“Foretoken take a particularly aggressive approach to melodic death metal, much like The Black Dahlia Murder do. Yet, this duo also share considerable affinity with more opulent acts such as Brymir, Mongol, Ephemerald, Stormlord and Aephanemer. Symphonics play a support role exclusively, however, as vicious riffing and ripping leads take charge and guide the record through battlefields of speedy tech-death percussion.” Wictory or death!
“Fire seems to be a popular theme in the black metal pantheon. Whether it be a metaphorical representation of birth or rebirth, a literal representation of destruction, or just a simple reference to Hell, Satan, or Varg, fire is a lifelong staple. Thankfully, from such a primal element of our Earth and in our hearts springs a bottomless well of inspiration for these bands, and Austria’s Asphagor are no exception. With fourth LP Pyrogenesis, the epic black metal quintet burn with the passion of a thousand suns, and they want you to burn with them.” Burn after hearing.
“I was given an unexpected shipment of lemons when I picked up The Vagaband’s fourth LP, Beautiful World, mistakenly labeled by our promo overlords as “Gothic Folk.” Turns out, there’s not a lick of metal—and only a hint of gothic—to be found on Beautiful World, but there’s a helluva lot of folk. With a brave heart and an uncertain spirit, I ventured forth despite the total lack of blog relevance possessed by these songs. Maybe I could make a nice, refreshing pitcher of lemonade out of this after all?” Beautiful accidents.
“Eleven years. Eleven years since Scotland’s Ascension released their debut record, Far Beyond the Stars. While shreddery and wank found a cozy little home on that record, the songs were there, the talent amongst all involved abundant. It was clear from the very start that Ascension were a band to watch for, primed and ready to unseat DragonForce for hyper-speed cheese supremacy after Inhuman Rampage exploded in the mid-aughts. But eleven years is a long time to wait.” Tick tock….
“It’s March, so, naturally, the time has come to reveal what precious ore hath been harvested from our ever-filthy filtration system… in January. Now backed by the full might of the Big Guy Himself (patent pending), the workforce maintaining this system of gunk upheaval and refuse retrieval grows, and deep intimidation and torture tactics lift heavy to get butts moving and fingers typing.” Teamwork builds the dream… works.
“Italian they may be, but Ontborg play melodic death metal of the sadboi persuasion starring the classic Swedish tones of an HM-2 pedal. This old-school Amorphis meets Omnium Gatherum by way of Carnation and Helslave combination threw me for a big loop when I first spun it. Few and far between are my encounters with slow and somber melodeath with such a gritty, serrated sound, and yet Ontborg make it work seamlessly.” Resistence is brutal.
“Alright, here’s a puzzler for you. Indianapolis sludge metal band Conjurer released their first full-length Old World Ritual in 2015. Then, in 2019, follow-up Sigils dropped. In 2020, Conjurer chose to swap names, now operating under the moniker Veilcaste. Same band members and everything. As Veilcaste, their first release listed is, naturally, Old World Ritual, dated 2015. That’s fine, people rebrand their older albums all the time. Anyway, back to business. Veilcaste play a lumbering, ponderous sort of stoner sludge doom with little in the way of frills or other decoration.” Sludge by any name…
“Portuguese symphonic death metal outfit Godiva founded in 1999. Between that year and 2007, the fledgling band released a couple of demos and an EP, only to go on hiatus until their resurrection in 2018 with a revamped lineup and a new single, “Empty Coil.” Now, after 24 long years of toil underground, Godiva ready their first full-length LP, Hubris, in a rather saturated market for symphonic and gothic death metal.” Not just for dessert anymore.
“It’s a new year, and with it comes a sense of determination to make 2023 our best and most awesomest year to date. Part of that goal involves digging deep and cleaning out the Filter of the last dregs from the final months of 2022. We caught most of the notable gems in our promo sump, but as always there were those few that fell into the wrong chute. This, the first Stuck in the Filter of 2023, is a register of our semi-precious finds!” Who finds “precious finds” in the filter?
“It’s nice to have something to look forward to at the start of a new year—even nicer when that thing is some truly evil death metal. Thanks to San Diego trio Conjureth, and their sophomore release The Parasitic Chambers, I got exactly that. When I covered their previous outburst, Majestic Dissolve, I noted that their biggest hurdle was injecting more variety in their riffs. My hope was that with just a little more pizazz, they would unleash a devastating monster unto this unsuspecting sponge, a total sucker for aural abuse.” Pizazz delivery.
