“Post-metal, particularly the instrumental kind, tends to be its own beast when it comes to songwriting, and Toundra have clearly mastered the craft. The “El Odio” trilogy of songs, that forms the front half, beautifully blends echoing, trilling, Explosions in the Sky-like leads of beauty and wonder with crashing, thundering cavalcades of drums and riffs that remind a fair bit of Dvne, a compliment of the highest order,” Thunder on the Toundra.
“Believe it or not, it’s been roughly twenty-two years since the band’s last full-length. I know that LTE isn’t for everyone but it’s hard to deny the impressive instrumentation. Bringing acclaimed bassist Tony Levin on board took a potential this-is-just-Dream–Theater-without-James-LaBrie outfit, and made it mostly original. Sure, you can’t take the DT out of John Petrucci but, even then, it’s nice to hear the instruments without LaBrie’s voice.” Do androids dream of Liquid Tension Experiment theater?
“To be frank, my expectations were not high going into listening to Spiritus Mundi. As a Nad Sylvan noob, a quick glance at Sylvan’s promo shots and the choice of album cover had me performing the dreadful sin of judging an album by its cover. The deeper I made it into Spiritus Mundi, however, the less I questioned the numerous times El Cuervo has sung praises of Sylvan’s progressive rock in each of the ‘Vampire Trilogy’ albums. I unabashedly admit that Nad Sylvan knows how to write a charming album.” Nad spirits.
“Yet, Transatlantic is one of the more pretentious groups I’ve ever heard. When I first realized that the debut record, SMPTe, was the first letter of each member’s surname, I rolled my eyes so hard I fell off a bridge. Even so, this foursome knows how to play, and Portnoy has made himself a diverse drummer that can play many styles. So, when we got Transatlantic’s The Absolute Universe, I had to partake. I mean, who else would be dumb enough to review a three-disc record?” A universe of material.
“Oh boy, have we all been waiting for this one. No album has lived in infamy quite like In the Passing Light of Day, which gave rise to the Sweaty Manbun Phenomenon here at Angry Metal Guy. Hard to believe that was three and a half years ago, but when it’s talked about on a monthly basis, it can seem like yesterday. Now Pain of Salvation are back with Panther, their eleventh studio release.” Much panther.
Yellow is the new manbun.
“Weathering the never-ending beat-down of 2020, at some point you realize you just need a break. I opted to take a breather from writing reviews this month—and I put down my 3D work and drastically limited my time on social media for the month as well—since I finally recognized that extended burnout which I refused to acknowledge for years. To further recuperate, I decided to dive into other genres of music that I rarely explore. But when I saw Lonely Robot hit our promo sump I couldn’t resist.” Touch your feelings.
“This week my good friend TheKenWord got his hands on a pretty sweet doom album from Loviatar. When I saw the score assigned, and went back and listened to Lightless, I was kind of upset with myself for not grabbing it when I had the chance. But then I remembered why I left it alone: Eupnea, the first album from Pure Reason Revolution in ten years. When people talk about PRR’s first three albums (all released between 2006-2010), comparisons to Pink Floyd, Muse, and Tool are often mentioned.” Better than PBR.
“The nostalgia circuit has been around forever, and while it’s fun (sometimes) to see old bands play their decades-old hits in casinos, it’s even more fun when formerly awesome bands reunite and put out new GOOD music. Case in point: Satan, with a 26-year gap between releases – and with a trio of excellent new albums to boot. Psychotic Waltz tried their best to match that, going 24 years between releases here, but with an asterisk: The God-Shaped Void is their first album in 26 years with the original lineup. Take that, Satan!” Not the last Waltz after all.
“Super groups. We’ve railed against them since the start of AMG International Universal, Ltd. For every all star collaboration that does something worthwhile, there are countless others that simply don’t work, regardless of the pedigrees the members bring to the table. A common dilemma such projects face is too much musical ability and not enough songcraft acumen. And that brings us to Sons of Apollo.” Noodle boarding.
