“Hard to categorize, the UK troupe’s unique concoction of Temple of Void / Bolt Thrower death metal, Triptykon doom, and Clutch-y hard rock groove presents an inimitable character that no other band on Earth boasts. It is this unique flavor that earned predecessor Unseen Planets, Deadly Spheres a high rating from yours truly.” Spare the Hammer, spoil the spheres.
“You gotta love a good genre-bending record. Morphing between two, three, or even more distinct metallic styles is not easy, but it’s even more difficult to attempt while still putting out a great record. Boston, Massachusetts progressive symphonic metal act Ice Giant aim to join these ranks of successful shape-shifters with their sophomore LP, Ghost of Humanity.” Kitchensinkcore.
The boys of Summer were stuck ungunking the Filter for months. Salute them with pumpkin spice things as they emerge into a chilly Fall.
“In 2004, Imperial Crystalline Entombment unleashed their awesome debut record Apocalyptic End in White, which kicks off with a furious chant, “WE ARE. FUCKIN’. IIIIIIIICCCEEEEE!!!” Nothing can beat a line like that as the first lyric on an extreme metal album. Glorious and charming in equal measure, this war cry defines the cave-brained, explosive fun which characterizes the Maryland-based quartet’s particular brand of ravenous, chilly black metal. Fast forward to today, nineteen years later, and I.C.E. prepare their sophomore burst of icy blizzardry.” A new ice rage.
A new Incantation opus requires major attention, so we gave Unholy Deification a God-sized platform with 2 reviews! Come for the filth, stay for the cooperation.
“Before picking this promo up, I had never heard of Sanguine Glacialis before, but I quickly fell head over heels for their wild extreme metal after checking out the kaleidoscopic blunderbuss that is Hadopelagic, their 2018 sophomore record.” Tastis the Glacialis.
“When it comes to selecting promo, the easiest way into my heart is through a vibrant, colorful piece of album artwork. Australian progressive metal quartet Hemina apparently knew this, as the artwork for fifth outing Romancing the Ether pops with its Lisa-Frank-edition-of-Journey cover. After acquiring reviewing rights from our esteemed GardensTale, I jumped right in, excited to hear what adventurous music lay just beyond that psychedelic veil.” Color is the key.
“On the surface, Blight House sounds very much like a classic death metal and grindcore mashup, biased towards the caveman and gore variety of each genre, respectively, and then filtered through a raw and grimy production.” It was the best of times, it was the liverwurst of times.
“In 2021, Brazil’s Crypta unexpectedly tripped my radar with rancid debut platter Echoes of the Soul, a ripping slab of thrashy death metal. It ripped so hard, in fact, that shortly after I covered the beast for June 2021’s Filter, AMG The Man, The Myth, The Legend saw fit to award it a Runner Up spot for the Record(s) o’ the Month and later his #9 spot on his Top 10(ish). Two years and two months later, Crypta return with their follow-up, Shades of Sorrow, a record which several of the staff, myself included, highly anticipated.” Rocket from the Crypta!
May Day is upon us, in July! Join us as we demonstrate what focused spring/early summer Filter cleaning can accomplish when you have motivated technicians.
