Avante Garde

Ulcerate – Stare into Death and Be Still Review

By Kronos on April 22, 2020 in 2020, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Debemur Morti, New Zealand Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Post-Metal, 190 comments

“You’ve seen it happen. Your favorite band, who released some of the best records you’ve ever heard, who completely changed the way you thought about music, who could do no wrong, release a new record that you just can’t enjoy. You don’t know what to do. Maybe you lose some respect for the band. Maybe you lose some respect for yourself – for putting too much faith in your heroes or for failing to appreciate what must be a work of genius far beyond your understanding. It sucks. At least, I imagine it would. You see, I can’t relate to your shameful feelings because the band that reshaped my understanding of music was Ulcerate.” Stare into fanboyism.

Thoren – Gwarth II Review

By Kronos on February 22, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Dryland Records, Experimental Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Experimental Metal, Instrumental Metal, Technical Death Metal, 21 comments

“There’s a menagerie of experimental groups about the borders of the black and death metal scenes, tracing out their own paths without much regard for popular approval or commercial success. On occasion, these groups will sweep into the mainstream, but for the most part, their influence is more subtle, appearing in an adulterated form in the riskier songs of established artists. If your poison is black metal you can choose between the flavors of Krallice (ever bolstered by their lineup’s star power), Jute Gyte, Genevieve, and many others. If your neck is a bit larger in diameter, you might want to choke down Baring Teeth, Coma Cluster Void, or this week’s subject, Thoren.” Buffet of bitters.

Creature – Contes Funèbres [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By Cherd on January 5, 2020 in Avante Garde, Black Metal, French Metal, Progressive Metal, Self-released, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 35 comments

On Contes Funèbres, Fournier’s second as Creature, there are sounds and styles that can be found in our world, but they’ve been arranged by a mind that surely originates elsewhere. Yes, this is black metal at a foundational level, but there is so much synth prog, electronic trickery, odd vocals and anachronistic choral arrangements that calling it any one thing is pointless.” Creature features.

Catatonic Effigy – Putrid Tendency Review

By Roquentin on December 15, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Australian Metal, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Drone, Experimental Metal, Iluso Records, Noise, Post-metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Drone, Experimental Metal, Noise, Post-Metal, 25 comments

“Imagine, for a second, what could and would happen if musicians with backgrounds in free jazz, free improvisation, and modern composition became metalheads. What sort of music would they then make? Perhaps they would attempt a take on death metal, deconstructing the genre’s elements, perverting them, and piecing them back together into maddening soundscapes. A fantasy befitting of phase-shifted thinking and playing mechanisms. With their debut Putrid Tendency, Catatonic Effigy give flesh to this feverish reverie.” Choose the sound of the Destructor.

Tardigrade Inferno – Mastermind [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By Kenstrosity on December 3, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Cabaret Metal, Reviews, Russian Metal, Self-released, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Cabaret Metal, 74 comments

“Mastermind is one odd duck. Put one way, this album is literally my personality written into a metal record. Put another way, it’s a circus-tent nightmare from clown hell, and Frontierer happened to play there once and left their chunky guitar tone there by accident.” What the hell did you miss??

Öxxö Xööx – Ÿ Review

By El Cuervo on November 26, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Blood Music, Doom Metal, French Metal, Gothic Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 31 comments

“To begin, Öxxö Xööx sits most comfortably under the doom metal umbrella, tending towards (but not exclusively using) slower rhythms and riffs, and leveraging gothic instrumentation such as organs, harpsichords and string sections. But Ÿ is far from any ordinary doom release with which you may be familiar. It’s a distinctly singular release, a patchwork of textures, timbres and tempos with the words “AVANT GARDE” metaphorically stitched over the top.” Ÿ no Igorrlips mumblepants.

Schammasch – Hearts of No Light Review

By Grymm on November 7, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Avante Garde, Black Metal, 52 comments

“There are two kinds of metal albums that tickle my fancy. The first kind takes a band’s trademark sound, alters it just enough to keep things fresh, but also retains everything that makes that artist or band unique, enjoyable, and otherwise impossible to do without. The other has mere glimpses of what made that band who they are, but throws so many curveballs, surprise left hooks, and a kitchen sink or twelve your way, and demands that you catch it all. Swiss avant garde spiritualists Schammasch most certainly fit into the latter with relative ease. Even after releasing a three-disc, exactly-100-minute monstrosity in the form of Triangle back in 2016, it still didn’t fully prepare me for what Hearts of No Light had in store for me.” That’s a big Schammasch!

Alcest – Spiritual Instinct Review

By Roquentin on October 24, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Black Metal, French Metal, Nuclear Blast, Post-metal, Reviews, Shoegaze, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Post-Metal, Shoegaze, 59 comments

“Throughout their career as Alcest and helped by gradual fluctuations in style, French multi-instrumentalist Neige and drummer Winterhalter have been cultivating a deep sense of beauty and unfiltered sentiment. An exploration of sonic poetry in the vein of The Lake Poets, unmistakably filled with a romantic ache, a longing, and an expression of beauty and infatuation with the world so deep it hurts. Looking back at their previous work, Spiritual Instinct appears as one of the purest manifestations of this search.” Let the spirit guide.

Juggernaut – Neuroteque Review

By Dear Hollow on October 16, 2019 in 2019, Ambient Metal, Avante Garde, Drone, Folk, Italian Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Space Metal, Subsound Records, Drone, Folk, Sludge Metal, 14 comments

“When you hear about certain genres, do you have an image that pops into your head? It’s not always fair, but the most obvious one is black metal. You just got an image of a corpsepainted weeboo hanging out in a dark forest. Boom. I’m a fucking magician. What about sludge? Did you see a backwoods redneck with a twelve-gauge and a six-pack? Sporting beards, greasy locks, and enough flannel to challenge Saskatchewan?” Not your hick uncle’s sludge.

Thief – Map of Lost Keys Review

By Emya on July 23, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Electronica Metal, Prophecy Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Electronica Metal, 31 comments

“Thief is the pet project of Dylan Neal, a dulcimer player (dulcimist?) for the unconventional experimental black metal band Botanist. Thief’s music takes on a different theme entirely, however, from Botanist’s quirky style of environmentally themed “green-metal.” Map of Lost Keys, Thief’s sophomore album, swaps the hammered dulcimer for a myriad of electronics to produce late night music designed for haunted ballrooms and electric churches. While no traditional black metal demon shrieks or vicious tremolo picking can be heard on Map of Lost Keys, Thief remain obstinate in their attempt to appeal to fans of heavier genres.” Mischief managing.