Carcharodon

King of the North(ish).

Nick Vasallo – Apophany Review

By Carcharodon on March 16, 2022 in Reviews, Classical, Drone, Experimental Metal, 26 comments

“Nick Vasallo has been making music in the Bay Area for more than 20 years. He is best known as the guitarist and vocalist of deathcore legends Antagony, as well as tech death outfit Oblivion. Perhaps less well known, at least in metal circles, is his interest in musical theory and composition, which he studied extensively, ultimately being awarded a doctorate in 2011. He now teaches at college level. This brief bio perhaps gives some context for Apophany, a hybrid metal-classical album and the follow up to 2012’s Monuments Emerge. Smart-tech.

Haunted Shores – Void Review

By Carcharodon on March 10, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Djent, Progressive Metal, 15 comments

“Washington, D.C. progressive instrumental duo Haunted Shores returns after a seven-year absence with second full-length, Void. This is the follow-up to 2015 EP, Viscera, and 2011’s self-titled debut album. Haunted Shores members Mark Holcomb and Misha Mansoor are better known as members of Periphery, where both handle guitars and Mansoor is also responsible for programming, synthesizers, orchestration and drums. And once you know that, you can’t unhear Periphery in what the duo turn out.” Crawling eyes and void fanciers.

Non Est Deus – Impious Review

By Carcharodon on March 3, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, 28 comments

“It’s fair to say that excitement was running high when I got the promo for Non Est Deus’ third full-length, Impious. Not, I admit, because I was actually familiar with the first two LPs—this has since been rectified—but because of the German man behind Non Est Deus known as Noise. Why? Well, Noise is also the man behind Kanonenfieber, which produced my 2021 AOTY in Menschenmühle.” Unholy Noise.

AMG’s Guide to Cannibal Corpse

By Carcharodon on February 22, 2022 in AMG Rankings, Death Metal, 87 comments

“The life of the unpaid, overworked metal reviewer is not an easy one. The reviewing collective at AMG lurches from one new release to the next, errors and n00bs strewn in our wake. But what if, once in a while, the collective paused to take stock and consider the discography of one of those bands that shaped many a taste? What if two aspects of the AMG collective personality shared with the slathering masses their personal rankings of that discography.” Ready the hammers (for smashing).

Møtivatiøn – The Infinite 8 Steps tø Pøwer / Møney / Møre Review

By Carcharodon on February 22, 2022 in Reviews, Alt-Metal, Groove Metal, Sludge, 17 comments

“Supergroups are not uncommon in metal. I’m sure each of you can think of three such acts—of perhaps varying quality—in just a couple of seconds. Here are the first three that came to my mind: DOWN, Demons & Wizards and, for some reason, Them Crooked Vultures, which may not even qualify as metal. Also operating on that fuzzy edges of metal is today’s subject, Møtivatiøn. Where those previous bands are supergroups, using that term for Møtivatiøn is an insult to supergroups: the population of this record classifies it as a super conurbation.” Your life needs coaching.

Kluizenaer – Ein Abbild der Leere Review

By Carcharodon on February 15, 2022 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Drone, 8 comments

“Formed as a solo project back in 2015, Kluizenaer—a German outfit, despite choosing the Dutch for ‘hermit’ as its nom de guerre—dropped a debut album, Radbraak, that a few cursory searches of the usual sources has failed to uncover. Since I am assured by the promo blurb that the debut comprised “abstract sound collages of blackened ambient and noise,” I did not intensify my searches. Radbraak was followed by two more obscure EPs before 2018’s locate-able Das ungebrochene Schweigen (The unbroken Silence), by which point Kluizenaer had evolved into a trio.” Evolution/mutation.

Cult of Luna – The Long Road North Review

By Carcharodon on February 7, 2022 in Reviews, Post-Hardcore, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 124 comments

“Since AMG Industries Inc. resolutely refuses to pay me market value anything at all for my Indispensable Thoughts on Music™, I am forced to hold down a day job. In that day job, I am a lawyer. And lawyers love disclosures and disclaimers. So here’s one for you: I am an avowed Cult of Luna fanboy. My relationship with these Swedes goes all the way back to the moment I heard “The Watchtower” (from 2003’s The Beyond) on a sampler CD that came free with a magazine. I was blown away by the long-form, post-hardcore bombast.” Fanboy roadshow.

Obsidian Sea – Pathos Review

By Carcharodon on February 2, 2022 in Reviews, Alt-Metal, Psychedelic Rock, 18 comments

“Pathos is the fourth full-length from Bulgarian trio Obsidian Sea, and their second for current home, Ripple Music. It is also not at all what I was expecting. Obsidian Sea was unknown to me until I picked this up for review but, given the band name, I was expecting some dark and stormy prog, perhaps infused with elements of doom, sludge or even some epic post-metal. That is not what I got, however.” Choppy waters.

Vicious Knights – Alteration Through Possession Review

By Carcharodon on January 29, 2022 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 39 comments

“‘Vicious’ can be defined as deliberately cruel or violent. Not a term one naturally associates with the popular image of the gallant knight, enduring all sorts of perils and dragons to save—and, if he’s lucky, fondle—the princess. But in what, I suppose, is an effort to invert or undermine conventional images, Vicious Knights is the chosen moniker of this thrash trio from Thessaloniki, Greece. Formed in 2016 and with a demo and an EP under their belt, they scored a deal with German label, Dying Victim Productions, and are now ready to unleash their debut LP.” Knight moves.

Druid Lord – Relics of the Dead Review

By Carcharodon on January 20, 2022 in Reviews, Death Doom, 16 comments

“Some 12 years after coalescing around ex members of Acheron, Orlando, Florida’s Druid Lord is back with just their third full-length. A hefty eight years passed between debut, Hymns for the Wicked, and its 2018 follow-up, Grotesque Offerings, on which the death-doom quartet “came up short,” according to our own Grymm.” Speaking ill of the dead.