“Has there ever been an album cover that seems to be more of a direct contradiction of the title than this one? A man drowning his wife is The Renaissance of Hope? Seems counter to the theme, until one examines the lyrics and subject matter of this, Decembre Noir’s fourth album. Hope is a very personal subject, especially when viewed through the lens of euthanasia. The hope of the person who is finally allowed to die versus the anguish of the person fulfilling the wish.” The fragility of hope.
Death Metal
Void Rot – Descending Pillars Review
“Upon entering the kitchen the camera pans to a large, oily hole in reality. You can see time/space bend and slip at the edges. Jonathan and the woman stare into the nothingness and grow pale. A spackle knife is slowly being pulled into the vortex center, languidly circling between worlds. Jonathan turns to the woman. ‘You’ve got Void Rot.'” Pillars of the community.
Ulcerate – Stare into Death and Be Still Review
“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.
Bythos – The Womb of Zero Review
“Yet, while these Scandinavians continue what they helped to create, their Finnish brethren have been at it for almost as long. Unfortunately, n00bs to the scene are enchanted—as we all have been—by the murders and mysteries of the Norwegian and Swedish camps. My favorites from that landmass, which shares borders with both Norway and Sweden, are the trio of Behexen, Horna, and Sargeist. Though their language is different, the message is the same. Bludgeoning, destructive, hateful, and vicious. But, what if a band came along, with members from all three of my favorite Finnish outfits? With the intention of slowing the pace, adding layers of melody, and capping it all off with the hooking guitar leads of Watain and Dissection? I wonder what that would sound like…” Panic Womb.
Reek – Death Is Something There Between Review
“Cometh the year, cometh the man. Rogga Johansson is once more pillaging our pages with yet another death metal project (1 of the 73,832,799 death metal or death metal-adjacent albums to which he has contributed), this time with a band called Reek.” Smell the Rogga.
Funeral Leech – Death Meditation Review
“The idea of combining death metal and doom metal is exciting. The viciousness of death metal combined with the depression of the slow an alluring combination for many bands. It’s in a metalhead’s nature – we’re not always angry and we’re not always solemn. Finding a way of unifying death and doom to perfection in a track, an album, is like finding the answer to the great mysteries of existence. Funeral Leech, with their debut release Death Meditation, attempt to merge both.” Some assembly required.
Ripped to Shreds – 亂 (Luan) Review
“Following a lengthy period of derivative stagnation, old school death in its various, insidious forms has gained significant traction and momentum in recent years. Ripped to Shreds are primed to make their own impression, bringing the heart and hardware on sophomore album 亂 (Luan), beefing up their rising status as a formidable force in the current death metal scene.” Rip roaring.
Shards of Humanity – Cold Logic Review
“There may not be any band out there that all the Angry Metal Guy staff like. I suppose that’s not surprising once you consider how many writers we have and the heathenous poseurdom among those whose prose is not currently caressing your fovea. Consensus is a tall order for this crew, the kind you only get when work is paying for it. If we really got our shit together to pick a favorite, we performed the kind of rigorous internal study necessary – laproscope and all – it would trigger years of bloody sectarian violence. In the end, even if Iron Maiden emerged atop the highest pedestal, Death would command the most zealous supporters. Since our website is the sole source of metal criticism available, I am forced assume our views are universal. Death-worship bands like Shards of Humanity confirm this.” All hail the new olde Gods.
Wayward Dawn – Haven of Lies Review
“‘You shall riff your neighbor as yourself.’ Riffs may not be the secret solution to stopping the coronavirus outbreak, but they just might be the secret solution to weathering the storm.” Get thee to a riffery.
Khôra – Timaeus Review
“Once again, I picked promo for an irrelevant reason. German/Irish blackened death trio Khôra wound up in my review queue because their name sounds like the name of one of our cats (Kora). I feel like that’s a perfectly reasonable justification for album selection. If it isn’t, well, then I guess I don’t care. Khôra doesn’t care either, and put out whatever the hell they want regardless of what your tastes or expectations are.” Cats and jammers.