I

SARMAT – Determined to Strike Review

By Thus Spoke on June 20, 2023 in Reviews, 45 comments

“They say you can never have too much of a good thing. But they’re wrong. Everything eventually becomes stale. As the age-old complaint/joke about technical death metal highlights, there is definitely such thing as too technical and complex. While it differs from person to person, everyone has a threshold beyond which music stops being enjoyable due to its dissonance, technicality, and complexity. With this preamble, I introduce New York progressive technical death metal group SARMAT, whose debut Determined to Strike is likely to approach if not leap beyond the threshold of many listeners.” Prog Depot.

At the Altar of the Horned God – Heart of Silence Review

By Thus Spoke on February 27, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 28 comments

“There’s a reason humans have worshipped nature throughout history. The natural world has an allure and a power that many can appreciate, whether or not they attribute divinity to it. At the Altar of the Horned God takes the more worshipful tone, conducting their second rite of reverence through deeply atmospheric, folk-tinged, experimental black metal.” Horns up.

Vengeur – Par Feu et Par Flammes Review

By Thus Spoke on November 27, 2022 in Reviews, 23 comments

“There’s electronic metal, and then there’s this Vengeur record. Superficially similar, Herman ‘Vengeur’ Pańkow’s solo project could hardly have less in common with that subgenre. ‘Witch house,’ ‘dissolved genres,’ and ‘avant-garde’ are just some of their Bandcamp tags. The fact that this is on I, Voidhanger should also give fair warning of its idiosyncrasy. Nothing, however, could prepare me for what would come after I pressed play on Par Feu et Par Flammes.” Beat of the electro-heart.

Abbath – Dread Reaver Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on March 22, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, 132 comments

“As you can see from the atrocious cover art, Abbath continues to prove this is his band. And he’s starting to show that with the same absurd vigor that garners album covers from Yngwie Malmsteen. And when I saw that Abbath chose to mix Dread Reaver himself, my fear factor increased double-fold. And on first listen, I knew Dread Reaver was in trouble.” Bob and reave.

Alexander – I Review

By Carcharodon on April 12, 2021 in Reviews, 27 comments

“Every now and again, even I stumble across an album that I struggle to overwrite and, in this case, that is because a terrible mistake was made. I picked up I, the debt by Canadian-German duo Alexander after spotting it, alone and unattended in the promo sump, sporting a funeral doom tag. Only it didn’t say funeral doom, it said funeral drone, something I realized only after the No Takesie Backsie policy had kicked in.” Strong policies, harsh consequences.

Maere – I Review

By GardensTale on February 11, 2020 in 2020, Death Metal, German Metal, Lavadome Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 36 comments

“If people like ourselves confess our love of metal to a member of the general public, the common reaction is sneers and disgust. ‘I can’t listen to that stuff!’ they’ll say. ‘It sounds so, like, ugly and stuff!’ In my experience, there are two paths one can take when confronted with such unpleasant bigotry (besides the best option, which is ending the conversation). I can try to change their minds by playing the more beautiful side of the genre for them, such as the gentlest of progressive metal. I could also dig my heels in, say: ‘Fuck yeah it sounds ugly, just like your face!’ and blast said face full of dissonant death metal. In the latter scenario, Maere is a feasible candidate.” Death to the vntrve!

Rimfrost – Expedition: Darkness Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on October 19, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Ferocious Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 110 comments

“Though every one of the band’s records is a pleasure to listen to, Rimfrost is the result of years of honing one’s sound to achieve near-perfection. It is, without a doubt, the high-water mark of the band’s career. It’s I, it’s Bathory, and it’s Immortal at their best. It’s big, it’s full, and it’s goddamn epic. There’re incredible riffs, blazing solos, melodic passages, and so many memorable moments. Which spells doom for Expedition: Darkness. How can one ever top their pinnacle release? The answer is: most can’t. But Rimfrost did.” Here be the gushing.

Abbath – Outstrider Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on July 5, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Black Metal, 54 comments

“Abbath needs no introduction, but Outstrider does. In the three years after his well-received eponymous solo debut dropped, Abbath has replaced his entire band and recorded a new record, which comes to us in the form of Outstrider. Predictably, this does little but change the window dressing of the record, as Abbath dominates the proceedings here as before, both visually and musically. Outstrider feels even more like an Abbath record than Abbath did. Abbath!

Angry Metal Primer – Abbath

By Dr. Wvrm on June 30, 2019 in 2019, Angry Metal Playlist, Angry Metal Primer, Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Season of Mist, Black Metal, 67 comments

“In which the Cookie Man discards your crusty, useless exterior and sups of your cream innards.”

Hedonihil – I Review

By Ferrous Beuller on April 30, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Inverse Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 38 comments

“Expectations are precarious things. The older we get, the more we assume they will go unmet. This almost religiously applies to super groups. When I came across Finland’s Hedonihil, a death metal project comprised of members of Swallow the Sun, I expected great things. But when I delved into the press materials (always foolish) and saw them described as anti-poetry, I expected substantially less great things.” Angry pretense.