Angry Metal Guy

Eluveitie // Helvetios
Rating:  3.5/5.0 — Helvetian Metal Hearts
Label: Nuclear Blast [EU | US]
Website:  eluveitie.ch
Release date: EU: 2012.02.10 | US: 02.28.2012

So this is a review of an album by a Swiss band being written by an Egyptian guy living in Egypt and published on a website run by a guy living in Sweden. Don’t you just love the Internet? Anyway, Eluveitie is indeed a very Swiss band that draws its influences from the roots of the land; medieval Helvetian and Celtic history. Since I did not study European history or Anthropology at any level, I can’t verify the accuracy, relevance or truthfulness of the stories being told on Helvetios. What I can verify, though, is that the music is quite interesting; especially if you haven’t heard Eluveitie before. They use the standard metal gear of distorted guitars, drums and bass and they’ve added a multitude of native folk instruments to complement and emphasize that snapshot of medieval Europe they’re creating with their music. Continue reading

Entrails // The Tomb Awaits
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Quality barbarism from beyond the grave
Label: F.D.A. Rekotz
Release Dates: Out Worldwide!
Author: Nemesis

This has been the year of death metal. Evidence is very much apparent if you look at the bulk of releases so far. Try to forget Morbid Angel and Decapitated for a moment. Quality albums from the likes of Hate Eternal, Vomitory, Supreme Pain, and Vader… even Autopsy – have made the genre stronger than ever in 2011. Sophomore album The Tomb Awaits is an attempt from these Swedish veterans of gritty old-school death metal to join those hallowed ranks. Continue reading

Morbus Chron // Sleepers in the Rift
Rating: 4.0/5.0 —Are you Morbus?
Label: Pulverised Records
Websites: myspace.com  facebook.com
Release Dates:  EU: Out now!  US: 09.27.2011

As I listen to this unheralded piece of nasty, morbid, old school death, one word comes to mind: Spewage. That’s the best way to describe what you’ll be getting here. Morbus Chron is a Swedish band playing filthy death metal like Autopsy, Death and Massacre. This breaks the current trend of following in the footsteps of legendary countrymen Entombed, Dismember. It’s still plenty retro but not the typical Swedish retro. Basically, their raucous debut Sleepers in the Rift sounds like something spewing from the underground in the late 80′s and it’s wonderfully repellant, low-fi, non-techy and makes you feel like you need to be disinfected and vaccinated. It’s underproduced, muddy, discordant and vile all the way but somehow manages to be catchy. What more could one ask for? Nothing! Continue reading

Vomitory // Opus Mortis VIII
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Exactly what I needed
Label: Metal Blade
Websites: vomitory.net | myspace.com/vomitoryswe
Release Dates: EU: 2011.04.23/26 | US: 04.26.2011

I’ve actually been having a bit of a problem this year. While this is supposed to be the big year for all the big-named metal bands that I love, I can’t help but get the feeling that no one is putting out records that are even nearly as good as they should be. OK, I really got into the new Vintersorg, but I thought Septic Flesh was a letdown, as was the new Amon Amarth. There are others that I can’t mention yet, but let me just say, I’m disappointed with pretty much all of my favorite bands this year. So when I got Vomitory‘s Opus Mortis VIII and popped it in, I can’t say that I was expecting much more than that same ol’ same ol’ feeling of apathy. I was beginning to think, frankly, that this was my problem. But Vomitory helped me realize something—this is their problem, not mine. Continue reading

Demonical // Death Infernal
Rating: 3.0/5.0 — A shepherd’s pie of retro Swedish death metal
Label: Cyclone Empire
Websites: demonical.net| myspace.com/thedemonicalhorde
Release Dates:  EU: 2011.04.15 | US: N/A

I’ve said it before and now please allow me to say it again. I love old school Swedish death metal. I think it was one of the best pure metal sounds and when done right, its like a little slice of hell on Earth. I recently sang the praises of Blood Mortized for doing the style enormous justice and now here comes Demonical, yet another Swedish retro death mob. Death Infernal is their third release and as with their prior material, it’s a full on love fest for all things Entombed, Dismember, Grave and Unleashed. Featuring members who did time in Grave, Interment and other SDM acts, these guys have been around the block and clearly know what they’re doing genre-wise. While there’s little to no originality on display here, that need not spell disaster if a band executes their chosen influences and style with skill and conviction. For the most part, Demonical manages to do just that and delivers some decent Swedish flavored death mayhem. While not not a perfect album, it’s solid, serviceable and at times pretty darn good. Continue reading

