Kronos

Human Cull – Stillborn Nation Review

By Kronos on March 5, 2014 in 2014, Crust Punk, English Metal, Grind, Hardcore, Reviews, WOOAAARGH, Crust Punk, Grind, 1 comment

“Band names are difficult to decide on, which is why so many of them are overwrought (Cryptopsy), ridiculous (Gorguts), deliberately self-effacing (literally any local hardcore band) or a combination of the aforementioned (The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza). No matter how terrible or fantastic a band is, their name can have a huge effect on what you think of them. Enter Eexeter’s Human Cull, a band whose sobriquet is so fantastically violent and straightforward that it could only signal one thing: really good grind.” Good grind is hard to find. Ask anybody.

Indian – From All Purity Review

By Kronos on January 16, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Black Metal, Noise, Sludge Metal, 37 comments

“”Noise” is a term often used to describe metal by those who haven’t yet submersed themselves in the genre. When you’re not used to being assaulted by distortion and screams, the whole panoply of extreme genres undoubtedly poses a seemingly impenetrable thicket of bloodied thorns; it seems insane that people would choose to settle in such an environment, make their homes there, and grow the forest ever greater. Indian are the fetid leaf litter of the forest, the floor of grimy, wet, compacted remains where plantae gives way to fungi and fungi to bacteria.” Kronos weaves a strange tale of forests, mulch and mouse bones as he unveils an early candidate for Album of the Year.

Warfather – Orchestrating the Apocalypse Review

By Kronos on January 15, 2014 in 2.0, 2014, American Metal, Death Metal, Greyhaze Records, Reviews, 1 comment

“Other than being a young blood on the review team here, I’m a young blood in general, meaning that I popped onto this rock just around the time death metal was in its youthful heyday, and was introduced to it late, more or less in its modern form, without any experience with its gritty adolescent years. For the most part, the 90s sound is a relic for me, fossil evidence of the gradual evolution of death metal. Warfather seems determined to re-educate me. The throwback quartet, headed by ex-Morbid Angel bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker, has crept onto my radar with a name too ridiculous to pass by and a sound 90s enough to warrant a presidential apology to the American people.” Kronos is young and in need of guidance. Can Warfather provide the parental authority he needs or are they just a bad influence?

The Kennedy Veil – Trinity of Falsehood Review

By Kronos on January 14, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, 12 comments

“For every Voivod album that teaches us not to judge a book by its (horrendously poorly made) cover, there are dozens of other albums with laughably bad artwork that also contain laughably bad music. This was somewhat the case with The Kennedy Veil’s debut disc, which hid uninteresting death metal behind a photoshop abomination. They can’t be faulted for this, seeing as the it was self-released, but it’s nice to know this time around they’ve put forth a properly constructed, though again clichéd face for themselves.” Sometimes we make note of album artwork, but Kronos really takes that to a new level of visual obsession. Fortunately, he also reviews the music… eventually.

Netherbird – The Ferocious Tides of Fate Review

By Kronos on December 24, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Scarecrow Music Group, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 6 comments

“Steel Druhm has for some time been riding me to finish, or, more accurately, begin this review. Squeezed in before end of the year lists, I have rather wisely decided to comply with his request [As you should ALL of my requests! — Steel “Imperious” Druhm] and reveal my thoughts on the latest release from Stockholm’s Netherbird, a relatively unknown black metal quintet with a surprising taste for melody in the vein of their countrymen in Gothenburg.” Better late than never, Kronos arrives with a review of Netherbird’s latest blast of blackened death. However, because it’s so late, Kronos will begin the new year in metal detention.

