Angry Metal Guy

In my opinion this is one of the more painfully overlooked records of 2010. In fact, I’ve seen pretty much no press on this album at all, and yet somehow it has just been rockin’ my world since I got my hands on it. Released in September via Horror, Pain, Gore, Death Prod-uctions, Thanatopsis is largely reminiscent of the mighty The Chasm—but has plenty of originality to throw around. The riffs are sometimes blistering and blackened, laden with trem picking and melodic passages—and sometimes the band breaks it down to harmonious doomy, atmospheric parts. In both cases, everything feels in its place and the record flows expertly making for a fantastic listening experience that is both heavy and emotionally evocative.

With good production and more streamlined songwriting, this album is infinitely more “digestible” than some of The Chasm‘s more epic pieces. Clocking in at a vinyl safe (and highly encouraged) 45 minutes Thanatopsis is one of the most enjoyable underground offerings that this Angry Metal Guy has heard all year. So, if you’re a fan of more melodic death metal—but don’t think Insomnium or In Flames—then this is a record that should fill out your record collection from 2010.

Highlights: There isn’t a bad song on this record, but the riffing on “Era of Delusion” in the beginning really stood out for me.

Well, everyone else under the sun has been releasing their Top 10 lists, and for those of you faithful readers out there I’m sure you’re also interested in what I’m going to say about the best records of 2009. First, let me say that for the first half of this year I was not indeed Angry Metal Guy—but instead, I was just a normal guy buying my metal and hoping that it was going to be fucking awesome. Now I’m a bitter critic. As a bitter critic I hear a lot more, but this year has still been characterized by some of the biggest bands on the scene for me. Mainly, Amorphis, who in my opinion have released the finest album of the year, if not the finest album of their very distinguished career. But, let me get to that later. There have been some great records this year, but there has been a lot of mediocre shit. Think of this list as being two-tiered—top 10 and then top 20. The top 10 are the records that I think were really awesome, elite albums, the second 10 are records that I think are great and worth your time and effort. Note that I haven’t heard certain albums that I’d like to hear due to that whole poverty not being offset by stealing music thing. With this, I hope to launch AngryMetalGuy.com into the new year on a new note: one where bands suck less.

#1: Amorphis // Skyforger — Amorphis is cooler than your favorite band. Honestly, they just fucking are. They have somehow managed to keep themselves excellent and relevant after all these years by producing some of the finest mainstream metal that the world has ever scene. Not only that, but their new vocalist has brought a life and energy to this band that after Tuonela I, frankly, had never expected to see again. Honestly, more power to these guys. They are a truly fantastic band on a roll. I look forward to new material from them in the future.
#2: Obscura // Cosmogenesis — Yeah, sure, everyone can say that it sounds like a bit of a blend of a Cynic/Necrophagist rip-off, but I honestly don’t give a shit. These guys are fucking phenomenal musicians who make really convincing and awesome metal and I have listened to this record way more than I was anticipating when I first got it. I am especially moved by the bass on this album which is just seriously awesome—a trait that many metal bands just, frankly, suck at. This album is balls-to-the-wall and awesome.
#3: Fleshgod Apocalypse // Oracles — Seriously some of the best tech death metal I’ve ever heard. What I love about this album is how good it is at being deliciously melodic and really subtle about it. Honestly, these guys are so much better than your average tech death metal band. I have trouble seeing why they haven’t gone over better, but I know that there’s another one of those ripoff memes out there about these guys. Anyway, this album totally ripped my goddamn face off and I totally loved it. They need a real drummer, though.
#4: Guilt Machine // On This Perfect Day — I’m going to be listening to this album for years. Partially it’s just that the vocals of this record keep drawing me back, but it really is one of the few albums that really drew me back over and over again this year. Super awesome melodies, amazing vocals and just perfectly composed. I might not be a huge fan of Ayreon, but I’m never going to insult the Dutch mastermind behind all these projects because Guilt Machine is an epic masterpiece of progressive rock/metal.
#5: Megadeth // Endgame — Oh man. This record is not a record I ever expected to end up on my top 10 list. It was so much fucking better than I expected and I hate myself for saying that because Dave Mustaine is the planet’s biggest douchebag. But man, this record is great. Easily among the best records for the year. Though, it’s getting close.
#6: Riverside // Anno Domini High Definition — Polish prog that really does something me. It’s a good blending of progressive metal and modern rock and has some amazing stuff in it. I love the sort of Opeth-y parts, of course, but everything about this record screams “listen to me again and again and again!”… and I did.
#7: The 11th Hour // Burden of Grief — Great fucking Dutch/Swedish doom. Honestly this is one of those records that I wish would’ve gotten more play as I think it’s actually on the up side of bands that have gotten a ton of play this year (mainly Ahab) from the underground metal guys, but I honestly think that this is the best doom to be released this year. The vocals are fantastic, the writing is amazing and all-in-all I’m pleased with this album.
#8: Indukti // Idmen — More excellent Polish prog that totally kicked my ass. This band is really fucking interesting and the songs on this album are well-crafted, fun to listen to and just all-in-all worth a spin or two. I think it will definitely be one of the albums that stands out for me from 2009 because it was something I’d never heard before and I was really, really impressed with it. Well, shit, I still am impressed!
#9: Ghost Brigade // Isolation Songs — Another album that I had to get on my own, but wow was it worth it. This record is basically like Katatonia meets.. well, sludge. They do all of those things that Sólstafir, Hanging Garden, etc., are trying to do, but they do them with tact, grace and a smart pop sense that those bands totally fucking lack.
#10: Scar Symmetry // Dark Matter Dimensions — I’m almost embarrassed to write this. This album totally jumped out and kicked my ass. Honestly, the new vocalists make them great and the new material is fantastic. The songs are very, very good and the catchiness kept drawing me back. I feel like a sucker because this stuff is so fucking commercial I can hardly help myself. If death metal could be gummy pop, it would be Scar Symmetry. But man… Oh man.

