Kenstrosity

Destroying AMG's metal cred from within.

Unflesh – Inhumation Review

By Kenstrosity on March 29, 2021 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 43 comments

“Unlike the New Hampshire trio’s debut Savior, which ranks among my earliest Bandcamp purchases, Inhumation flows like hot blood through open veins. Where the debut rode through a chaotic blizzard of technicality, Inhumation builds upon an ensemble of tight, catchy riffs, blackened leads and throbbing bass counterpoint. Drama drips from the walls of this cathedral of melodic tech-death. Excess has been excised from the exercise, exhibiting only that which enhances the experience.” All hail the Unflesh.

Mare Cognitum – Solar Paroxysm Review

By Kenstrosity on March 15, 2021 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 71 comments

“There’s atmospheric black metal, and then there’s Mare Cognitum. Two sides of the same planet. On the former, the sphere is completely devoid of life, eroded by endless recycling of ideas to the point of being uninhabitable. Then you have Mare Cognitum, a one-man force of nature who consistently releases quality material. Mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Buczarski’s side of the atmoblack world thrives against the eroding tides of time.” Renewable energies.

Autarkh – Form in Motion Review

By Kenstrosity on March 9, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Electronic, 60 comments

“My taste in metal rapidly expanded after Autarkh’s mastermind Michel Nienhuis obliterated my understanding of the universe with his atom-blasting Dodecahedron project. Crushing dissonance met twisted melody and horrific atmosphere in a package that was challenging but morbidly inviting not once, but twice. Autarkh falls far from that tree, not at all a continuation of Michel’s past efforts. This I respect and encourage.” Form before function.

Acid Mammoth – Caravan Review

By Kenstrosity on March 2, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, 41 comments

“Stoner doom. Cool, now that two-thirds of the readers have scurried away, let’s get down to brass tacks. This genre is fucking plagued. To find prime specimens in this genre is a rare feat indeed, and as I write this I realize even I only have one or two, maybe three records to offer as modern examples of such. Everything else sounds like a litter of indistinguishable duplicates to me. Greek quartet Acid Mammoth should be able to break that mold, though, right? First of all, they’ve got one of the best metal logos in recent times. Second of all, they occupy the darker side of the stoner doom spectrum.” Diamonds and tusk.

Epica – Omega Review

By Kenstrosity on February 28, 2021 in Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 113 comments

“This is a surreal moment for me. The first review I ever read on this site was Diabolus in Muzaka‘s hit piece on Epica’s The Holographic Principle, an album which I thought was super fun if overlong and oddly organized. I’ve been a die-hard fan of this band for over a decade now, having introduced myself to them with The Divine Conspiracy back in high school. With each successive release thereafter, save for the miscalculation that was Requiem for the Indifferent, Epica refined and perfected their sound to the point that they are now unmistakable for any other symphonic metal band.” Omega predator.

Tragedy in Hope – Sleep Paralysis Review

By Kenstrosity on February 20, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 17 comments

“Firstly, the vocal techniques applied to Sleep Paralysis happen to be fairly androgynous, which adds mystique to the project. Secondly, Sleep Paralysis feels very much like a concept album, dealing with a wide spectrum of mental and emotional distresses, including actual sleep paralysis. Drama bleeds all over this album, and Sasha often takes on multiple roles, both male and female, in the service of each segment in the story. My third and final discovery complicates matters.” Bedtime worries.

Ephemerald – Between the Glimpses of Hope Review

By Kenstrosity on February 19, 2021 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 32 comments

“Today, we welcome Finnish symphonic death metal troupe Ephemerald, sporting a name that rolls of the tongue nicely while still eliciting a cringe from those who utter it. This unfortunate portmanteau combining ‘ephemeral’ with ’emerald’ makes very little sense on the surface. Diving deeper, however, I conjure a number of entertaining scenarios in which it could be apt. For example, if we assume Ephemerald’s mission statement to be to smash emeralds into oblivion with the sheer magnitude of their steel—and if we then assume that they are successful in such endeavors—perhaps the presumed short-lived existence of said emeralds would justify the band’s name. But of course, that entire machination is as nonsensical as the name itself, is it not?” Stoned.

Shotgun Revolution – IV Review

By Kenstrosity on February 13, 2021 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Post-Grunge, 13 comments

“I was so confused when I picked up Shotgun Revolution for review a few weeks ago. I thought for sure someone here reviewed them already on this site, but a cursory search returned zero results. Then, I suddenly remembered I was thinking of Shotgun Rodeo, and all was right with the world again. So, I downloaded my totally up-for-grabs promo and smashed that heckin’ play button. Instantly I teleported to 2005, when post-grunge and hard rock saturated every radio station on the East Coast. I thought this kind of thing was pretty much dead in the water, but I guess I was wrong.” Gun up or stand down.

Into the Obscure: Straight Line Stitch – When Skies Wash Ashore

By Kenstrosity on February 6, 2021 in Blog Posts, Into the Obscure, Melodic Metal, Metalcore, 38 comments

“We all have our dirty metal secrets that we selfishly keep to ourselves, only sharing with a select few close to us. Or alternatively, we incessantly talk up underground gems and spread the gospel to anyone that will listen, as we cherish our slice of underground cred. Into the Obscure aims to right the wrongs and unearth the artists/albums that for whatever unjust reason didn’t get the exposure, appreciation or credit they sorely deserved the first time round.” Core beliefs.

Eximperituserqethhzebibšiptugakkathšulweliarzaxułum – Šahrartu Review

By Kenstrosity on January 28, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 85 comments

“…or Eximperitus for short. What’s in a name, anyway? For the nameless, faceless Belarusian purveyors of brutscurity, it contains fragments of Latin, Ancient Egyptian, Akkadian, and Sumerian to form the ‘unutterable name of the antiuniverse.’ Sold. Let’s fucking go.” Names fail us.