Groove Metal

Ennead – Frozen Eyes Review

Ennead – Frozen Eyes Review

By Angry Metal Guy on May 16, 2012 in 2012, 4.0, Groove Metal, Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Unsigned Bands, 5 comments

It is, as you all know, difficult to keep up with the number of unsigned bands that we get music from. But, usually as a matter of luck, I occasionally decide that I have time to check something out (or I’m just avoiding my work). Fortunately, I followed the link to a Bandcamp (that’s usually a thing that gets me to click unsigned bands) for some itsy-bitsy, teeny, teeny, teeny-tiny Swedish metalcore-influenced prog-metallers Ennead who are writing music better than a lot of signed acts that I get these days when they can’t even grow facial hair. Sometimes I follow links and am unimpressed and turn the shit off, saving the band face. In this case, however, Ennead snuck up on me and surprised—and impressed—the hell out of me.

Soen – Cognitive Review

Soen – Cognitive Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 31, 2012 in 2012, 4.0, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Swedish Metal, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal, 11 comments

I guarantee you the guys from Soen have to brace themselves for every review they’re going to read for two reasons. The first of these is that this band contains Steve DiGiorgio, heavy metal’s best bassist and best fretless for hire and oh, right, Martin Lopez who we last saw as a member of Opeth. I have to say that I’m partial to these two guys as musicians (nothing against Ax, but Lopez is a special drummer) and so when I heard that this record was coming out I did some begging and got me a copy for review. Apparently there are other musicians in this band, but we don’t actually care The rest of the band is made up of by two Swedish guys, the vocalist and Platsbarzdis, the guitarist, for what is a four piece of alternative or kind of groovy progressive metal. Not progressive like Opeth or Vintersorg or Porcupine Tree but progressive like Tool. And by that I mean, they sound exactly like fucking Tool (that’s the second reason).

Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline Review

Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 21, 2012 in 1.5, 2012, Century Media, Groove Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Nu Metal, 13 comments

Lacuna Coil is a band that I used to like pretty well. I’ve seen them live a few times and I thought they put on pretty good shows and I have a lot of respect for them as a hardworking touring band. Musically, though, I think they’ve been pretty hit and miss. While I enjoy In A Reverie, Unleashed Memories and liked a few songs off of Comalies, their modern sound has developed into something that is really quite derivative of the American “nu-metal trend” and specifically their last record Shallow Life was produced in a way that sounded exactly like Linkin Park and was entirely unlistenable to these ears. So I have to say that it was with consternation that I elected to start listening to this album in the first place.

In Flames – Sounds of a Playground Fading Review

In Flames – Sounds of a Playground Fading Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 24, 2011 in 2.0, 2011, Century Media, Groove Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Nu Metal, 20 comments

I know I’m late. Sure, this review isn’t coming out weeks ahead of time, and pretty much no one is looking for In Flames reviews now as it was leaked early and most everyone has already had a chance to hear the new record Sounds of a Playground Fading. For me, however, this is a record that needed some reviewing. See, I used to be a big In Flames fan. Their early albums rate among my favorite melodic death metal records of all time and they really defined and did that sound, “their sound,”as well as it can be done (I guess that’s a little redundant). But I, like many fans, became remarkably disillusioned with the band after Reroute to Remain. There is an irony that the year that record was released, Gothenburg took Ozzfest by storm, as well as a host of metalcore bands that sounded just like In Flames… had.

Since then, I’ve been remarkably unimpressed with the band’s output. The movement back towards a heavier sound has not been particularly successful, and the sickly sweet melody that really defined the band’s sound through Colony kind of disappeared along the introduction of a distressingly oversized dose of Anders’ new Jonathan Davis-like whines. But every time they release a record, I always feel a bit of nostalgia and hope. A hope that maybe this time In Flames will regain that magic they once had. With a name like Sounds of a Playground Fading, though, one gets the feeling that this record will be anything but.

Amaranthe – Amaranthe Review

Amaranthe – Amaranthe Review

By Angry Metal Guy on April 8, 2011 in 0.5, 2011, Groove Metal, Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Spinefarm, Swedish Metal, Eurocore, Not Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 100 comments

Amaranthe has three vocalists. Just let that sink in for a while. From what I can tell, not one of those vocalists plays an instrument. Instead, they found three “attractive” people to do vocals for them. The first is a woman, who sounds like a pop singer (think E Type) and who I guarantee you cannot name a Slayer record. The second is a screamy dude. He’s got a beard (’cause he’s tough and angsty, you see) and he screams, but not too much (he must be very, very, very bored on stage). And then there’s the ‘power metal’ vocalist (Berg from Dream Evil) who’s just as over-produced as the chick vocalist and is there to get 14 year old girls all silly over his perfectly groomed dreadlocks. Behind them are several soulless session musicians (from Mercenary, Dragonland and Engel). Though, frankly, this is a band that is functionally made of session musicians, since integrity seems to be lacking.

Cavalera Conspiracy – Blunt Force Trauma Review

Cavalera Conspiracy – Blunt Force Trauma Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 24, 2011 in 2.0, 2011, American Metal, Groove Metal, Reviews, Roadrunner, Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Thrash Metal, 16 comments

It is unfortunate, but reasonable, that I should start this off by saying the obvious: this is not the Sepultura record you’ve been waiting for. While the Cavalera brothers have been reunited in the band named after them, this is not Beneath the Remains II or hell, even Roots II, this is something different and if you hadn’t figured out that this was going to be the case by now, then you are a naive and probably very easily disappointed person. While I respect your optimism, I think that optimism becomes stupidity if you hold out too long. And I think we’ve all held out too fucking long.