Experimental Metal

Waste of Space Orchestra – Syntheosis Review

By Roquentin on April 3, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, Experimental Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Svart Records, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Experimental Metal, Sludge Metal, 134 comments

“A certain thespian poise dominates throughout Syntheosis, the piece originally commissioned for Roadburn Festival 2018 and then turned into a proper studio recording. Highly conceptual, Waste of Space Orchestra narrate a quite demented story somewhere between magical realism and occult horror. The album develops intently and purposefully, tracing the lines of an imagined ritual and its performers, three mysterious creatures that aim ‘to open a portal that will suck them into a different reality of brain-mutilating color storms and ego-diminishing audio violence.’” Waste not, want more.

Deafkids – Metaprogramação Review

By Huck N Roll on March 14, 2019 in 2019, Brazilian Metal, Experimental Metal, Industrial Metal, Neurot Records, Noise, Non-Metal Metal Things, Punk, Reviews, Experimental Metal, Industrial Metal, Noise, Non-metal Metal Things, Punk, 46 comments

“As one of the resident “I like weird music” suckers in the AMG offices, it fell to me this month to take on the latest from Brazilian noisemakers Deafkids: their third album, the copy-and-paste titled Metaprogramação. These fellows create a bizarre fusion of noise rock, punk, and Brazilian polyrhythms, leaving us with something that is both disturbing and hypnotizing at the same time. Newly signed to the Neurosis label Neurot Recordings, and actually supporting (along with Bell Witch) Neurosis for their upcoming brief North American summer tour, all signs are pointing up for Deafkids. Now, how to go about reviewing something that Steve Von Till describes as “sonic Ayahuasca?”” Kids today.

Bergraven – Det framlidna minnet Review

By Cherd on March 11, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Experimental Metal, Nordvis Produktion, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 97 comments

“Ah, trveness. That concept that sits opposite “poseur” on the coin of black metal. Plenty of metal fans, bands and critics love to point out its folly, but there’s a reason we have to contend with the idea in the first place. Any fandom, especially if it grows from small, kvlt status to more widespread acceptance, will develop gatekeepers. Like if Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons wore bullet belts and spiked gauntlets, these trve believers will snicker at your more mainstream metal t-shirt while muttering something about Pitchfork under their breath and complain loudly that you got shoegaze all over their precious black metal. If you just read that and said “It me!” you’ll probably want to skip Bergraven’s latest tossed genre salad Det Framlidna Mennet.” Tossed salad days.

Dronte – Quelque Part Entre La Guerre Et La Lâcheté Review

By GardensTale on March 1, 2019 in 2019, Apathia Records, Avante Garde, Experimental Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Noise Rock, 114 comments

“We take the electric guitar for granted. Where would metal be without its deliciously distorted tones? Dronte asked themselves the same thing, and they interpreted it as a challenge. And while they were at it, they got rid of all electrical feeds to their instruments. Yes indeed, we are dealing with a self-proclaimed acoustic metal band. Can there even be such a thing? Are electric instruments not an absolute necessity for metal? And would anyone besides the French be insane enough to even attempt it?” The other Tenacious D.

Potmos Hetoimos – Vox Medusae Review

By Roquentin on September 12, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Avante Garde, Experimental Metal, Hardcore, Not Music, Post-metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Experimental Metal, Hardcore, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, 103 comments

“The typical pitfall of pseudo-experimental metal bands is their tendency towards buffoonish self-aggrandizement and the accompanying insistence on pompous philosophical themes. Often drawing inspiration from edgy, coincidentally anti-humanistic philosophies and providing a “thinking man’s take” on black metal, they immerse themselves in childish interpretations of nihilism and neoreactionary doctrines. The similarly arty and bombastically theatrical Potmos Hetoimos, the long-standing one-man progressive sludge project of Baltimorean Matt Matheson, is an antipode of such acts.” Humanistic is as humanism does.

Gnaw Their Tongues & Crowhurst: Burning Ad Infinitum: A Collaboration Review

By Master of Muppets on September 5, 2018 in 2018, Ambient Metal, American Metal, Crown and Throne Ltd., Dutch Metal, Experimental Metal, Reviews, Experimental Metal, Noise Metal, 99 comments

“In many ways, this collaboration makes perfect sense. The lo-fi, chaotic-noise aesthetic of Gnaw Their Tongues is a very natural direction for the experimental drone of Crowhurst to wander off to, and vice versa. Given the prolific nature of Gnaw Their Tongues’s Maurice de Jong and Crowhurst mastermind Jay Gambit, it’s also pretty much par for the course that these two noise mongers eventually crossed paths and left some tracks in their wake.” Gnawed and miserable.

Dunnock – Little Stories Told by Ghosts Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 31, 2018 in 2018, Acephale Winter Productions, American Metal, Black Metal, Experimental Metal, Reviews, 96 comments

“I am a particularly busy man. I’m married with a toddler who requires extra attention due to special needs. I hold down two jobs that currently occupy all seven days of my week. And yet I do my best to hold to my commitment of contributing at least one review to this blog each week; not just for the benefit of you, dear reader, but also for the artists who pour their hearts and souls into their music. I’ve never reviewed a record whose artistic vision and intent has eluded me; good or bad, I’ve always been able to sense the passion and the love for the craft. But Dunnock… oh, Dunnock.” Little music.

Lusca – Broken Colossus Review

By Saunders on May 2, 2018 in 2018, Experimental Metal, German Metal, Industrial Metal, Musical Tragedies Entertainment, Reviews, Drone, Industrial Metal, Noise, Sludge, 29 comments

“I consider myself to be pretty open-minded when it comes to music, and metal, in particular. Sure, I can be a cynical, judgmental prick and easily fall back on old favorites and genre staples to satisfy my listening urges, but generally, I give things a shot and like to occasionally deviate outside my comfort zone. Thankfully the reviewing game provides ample opportunity to divulge in the unfamiliar and uncomfortable, so the powers above assigned the mysterious Lusca for my listening pleasure and subsequent dissection.” Be careful what you wish for, kids.

Hardcore Anal Hydrogen – HyperCut Review

By Eldritch Elitist on March 28, 2018 in 2018, Apathia Records, Experimental Metal, Monacan Metal, Reviews, Experimental Metal, 70 comments

“Greetings, internet traveler! My name is Eldritch, and I’ll be your guide on this unexpected detour to Angrymetalguy.com. I’m sure you’re wondering how you ended up at this humble metal blog. You see, the metal community is a distinctly no-filter bunch, which inevitably generates quite the colorful array of band names and album titles. As a direct result, consumers of discerning taste may find themselves unwittingly whisked away via a search engine to our humble blog while in search of ‘black fucking,’ ‘piss vortex,’ or, in your case, ‘hardcore anal.'” A foul wind blows.

Snakefeast – In Chaos, Solace Review

By GardensTale on March 6, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Experimental Metal, Grimoire Records, Reviews, 39 comments

“Experimental metal is a tricky genre. For one, it’s defined by indefinability. Where do you draw the line between progressive, simply odd, and truly experimental? What do you call it when a band emulates another’s experimental sound? And, the further off the beaten path a band walks, the smaller the prospective audience is likely to get. Nonetheless, I applaud bands who try to go beyond thinking out of the box and disregard the box altogether. If nothing else, it’ll always have a unique sound, something the majority of bands will never be able to lay claim to.” Saxy boys.