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: The Schoenberg Automaton – Vela

By Kronos on December 20, 2013 in Australian Metal, Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Death Metal, 3 comments

“The Schoenberg Automaton first caught my eye with their self-titled 2010 EP, which I probably found while browsing Bandcamp in a Meshuggah-induced stupor, keeping an eye out for anything promising that my penniless ass could download. The three-track tour de force immediately turned me on to the Brisbane based tech-death group and their jittering, atonal, and surprisingly refreshing style. Since that excellent EP, the Aussies have had three years to muster all of the necessary insanity for a full-length release that matches the intensity and freshness of those three songs which first put them on my radar. Vela had better damn well deliver.” Our man Kronos tells you about an Australian death crew you might have missed and probably shouldn’t have!

Malthusian – MMXIII Review

By Kronos on November 26, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, Invictus Productions, Irish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 5 comments

“The foremost sin of Angry Metal Guy as a website is that Noctus gave Altar of Plagues’ Teethed Glory and Injury a slightly less than perfect score. Since getting my hands on that album, I’ve been haunted by some part of it every day, whether it be the absolute devastation of “Burnt Year”, the dissonant wall of “Mills” or the wash of drum fills backed by gut-wrenching swathes of sound on “A Body Shrouded”. The album is one of few I have ever considered to be flawless, and one of the most memorable aspects of Teethed Glory and Injury is the drumming. So when I heard that after the group’s disbanding, Johnny King was drumming in Malthusian, I knew I had to check in on the budding black metallers before anyone had the chance to slightly disagree with me.” What’s this? Are Kronos and Noctus beefin?? And with the holidays just around the corner too. For shame!

Slave Zero – Disambiguated Visionary Review

By Kronos on November 12, 2013 in 2013, Death Metal, Double Standard Prouductions, Grind, Irish Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Grind, 2 comments

“Slave Zero is a band I’d never heard of before this review, and I’d wager you haven’t either, despite their thirteen years of brutality. These devious Dubliners are poised to release their second EP Disambiguated Visionary, and it’s about time we all took note, because they’re bringing a new force into deathgrind: Aliens. The dastardly extraterrestrials have spread into slam via Wormed, colonized technical death metal through Rings of Saturn and are now, thanks to Disambiguated Visionary, invading deathgrind. I, for one, welcome our new grayish overlords.” Join Kronos as he leads the pro-alien overlord cheer squad and examines some extraterrestrial themed death grind. Turn on your heart lights!!

Tribune – Tales Review

By Kronos on October 20, 2013 in 2013, Canadian Metal, Corpse Corrosion Records, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 1 comment

““Progressive death metal” is a phrase full of lush semantic promise for me. Those three words hold the suggestion of an interesting and diverse palette of sound, with enough nuance to be respectable and enough hard-hitting and energetic release to satiate my almost masochistic desire to headbang. Sadly, the suggestion is all too often a bit misleading – as bands fail to deliver compelling songs amidst the interwoven forest of off-kilter rhythms and odd, but uninspiring tonalities. The very promise of difference all too often homogenizes the genre through an arms race for musical novelty and this prevents artists from forming a distinct identity. Identity is something Vancouver’s Tribune certainly isn’t lacking in; they’re decidedly not a copycat and their second album Tales is one of the most distinctive records I’ve heard this year.” Promises, promises, promises, that’s what tech-death means to our man Kronos. But can Tribune live up to their promises (and promise)?

Revocation – Revocation Review

By Kronos on October 18, 2013 in 2013, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Relapse, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 4 comments

At this point in their career, Revocation should certainly know what they’re good at, and fans should know what to expect out of the group’s consistently inventive and engaging brand of thrashy tech-death. A self-titled album then seems an appropriate fourth release for Davidson and Co., but topping the perfection of previous albums, especially the most recent thriller Chaos of Forms, is a tall order. Revocation, for the most part, delivers exactly what fans look for in a Revocation album; exciting, technical and catchy songs with all the heft and energy of a freight train.” Ladies and gentlemen, today is Tech-Death Albums We Missed Reviewing Day!! First up on the tardy list is the thrashy goodness of Revocation and doing the honors is our brand new probationary scribe, Kronos! New writer, long awaited review, what more can you ask for, you divas!!