Leprous

Ogre – Thrice as Strong Review

Ogre – Thrice as Strong Review

“When you see an album cover like this (painted by the drummer, no less), and a slogan that goes “In a doomed world, they must remain Thrice as Strong,” well, who wouldn’t grab this from the promo sump? Everyone but me, it seems. I’d never heard of Ogre before, despite these Portland, Maine doomsters having been around for twenty years now. It’s a great name for a band, though, and I love their use of the word “Thrice.”” Thrice pudding.

aswekeepsearching – Rooh Review

aswekeepsearching – Rooh Review

“You ardent readers may not agree, but it can be tough on one’s aural organs to blast metal for hours upon hours each and every day. That’s because in our tiny cubicles we don’t often get to crank the albums we love; we have to play the ones we’re reviewing. And after blasting my assignments from Cult of Luna and Monolord a combined twenty-seven times this month, my weeping ears needed a break. Something peaceful, serene, and calming. And since I wasn’t (un)lucky enough to be tabbed for In Cauda Venenum, I settled on what I hoped would be a sweet little morsel of post-rock: Rooh, the third album from Indian post-rock outfit aswekeepsearching.” Vacation for the ears.

Dead Frog – Burning Bridges Review

Dead Frog – Burning Bridges Review

With its (albeit impressive) focus on sprawling song structures and meandering songwriting, progressive metal just never tickled me pink in a way that’s really stuck. Serbian five-piece Dead Frog, who I can only assume repeatedly lost at Frogger, offers their own contribution, channeling in equal measure the progressive metal giants, the alternative rock of Linkin Park, the classic heavy metal feel of Iron Maiden.” Splat.

Mother of Millions – Artifacts Review

Mother of Millions – Artifacts Review

“Greek prog/alt quintet Mother of Millions have two albums under their belt, and now Artifacts is their third, and while (full disclosure) I haven’t heard the first two, I now have them queued up for future spins. Those of you who only like your metal fast and brvtal, carry on. But those of you who might’ve enjoyed last year’s Kontinuum release, keep reading: Mother of Millions are right up your alley. Think equal parts cinematic (Kontinuum), progressive (Katatonia), and alternative (Dead Letter Circus), and you have a rough idea of what’s to come.” This mom’s no joke.

Ihsahn – Àmr Review

Ihsahn – Àmr Review

“Whether we care to admit it or not, we are all subject to re-invention at some point or another. Ihsahn, a man made legend for his contributions to the legacy of black metal, has never shied away from re-calibrating his musical character, and his discography is the hard proof. Having blazed a trail with the mighty Emperor, his solo career has been no exception, never afraid to reflect its creator’s inherently eclectic tastes.” Seize the Throne of Eccentricity.

Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) Records o’ 2017

Angry Metal Guy’s Top 10(ish) Records o’ 2017

“We are getting dangerously close to being 9 years old. I started AngryMetalGuy.com at a time when I was a different person, and 2017 proved that more than any year of my life. I loved metal, I loved to write, I was looking for work and studying Swedish, and I was still in my 20s, and Enslaved was producing albums I worshiped. Now I’m older, busier, crankier, Enslaved mostly makes me yawn, and I’m dedicating my life to different kinds of things. But while AMG isn’t quite as ‘personal’ of a blog as it once it was, I still love it very much and it is still a reflection of my values on the Internetz.” Herein, Angry Metal Guy waxes nostalgic, bitches about stuff, and makes a big list that you will all hate because you’re objective.

Leprous – Malina Review

Leprous – Malina Review

Leprous is one of Norway’s finest acts and one of the excellent stable of modern prog bands that we have covered here at AMG in the last 5 or 6 years. In recent times, their profile has risen as their singular approach to progressive metal has inspired high praise from myself, Kronos, and the metal world at large.” When a rare double review arrives, it means the staff has been a beefin’.

Corona Skies – Fragments of Reality Review

Corona Skies – Fragments of Reality Review

“Having read plenty of trash masquerading as philosophy and heard plenty of nonsensical music both within and without metal, I figured I was desensitized to weird stuff. Hell, the world seems almost desensitized to weirdness; Jacques Lacan, one of the biggest dolts to ever pretend to think about stuff and write it down, posited that an erection was equal to the square root of -1 and more than zero people took him seriously.” Weird is full of surprises.

Source – Return to Nothing Review

Source – Return to Nothing Review

“It’s been about 3,800 days since Tool pressed any fresh material, so I’m guessing we’re almost halfway to something new? Well, a trio of go-getters from Colorado up and said “fuck that” taking matters into their own hands. They formed a band called Source, wrote a bunch of Tool-y material and now they’re set to make their debut with Return to Nothing.” Out of the Toolshed and into the limelight.

Oddland – Origin Review

Oddland – Origin Review

“Popular music has had a shadow looming over it for years: talent shows, where thousands of contenders come to have their hopes and dreams shattered, burned and the ashes spread to the winds. Apparently the practice has also come to unpopular music; in 2011, Century Media crowned proggers Oddland the winners of the Suomi Metal Star contest. Those last three words make me gag, but at least Oddland got a record deal out of it, with Dan “The Man” Swanö as their mix and mastering bonus.” It’s not every day you get to win a Swanö.