![Death. Void. Terror. – To the Great Monolith II [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Death_Void_Terror-To_The_Great_Monolith_II.jpg)
“One of my main motivations regarding black metal is finding albums like this. Offerings from Ancient Moon, Dolorian, or Amnutseba have come close, hinting at a devastatingly empty atmosphere and pitch-black density through aural executions of dread that invoke the feeling of drifting in the eternal void. Attempts have never really hit the sweet spot, until Death. Void. Terror.’s 2018 debut To the Great Monolith.” Monoliths R Us.
“Look at that album art, yo. Just look at it. LOOK AT IT!!! You might not necessarily be able to discern just what, exactly, is transpiring in that depiction, but you do know one thing: This… is… Black Metal! Perhaps that’s not enough to pique your interests, given the prolific prevalence ov metal’s best subgenre in recent years. Ok, you standards-having turd factories, would you be more intrigued by Zifir’s Demoniac Ethics if I were to tell you that this particular treat is a Turkish delight? Still nothing? Jesus, you people are impossible.” Evil ethics and pompous muppets.
“I know what you’re thinking. Look at the band name, the political statement of an album title, the nu-metal style album cover, the Emmure-esque macho song titles, and the fact that it’s metalcore. I mean, first impressions?” If it pleases the crown.
“An Italian symphonic power metal band formed by its keyboardist and primary composer releasing their first studio album, inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Raven.’ This is what I bring to you today, faithful readers, and I invite you to kick me TheKenWord once for every part of that sentence you feel you’ve read somewhere before.” If nights were wishes, ravens would Poe.
“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!
“Sludge metal. Depending on who you ask, it’s either awesome or meh. If you ask me, sludge falls under the hit-or-miss category, with an unfortunate bias towards miss. When everything comes together, e.g. all four records of Beastwars and the first four of Mastodon, the result is usually a monolithic slab of grimy riffs and scathing vocal assaults drowned in the fuzz of the damned. This is a good thing. However, all other times you end up with something about as interesting/enjoyable as room-temperature coffee poured out of a carafe stained as yellow as the dust inside a chain-smoker’s PC. This is a bad thing.” Sludge life.
“I’ve been a booster for Lorna Shore ever since I heard the Bone Kingdom EP. The basic pitch of the band’s early work was deathcore, for cats but good. Good riffs and effective breakdowns formed the backbone of songs that Adam DeMicco’s considerable solo and lead work elevated above almost anything else in the scene. The band has since re-invented themselves with each release, delving into grimy blackened deathcore with Psalms and taking a slick, blackened/melodic course with Flesh Coffin. AMG’s coverage of the band has been scanty due to the band’s rapid bounce through several record labels. Now playing in the big leagues with Century Media, I and the band, have been looking forward to their third LP, Immortal.” Going through changes.
“January has been kind to me, and while I haven’t been the overrating bastard that Holdeneye has, I also haven’t had anything bad come my way. Am I just in a good mood? Likely not, since I hate winter. Even this blind dip into the promo bin, Dead Kosmonaut’s second album, Gravitas, has been more than a pleasant surprise, helping pull me out of the winter doldrums with a wholly unexpected sound and style.” Crushed by an anchor.
“Nostalgia. In times of uncertainty, people seek its warm and motherly embrace: the familiar smells, the sense of safety, the notion that things were ‘better and less complicated’ back then. Artists have been trading off nostalgia for years now, whether it’s dropping the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens or the Pixies reuniting to perform Doolittle, there’s an undeniable comfort in the familiar. Perhaps this is the reason ‘traditional’ sounding black metal appears to be making a comeback of sorts.” Familiar demons.
“How many albums have we had concerning 1984? Orwell’s dystopia remains an ever-popular subject for musicification, to the point where it’s barely more than a cliche, despite Huxley’s Brave New World looming as a more apt comparison for our current day and age. Miles to Perdition agree that 1984 is an old hat at this point, so they have decided to push for an adaptation that really brings something new to the table. They have updated the novel to something more befitting the changes in our own culture since its publication, with… 2084.” Brave new 1984.
