Review

Týr – Battle Ballads Review

By Steel Druhm on April 9, 2024 in Reviews, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, Viking Metal, 38 comments

“The Fisher Kings of Faroian metal are back and on the hunt once more with ninth album Battle Ballads, and all is right in the metalverse. Ever since these lads put the tiny Faroe Islands on the map way back in 2002 with their How Far to Asgaard debut they’ve been highly reliable purveyors of a unique blend of trad/folk/Viking metal that has no peer. 2019’s Hel provided highly entertaining and classy tales of swords and shields and I wanted more almost immediately. After a 4 years wait we finally get more from Týr.” Salt/sword life.

Acid Mammoth – Supersonic Megafauna Collision Review

By Kenstrosity on April 9, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, 31 comments

“For some, stoner doom is that comfort item, that thing that gets all the love just for being what it is. I imagine this is partly why the style largely hasn’t needed to evolve very much throughout its existence. In some ways, that’s a great thing, as it makes reaching for new bands in the scene a reliable bet. On the other hand, very little feels fresh, memorable or novel. For better or for worse, Greek stoner doom quartet Acid Mammoth’s fourth record Supersonic Megafauna Collision squarely falls into that safe, never-changing category.” With tusk and trunk.

Tarot – Glimpse of the Dawn Review

By El Cuervo on April 8, 2024 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 26 comments

“Eight years between a debut and sophomore album is a lifetime for a band. Members can leave, personalities can change, influences can shift. Australia’s Tarot unveiled its first full-length release in 2016, drawing inspiration from the likes of Uriah Heep and Rainbow. Now they’re primed for Glimpse of the Dawn, a sophomore release nearly a decade in the making. But 50 years between a scene’s heyday and bands now imitating the style? That’s a literal lifetime for many humans. As much as this may wound my parents, the 70s were a long time ago. So what do I make of Tarot’s anachronous sound?” Old hand, big gamble.

Ingested – The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on April 8, 2024 in Reviews, Deathcore, Metalcore, 42 comments

“If you haven’t heard an Ingested album at this point, it’s that you’re new to the scene as a nerdy metal aficionado or that you’ve actively avoided all music labeled as deathcore for the past fifteen or so years. Unfortunately, if you found your head bobbing in extreme reluctance at the whiplash grooves and squeal-driven breakdowns that adorn the newest Aborted release, you should probably consider checking out the odd act or two. Ingested’s 2018 release, as well as some of their earliest work, would be easy, enjoyable listening” Digest the Ingested?

Attic – Return of the Witchfinder Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 7, 2024 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 41 comments

“Mmmmmm… King Diamond-core. It’s been seven years since Attic delivered its top-form masterpiece, Sanctimonious. And now, They’re is back again to ensure I’m erect for the remainder of the year. This new record continues the trend the band has been on even before Kim Bendix Petersen was but a wily sperm in his father’s nutsack. Delivering no-frills, old-school Satanic heavy metal, this German quintet combines soaring falsettos, creepy organs, and Mercyful Fate-esque dueling guitar work to shape yet another hour’s worth of music.” Something’s alive up there.

Austere – Beneath the Threshold Review

By Dear Hollow on April 5, 2024 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 32 comments

“Austere’s third full-length, and first album in fourteen years, was one of my biggest disappointments of 2023. Corrosion of Hearts was listenable as a pleasant form of DSBM, but showcased a unique and legendary act fall into the tropes of the genre. It felt as though depressive black metal moved on while Austere stayed stuck in the past, and I’ll be the first one to admit that expectations were unfairly high for this duo. Austere on To Lay Like Old Bones is no longer – the Austere of now is more important. In many ways, this is what makes Beneath the Threshold even more crucial.” Stoic refits done real fast.

Kólga – Black Tides Review

By Iceberg on April 5, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, 33 comments

“Texas-based Kólga bill themselves as a “blackened surf rock collective.” With a descriptor like that, and an album cover like THAT, there’s no way I could pass up on seeing what lurked beneath the Lizard People pool. Boasting members from a boatload of bands from across the spectrum (Dead to a Dying World, Cleric, Tyrannosorceress, Sabbath Assembly, to name a few) this is Kólga’s first stab at a full-length: and barely at that, running at a lithe 27 minutes. But if the band calls it an LP, then an LP it is, and a review it receives.” Surf’s up, Smurfs up.

Funeral Leech – The Illusion of Time Review

By Cherd on April 4, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 16 comments

“If I had a dollar for every time I blindly picked some doom-tinged death metal from the Promo Wheel of Suffering and walked away with almost straight Incantation worship, I’d have…(math sounds)…OK, I’d only have enough for a donut and coffee from the Speedway up the street, but that’s a lot when you rarely review death metal. With the arrival of The Illusion of Time by New York’s Funeral Leech, I now have enough to play a scratch-off ticket while I drink my coffee.” Muck leeches and Incantation preaches.

Greyhawk – Thunderheart Review

By Holdeneye on April 4, 2024 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 44 comments

“Greyhawk peddles traditional metal with a strong element of shred included thanks to their mighty guitar virtuoso, Jesse Berlin. The band’s focus on positivity and heroism is my favorite thing about them, and their music never fails to raise my spirits. An incident at the band’s 2021 show in Boise showed that heroism moving beyond fantasy and into reality when bassist Darin Wall was wounded while preventing a gunman from opening fire on the people gathered outside the venue. Now that’s a fucking heavy metal tale.” Tougher than lead.

O Zorn! – Vermillion Haze Review

By GardensTale on April 3, 2024 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Stoner Metal, 35 comments

“O Zorn! plays a fairly straightforward style with elements of stoner and post-metal. Texturally the band has some similarities with a simplified Mastodon, not in the least due to the somewhat nasal drawl of the vocals. The big differences are the structure and pacing. Shying away from progressive leanings, the music is staunch in its adherence to verse-chorus constructions.” Stone the crow (and rabbit).