“Ah, Deathwhite is back to antagonize music reviewers who expect to know things like: who’s in the band, what do they play, where are they from, who is their daddy and what does he do? Yes, Deathwhite scoffs at such outdated formalities, opting to exist in complete secrecy like goth-metal’s answer to those masked marauders in Ghost.” Straight from the Witness Protection Ensemble, more intrigue and confusion.
Post-metal
Hope Drone – Cloak of Ash Review
“Longtime readers may recall the genesis of my infatuation with Hope Drone in late 2014 when I featured them on the very first Sampling Bias (um, yeah I’ll do another one of those sometime) which covered the proud continent of Australia. I lauded their self-titled debut as ‘possibly the most devastatingly nihilistic recording I’ve ever heard, both instrumentally and lyrically’.” Relapse blurbed that little line, so does Kronos love Hope Drone’s newest record enough to merit a second blurb? Or did he fawn himself into a corner only escape-able through a good panning?
Tempel – The Moon Lit Our Path Review
“If you’re like me (and you should be, because come on) instrumental metal has never gripped you deeply. While Pelican or Scale the Summit are fine now and then, typically the music just induces a pleasantly reflective mood, with occasional thoughts of “hey, that’s pretty” or “well, that’s a neat riff.”” Metallic mood music has a place, doesn’t it?
Vattnet Viskar – Settler Review
“I’m going to get this out of the way regarding Vattnet Viskar’s second album, Settler right now: that is the saddest album cover I’ve seen in my almost-two years of writing for Angry Metal Guy, and I’m not talking “OMG THEY WENT FULL DEAFHEAVEN!,” either.” But it would be very sad if they did go full Deafheaven, just to be clear.
Vargnatt – Grausammler Review
“After a slobbery storm of critical fellatio that even the Farmer’s Almanac would’ve had a tough time predicting, Deafheaven’s Sunbather ended up toppling Kanye West’s Yeezus as the mainstream’s champion of unbridled artistic genius in 2013. Far from the first band to follow the post-black-gaze muse, the near-consensus on Deafheaven’s supposed brilliance was monumental, creating a prime climate for followers to begin putting their own spin on the style.” Sigh…. Deafheaven is creating clones again, and they are sunbathing!
Secrets of the Sky – Pathway Review
“It’s a rare occurrence when a band completely floors me with a debut release. Not just show bright glimmers of potential mind you, but seriously blindside me with a sound that is fresh, unique and remarkably well developed for a first release. Such was the case when Oakland’s Secrets of the Sky seemingly emerged from nowhere with their brilliant opus To Sail Black Waters in 2013.” The hype is strong with this one.
Kontinuum – Kyrr Review
“The Kontinuum… continues! Not to be confused with the tech death band Continuum reviewed here by Dr. A.N. Grier earlier in the week, Kontinuum are an Icelandic band that plays a multifarious blend of dreamwave and post-rock/metal with some inviting and interesting gothic undertones.” Is Iceland becoming the next Finland?
Antagoniste – The Myth of Mankind Review
“The French black metal scene has given us some truly great bands and releases through the years, especially of the avant-garde kind. The likes of Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Peste Noire, and even Alcest are still pushing out some of the most interesting and innovative metal music. This time around, it’s the French avant-garde black metal one-man project Antagoniste that introduces a début whose mission is to reach and eclipse the sonic standards set by his countrymen.” Trying to out weird the weird is a tough task.
Izah – Sistere Review
“Do you like post-metal? Do you like sludge? What about Rosetta? Soundclips of men with Scottish accents? Finally, do you have 72 minutes to kill? If, dear reader, you answered yes to three out of those five questions, then you would be obliged to take my hand as I journey through Izah’s gargantuan debut Sistere.” Ach, it’s like Scotchtoberfest around hea!
Taken By The Sun – Taken By The Sun Review
“Genre labels are such a double-edged sword, aren’t they? You mention nu-metal or metalcore around here, and there’s a good chance that the band you are describing will become anchored before they are allowed to soar.” Genre labels proved a hot topic not too long ago here on AMG. Will Taken By The Sun further fan the flames?