Saunders

Unleashing Hell from Down Under: Blood, sweat, venom & beers

Giant Squid – Minoans Review

By Saunders on October 31, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Doom Metal, Post-Rock, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Translation Loss, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 22 comments

“Firstly, before I delve into the guts of this review, here’s a bit of context regarding the elaborate conceptual narrative San Francisco’s Giant Squid have once again crafted with their latest weird and wonderful musical trip, entitled Minoans. The Minoan civilization emerged on the island of Crete and thrived from roughly 2700 to 1450 BC. I’m not here to give you a fucking history lesson, but for those seeking to get the full engagement of another carefully constructed and highly ambitious Giant Squid concept album, there’s an interesting backstory behind this mysterious civilization well worth investigating.” I feel like we just got a fucking history lesson.

Ruinside – 10 Forms of Dominion Review

By Saunders on October 21, 2014 in 2014, Finnish Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 1 comment

“As most dedicated metalheads are aware, a hell of a lot of great heavy music has emerged from Finland over the years. However, I can’t recall too many notable Finnish thrash bands, which was a strong factor in putting my hand up to review the sophomore album from Ruinside. Diving in blindly with a review assignment is generally not how I operate, but needless to say I was intrigued by the prospect of a raging Finnish thrash album in a scarce year for the classic genre.” Diving in blind is risky work, especially with unknown thrash involved.

Horrendous – Ecdysis Review

By Saunders on October 12, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 20 comments

“Of all the throwback forms of metal that conjure warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia, the famed Sunlight Studios sound, pioneered in Sweden during the late 80s/early 90’s, remains the most endearing yet oversaturated styles around. For every Bloodbath, Entrails or Blood Mortized there are countless other derivative bands bogged down by their lack of songwriting finesse and fresh ideas. So when East Coast death metal crew Horrendous burst onto the scene in 2012 with their accomplished debut album The Chills, it gave the tired style a welcome shot of adrenaline.” Can this be just as horrendous as their debut? More horrendous even?

Madrost – Into the Aquatic Sector Review

By Saunders on September 22, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 16 comments

“After consuming my fill of thick gourmet stew from doom heavyweights YOB and Pallbearer over the past month, it’s refreshing to get back to some no-frills meat and potatoes metal, courtesy of unsigned Californian thrashers Madrost. Firstly, the fact the band is unsigned is a little baffling, especially when considering the subpar tripe that winds up on labels these days. Not that Madrost are a particularly game changing or innovative band ready to set the metal underground ablaze, but they certainly have the chops and enough of their own identity to warrant a record deal.” It has been said we only review thrash here at AMG (or was it death)? Either way, here’s some fucking thrash!

Myrkur – Myrkur Review

By Saunders on September 15, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 17 comments

“The old PR hype machine has been cranking out the pre-release superlatives and playing up the mystery surrounding the debut EP from Scandinavian one woman black metal project Myrkur. Typical of male dominance in the metal community, the gender novelty has been thrown around, however it’s the identity of this apparently Danish born artist that has raised much speculation and underground sleuthing from dedicated metalheads.” We love a mystery here at AMG, and this one is a riddle wrapped in an enigma and coated with Scandinavian ice.

Sacrocurse – Unholier Master Review

By Saunders on August 17, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Death Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Mexican Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 0 comments

“Following a stint on highly respected underground metal label Iron Bonehead productions for the release of their Sulphur Blessing demo, Mexican/Turkish duo Sacrocurse have fittingly landed on the Hells Headbangers roster for their debut full length, entitled Unholier Master. Band members LZ (drums) and Zolrak Montes (guitars, vocals), the latter a member of long running Texan act Nodens, craft a suitably primal slab of bestial blackened death, wielding their respective instruments like crude and primitive weapons of war as they hack and hammer through ten violent cuts in an appropriately concise 32-minute running time.” Metal Rule #346: You aren’t extreme unless you have “sacro” in your band name. New probationary scribe L. Saunders reports on how the proper prefix helped these Mexican metallers in their quest for brutal conquest.