Experimental Metal

Tenebrae In Perpetuum – Anorexia Obscura Review

By Cherd on September 6, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Debemur Morti, Experimental Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 24 comments

“Black metal bands love to talk about how their take on the genre is the coldest, the harshest, the scariest, the blackest black metal that ever blacked. More often than not, all that talk of evil scariness is just braggadocio. Little variation separates one icy tremolo from another, and if you’ve seen one skinny corpse painted croaker, you’ve pretty much seen them all. That guy contorting his body into tortured positions, pulling at his face and rolling his eyes back while rasping about the annihilation of the psyche probably winds down backstage with a cucumber water and Candy Crush. Italian band Tenebrae In Perpetuum on the other hand might just be on to something sinister.” Fear the mind.

Mylingar – Döda Själar Review

By Master of Muppets on July 31, 2019 in 20 Buck Spin, 2019, Amor Fati Productions, Death Metal, Experimental Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Uncategorized, Death Metal, 47 comments

“Simply saying these Swedes sound insane would be completely underselling the bands bestial brand of barbaric blackened brutality. Döda Själar is death metal of the blackest, filthiest variety, the kind you turn to when Incantation or Convulsing just can’t quite hit that horrid spot.” Overkilled.

Freighter – The Den Review

By Kronos on July 19, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Experimental Metal, Hardcore, Mathcore, Reviews, Self-released, Mathcore, 17 comments

“At some stage of sleeplessness, the pace of thought continues at speed while the fragmented hard drive of the mind reads straight across without regard for pointers or references. Ideas, memories, images, and anxieties flow without order or continuity through consciousness. It’s a state best approximated by mathcore, and mathcore is what Freighter approximate it with; The Den trades in the genre’s usual angst for a paranoid psychedelia to express this unique deprivation.” Not your dad’s metal.

An Isolated Mind – I’m Losing Myself Review

By Grymm on July 8, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Experimental Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Post-metal, Reviews, Experimental Metal, Post-Metal, 66 comments

“Kameron Bogges isn’t exactly a household name. In fact, prior to today’s review, the only thing I had to go by is that he’s the sole proprietor of one-man experimental act Four Hoove Death Pig, who has an album dedicated to baking banana bread under its belt. Sadly, about a year or so, Bogges suffered the all-too-real hospitalization brought on by what I can imagine would be a manic episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The ongoing struggle, as well as coping with such a maligned mental health condition, inspired I’m Losing Myself, released under the guise of An Isolated Mind.” Reflections on a struggle.

Ashbringer – Absolution Review

By Carcharodon on June 26, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Experimental Metal, Post-metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Post-Metal, 36 comments

“When Grymm awarded Ashbringer’s debut, Vacant, a deserved 3.5 back in 2015, he was writing about the self-released exploits of a one-man black metal project, delivered by someone then aged 18. Scroll forward four years and Nick Stanger, Mr. Ashbringer himself, has, presumably, reached the ripe old age of 20-something. He’s also released a second record (2016’s Yūgen, which we failed to review), gathered around him a group of three other musicians and signed a deal with Prosthetic Records. Now a four-person collective – or ‘band,’ if you will – Ashbringer are ready to drop their third album, Absolution.”

Driving Slow Motion – Arda Review

By Carcharodon on June 23, 2019 in 2019, Ambient Metal, American Metal, Experimental Metal, Fail Safe Audio Recordings, Instrumental Metal, Post-metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Ambient Metal, Experimental Metal, Post-Metal, 12 comments

“Gauging by the comments section on a recent post-metal review that I penned, it would seem that a lot of people are over anything post-y. What better way to win new fans and friends than to write up an experimental, instrumental, post-rock collective? Hmm, on reflection, this could be a hard sell.” Coffee is for closers.

Heathe – On the Tombstones, the Symbols Engraved Review

By Akerblogger on June 4, 2019 in 2019, Danish Metal, Experimental Metal, Reviews, Wolves and Vibrancy Records, Experimental Metal, 36 comments

“Heathe’s On the Tombstone, the Symbols Engraved won’t be receiving radio airplay. As a continuous 37-minute track that loosely splits into three discernible sections, close attention is required to reveal the intricacies and technicalities. But it’s important that a band know how to develop intricacies and technicalities in an organic fashion for us, the dearest listeners, to stay focused and intrigued. It’s a hard task and usually, for me, this sort of recording technique can go either way.” Etched in sound.

BIG|BRAVE – A Gaze Among Them Review

By Emya on May 11, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, Experimental Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, Southern Lord, Doom Metal, Experimental Metal, 50 comments

“I slink out of the Double R Diner booth I’m seated in and saunter over to where Audrey Horne is swaying in the center of the restaurant. Eyes closed, head back, fingers loosely splayed out, I join her in an unhurried groovy dance and lose myself to the music. I watch as a wash of color on the back of my eyelids slowly morphs with the ebb and flow of the music. The soundtrack to our dance, however, is strangely not Angelo Badalamenti’s jazz instrumental but “Muted Shifting of Space,” the hypnotic opening track on BIG|BRAVE’s new fourth full-length album A Gaze Among Them.” Stranger, louder things.

Kollaps – Mechanical Christ Review

By Huck N Roll on May 2, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, Cold Spring Records, Experimental Metal, Industrial Metal, Noise, Reviews, Experimental Metal, Industrial Metal, Noise, 35 comments

“After a brief foray into familiar waters courtesy Shotgun Sawyer’s Led Zeppelin riffing, I’m taking a turn in murkier environs once again by visiting Australian industrial mavens Kollaps. If Kollaps are interested in imitating any band, it’s Author & Punisher. Many of their instruments -er, implements- are primitive handmade devices: scrap metal, springs, and other industrial waste.” Waste management.

Raketkanon – RKTKN#3 Review

By Huck N Roll on April 14, 2019 in 2019, Alcapop! Records, Alt-Metal, Belgian Metal, Experimental Metal, Reviews, Alt-Metal, Alternative Metal, Experimental Metal, 28 comments

“As Dr. Fisting and I sat on the floor outside the washroom at Angry Metal Guy Headquarters, quaffing the last of the Christmas party hobo wine, we agreed that, while folks these days might consider Raketkanon and their shtick kind of weird, back in 1994 the band would have been comfortably on stage opening for Faith No More. Their bizarre accouterments, kitschy stage shows, and (what seems to be, although I could be wrong) nonsensical lyrical dialect would be right at home in an Angel Dust–King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime era. That works for me: I love Faith No More, and more than that, I love bands that push the envelope and are willing to go on unexpected forays, even within single songs.” Freaks with a flag (and record deal)