Inverse Records

Babylonfall – Collapse Review

Babylonfall – Collapse Review

“I’ve always maintained you should not be able to eat food off death metal albums. The level of dirt and grime inherent in the recordings complements the themes of death and decay in the music. Even melodeath – the gentler second-cousin twice removed of death metal – shouldn’t sound too clean in my books. Babylonfall, a new group from Finland, arrive with a fair bit of buzz surrounding their debut effort, Collapse. Ostensibly playing a brand of music in the style of latter-Amorphis, these guys hew far more closely to the ‘melo’ rather than the ‘death’ side of things.” Death be not cleanly.

Rämlord – From Dark Waters Review

Rämlord – From Dark Waters Review

“No one expects the Rämlord, nor should they. Formed by members of such wildly diverse acts as Impaled Nazarene, Legenda, and National Napalm Syndicate, Rämlord is a strange new act purpose-built to defy genre boundaries as they explore classic metal styles. On their debut, From Dark Waters they attempt a near herculean amount of genre hoping, dragging in influences from goth rock, hair metal, hard rock, 80s radio rock and a few other odds and sods along the bumpy journey they fashion for the unsuspecting listener.” Rämming speed!

Ghost Toast – Shape Without Form Review

Ghost Toast – Shape Without Form Review

“It’s nice to have some actual dialogue after my solitary confinement to Shape Without Form. That’s right, tubthumpers: Ghost Toast are an instrumental band! There’s been a lot of that lately, and I’m not really sure why, but I was bound to deal with something of the sort sooner or later, and now here we are, Ghost Toastin’ it up.” Rye revenants abound.

Somehow Jo – Tusk Review

Somehow Jo – Tusk Review

“I’m not sure what, if any, expectations I had for Finnish alt metallers Somehow Jo when I etched my crude shark sigil into the review boulder by their name. It’s not a moniker that really speaks to me and the artwork – although quite pretty – also doesn’t give a lot away. But you can be sure that any expectations I may have unconsciously harbored, plummeted when I read that sophomore album Tusk was written largely in a “small bunker next to a shady titty bar” and that, throughout, the band prioritized “freshness and originality in all of the ideas we’ve brought for the other members to be eaten and then later to be defecated in to a demo of some kind.”” Jo momma.

Northern Genocide – Genesis vol. 666 Review

Northern Genocide – Genesis vol. 666 Review

“Industrial metal hasn’t had a great run as of late. The few I have reviewed in my three-year tenure at AMG did not fare well. In fact, the only good industrial metal I have heard in that time was the new Rammstein earlier this year, meaning the underground has delivered exactly zilch. Of course, I may have simply missed a whopper, but fact remains that most bands touting the term seem to use it as an excuse to blow out the speakers with horrendous production and/or use it as an ersatz term for metalcore or nu-metal. Maybe the debut from upstarts Northern Genocide can make a difference.” The Devil’s factory.

Amanita Virosa – Original Plague Review

Amanita Virosa – Original Plague Review

“Today, our case involves a patient who came in contact with Amanita Virosa — a deadly, basiodiomycete fungus. No, Dr. X, it’s not the same thing we isolated from Dr. Druhm’s paw the other day. And it’s not contagious. No, Dr. Holdeneye, I would not feed it to your daughter, no matter how much it resembles those portobello mushrooms she so clearly likes. Its nickname is ‘The Destroying Angel’ and this baby is full of amatoxins and phallotoxins… Stop sniggering, Dr. Wvrm. We’re supposed to be professionals here.” Do mo harm.

De Lirium’s Order – Singularity Review

De Lirium’s Order – Singularity Review

“I fucking love tech-death. When the style is done well it’s an exhilarating ride, spiking the adrenaline and creating an intoxicating blend of technical wizardry, memorability and brutality. Yet sadly, more often than not the style is inundated with bands content to cram their technical skills down your throat, tossing any semblance of songwriting skills out the window in a flood of over-the-top, soulless wankery. After toiling in the underground for many years, Finland’s De Lirium’s Order return to unleash their fourth LP, and first since 2012, in the shape of Singularity. So with equal parts optimism and trepidation I dive into the swirling sci-fi abyss of the De Lirium’s Order experience, hoping to get that giddy rush of the elite class of tech-death heroes.” Wanky cranky.

Hedonihil – I Review

Hedonihil – I Review

“Expectations are precarious things. The older we get, the more we assume they will go unmet. This almost religiously applies to super groups. When I came across Finland’s Hedonihil, a death metal project comprised of members of Swallow the Sun, I expected great things. But when I delved into the press materials (always foolish) and saw them described as anti-poetry, I expected substantially less great things.” Angry pretense.

Countless Goodbyes – Cycles Review

Countless Goodbyes – Cycles Review

“It’s been pretty interesting to watch metalcore’s evolution over the years. I’m talking specifically about the strain of metalcore that cropped up in the early 2000s, the good cop/bad cop style played by the Killswitch Engages and As I Lay Dyings of the world, the type that infused At the Gates riffs with choruses cribbed from the latest alt-rock band. I ate that shit up in high school and stayed for the party when the style started adopting faster and more technical playing (see: August Burns Red and Texas in July). When djent had its heyminute in the early 2010s, bands realized chugs weren’t too different from breakdowns and thus began to add some djentiness to the proceedings (see: This or the Apocalypse’s Dead Years and Hollow).” The core cycle.

2 Wolves – …Our Fault Review

2 Wolves – …Our Fault Review

“I used to think Finland must be the single coolest place in the world. Unsurprisingly, this view coincides with my discovery of symphonic metal music, which, for a long time, remained comfortably nestled in the frosty inspiration of that country. It wasn’t long before I crossed the threshold and met doom metal, which, would you believe it, also kept my attention rapt on Finland. 2 Wolves hail from Finland, and bring gothic-tinged doom metal to light in their fourth full-length, …Our Fault.” Nobody’s at fault.