Eldritch Elitist

Dessiderium – Aria Review

By Eldritch Elitist on December 10, 2021 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 32 comments

“December is an exceptionally bad time to release any album. Between all the list compiling and TYMHM-ing that comes with the territory, I like to try to squeeze in a review or two for the “good enough” albums that find themselves caught out in the cold amid list season celebrations. Mind you, I don’t let them inside to partake, but I at least open the door just a crack to grant them a fleeting breath of celebratory warmth. For an album like Aria, this is an exceptionally disappointing fate. Had this been released even a few months prior, I feel that I would have had the time to digest this immense record to its fullest by list season.” Scrooged.

1000 Bone Cylinder Explosion – Bind Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 25, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, 25 comments

“Solo projects are somewhat fascinating to me. They offer a fresh perspective into what makes an artist tick yet, for whatever reason, are seldom ever as good as the musician’s root project. The obvious takeaway here is that a band is only as good as the sum of its parts, and isolating one of those parts is bound to result in a lesser product. What makes 1000 Bone Cylinder Explosion an interesting case, then, is that the founder is already the primary compositional voice behind his greatest claim to fame. We are already acquainted with Peter Hraur’s vision; we have Lör. So what new wonders, then, can 1000 Bone Cylinder Explosion offer.” Bone collector.

Stormkeep – Tales of Othertime Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 20, 2021 in Reviews, Melodic Black Metal, 69 comments

“Tales of Othertime is an entirely different beast. Its pre-baked hype squad will undoubtedly boost its popularity, but its status as one of the most fun and listenable black metal records of the year will propel it there regardless.” Stromhype.

Der Weg einer Freiheit – Noktvrn Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 17, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 30 comments

“I have a tendency to expect too much from my favorite artists. For many, an attachment sparked by a particularly excellent record leads many to lifelong devotion. For me, it results in mounting expectations, which are all too easily extinguished. And extinguished they were by Der Weg einer Freiheit’s Finisterre, at least at first. The band’s stellar Stellar was already a black metal all-timer for me, and the fact that Finisterre dared dampen that album’s epic scope in any way felt like sacrilege. Of course, that feeling changed with time and acceptance; in fact, if I ever get around to writing a Contrite Metal Guy piece, it will be first up to bat for a promotion. Lessons were thus learned, and I dove into Noktvrn with zero expectations and an open heart.” Open heart, frozen veins.

Summoning the Lich – United in Chaos Review

By Eldritch Elitist on March 3, 2021 in Reviews, Deathcore, Melodic Death Metal, 63 comments

“I’ve always felt like I sort of missed the boat on The Black Dahlia Murder. They were bursting onto the melodic death metal scene just as Amon Amarth was finding a wider audience with the now-classic With Oden On Our Side. I personally ended up falling down the Scandinavian melodeath rabbit hole, neglecting to pay attention to the American brand of melodeath that The Black Dahlia Murder was actively pioneering. In turn, I never fully appreciated the sound of the countless bands they’ve inspired; artists like Inferi are great for one-off listens, but nothing about that specific sound triggers compulsive returns. Summoning the Lich is built different.” Lich pins.

Thron – Pilgrim Review

By Eldritch Elitist on March 1, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 49 comments

“Bands like Thron felt much more special to me as a fledgling member of the AMG staff back in early 2017. In those days, I was just happy to be covering something good. Thron’s debut LP wasn’t just good; it was damn good, and the best record I had covered for this blog at the time I penned my review. Its follow-up, Abysmal, was nothing like its namesake. We unfortunately never received a promo for Abysmal, but it was a successful risk for the band, as they pivoted from pure meloblack to something more diverse and richly textured. As ironically great as Abysmal was, I am somewhat happy I never covered it in retrospect. Its successor, Pilgrim, is on an almost identical playing field.” Thron trend.

Immortal Guardian – Psychosomatic Review

By Eldritch Elitist on February 16, 2021 in Reviews, Power Metal, 65 comments

“Feats of sheer sonic escapism have defined much of my listening habits in the Covid era. The stronger an artist can nail a “larger than life” aesthetic in sound and concept, the better. My polyamorous affair with Bal-Sagoth and Galneryus has never burned brighter, while new favorites like Finsterforst have dominated my playlists. Immortal Guardian’s debut Age of Revolution fits comfortably into a similarly overblown mold.” Topic blunder.

Undeath – Lesions of a Different Kind Review

By Eldritch Elitist on October 23, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 73 comments

“Man, I was stoked to cover this record until this very moment. 2020 has been a tremendous year for death metal (if little else), and Undeath’s Lesions of a Different Kind is one of my most anticipated records in the genre. And much to my surprise, it took only a minimal amount of pleas and poisoning to secure reviewing rights from the established death metal experts on staff. But… now what? How does one even sell a record like this, which so brashly speaks for itself? Not to mention one which has enough hype surrounding it that almost anyone with a reasonable interest in death metal has long since had their eyes on it.” Unbuzz.

Infera Bruo – Rites of the Nameless Review

By Eldritch Elitist on October 21, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 20 comments

“In 2018 I opened my review of Infera Bruo’s Cerement by hailing its cover art as a perfect encapsulation of the record’s sound. Examining the artwork for its follow-up, Rites of the Nameless, I feel compelled to establish this practice as a tradition when reviewing Infera Bruo’s albums. The depiction of roots coiled around a skull is striking; not so much because of the image itself, but rather that Rites of the Nameless feels like a conscious effort to connect more deeply with black metal’s roots.” Roots, nameless roots.

Cryptic Shift – Visitations from Enceladus Review

By Eldritch Elitist on October 17, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 68 comments

“While I’ve traditionally identified as a basic black metal bitch, my listening habits of late have hovered firmly above death metal territory. The art of the Big Dumb Riff has held absolute command of my Spotify search bar, and it’s all thanks to the diversity the genre pool has spawned in over three decades of evolution. Just as I finish my most recent round of dick flattening at the hands of something as unflinchingly savage as Black Curse, I know I can hop to the opposite end of the technical axis to enjoy similarly aggressive highs in a fresh context. Cryptic Shift’s debut is about as far from something like Black Curse as you can imagine on the caveman riff spectrum, but those same thrills are all here.” Up Shift’s creek.