“I never get sick—except during Christmas and New Year’s. It never fails. Every. Single. Holiday. Season. Thankfully, I have Feral with their latest drop to keep me warm and energized as I cough my lungs out. Flesh of Funerals Eternal is the band’s third full length effort, and these Swedes are here to prove that they are exactly as their name suggests: frantic, vicious and unrelenting death metal.” Cat scratch blood fever.
“As I zip maniacally through these hallowed halls with Cleveland, Ohio’s Burial Oath’s second offering Subjugation of the Bastard Son, I can’t help but feel karma sneaking up on me. Surely, for all of the crimes and indecencies I have committed here, this new shadowy thing I’ve snatched will mark my last acquisition before the Mvppety One obliterates me in a singularity of hate and caliginosity.” Into Crypts of Muppets.
![Silent Stream of Godless Elegy – Smutnice [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Silent-Stream-of-Godless-Elegy-Smutnice-01-768x768.jpg)
“Those of you who have been following Angry Metal Guy’s Emporium of Curiosities since its inception may recognize this folk-doom metal band: Silent Stream of Godless Elegy. If you remember, His Overlordiness’ criticisms of their 2011 record, Návaz, regarded in no small part its lack of x-factor. While I only just discovered Silent Stream of Godless Elegy this year, I went back to hear their older records and I would agree; they lacked that intangible quality. Smutnice, however, resonates with me so completely I fear for the structural integrity of my bones.” Everflowing Silent Streams.
![Paara – Riitti [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/paaraRiitti_01-768x768.jpg)
“I have a bone to pick with one of you fvckers (you know exactly who you are). One dastardly individual introduced Paara’s Riitti to me this summer, and ever since it has wreaked havoc upon my once untroubled year end list. It also broke me, finally winning me over to the black metal camp to sing its praises until the day I ascend to the higher plane.” Sound of a list shredding.
“Take a minute to appreciate this album artwork. Not only is it an excellent demonstration of basic design principles, composition and color theory, it also clearly establishes the genre of its artist. In this case, the artist is Master and the genre is death/thrash. Master have been active since 1983 with minimal interruptions and a long roster of ex-drummers and ex-guitarists. Having finally settled on a solid lineup in 2003, Master soldiered on with few changes made to their thrashy death sound. With fourteenth installment Vindictive Miscreant, Master aim to prove they’re just as vital as they were in 1983.” Who’s your Master?
![Svavelvinter – Mörkrets Tid [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/svavelvinter_MorkretsTid_01-768x768.jpg)
“Melodeath was shaping up to be the second most disappointing genre this year for me. Though there were several big-name entries, few have stuck with me. Amorphis was awesome at first, but for reasons I’ve yet to decipher I quickly lost interest. Omnium Gatherum suffered a similar fate, but with their inferiority to Amorphis playing the culprit. Kalmah was close to something special, but they were undone by repetitive songwriting. Luckily, two saviors swooped in and delivered big time: Mongol, with The Return; and Svavelvinter—go ahead, say it five more times just for fun—with Mörkrets Tid.” D&D Metal done right.
“There are records—Unleash the Archers’ Apex, for example—that represent massive jumps in quality from their relative predecessors. Other records constitute evolutionary improvement rather than revolutionary ones. Ichor’s debut record, Benthic Horizon, was plagued by an awful production, tepid songwriting and pacing issues. 2014’s Depths was an incremental advancement, yet still bromidic. Fast forward four years and German death-metallers Ichor meet us face to face once more with Hadal Ascending.” Under the SEA!
“Witchthroat Serpent, a stoner doom outfit hailing from Toulouse, France, has an interesting concept. Instead of the run-of-the-mill trips endemic to stoner doom, this trio chose a darker avenue, focusing on ritualistic substances rather than those recreational.” Addicted to cults.
“When I think of grind, the last place to which my mind takes me is Italy. But here I am, in the Piedmont region of the beloved boot-shaped country, whiplashing my upper vertebrae to smithereens with Cripple Bastards. This is their seventh full length since their inception in 1988, but along the way these bastards have also released one single, one live album, seven EPs, and more splits than would grace the stage at a drag queen lip sync competition. Cripple Bastards deal a chaotic brand of grind, unsatisfied with adhering to a single formula. While the band has embraced different influences successfully more often than not, the constant mutation Cripple Bastards undergo makes for an inconsistent discography. The goal, then, is for La Fine Cresce da Dentro to beat Cripple Bastards’ best album: 2008’s Variante Alla Morte.” Wow, he traveled to Italy just to listen to this band? These n00bs are dedicated as hell.
"The world has witnessed humanity’s greatest civilizations rise to heavenly heights only to topple with the weight of titans. New, sometimes even more significant, societies emerged from the rubble. They too fell. Across history, this oscillation of societal ascension and subsequent self-destruction has been the focal point of countless tales. Rising, a band from Copenhagen celebrating their tenth year of active duty, adopt this theme with their fourth album Sword and Scythe. The five-piece is classified as “epic metal,” which in my worldview often represents bombastic and overwrought self-indulgence. Prepared for the worst, I donned my skepticism helmet and forged ahead." Don’t ever go to battle in your “skepticism” helmet. Especially against those wielding swords and scythes…