Scar Symmetry // The Unseen Empire
Rating: 3.0/5.0 — Good, but uh, what the hell happened?
Label: Nuclear Blast [EU | US]
Websites: scarsymmetry.com | myspace.com/scarsymmetry
Release Dates: EU: 2011.04.15 | US: 05.17.2011

A couple years ago I reviewed Scar Symmetry‘s Dark Matter Dimensions and to my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed it. While I gave it a very good score at the time (4.5/5.0), I made the comment that the band was a little formulaic. It seemed to me that the Scar Symmetry could have worked harder to break out of the mold that they seemed to be trying (very hard) to fit into. That mold, otherwise known as “tech-meets-Soilwork” is basically techy death metal with big, catchy choruses. And, while I admit that Scar Symmetry is an much better band than Soilwork as far as writing catchy melodies, there are times when the music feels like it’s just built around this structure. I suggested that the band try to break out of that mold and build on the techy side. Continue reading

Torture Division // Through the Eyes of a Dead
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — It’s only three goddamned songs!
Label: K Philipson’s Wallet
Websites: torturedivision.net
Release Dates: Out! Go and partake!

For those of you not familiar with Torture Division, you obviously haven’t been reading this here blog for very long. Shame on you. For the rest of you, you’ll probably be happy to hear that Torture Division is back with another three track downloadable EP (that you should donate for downloading because diamond studded swimming pools don’t grow on trees). While the thing is called Through the Eyes of a Dead, some of us over here at Angry Metal Guy suspect that the title was “Through the Eyes of the Dead” largely because that’s what the song is called when you download it, but then there’s the deathcore band from the US and that would’ve been awkward. So, Through the Eyes of a Dead it is. Continue reading

Amon Amarth // Surtur Rising
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Are you ready to Ragnarök?? [Ha! I ruined your pun by adding an umlaut! - AMG]
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: amonamarth.com/ myspace.com/amonamarth
Release Dates: EU: 2011.03.28 | US: 03.29.2011

AHHHH! The war drums are sounding the return of the dragon ships at last! One of the most anticipated releases of the new year is finally here. Since my Amon Amarth geekdom is second only to my slavish Amorphis fanboyism, to say I’m excited to get my hands and ears on Surtur Rising simply doesn’t cover it.  Lately it’s seemed these war-like Swedes could do no wrong and their past two albums have been monstrous platters of crushing melodic death metal of the highest caliber. If you were expecting something different here, you’re obviously an idiot because it clearly ain’t broke so why fuck with it? Thankfully, Surtur Rising picks up where Twilight of the Thunder God left off and delivers another size fourteen viking boot to your Asgard with their trademark precise, powerful style. This is heavy as hell, metal as fuck and the perfect soundtrack to pillage, maraud and rampage to. Amon Amarth has done it once again and given their track record, no one should be surprised by how good this is. Continue reading

The Project Hate MCMXCIX // Bleeding the New Apocalypse (Cum Victriciis in Manibus Armis)
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — Gonna take a while to digest this one entirely…
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: theprojecthate.net | myspace.com/theprojecthate
Release Dates: EU: 14.02.2011 | US: 02.15.2011

A few months back I posted something which amounted to me shilling for money for The Project Hate‘s new record. What you, as a reader here, probably didn’t know is that at the time I’d never even heard The Project Hate. I was not a fan at all, actually, I just thought the idea was cool and I believe in supporting underground bands doing cool shit and I think that what Lord K Philipson was doing was, in fact, cool as hell. Things, of course, ended up getting worked out and I now have a copy of The Project Hate‘s new disc in my possession and it has possibly the longest title ever: Bleeding the New Apocalypse (Cum Victriciis in Manibus Armis). I will not write that again. Continue reading

Crucifyre // Infernal Earthly Divine
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — “Wictory and death!”
Label: Pulverised Records
Websites: myspace.com/crucifyre
Release Dates: EU: 17.01.2011 | US: Unknown

The late 2000s have seen a resurrection of the old school Swedish death metal that Sweden became so well known for in the underground before the Gothenburg sound took the world by storm. In the last year we’ve had releases by tons of bands waving the flag of true Swedish death metal—and it’s been fun as hell to hear! Crucifyre is another band that is doing something that I would definitely not describe as new, but something I would describe as ultimately ridiculously entertaining and worth a listen if for no other reason than to experience this “all star group’s” vision of the old school. Continue reading