“Heath Rave is the man behind Lotus Thrones. He was also the drummer for Wolvhammer and Across Tundras. This solo project came to be, as many have, due to last year’s many months of quarantine. Rave started Lotus Thrones to return to creating music, moving in directions not really related to his former bands but showing influence from acts such as Neurosis, Sisters of Mercy, and more.” Things to do during plague.
“Chicago’s Black Sites is the brainchild of guitarist and singer Mark Sugar, formerly of underrated modern thrashers Trials. It could be that Sugar and I are roughly the same age, both grew up on shitty post-glory-days ’90s thrash metal and/or are both from the Midwest, but whatever it is he seems to speak my language. Trials’ final album ended up on my Top 10(ish) in 2015 and Black Sites’ debut found similar acclaim in 2017. A songwriter with two albums that placed at #2 in my Top 10(ish) lists in the year they were released is about as close to a direct highway to “elevated expectations” as it gets. And when Mark sent me Exile, I can say that I was very excited.” Makin’ bacon (and metal).
“With vocalist Chance Garnette’s unceremonious departure and nowhere to go but sideways, all signs pointed to a long surrender to Angry Metal Guy’s Law of Diminishing Recordings™. Devouring Radiant Light, in this context, makes perfect sense. Good luck explaining that to their rabid fanbase.”Which Witch is which?
“Man, so much has happened in 2014, aka my second year writing for Angry Metal Guy. Having my very own office away from the boiler room (which reeked of desperation, sadness, and decaying flesh… kinda like your local Abercrombie & Fitch with less Axe body spray), seeing familiar faces leave, welcoming in a new batch of talent… it’s been a pretty hectic year.” Grymm’s all grown up and has a man’s list! *Sniffle*…Where did the time go?
“There is one cardinal rule that just about every metal musician out there adheres to: you never, repeat, never fuck over your fans. I don’t mean changing genres on a whim, or abandoning a tried-and-true sound for greener, greedier passages. I’m talking about taking advantage of the goodwill and adoration of your fanbase, using them for your own selfish purposes. Again, most metal musicians are very thankful for the fans they have. The fans indirectly feed them, put gas in their touring vans, allow them to put t-shirts on the table, and ultimately pursue the career [hobby – AMG] that they love the most, and they are always appreciative for that. Sadly, Nachtmystium mainman Blake Judd is not one of those people.”
Grymm and Angry Metal Guy comment on the recent craziness with Nachtmystium and Blake Judd.
What? It’s October already!? Just in time for the Record(s) o’ the Month, July edition! Now, you may be asking yourself “but did anything come out in July?” and the answer would be: “dude, do you even metal?” Hell yes it did. And we’re not even going to fuck around, we’re just going to jump right into the joy of bringing you the July’s best metal records (that we reviewed and also liked).
I’m tired.
“You have to love it when you work so damn hard on something for a while, and all of a sudden, without any reason or explanation, things start to gel together in a satisfying fashion. Not in that sort of “right place at the right time” bullshit, but rather the amalgamation of street-level honesty, soul-bearing sincerity, and watching ideas becoming fully realized right before your eyes and hands.” Is it coming together for Wolvhammmer or falling apart?
