Candlelight

October Tide – A Thin Shell Review

October Tide – A Thin Shell Review

By Steel Druhm on November 2, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Candlelight, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 1 comment

With the tides come a darkness and oppressive gloom and that gloom is known as October Tide. After resting in deep, dark slumber for the fullness of eleven years, the brainchild of Fredrik Norrman (ex-Katatonia) and Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) crawls back into the light with another monumentally morose death-doom opus titled A Thin Shell. Not too many bands can survive such an extended state of limbo but when Norrman left Katatonia, he decided it was time to resurrect his side-project for a third album without co-founder Renkse. While it was quite natural to doubt a quality comeback or to fear a Katatonia clone, you can put those fears to rest. A Thin Shell is a remarkable album that showcases the beauty that exists in darkness.

Abigail Williams – In the Absence of Light Review

Abigail Williams – In the Absence of Light Review

By Steel Druhm on September 14, 2010 in 2.5, 2010, American Metal, Black Metal, Candlelight, Reviews, Black Metal, 7 comments

Symphonic black metal, a genre fraught with many a trap, snare and pitfall awaiting the unwary band that wants to go down this grim and icy road. Overproduction, bloating, too much keyboard, not enough keyboard, all can bring the metallic symphony to a halt faster than a black metal miser can frown. Even if one avoids all these dangers, the music must be interesting and compelling at its core or trouble ensues. It’s that last nagging little issue that drags down In the Absence of Light, the sophomore album by New York’s own Abigail Williams.

Demonic Resurrection – The Return to Darkness Review

Demonic Resurrection – The Return to Darkness Review

By Angry Metal Guy on August 3, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Black Metal, Candlelight, Reviews, 5 comments

As world metal takes the stage, something that is happening more and more frequently these days, we’re going to be seeing more of these bands coming from places where metal just hasn’t ever shown its face earlier. Demonic Resurrection, as those of you familiar with Sam Dunn’s documentary Global Metal already know, are a band from India who play symphonic black metal. The third record in a trilogy The Return to Darkness is being released (as I understand it) as the band’s first international release via Candlelight Records. That Sam Dunn is a rockstar creating machine, it turns out. Though, when it comes to Demonic Resurrection, their music speaks for itself and if you give that music a stage that myriads of metalheads have access to, it’s not hard to see how they managed to break beyond their borders.

Winterfylleth – The Mercian Sphere Review

Winterfylleth – The Mercian Sphere Review

By Angry Metal Guy on July 20, 2010 in 2.5, 2010, Black Metal, Candlelight, Reviews, Black Metal, 1 comment

Winterfylleth is a pagan black metal band from Manchester, England who previously has a full length that was released on Profound Lore. They join the ranks of modern black metal bands who, while conforming to many aspects of the genre, are still fighting against the basics: grindy Satan worship. Instead, Winterfylleth produces atmospheric, but melodic black metal that fits in perfectly with a lot of what’s going on around the world in black metal, but that definitely couldn’t be grouped in with sort of “post-black metal” crowd. The Mercian Sphere has the basic foundations of what could be a highly successful record in 2010, but there are a few things that get in the way for this Angry Metal Guy.

Limbonic Art – Phantasmagoria Review

Limbonic Art – Phantasmagoria Review

By Steel Druhm on July 7, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Black Metal, Candlelight, Reviews, Black Metal, 6 comments

I loved Bathory growing up. I mean, I REALLY loved me some Bathory! That crazy Quorthon and his one man band really tore it up while basically giving birth to the black, folk and viking metal genres all by his lonesome. However, A.B. (After Bathory), many one man bands rose up in the frozen, gloomy black metal basements of the world, some good, many not. Therefore, when I heard that long running Norwegian black metal act Limbonic Art was now essentially reduced to a one man project for co-founder Daemon, I was more than slightly uneasy about the release of this, their seventh album, Phantasmagoria. Further enhancing my unease was the advance word that the album would again feature a drum machine (a long running negative for this band). With unease and hesitation upon all our minds (or at least mine), here we go.

Circle of Dead Children – Psalms of the Grand Destroyer Review

Circle of Dead Children – Psalms of the Grand Destroyer Review

By Steel Druhm on June 14, 2010 in 2.0, 2010, American Metal, Candlelight, Death Metal, Reviews, Grind, 3 comments

Here at Angry Metal Guy Industries ©®, staff is small [by which he means “little people” – Ed.], deadlines are many and mercy is neither asked for nor granted. Therefore, we of the reviewer caste don’t always get to cherry pick bands or genres we love. Because of this ugly truth, sometimes a review must be done for something outside our musical wheelhouse. That is the very dilemma facing yours truly with a review of Psalms of the Grand Destroyer by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s own Circle of Dead Children. Album number four by these purveyors of inhuman deathgrind is sick, twisted, chaotic and brutal for brutality’s sake, but is it good? That is a mighty tricky question.

Fleshgod Apocalypse to Release EP Entitled Mafia

By Angry Metal Guy on February 11, 2010 in Blog Posts, Candlelight, Death Metal, Italian Metal, 0 comments

Italian death metallers Fleshgod Apocalypse are planning to release a new EP called Mafia later this year (assumedly via Willowtip Records, though that’s not confirmed). After last year’s fantastic release Oracles (which was my #3 album on the year), I’ve gotta say that I’m really looking forward to this. Hopefully I can figure out who […]

Ihsahn – After Review

Ihsahn – After Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 12, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Black Metal, Candlelight, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 8 comments

Easily one of the most anticipated records of 2010 for me has been Ihsahn’s new offering. While I was a passing Emperor fan, really just a fan of In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk-era, I was taken by Ihsahn’s solo stuff. The Adversary felt fresh, progressive enough, a step away from the later Emperor material of which I wasn’t a fan, and it captured the sonic styles and textures that he was never quite allowed to explore while in Emperor. The record didn’t stick with me as I had hoped, while I listened to it occasionally it didn’t hold a steadfast position in my discography. On the other hand, angL blew me away. Probably the finest record of 2008, angL has maintained a steady place in the rotation and is a record that I’ve showed to dozens of people. Perfectly produced, perfectly composed and smartly written, angL contained everything that I wanted out of a new progressive metal record. So, of course, when I heard that Ihsahn would be releasing a new record in 2010, I became justifiably excited.