The days grow short and Listurnalia grows ever more refined and thoughful. Or so you would like. See what El Cuervo and GardensTale do to the curve.
Sylosis
Doom_et_Al’s and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
Doom_et_Al and Dear Hollow join Listurnalia with big important lists. You may even agree with parts of them.
![Johnny Booth – Moments Elsewhere [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Johnny_Booth-Moments_Elsewhere.jpg)
Johnny Booth – Moments Elsewhere [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
“The phrase “metalcore” strikes fear in the hearts of the most hardened metal fans. Breakdowns and faux badassery collide in the most listenable shit this side of the pond. New York DIY metalcore abusers in Johnny Booth know this. While yes, there are breakdowns, one-liners, and enough technical wankery to make a Converge fan drool, every element is weaponized to the full extent to accomplish an unhinged and vicious quality.” Core support.
Electrocutioner – False Idols Review
“Long Island’s Executioner also thinks El Cuervo is an idiot as they reveal their debut album, False Idols. An album that doesn’t give two fucks about being unique, trendy, or even famous. False Idols feels like a band playing a gig at the bar down the street. There’s no talking to the crowd, complete with short interludes for other band members to switch guitars or chug Jager. False Idols ain’t gonna win any awards for originality or change the face of the scene, but that’s not its purpose. This is how thrash should sound.” High speed or die.
Sylosis – A Sign of Things To Come Review
“The existence of Sylosis roughly tracks my own experience with non-mainstream metal, running from 2008’s Conclusion of an Age to 2020’s Cycle of Suffering. The band lost me somewhere in the middle as I was diving into the more extreme sub-genres of metal’s sewer, despite my favorable comments on 2015’s Dormant Heart, no doubt induced by a bout of regional favoritism given that they hail from the same bit of the UK as yours truly. Cycle of Suffering represented a roaring return, comfortably my favorite of their albums and comfortably my second favorite album from 2020. Sylosis are one of Britain’s most exciting and energetic bands but how can A Sign of Things to Come hope to match their prior incredible success?” Modern problems.
El Cuervo’s and Diabolus in Muzaka’s Top Ten(ish) of 2021
El Cuervo and Diabolus in Muzaka proudly display their Top Ten(ish) lists without a shred of self-awareness. It’s gross really.
Summoning the Lich – United in Chaos Review
“I’ve always felt like I sort of missed the boat on The Black Dahlia Murder. They were bursting onto the melodic death metal scene just as Amon Amarth was finding a wider audience with the now-classic With Oden On Our Side. I personally ended up falling down the Scandinavian melodeath rabbit hole, neglecting to pay attention to the American brand of melodeath that The Black Dahlia Murder was actively pioneering. In turn, I never fully appreciated the sound of the countless bands they’ve inspired; artists like Inferi are great for one-off listens, but nothing about that specific sound triggers compulsive returns. Summoning the Lich is built different.” Lich pins.
Turtle Skull – Monoliths Review
“While other monoliths stagnate in dark and gloomy dimensions, Australian quintet Turtle Skull prefers to rely on bright and sunny desert safaris with their unique brand of metal, dubbed “flower doom.”” Smell the doom.
Viscera – Obsidian Review
“In Hollywood, there’s a phenomenon called ‘twin films.’ Sometimes movies released around the same time have an uncannily similar plot, even though they’ve been in production around the same time and couldn’t have copied one another. A few well-known examples include Armageddon and Deep Impact, Antz and A Bug’s Life, and The Prestige and The Illusionist. Now, considering the frequency of release and inherent similarities, this isn’t really a thing in metal, but it still gave me pause when I noticed I was about to go through the second Unique Leader techy deathcore release with wav format tracks in just a handful of weeks.” Guts check.
Voice of Ruin – Acheron Review
“Voice of Ruin know what they like to do and are continuing to do it. And “that” is melodic death-tinged thrash. Where Purge and Purify felt like out and out Lamb of God worship—and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that—Acheron sees Voice of Ruin expanding their sound a bit more.” Define “a bit.”
