Twelve

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Crypt Monarch – The Necronaut Review

Crypt Monarch – The Necronaut Review

“Sometimes, you need something a little bit different. Other times, you need something a lot a bit different. In times other than those, you need a lot of somethings a lot a bit different. This is one of those times for me; for whatever reason, I’m not finding that 2021 is a good year for new music – at all. So I have increasingly been opening my arms and ears far and wide in an attempt to find something different, something new to excite me and rekindle the spark. This path has today led me to Crypt Monarch, a stoner doom band from Costa Rica, and The Necronaut, their debut full-length release.” Lost in Necropolis.

Leila Abdul-Rauf – Phantasiai Review

Leila Abdul-Rauf – Phantasiai Review

“Can you hear that distant noise? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It’s… a modulated trumpet. Wow. Why did you think that was a bird? To be fair, “modulated trumpet” isn’t exactly a phrase I – or anyone around here, for that matter – use often, so I can see why it wasn’t your first guess. But it’s nevertheless the shining star of Phantasiai, the fourth full-length release of ambient music from California’s Leila Abdul-Rauf. Armed with little more than vocal melodies, a glockenspiel, and the aforementioned trumpet, Abdul-Rauf is primed to create unsettling atmospheres and cryptic journeys. How well does the listener fare in these hazy crossroads?” Modulated expectations.

Domination Campaign – Onward to Glory Review

Domination Campaign – Onward to Glory Review

“From the ashes of Australia’s Psycroptic rises a new band to take its place in the sun: Domination Campaign. Except that’s not a great metaphor for the situation, because Psycroptic is fine and still doing its usual musician thing, but I wanted to write a dramatic intro to pique your interest. You see, Domination Campaign and their debut full-length, Onward to Glory was originally a solo project by Jason Peppiatt, who is the lead vocalist in Psycroptic.” Death, taxes, and yellow journalism.

Bloodbeat – Process of Extinction Review

Bloodbeat – Process of Extinction Review

Bloodbeat hail from Germany and have been creating death-infused thrash metal since 2014. Process of Extinction is their sophomore full-length release, five years following their debut, Murderous Art, back in 2016. Owing to my usual repertoire of music, these are not sentences that I type out too often; their music is not my usual cup of tea, and I suspect I’d enjoy their work more if they… I don’t know, hired an orchestra or something. But sometimes you need music that slays, and that’s exactly what I was in the mood for when I opted to take on this review.” Blood up? Blood down?

Wooden Veins – In Finitude Review

Wooden Veins – In Finitude Review

“In recent weeks, I’ve been making an effort to embrace an ideology readily encouraged by some of my fellow writers here at Angry Metal Guy – namely, that you should pick out your reviews, at least some of the time, without sampling available singles or excerpts. When I saw In Finitude resting in the Promo Pit, I made no exception. I know it’s the debut full-length release from a Chilean band called Wooden Veins, whose members have credits involving Chilean doom metal bands like Mourning Sun, and that the band labels itself is an avant-garde force in the scene. I also know what the cover looks like, and that was it.” Expect the unexpected.

Ascète – Calamities et Calamités Review

Ascète – Calamities et Calamités Review

“I’ve been on a bit of an Antiq Records kick lately. Every time I see the word emerge from the mists of the promo pit, my interest is piqued and I grab the promo, often without checking first to see if it’s something I’ll like straightaway. Ever since Véhémence captured my heart back in 2019, I’ve been trying to keep an eye on this label from the lands of France. I’ve received a few heads-ups about Calamites & les Calamités, the debut full-length from the label’s countrymen Ascéte. Sporting black metal of a style that fits right in with their label-mates (Hanternoz comes to mind as a recent example), Ascéte have the sound of a fresh band eager to mark the map.” Fresh blackened meat.

Nergard – Eternal White Review

Nergard – Eternal White Review

“We throw around the phrase “Nightwish clone” in here a lot (at least it seems like we do; I have no inclination to check my claims), but in this case it feels eerily accurate. With Eternal White, Nergard channel Century Child with some Winterheart’s Guild-era Sonata Arctica thrown in for “spice.” “Spice” is in quotation marks, by the way, because this isn’t a very spicy album – in fact, it’s played very safe, leaning on a formula that has served the Leaves’ Eyes, the Xandrias, and the Sirenias of the world well: symphonic first, metal second.” White is a passive color.

The Ember, the Ash – Fixation Review

The Ember, the Ash – Fixation Review

The Ember, the Ash hail from the Canadian province of Ontario, and are not my usual cup of tea. The project is a solo effort by one 鬼, and is listed in the Metal Archives as being one of symphonic deathcore, which is so far outside of my usual wheelhouse that I’m not entirely sure what drew me to Fixation, the project’s sophomore effort. And yet, here I am, several listens in, not tearing my hair out with my hands, and admitting to have enjoyed the experience.” Ash for the masses.

Hanternoz – Au Fleuve de Loire Review

Hanternoz – Au Fleuve de Loire Review

“It has been thirteen years since Hyvermor, the Lord and Master of Antiq Records, has graced us with a full-length release from his oldest band and original solo project Hanternoz. Other projects, among them Braquemaard, Ê, Grylle, and Véhémence, have kept him busy, it seems (also, I’m guessing running a label takes up some of your time), but I was really excited to see that he’s returned to his roots, teaming up with Sparda (Créatures) (backing vocals, bass, hurdy-gurdy) to deliver an hour of his signature black metal style on Au Fleuve de Loire, complete with all the folky fixings you could ask for.” Folkworks.

Nordgeist – Frostwinter Review

Nordgeist – Frostwinter Review

“Black metal is a tricky beast to pin down. More, I believe, than many other sub-genres of metal, black metal is about feeling. Of course, they’re all about feeling, but black metal gets points for versatility – some black metal is designed to make you feel angry, some cold, some sad, some alone, some despairing, and the list goes on. Frostwinter, the debut full-length by Serbian single-person (known to us only as “T”) metal crew Nordgeist, is black metal that wants to make you feel something altogether more complicated.” Winter 4 eva.