El Cuervo

I'm not deliberately contrary.

Fuath – I Review

By El Cuervo on January 24, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Neuropa Records, Reviews, Scottish Metal, Black Metal, 19 comments

If you’ve been around since 2014, you may be aware that I’m rather taken with Andy Marshall’s solo project, Saor. As a talented song-writer and multi-instrumentalist, he has capably demonstrated that he knows his way around Gaelic culture and melodic intensity. Fuath—Gaelic for ‘hate’—is more fierce, more ominous, more closely tied with Norwegian black metal than Marshall’s other work, but it retains the profoundly evocative atmosphere for which his work is known. The imaginatively-titled I is his first release under this new moniker and it seems he’s on to another winner.” Come for the Christmas trees, stay for the music.

Seer – Vol. 1 & 2 Review

By El Cuervo on January 17, 2016 in 2016, Art of Propaganda, Canadian Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, 8 comments

“Consolidating an existing 2015 EP with new material, Vol. 1 & 2 is the debut full-length from Vancouver’s Seer, drawing on the likes of Kyuss in molding their heavy, riffy stoner doom sound. There’s a charming, rustic aesthetic to the music, and their dedication to simplicity is admirable—but this is far from a perfect record.” Well, El Cuervo certainly can’t be accused of burying the lede…

VOLA – Inmazes [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]

By El Cuervo on January 12, 2016 in 2015, Danish Metal, Djent, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2015, Unsigned Bands, Djent, Progressive Metal, 21 comments

“VOLA are highly unusual in their approach to modern progressive metal. The most apt description I can define is prog-power by way of djent, offering the catchy melodies of Anubis Gate and Voyager but executed with the staccato, modern heaviness of a post-Meshuggah era.” Some things just sell themselves.

Lycus – Chasms Review

By El Cuervo on January 11, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Doom Metal, 45 comments

“Tempest was one of those remarkable underground metal debuts which developed sufficient hype to breach the upper echelon of popular online publications despite its apparent lack of commercial appeal. The oppressive funeral doom, courtesy of the plucking, hitting and growling gents over at Lycus, was positively received by Pitchfork, Decibel and theneedledrop, ultimately garnering a Relapse record deal. Some of us didn’t quite get Lycus before. So did we get on the hype train yet or what?

The Grand Astoria – The Mighty Few [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]

By El Cuervo on December 17, 2015 in 2015, Heavy Metal, Russian Metal, Stoner Rock, Things You Might Have Missed 2015, Unsigned Bands, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 12 comments

“Imagine, if you will indulge me, Hail Spirit Noir. Subtract the black metal, all songs but two, then add stoner rock and multiply the length of the remaining songs by four. This is as close an approximation as can be construed for a review catering to metalheads as to the sound of The Mighty Few by The Grand Astoria.” Math is hard.

Indefensible Positions: El Cuervo Defends Scream Aim Fire

By El Cuervo on December 14, 2015 in Blog Posts, Indefensible Positions, Metalcore, Metalcore, 63 comments

“Every once in a while the metal scene collectively pisses on a band or record and someone needs to step up and defend why they like it. We normally don’t spend a lot of time defending shitty records, but sometimes genuinely interesting or good records get lampooned by an overly conservative heavy metal scene and that calls for a professional contrarian to defend it! If ever there were professional contrarians, it would be the staff of AMG. So here we are to re-hash a record from our past that (some of us) love that everyone else seems to have soured on (or never liked in the first place).” This one is even more indefensible than usual!

Things You Might Have Missed 2015: Misþyrming – Söngvar elds og óreiðu

By El Cuervo on December 9, 2015 in 2015, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Icelandic Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2015, Black Metal, 13 comments

“There aren’t many contexts wherein ‘Icelandic’ forms part of a natural phrase to an outsider such as myself. If I think ‘American…’ I complete the phrase with ‘Horror Story,’ ‘Hustle’ or ‘Heartbeat,’ among numerous other affiliated terms. There are but two completions which spring to mind after ‘Icelandic’ for me: ‘beer’ and ‘metal.’ I therefore understandably privilege the overachieving country and am here to impart on you the knowledge of yet more exemplary cultural output.” Everybody move to Iceland and drink lots of beer, everybody move to Iceland right now!

Monolithe – Epsilon Aurigae Review

By El Cuervo on December 2, 2015 in 2015, Debemur Morti, Doom Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 20 comments

“Having finally stepped out from the shadow of Roman numerals and single-track full-length albums, the French Monolithe has returned with their fifth LP, Epsilon Aurigae. I considered Monolithe IV a slight regression from the monumental Monolithe III, and it seems the decision taken to step away from the established formula (which had already been more-or-less perfected by III) was a smart one.” Attach the Rock of Triumph again!

The Moth Gatherer – The Earth is the Sky Review

By El Cuervo on November 28, 2015 in 2015, Agonia Records, Doom Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, 24 comments

“It’s difficult striking out into the musical mire in the Internet era. There are almost-literally limitless bands out there vying for the contents of your wallet and it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. The Moth Gatherer seem to genuinely offer something a bit different: their sophomore album The Earth is the Sky is something akin to Agalloch but with more doom and less earthy production, or Secrets of the Sky but with more post-rock tendencies.” Like moths to the flame, hipsters come to post-metal.

Cold Northern Vengeance – Maelstrom Review

By El Cuervo on November 9, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Black Metal, Moribund Records, Reviews, Viking Metal, Black Metal, Viking Metal, 17 comments

“When I think of blackened Viking metal with influences from prominent Satan-centric places on this great Earth – such as Norway and France – I don’t necessarily think of New Hampshire. I’m no expert in American history so maybe there were bountiful Viking raids on picturesque seaside towns like Seabrook, but I can’t be sure about that. Nonetheless, Cold Northern Vengeance comes bearing gifts of such blackened Viking metal from their cheerful home town in the form of Maelstrom.” Vikings ruined my leaf peeping weekend.