Felagund

Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy Review

By Felagund on February 14, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 105 comments

“I first discovered the deliciously wretched Sanguisugabogg, not on the pages of this blog, but thanks instead to The Algorithm ™. There I was, click-clacking away to the dulcet tones of death metal, when my ears perked up. What was this? Why, none other than the opener of the ‘Bogg’s first full-length album, Tortured Whole. I was immediately taken by their 2021 debut, and I spun that (very) bad boy many times, taken as I was by its grimy groove, brutal efficiency and the vast amounts of fun these low lives are clearly having as they squeal their way through such a pungent platter. Now here I sit, two years later, with their follow-up Homicidal Ecstasy grasped firmly in my muck-encrusted mockery of a hand.” Bogg standard.

Orphique – Consécration Cadavérique [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Felagund on January 29, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 9 comments

“Consécration Cadavérique is a relatively brief album, clocking in at just over 38 minutes, but that’s across only five tracks, meaning it boasts both a tight runtime and lengthy compositions. I generally avoid the latter in my black metal, as trem-heavy, blast-beaten repetition can quickly grow tiresome, my mind begins to wander and the unrelenting wall of sound quickly becomes indecipherable background noise. Yet Orphique make it work.” Long and short of it.

Nothingness – Supraliminal Review

By Felagund on January 24, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 152 comments

“Does a new year mean new pursuits? New ideas and new beginnings? Who cares? For me, a new year just means more death metal. As such, I’m starting 2023 off the way our forefathers intended: with a smattering of muck and more than a glaze of grime. With this being my goal, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with the sophomore album from Nothingness, a Minneapolis-based quintet who know how to craft a riff almost as competently as they can choose an album cover.” And Nothingness matters.

Arthur Brown – Monster’s Ball [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Felagund on January 6, 2023 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, 43 comments

When I approached His Thiccness Lord Steel about writing up a TYMHM about the new album from shock rock godfather Arthur Brown, his response was much like one of his gorilla jabs: swift, accurate and painful (at least for Grier). “He’s the original Alice Cooper,” Steel said. “And by extension, the real King of Diamonds.” It was with these words of simian wisdom that I set out to dive deeper into this English octogenarian’s latest album Monster’s Ball. Of monsters and madmen.

Casket Robbery – Rituals of Death Review

By Felagund on November 19, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Slam, 6 comments

“Why are we here on a site called “Angry Metal Guy” if we’re not game to bury pointed sticks in our amygdalas, set our limbic systems on fire and throw rocks at the sun like good old fashioned Neanderthals? It was for that frontal lobe-atomizing experience that I picked up Rituals of Death, the second full-length from Wisconsin’s own Casket Robbery. Combining a brutish name and fitting song titles with a growing desire to jump aboard the slam wagon, I was more than eager to dive head first into this record and get my casket well and truly robbed.” Casket cases.

Fall of Seraphs – From Dust to Creation Review

By Felagund on November 7, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 32 comments

“According to the Book of Isaiah, a Seraph is an angel that has “six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.” According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Seraphs are known as “the burning ones” and are recognized as the highest-ranking angels amongst the heavenly hosts. According to me, these winged warriors serve as a great inspiration for a death metal band name, especially if you’re referring to their tragic collapse. Enter Fall of Seraphs, a death metal quintet hailing from Bordeaux, France boasting a quality handle (as I overexplained above), and a keenly-honed, DM sound that also incorporates elements of tech, thrash and black metal.” Angel grinder.

Autophagy – Bacteriophage Review

By Felagund on October 12, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 20 comments

“After unrelenting, fruitless sojourns reviewing doom, grind and epic metal, I have finally returned to my one true love: death metal of the old school variety, caked in grime and crusted over with unspeakable muck. Enter Bacteriophage, the first full-length release of Portland, Oregon-based death dealers Autophagy. Spotted gurgling during a late-night promo sump dive, this one appears to have it all: an indecipherable logo, predicable themes of rot and decay, buzzsaw guitars, crushing riffs, guttural vocals not even fit for the gutter, and plenty of muddy bombast to spare. After spinning and reviewing several recent releases outside of my usual musical hunting grounds, Autophagy’s latest felt like coming home.” Home sweat home.

Slugcrust – Ecocide Review

By Felagund on September 26, 2022 in Reviews, 10 comments

“Ecocide, the debut from Slugcrust, was a difficult album to write about. The brevity, genre and unrelenting frenzy made for a somewhat complicated but altogether illuminating reviewing effort. Not only was I called to deliver a verdict on the quality of the album, but I found myself asking some very basic questions about the nature of reviewing itself: should I base my conclusions on my personal views without taking into account the context of the style of metal in question? Or should I instead grade on a curve, remembering that one of the album’s shortcomings is perhaps also one of the genre’s founding principles? All these questions and more went through my head as I spun Slugcrust’s Ecocide,” Surviving the critical grind.

In Grief – An Eternity of Misery Review

By Felagund on September 6, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 10 comments

“I have a complicated history with doom metal. While there are groups like Electric Wizard or High on Fire that I tend to turn to for my fuzzy, morose fix, I have more trouble with the deathened doom variety. Sure, you can’t shake a stick at the likes of Asphyx (and why would you? They’re old men and so very brittle), but executed poorly, you mix doom’s plodding passages with DMs unrelenting barrage, resulting in a bloated, brickwalled concoction that leaves your eardrums ringing and your watch over-checked. Be that as it may, I’ve been proven wrong before (except for our split review of Temple of Void’s latest) and there’s always something new to discover.” Good grief?

Daidalos – The Expedition Review

By Felagund on August 21, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Epic Metal, 18 comments

“The Expedition is a concept album that tells the story of the doomed 1845 voyage of Captain John Franklin and his crew of 129 men and their frost-filled journey through undiscovered portions of the northwest passage. Grizzled sea captains? Ice pirates? Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi may not crave such things, but I sure do. Daidalos have certainly plucked a worthy story from the annals of history on which to base their album. And as is their right, the band has chosen the soothing sounds of symphonic, epic black metal to tale this tale.” Voyage of the damned.