Holdeneye

When you wield the 4hammer, every album looks like a nail.

Forged in Black – Descent of the Serpent Review

By Holdeneye on March 15, 2019 in 2019, British Metal, Fighter Records, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 44 comments

“My foray into the world of metal music proceeded with a two-pronged approach. Killswitch Engage ushered me in through the metalcore gate by which many of my generation have found their metal calling. It didn’t take long for this path to lead me into the rich territory of modern extreme metal, and I surveyed the land and found it to be good. But around the time that I was first hearing “The End of Heartache” on the radio, a friend of mine showed me a band that he had seen on VH1’s 40 Most Awesomely Bad Metal Songs. The band was Manowar, and what my friend meant for laughs struck a very serious chord within me.” Heart of steel and serpents.

Katechon – Sanger fra Auschwitz Review

By Holdeneye on March 12, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Death Metal, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Saturnal Records, Black Metal, Death Metal, 68 comments

“Auschwitz. It’s a name that has come to represent a giant blemish on the great canvas of humanity, an almost incomprehensible chapter in the story of our species. It’s no wonder that while existentialism existed prior to World War II and its horrors, it wasn’t until humanity was forced to look into the mirror of that great conflict, coming face to face with its own darkness and capacity for evil that the philosophy that deals with facing meaninglessness and absurdity began to resonate with the masses. On this, their third full-length album, Norwegian band Katechon leaves the esotericism of their past behind and instead takes ‘a deep dive into the darkest places of the collective human psyche. Here Auschwitz is not just the physical, but also the meta-physical manifestation of evil on earth.'” Never forget.

Grafvitnir – Venenum Scorpionis Review

By Holdeneye on March 2, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Carnal Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 60 comments

“As if on cue, a momentary silence in my headphones is broken as a highly melodic yet terrifying tremolo fades in, only to cut out to allow a wolf to howl far, then near. I’m overcome with primal energy, and I seriously consider shedding my clothes and running into the woods to live out my days as the basis for further Sasquatch sightings. Realizing that I have neither the temperament nor the survival skills for such an endeavor, I resolve to keep scrubbing and simply enjoy the sweet sounds of “Wolf of the Eclipse,” the opening track from Grafvitnir’s sixth Swedish black metal opus Venenum Scorpionis.” Of wolf and apeman.

Wachenfeldt – The Interpreter Review

By Holdeneye on February 20, 2019 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 208 comments

“Hello, Friend. Are you still feeling sad because the latest Behemoth didn’t quite tickle your fancy? Are you experiencing anxiety and depression because you’re worried that your occult-themed music isn’t truly glorifying the Evil One? Are you craving some sinister blackened death metal with a heaping helping of thrash, Crowleyan lyrics, and some tasteful symphonic accompaniment? Then ask your Angry Metal Preferred Network Dr. if Wachenfeldt is right for you. Its proprietary blend of the aforementioned genres is specifically formulated to blacken your soul and to ensure that you’ve never feldt better!” A doctorate in death.

Chainbreaker – Lethal Desire Review

By Holdeneye on February 18, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 35 comments

“Chainbreaker. It’s a name that conjures images of freedom being won, justice being attained, and dragons being mothered, but it only takes a cursory listen to the lyrics on Lethal Desire to realize that this is a band whose aspirations are not nearly so lofty. Comprised of former members of Toxic Holocaust and Cauldron, Toronto’s Chainbreaker specializes in speedy thrash anthems dedicated to hell, killing, drugs, and what the Bible refers to as fornication, and sometimes all of these at one time.” Chained to the oldies.

The Wandering Ascetic – Crimson Review

By Holdeneye on February 17, 2019 in 2019, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Singaporean Metal, Transcending Obscurity Asia, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 26 comments

“Who determines the subgenre of an album? Is it the band itself? The label? Metal Archives? The listener? Satan? Honestly, this is a question that hadn’t really seemed important in my mind until reviewing this album from Singaporean band The Wandering Ascetic. Crimson is the band’s first full length, but they began playing together in 2011 and released an EP in 2013. The project is being touted by Transcending Obscurity Asia as the more streamlined blackened thrash outlet for vocalist Kathir, whom fans of Rudra may recognize as that band’s longtime frontman. Streamlined blackened thrash sounded really nice while I was perusing promos, so I decided to join The Wandering Ascetic for a walkabout.” Lost in the woods.

Drottnar – Monolith Review

By Holdeneye on February 12, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Endtime Productions, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 237 comments

“No matter one’s perspective on Christianity, it is hard to ignore the fact that its central theme of life emerging from death is built into the very fabric of our universe. Cells, plants, animals, worlds, stars, galaxies all die, their remains either fueling or becoming an integral part of something else. You don’t have to believe any specifics of the faith to see the beauty in accepting this death/life paradox and finding meaning in the metaphor. Norwegian band Drottnar seem to have a firm grip on this paradox of constant change and renewal as their 20-plus-year existence has been one of continual metamorphosis, starting as a standard death metal band and mutating into a hard-to-describe whirlwind of blackened complexity that explores Christian themes on their two previous full-lengths.” Rebuild to renew.

Toxik Attack – Assassinos em Série Review

By Holdeneye on January 26, 2019 in 2019, Helldprod Records, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 68 comments

“I’m proud to tell you that I happen to be AMG’s resident specialist when it comes to Portuguese language thrash/speed releases from Helldprod Records. No other writer here can boast the honor of reviewing such a record, >and now I’ve done it twice in my illustriously short career. It may be an impossibly narrow niche, but hey, you have to start somewhere! Assassinos em Série is the debut album from Portuguese band Toxik Attack, and it is my next great hope for thrash in 2019.” Closed for remediation.

Inferno – Basado en Hechos Reales Review

By Holdeneye on January 24, 2019 in 2019, Necromance Records, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Thrash Metal, 60 comments

“Let me congratulate you. If you’re reading this, it means you’ve managed to survive “The Great Thrash Drought of 2018.” Thrash is one of my favorite genres in both its single malt and blended-with-other-genre forms, so it was rough having only one album of that style amongst my favorites of last year. There’s just something about the combination of riffs and attitude that makes well-performed thrash untouchable in my book. I’ve been tempted to give in to a sense of hopelessness when it comes to modern day thrash, but rather than relent to this urge, I’ve decided to opt for immersion therapy.” No speed kills.

Leach – Hymns for the Hollow Review

By Holdeneye on January 16, 2019 in 2019, Metalcore, Reviews, Self-released, Swedish Metal, Thrash Metal, Metalcore, Thrash Metal, 89 comments

“Ever since I was a wee n00bian babe, Steel Druhm has been threatening to smother me with a metalcore pillow. Personally, I’ve always lived by the adage “If thou must be smothered, thou shouldst at least choose the pillow.” So rather than let Steel continue to hang The Core of Damocles above my head, I decided I would take matters into my own hands and pick up the next available metalcore promo. Hymns for the Hollow is the second album from Swedish band Leach and upon first glance it seemed as if it would do the trick. Surely I will gain copious brownie points by volunteering for this selfless martyrdom, no?” Attach the Core of Triumph.