“Five years since 2013’s solid and thrashy Unwelcome, Arsis make a pivotal return with sixth LP, Visitant. With a stable line-up in tow, Malone has masterminded a visceral, energized collection of tunes, set to catapult Arsis back to the top of the American melo-death pile.” Back to rule.
“Unfortunately, there’s a tragic side story around the album’s conception, bringing a deeper emotional depth to Corrupting Influence. In 2017, founding member, powerhouse drummer, and veteran New York firefighter Bill Tolley sadly passed away while bravely performing his duties during a complicated emergency. Determined to press on and honor Bill’s memory, Internal Bleeding forged ahead with their latest opus of slammy, hardcore-tinged death.” Once and future heroes.
“Do you like djent? How about metalcore? Switzerland? Or perhaps Mycelia’s self proclaimed moniker of progressive deathcore? If you answered yes to these questions, you are potentially in for a tasty treat via the band’s fourth LP, entitled Apex. With such genre tags commonly used as punching bags by the trve metal folk, keeping an open mind was an essential element in tackling my latest review assignment. I can’t say I’m a big fan of djent or metalcore, though I’ve dabbled in the past, and plenty of bands I’ve enjoyed over the years have had elements of the styles. I’d never experienced Mycelia’s chunky brand of modern, angst-ridden metal previously. So after spinning Apex and collecting my thoughts, have the experienced Swiss six-piece overridden my skepticism and gained a new fan?” 6 core and 7 years ago.
“So where does Horrendous go from here? And where do I go after recklessly hurling superlatives over their past two albums with the salivating enthusiasm of a heavy set man at a hot dog eating contest. One thing’s certain, expectations from the band’s bloated fan-base will be sky high after the three-year wait following Anareta.” Worship at this Horrendous Idol.
“Through my obsession with Acid Bath, I developed a taste for other trailblazing NOLA bands, from Soilent Green, Eyehategod, Down and Crowbar, to lesser known acts, like underrated grind maestros Flesh Parade and Mule Skinner. The latter act released a gem of a lone LP in 1996 called Abuse that I snagged a CD copy of many moons ago.” Skin to win.
“The Contrite Metal Guy inside me has Mantar’s powerhouse 2016 sophomore album Ode to the Flame on a shortlist for downgrading. And although I believe I was a little too generous with the scoring, the album still impressed greatly and I’ve been able to rely on the German duo for high quality punk and doom infested blackened sludge since their stunning debut, Death by Burning, dropped in 2014. It seems the rest of the world is catching on rapidly, judging by Mantar’s ever growing stature and swelling popularity within the modern metal scene. Now, The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze is in the can, along with a heaving load of anticipation for the all important third full-length opus.” Art as punishment.
“In theory, Georgia’s Black Tusk is a band I should like more than I do. Admittedly I’ve lost touch with them and haven’t revisited any of their material recently, but previous experiences haven’t exactly compelled me to come back for more, despite never really being able to pinpoint what the problem is.” Fear of the Tusk.
“I first stumbled across prolific one-man Australian riff machine Bob Nekrasov and his solo outfit Rebel Wizard on the band’s impressive 2016 opus, Triumph of Gloom. What impressed me most about the album was its cohesively disparate combo of scorching dual guitar harmonies and triumphant heavy metal gallop, ugly lo-fi aesthetic, and black metal core. Due to >b>Rebel Wizard’s ripping song-writing, impressive riff-craft, and ear for splendidly catchy melodies, Triumph of Gloom earned solid rotation, so naturally I was pleased to hear Rebel Wizard had landed under the Prosthetic Records roster and were ready for wider spread metal domination.” Not your dad’s wizard.
“It’s probably fair to say that Agalloch and Giant Squid went out with differing degrees of success on the recording front. Both issued their final albums in 2014, with Agalloch’s The Serpent and the Sphere garnering mixed opinions, while Giant Squid’s Minoans opus was a fine conceptual piece that stands among their stronger releases. With the dust settled on two stellar careers, can the ex-Agalloch collective of Don Anderson, Jason Walton and prolific drummer Aesop Dekker combine successfully with former Giant Squid and current Squalus frontman/guitarist Aaron Gregory?” Salve for loss or salt in the wound?
“I hate to start off by being a Negative Nancy, but past the halfway point of 2018, I can’t squash the feeling that the year has been somewhat of a disappointment thus far when considering the plethora of metal releases that have dropped. Sure there’s been standouts and some genuinely very good to great albums, but these have been in short supply when stacked up against the sheer weight of albums that have filtered through the Angry Metal Promo pit. Of course, there’s plenty of time for the year to take an upward turn and blow us all away, and I for one am hoping the quality of death metal albums gets cranked up as the year progresses.” Less is gore.