Honorable Mentions:

Fejd // Storm
Claws // Absorbed in the Nether Void
Black Sun Aeon // Darkness Walks Beside Me
Be’lakor // Stone’s Reach
Cobalt // Gin
Ulcerate // Everything is Fire
Marduk // Wormwood
Havok // Burn
Gorod // Process of a New Decline
The Chasm // Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm

The Chasm // Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm
Rating: 4.5/5.0 – Excellent
Label: Lux Inframundis Productions
Website(s): enterthedeathcult.com

In a lot of ways one has to feel a bit bad for The Chasm these days. They have worked as hard, or harder, than almost any band in the underground and fought for ground the whole time. They finally managed to fight their way to a good record deal with a good label that subsequently collapsed and now they’re back at at ground zero. Well, not really ground zero, think Point A. But not even really Point A, because honestly Point A is “write good music,” which they’ve got down. However, as opposed to breaking up after getting knocked down, The Chasm have instead produced a record: 2009′s opus Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm, which doesn’t have the same kind of support that it should have despite its fantastic quality.

And quality does Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm contain. My, my does it contain quality. The name of the album probably gets across the basic fundamentals of what’s going on here. Translated for those who don’t know what an “abysm” is, it’s safe to say that it’s basically an abyss. All of the atmospheric implications of a name like Farseeing the Paranormal Aybsm are definitely realized within this epic offering from The Chasm.

What The Chasm has done on Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm is something that many black metal bands would be totally jealous of—they have offered a highly epic, atmospheric record with great riffs and rawness that is also artistically interesting and still heavy. At the same time as it calls back to the greats of heavy metal it creates a very unique set of boundaries for the sound of the album. In a lot of ways it’s very thrashy, but still nearly black metal in its execution. Long passages of this album have no vocals and there are tons of excellent epic riffs which strike out of nowhere with whirlwind ferocity. The changes are smart, the soloing is good and the vocals are fantastic.

Probably the weakest aspect of this entire album is the production—which is a bit raw by modern standards—but I think a lot of fans of more raw music will actually really appreciate this raw production as it adds to the atmosphere of the misty nature of the record. And while many of the songs threaten to get a bit long, played at the proper volume on a rainy, misty winter day or at just before the sun disappears completely and you will be totally entranced by the dark, gritty atmosphere that this album helps evoke.

Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm is a triumph for underground death metal in this day and age where death metal is becoming more mainstream and more “core,” and it’s a triumph for The Chasm who have shown once again that they are as resourceful as they are excellent.