Twelve

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Ethereal Kingdoms – Hollow Mirror Review

By Twelve on October 20, 2019 in 2019, Danish Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Symphonic Metal, 22 comments

“Every once in a while, I’m put in a position where I have to explain to some wide-eyed innocent how it could possibly be that I don’t care much for Nightwish. The only reason this happens, mind you, is because of the band’s undying popularity and colossal influence in their genre. My problem? I like symphonic in my metal. But I don’t like the band that everyone seems to copy to get there. So why would I pick up Hollow Mirror, the debut full-length from Danish band Ethereal Kingdom?” Wishing for the night.

Dödfödd – Stigma Review

By Twelve on October 9, 2019 in 2019, Annapurna, Black Metal, Clavis Secretorvm, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 8 comments

“As a genre, metal leaves a lot of room for interpretation and experimentation. I don’t just mean in the sense of avant-garde metal, but rather in the sense of applying that heavy metal feeling to not-quite-metal music. An easy example that comes to mind is Celestite, the drone-heavy, trance-like fifth album from Wolves in the Throne Room, a band that otherwise spends its time making heavy-hitting, folk-infused black metal. Predictably, Celestite is a rather love-it-or-hate-it album, as is wont to happen when black metal musicians conjure up the nerve to create music that isn’t black metal.” Stigmatic.

Gemini One – Per Aspera EP Review

By Twelve on October 2, 2019 in 2019, Barhill Records, Doom Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 13 comments

“How many funeral doom bands thrive on the chilling output of their vocalists? Needless to say, the answer is “it depends.” To each their own, and every band is different, right? Today I’m honing in my focus directly on Gemini One, a German duo with their fourth EP, Per Aspera. Doom? Check. Vocals? No. An enjoyable listen? Read on.” Horror-scopes.

Akando – Attack from Ambush Review

By Twelve on September 28, 2019 in 2019, Boersma Records, German Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 19 comments

“I was always fascinated by Native American history and culture. Of course, the version I had in childhood was the over-edited one, in which the native inhabitants of my country simply (and vaguely) disappeared one day, to eventually evolve into the society that dominates the land today. As I aged, my appetite to learn finally overcame the primary school version of events. Today, I’m always glad to see an effort made to tell this saddest of stories to large audiences, and extra happy when those large audiences are heavy metal fans.” Warrior spirit.

Ark Ascent – Downfall Review

By Twelve on September 26, 2019 in 2019, Ascent Records, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, 12 comments

Debut releases are weird; you never can know what you’re going to get. Sometimes debut means one-man black metal who just discovered GarageBand. Debut can mean hidden talent of Lethbridge, Alberta unmasking themselves for a world unprepared. Or it can mean a group of already-established musicians getting together and deciding to try something new. So […]

Keys of Orthanc – A Battle In The Dark Lands of The Eye… Review

By Twelve on September 8, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Naturmacht Productions, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 10 comments

“Given the right formula, the right ingredients, and the right opportunity, metal — music in general, but metal for our purposes — can be the gateway into new worlds. Using metal as a means for escapism is both wonderfully cathartic and cathartically wonderful. And I don’t mean that in the generic Nightwish-esque ‘how about that wanderlust, eh?’ kind of way. I mean when metal grabs you by the throat, drags you across the threshold and laughs mercilessly when you try to explain that one does not simply walk into Mordor. At least, that’s what Keys of Orthanc are doing here.” Eye came, Eye saw.

Ezkaton – Sheen and Misery Review

By Twelve on September 2, 2019 in 2019, Ashen Dominion, Black Metal, Reviews, Ukrainian Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, 61 comments

“From the opening seconds of “Altars of the Flame,” I knew Ezkaton’s Sheen and Misery was going to be a special record. The mournful, melancholy guitar melody rises and threatens to overwhelm before a voice breaks through the tension. The cold narrator quotes from the 1984 film Children of the Corn, where Issac commands the children to kill Joseph at the behest of He Who Walks Behind The Rows, and I got lost in the story.” From husk til dawn.

Crobot – Motherbrain Review

By Twelve on August 23, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Mascot Records, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 7 comments

“When you’re coursing through the frightening wastes that constitute the promo bin at AMG, it can be easy to get lost in the sea of variety that exists within. So sometimes it’s nice to cast complexity to the wind and settle for some good old-fashioned “heavy metal.” No subtle keyboard wizardry, no special effects to carry me into another realm, no technical nonsense, just distorted guitars and shouting in tune for forty-four minutes or so. Crobot, you are what I was looking for this day.” Simplicity is the Crobot key.

Glacier – No Light Ever Review

By Twelve on August 12, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Wolves and Vibrancy Records, Doom Metal, 31 comments

“Glacier hail from Massachusetts, playing a crushing kind of doom metal that leans on drone and edges against funeral doom. The album is called No Light Ever, and the title is apt.” Ice, ice, doomy.

All We’ve Known – Dissidence Review

By Twelve on August 7, 2019 in 2019, Metalcore, Plug Music Agency, South African Metal, Metalcore, 23 comments

“Album titles are tricky. Ideally, the name of the album should describe its sound in some way, particularly when coupled with such knowledge as the band name and album art. For example, I’m guessing that no one is going to be surprised, after glancing at the image over there, that Dissidence by All We’ve Known is a metalcore album.” Known quantities.