Candlelight

Ihsahn – Arktis. Review

By Angry Metal Guy on April 3, 2016 in 2016, Candlelight, Melodic Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Metal, Spinefarm, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 58 comments

“Ihsahn is always in motion. Following a storied career in one of the premier black metal bands of all time, he’s released five full-length albums. Nearly all of those records have been critically acclaimed, but only one has been critically acclaimed by me. While I enjoyed The Adversary, Ihsahn’s post-Emperor zenith was angL. Starting with After, however, Ihsahn started to lose me. What made his earlier material so good—riffs, riffs, more riffs, and slick composition (also riffs)—began to be replaced by increasingly abstract compositions. And when songs like “Scarab” started getting replaced with tracks like “M,” I stopped enjoying new Ihsahn albums. Yet Arktis. marks the next phase for Ihsahn, having finally left the Nihilists behind him.” Praise Zarathustra!

Sigh – Graveward Review

By Kronos on April 27, 2015 in 2015, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Candlelight, Japanese Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal, 39 comments

“Sigh are on their tenth trip around the turntable and still spin at 45, since there isn’t a faster option. Graveward is their attempt to penetrate the monolithic shadow cast by In Somniphobia, an album so fantastically strange that it was a sidestep even by the standards of a band that defines the term “avant-garde”.” Sigh is a breath of fresh air.

Xerath – III Review

By Kronos on September 12, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight, Death Metal, English Metal, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 12 comments

“Let’s face it: traditional symphonic metal is a playground of melodrama that’s nowhere near brutal enough. That’s why Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh (get mad about that concretion) are such popular bands – no matter how much we complain about their loud as hell albums here, there’s no denying that symphonic death is the perfect step forward for the maligned fusion genre.” Madam X will not take kindly to this Septicflesh bashing….

Vampillia – Some Nightmares Take You Aurora Rainbow Darkness Review

By Grymm on July 13, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight, Japanese Metal, Not Metal, Noise Rock, Not Metal, 10 comments

“”Beautiful” is a word that I don’t normally use to describe an album here at AMG, and especially in Casa de los Grymm. “Fun” is even less of a descriptor. What was it again that Euronymous wanted none of via his record label again? But I took a shot at an unknown (to me, at least) group of Japanese noise brigands (with a former Boredom, Toyohito Yoshikawa, in its ever-growing ranks) known as Vampillia. With quite a few releases under their belt (seventeen, according to their website), their newest, the very wordy Some Nightmares Take You Aurora Rainbow Darkness, is their first full-length, and it’s a good snapshot into their crazy world.” All your bases are belong to us! And don’t call me Aurora Rainbow!

Chasma – Omega Theorian Review

By Madam X on June 30, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Black Metal, Candlelight, Post-Rock, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 3 comments

“Portland, Oregon seems the home of the wistful, the home of somber, shifting post-metal with a blackened bejeweled heart. Not too long ago we heard from Agalloch (with a sobering attempt at creating infinity in The Serpent & The Sphere) and now hot on the heels of 2013’s Codex Constellatia, Chasma return with their third full-length release. I’m a slacker and while I can remember seeing the blood red adorned Codex Constellatia hit the promo bin, it’s release date came and went and got lost in the metal mire. Omega Theorian was a little more persistent in succeeding where the earlier release didn’t.” Whenever someone mentions Agalloch in a review intro, I feel the need to read on.

Corrosion Of Conformity – IX Review

By Dr. Fisting on June 7, 2014 in 2.5, 2014, American Metal, Candlelight, Heavy Metal, Reviews, 9 comments

“Considering that the band was left for dead after 2005’s In The Arms Of God, North Carolina’s Corrosion of Conformity has been on a fucking roll these last few years. The band’s original trio reconvened in 2010 and embarked on heavy-duty touring, followed by 2012’s excellent self-titled LP and the hastily-assembled Megalodon EP for Scion A/V. Just two short years later, COC is back again with their 9th album, creatively titled IX.” Old stoner/hardcore bands never die, they just get more garage-y.

Coltsblood – Into the Unfathomable Abyss Review

By Grymm on April 4, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight, Doom Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 1 comment

“Colts are young male horses. Colts, assuming that they are not neutered in their upbringings, will eventually grow up to be stallions, free to roam the range, gallop at high speeds, and get their horsey groove on with the nice mare a few barns down. I know you’re thinking to yourself, “Gee, Mr. Grymm, why the educational lesson on horses?” (Okay, you’re not thinking this at all, but roll with me here, dear readers.) As mentioned earlier, horses are fast creatures, hence their use as a mode of transportation in the olden days. Coltsblood, a fairly new band from Liverpool, England, is so very, very, very not fast. At all. Into the Unfathomable Abyss crawls and lurches like a pissed off, swamp-covered turtle in a race that’s impossible to win nor does it care for victory, but will you stay involved through all 58 minutes of its marathon duration?” I like turtles as much as the next guy, but…yeah.

Pet Slimmers of the Year – Fragments of Uniforms Review

By Madam X on March 29, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight, English Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Post-Metal, 3 comments

“So the Process Church of the Final Judgement wasn’t really your thing? Don’t slit your wrists over it, cults aren’t for everybody. Candlelight Records recently took a walk on the wild side adding a band that doesn’t run with their usual black metal or even their melodic death metal circles. Their band name is absurd, meaningless and annoying to the point where Nothing actually may be the better option, and to say that it had me tearing my hair out in chunks is an understatement. Pet Slimmers of the Year… Have you tried to Google this? No dammit, I’m not putting my feline on a diet, round is a shape too!” Yep, that’s the worst band name of all time. But, is the music any good? Madam X has opinions.

Shores of Null – Quiescence Review

By Grymm on March 16, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight, Doom Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 6 comments

“Swimming among an overcrowded sea of retro-thrashers, tech-death wankers, and sweepy-haired shoegazers playing post-whatever-the-fuck-the-flavor-is-this-week, there’s a band from Italy that’s looking to Finland and Seattle for the inspiration behind their début, Quiescence. Shores of Null may be a brand-spankin’-new band, but they are looking to capture your attention in pretty interesting ways. And they succeed to a degree.” Grymm just might have stumbled on something interesting here.

The Wounded Kings – Consolamentum Review

By JF Williams on February 16, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight, Doom Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, 3 comments

“Supreme overlord and beloved Great Leader Angry Metal Guy recently suggested that we don’t lead into our reviews talking about genre, in the interest of avoiding redundancy. Moreover, I’d imagine that the average AMG listener doesn’t really need a lesson on thrash metal 101, right? That’s because, in many cases, it does a disservice to band’s artistic uniqueness – isn’t it better to discuss the band, rather than its relationship to the genre it would appear to work within? I wish I could say that was possible with The Wounded Kings, but this Dartmoor-based five piece do little if not play to a genre, which is that of Sabbath-ian Electric Wizard worship.” Now that we pigeonholed everything, JF Williams discusses the merits of the music itself.