Kenstrosity

Destroying AMG's metal cred from within.
The Devil’s Trade – The Call of the Iron Peak

The Devil’s Trade – The Call of the Iron Peak

“This album couldn’t have come at a better time, nor could it have come at a worse time. As dark and defeated as any piece of music I sampled these two years writing for this blog, The Devil’s Trade’s Season of Mist debut The Call of the Iron Peak simultaneously captures the disillusioned despair and troubled spirit of our world and drags me down below that threshold towards a core of utter emptiness sourced from the very soul of sole songwriter Dávid Makó.” Iron sharpens despair.

Next Life – Guru Meditation Review

Next Life – Guru Meditation Review

“So many questions. So few answers. Who decided mathcore, industrial and grind needed to be matched up with chiptune? Where did that idea even come from? Who was this made for? The answers, I believe, are, respectively: Next Life did; who the fuck knows; and me, probably. I love genre mashups, and if chiptune is even remotely involved, I go to there with haste.” Love Guru?

Terra Atlantica – Age of Steam Review

Terra Atlantica – Age of Steam Review

“Steampunk is such a cool aesthetic. Victorian-era styling fused with futuristic tech in a fictional timeline where steam power reigns dominant as the primary energy source. The idea practically sells itself! While I’m not especially knowledgeable on the lore that creators fashioned within the steampunk universe, almost anything bearing the tag garners my attention. My enthusiasm for the genre attracted me to Terra Atlantica’s sophomore full-length, Age of Steam. Will it be the lean, mean, steam-powered machine I so desire?” Steamed hams.

Lonely Robot – Feelings Are Good Review

Lonely Robot – Feelings Are Good Review

“Weathering the never-ending beat-down of 2020, at some point you realize you just need a break. I opted to take a breather from writing reviews this month—and I put down my 3D work and drastically limited my time on social media for the month as well—since I finally recognized that extended burnout which I refused to acknowledge for years. To further recuperate, I decided to dive into other genres of music that I rarely explore. But when I saw Lonely Robot hit our promo sump I couldn’t resist.” Touch your feelings.

Exocrine – Maelstrom Review

Exocrine – Maelstrom Review

“Are you ready for a hot take? I enjoy deeply of Exocrine’s Molten Giant. Regardless of the criticisms it received in the linked review, I return to that record still, twenty-two months after it’s initial release. Tight, jagged and delightfully choppy, Exocrine delivered a big sleeper with Molten Giant. It looked like stock tech-death, sounded like stock tech-death, and stepped on just about every mine littering the tech-death field. Yet, it put a big, stupid grin on my big, stupid face.” Squid pro quo.

Eye of Nix – Ligeia Review

Eye of Nix – Ligeia Review

“Pinpointing the core sound Eye of Nix conjures proved difficult this last week and change. On one hand, I recognize the elements that compose the content within Ligeia—black metal, doom metal, opera, post-metal, a twist of psychedelia—but I struggle to come to a concrete solution as to what this record is.” The naming game.

Firelink – Firelink Review

Firelink – Firelink Review

“It’s only been thirteen months, but here we are. A new Firelink record. For those who missed it, The Inveterate Fire burst out of nowhere in May of last year, searing the ground with each blackened step through the burgeoning field of Dark Souls-themed metal. Melodic, devastating, and deceivingly mature, that first Firelink shrine blazed high up my year-end list. Needless to say, my expectations for Firelink reached unreasonable temperatures immediately after first learning of its release.” Fi-YAH!

Ormskrik – Ormskrik Review

Ormskrik – Ormskrik Review

“I don’t know what happened to me, but all of a sudden I started to like thrash metal sometime in the last year. Granted, the barking vocals endemic to purebred thrash still grate my senses, but when black metal or death metal is thrown in the mix I get sprung as hell. It’s for this reason that I absolutely love bands like Antiverse, whose vital combination of death metal and thrash metal kicks my ass on a regular basis. You know what else kicks my ass on a regular basis? This fucker right here.” Thrash in a blackened space.