Doom_et_Al

Crimson Moon – Mors Vincit Omnia Review

By Doom_et_Al on September 10, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Debemur Morti, German Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 11 comments

“Crimson Moon originated as a single-man black metal project in 1994, the creation of Scorpios Adroctonus. In 1998, he moved from America to Germany and expanded the project. But the output of Crimson Moon has been sparse, with only three albums since it was formed. The last was 2016’s Oneironaut, which impressed many (including our own Al Kikuras) with its expansive, but occasionally excessive, approach. Now the band is back with Mors Vincit Omnia (Death Conquers All) in, by their standards, record time. Is that occult itch about to be scratched?” Institutional blasphemy.

Black Cilice – Transfixion of Spirits Review

By Doom_et_Al on September 9, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Drone, Iron Bonehead Productions, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 17 comments

“When I tell people I listen to black metal because I find it ‘relaxing,’ I’m often met by bemused stares. How could such ferocious, pummeling music, in any shape or form, be relaxing, they ask? Yet it is precisely the cacophony of noise and shrieking that allows, if only for a few blissful minutes, my overactive brain to rest. Much like children with hyperactivity, who take a stimulant to focus their restless minds, the anxiety, sadness, and worry that constantly swirl around in my brain are temporarily and gloriously cocooned in the chaos of furious blast beats and thunderous riffs that only the most extreme music can provide.” Lo-fi hi-five.

Amanita Virosa – Original Plague Review

By Doom_et_Al on August 27, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Inverse Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 18 comments

“Today, our case involves a patient who came in contact with Amanita Virosa — a deadly, basiodiomycete fungus. No, Dr. X, it’s not the same thing we isolated from Dr. Druhm’s paw the other day. And it’s not contagious. No, Dr. Holdeneye, I would not feed it to your daughter, no matter how much it resembles those portobello mushrooms she so clearly likes. Its nickname is ‘The Destroying Angel’ and this baby is full of amatoxins and phallotoxins… Stop sniggering, Dr. Wvrm. We’re supposed to be professionals here.” Do mo harm.

Horseburner – The Thief Review

By Doom_et_Al on August 5, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Ripple Music, Sludge Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, 34 comments

“For music that should appeal to stoners, the thought of burning horses sounds like a very bad trip indeed, but that isn’t the case here and the incongruent imagery is the first of many surprises offered up by these West Virginians. Despite The Thief only being their second album, after 2016’s Dead Seeds, Barren Soil, these guys are no n00bs.” Horse play and cat fancying.

SinHeresY – Out of Connection Review

By Doom_et_Al on July 25, 2019 in 2019, Italian Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Symphonic Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 24 comments

“We all have our weird idiosyncratic dislikes. For me, one of those is people who cut spaghetti with a knife. Despicable barbarism. Another is the random and unnecessary capitalization of letters within a word. So you can imagine my reaction when the new album from SinHeresY landed in my lap.” Don’t hang up.

Cult of Extinction – Ritual in the Absolute Absence of Light Review

By Doom_et_Al on July 17, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Death Metal, German Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 45 comments

“Bestial war metal. It’s an evocative name, isn’t it? Succinct. Direct. Descriptive. You’re not getting pretentious instrumentation, or strange ancient languages, or complicated metaphors about the modern condition. Raw, primal, direct black metal designed to quicken the pulse is the name of this game. Enter Cult of Extinction, a one-man war metal band hailing from Germany, and the brain-child of the mysterious Void.” War metal. What’s it good for?

Drimys Winteri – Excelsa Natura Review

By Doom_et_Al on July 8, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Chilean Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, 21 comments

“I was on a hike recently, and while trekking through the forest, I stopped regularly to admire the magnificent trees. Up close, each was different, with idiosyncratic patterns, leaves, and scars. When I made it to the top of a nearby hill, however, and glanced over said forest, I was struck by the homogeneity. The individual trees, all so unique at first, looked identical from afar. I imagined, for a second, that this is (a) probably how our Overlord views his army of writers and (b) how black metal bands appear to fans of the genre.” In metal, as in forests.

Valaraukar – Demonian Abyssal Visions Review

By Doom_et_Al on July 6, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Scottish Metal, Black Metal, 43 comments

“It’s become a cliché to list all the things for which Scotland is famous. But cliché gets you banned to the Skull Pit Corner ov Naughtiness™ in these parts. So let’s look at something less well-known that Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, is renowned for… deep-fried Mars Bars. I should love them. Chocolate, caramel, and nougat, all deliciously fried up as a warm, crunchy breakfast dessert. Yet I don’t. It’s really difficult for me to explain why, because every individual component is something I love, but the final product just underwhelms.” Sums and blackened parts.

This Gift Is a Curse – A Throne of Ash Review

By Doom_et_Al on June 14, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Hardcore, Reviews, Season of Mist, Sludge Metal, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Hardcore, Sludge Metal, 51 comments

“If you’re not challenging yourself, if you’re not occasionally exposing yourself to uncomfortable feelings and emotions, especially with a genre as extreme as metal, then why bother? Good art is discomforting and sometimes painful, and Swedish metallers This Gift Is a Curse are strong adherents of this view.” Suspicious packages.

All Hell – The Witch’s Grail Review

By Doom_et_Al on June 10, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 13 comments

“Comfort food. Whether you’re a cuisine snob who frequents Michelin-star restaurants or an amateur cook trying new recipes for the family, odds are that there are times when you don’t want anything too fancy. Food you can fall back on that hits all the right spots without being too challenging or demanding. Mac and cheese, if you’re like me. The kind of blackened thrash that North Carolina’s All Hell produces is my musical equivalent of comfort food. It’s not mind-bending in its complexity (like, say, Dodecahedron) or emotionally demanding (lookin’ at you, Bell Witch and Ataraxie). But when you’ve had a bad day at the office, or life’s getting you down with its quotidian mundanity, All Hell and their ilk are there to get put a contented smile on your face while those neck muscles flex in appreciation.” Feel the Hell.