Kscope

O.R.k. – Ramagehead Review

By Huck N Roll on February 27, 2019 in 2019, International Metal, Kscope, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 93 comments

“It’s not often that so-called super-groups stick around for more than one or two albums. Invariably, the novelty of working together wears off, and competing priorities pull members in other directions. That hasn’t been the case with multinational prog rockers O.R.k., though: Ramagehead is the band’s third album, appearing like clockwork almost two years to the day after their superb Soul of an Octopusrecord. The quartet remains unchanged as well: the big names are Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson) on drums and Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree) on bass, but guitarist Carmelo Pipitone and singer/composer LEF are not to be ignored.” Ramage Inc.

Corrective Measures: Angry Metal Guy’s Stack o’ Shame Edition

By Angry Metal Guy on July 6, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Blood Music, Death Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Italian Metal, Kscope, Melodic Death Metal, Napalm Records, Neo-Classical Metal, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Rock, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, chiptunes, 86 comments

“Like with video games or books, one’s “Stack o’ Shame” is the stuff one intends to do but has not been able to do for one reason or another. These reviews are all too late to write full 600-800 word reviews for. On the other hand, I am going to be way too busy this winter to be able to handle writing a bunch of TYMHM. So, I am invoking my right to rule through this (hopefully one-off) post that rounds up some stuff that I fully intended to review and didn’t. So by ways of an apology to both you, the readers, and the albums in my Stack o’ Shame, I bring you some angry, metal blurbs. Mea culpa.” Sometimes sorry is enough.

Steven Wilson – 4½ Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 14, 2016 in 2016, Kscope, Not Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 51 comments

“Steven Wilson is one of music’s best producers and, as I ranted and raved last year, quickly becoming one of progressive music’s best songwriters, as well. Hand. Cannot. Erase. was, as I’ve just recently written again, a triumph. However, like all triumphs—yes, all of them—part of honing in on the “triumphant” is knowing when to edit. That doesn’t always mean that what was cut was bad, of course, and 4½ is Steven Wilson and his trusty (and ridiculously talented) backing band knocking out 37 minutes of excellent leftovers.” Yeah, I guess you should probably just expect a lovefest.

Steven Wilson – Hand. Cannot. Erase. Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 30, 2015 in 2015, Kscope, Not Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 63 comments

“Unlike many of my friends and colleagues, I’ve rarely been moved by Steven Wilson’s music. With notable exceptions, Porcupine Tree’s studio work put me to sleep. Nor, I must admit, was I a fan of Insurgentes or Grace for Drowning at release. Despite having long been harangued for being an Opeth fanboy, I could not get into Storm Corrosion. In fact, if you’d asked me 5 years ago, I would have said that Steven Wilson’s genius is the ways in which he makes other bands sound incredible. That changed for me, however, with The Raven Who Refused to Sing from 2012. So when I heard that Wilson had a new record coming, I was intrigued: would it keep up the momentum and style of The Raven?” Well, can it?

Anathema – Distant Satellites Review

By Noctus on June 19, 2014 in 2014, Kscope, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Reviews, Not Metal, 24 comments

“The transformation of Anathema has always been enigmatic to many metalheads. The obligatory rewind to their early 90’s pioneering death/doom records almost seems redundant now that this is their tenth album without a hint of metal in it. Any hope of them making a return to their roots is about as worthwhile as waiting for the new Kovenant album (why anyone wants it I cannot fathom). But the key difference here is that their abandonment of metal did them nothing but good…” Is the scarcity of precious metal still working out for these sullen fellows?

Gazpacho – Demon Review

By Angry Metal Guy on April 6, 2014 in 2014, Kscope, Progressive Metal, Reviews, 16 comments

“It’s no use making fun of Gazpacho for the name. I did that once already and unfortunately they’re still named after a type of tomato soup. While this tomato soup isn’t cursed, it does contain MSG, which is about as close to ‘metal’ as one needs to get to be reviewed here at AMG.” The Angry Metal Guy himself drops in to wax not-particularly-eloquently about the Norwegian progressive band Gazpacho’s newest full length. Don’t miss this review.

Bruce Soord with Jonas Renkse – Wisdom of Crowds Review

By Angry Metal Guy on May 24, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Kscope, Not Metal, Reviews, 2 comments

I was surprised to see Katatonia’s Jonas Renkse show up on a record with The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord—’cause I have no idea what the connection between these two is or has been. But seeing this combination—two people who come from pretty different worlds in my brain—I couldn’t give this a skip. And neither should you.

Steven Wilson – The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) Review

By Alex Franquelli on February 18, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Kscope, Not Metal, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 33 comments

“Steven Wilson coming up with a new album in 2013; it’s pretty much a progressive affair. As simple as that. There is nothing here that manages to stretch itself out of the canons of such a well-defined genre. On the contrary, the music on The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) revolves around what has made prog rock what it is today: complex dynamics, a wide range of styles harmoniously compressed to form a variegated compound and digressions; lots of them.” Alex Franquelli wanders through the maze that is the new Steven Wilson release and tries not to take too many digressions himself.

Anathema – Weather Systems Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 30, 2012 in 2012, 4.5, English Metal, Kscope, Not Metal, Progressive Metal, Releases, Reviews, Not Metal, 45 comments

You can take the dirty hippy out of metal, but you can’t take the metal out of the dirty hippy.

Gazpacho – March of Ghosts Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 14, 2012 in 2012, 3.5, Kscope, Not Metal, Reviews, Not Metal, Progressive Rock, 0 comments

Gazpacho has to be the worst name for a band ever. The soup itself is frankly a little on the unexciting side as it is, being a vegetable soup served cold. It’s actually Spanish or Portuguese, isn’t it? Being Norwegian, couldn’t they have chosen say, lefse or something? Not only is it tastier (Mmm, a bit of sugar and butter and I’m a Happy Metal Guy! NOMNOMNOM!), but it’s Norwegian! Like the band! Get it!? Well, anyway, needless to say I was less than stoked to actually dig my ear-fingers into this record. How could a band that can’t come up with a decent band name come up with good music? I mean, this is an existential question… really.