iron Fire have been hitting the pavement for a long time with dogged persistence. Despite a three-year hiatus, they’ve knocked out their ninth album this year since their 2000 debut, which is a staggering pace of release to keep up for so long. Yet their most recent work, Among the Dead, was not up to snuff with their preceding release, according to our own Jean-Luc Ricard. With Ricard in absentia, it falls to me to judge whether Beyond the Void fares better than its immediate predecessor.” Dull and void.

Pale Divine – Pale Divine Review

By Steel Druhm on November 20, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Shadow Kingdom Records, Doom Metal, 51 comments

“I’m a fan of most things slow and heavy, but gritty, bluesy biker doom is especially my jam. Perhaps that’s the byproduct of a misspent youth hanging out with an older brother who was an outlaw biker and frequently on the wrong side of law. Maybe it comes from too much time in sketchy bars where you were as likely to get punched as catch a good buzz. Wherever the affection comes from, it’s part of my DNA. Pennsylvania’s three-piece doom crew Pale Divine share my appreciation for this roughneck sub-genre, crafting burly doom rock in the image of peak Corrosion of Conformity, The Obsessed and Wino-era Saint Vitus.” Bad hombres.

Visigoth – Conqueror’s Oath Review

By Steel Druhm on February 5, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, 64 comments

“Hammers, axes and swords glint in the flickering torchlight as the tumultuous cacophony of an army on the march fills the night air. Women weep, clutching their children as they flee to forests deep, praying to the heavens for mercy. On this glorious night Visigoth has returned to reclaim the Immortal Throne, and the blood of the untrve will soon stain rock, stone and leaf. We’ve awaited this uprising since 2015 when their righteous debut scorched the land and revitalized the trve heavy metal genre, and 2018 finally sees the second crusade underway with Conqueror’s Oath.” Nuts and Hun-y.

Grand Magus – Sword Songs Review

By Steel Druhm on May 5, 2016 in 2016, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, 38 comments

“When you see an album adorned with a mighty eagle bearing a sword as drawn by a Venice Beach tattoo artist, you know you’re messin’ with one epic son of a bitch. Though they started life as a traditional doom act, over time Grand Magus transitioned into a kind of trve, Manowar-inspired unit, with said transition most obvious on 2014’s Triumph and Power.” Sword breaker, bird shaker, I’ve been told about you!