Progressive Death

The Odious – Vesica Piscis Review

By Kronos on June 19, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Death Metal, Djent, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Releases, Reviews, Self-released, Progressive Metal, 52 comments

“I didn’t know this album was coming. I thought The Odious had faded out of existence long ago, trapped behind an ever-thickening glass of ‘what-if’s’ that both magnifies and distorts the legacy of bands that disappear just as they reach their creative zenith. You’ve heard swansongs before, but never from as fluffy and yolk-drenched a cygnet as The Odious were, releasing a career’s worth of great ideas over the course of two years and two releases – 2012’s Joint Ventures LP preceded by the That Night a Forest Grew EP in 2011. Now reaching for an altogether opposite avian metaphor, the band have reformed.” From swansong to phoenix.

Flub – Flub Review

By Cherd on June 11, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, The Artisan Era, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 100 comments

“Flub is something of a supergroup, with current and ex-members of Rivers of Nihil, Alterbeast and Vale of Pnath, though their sound is markedly different than the sum of their parts. Lyrically this is standard fare for the genre—subcategory fantasy—with the tale of a hero who is possessed at the end of his life by an entity bent on destroying Mother Nature herself, but musically Flub is a bit more colorful and damn near uplifting when compared to the members’ other bands. Make no mistake, there is still brutal death metal baked into this evil fruit pie.” Little Jack Horner stays tech.

De Lirium’s Order – Singularity Review

By Saunders on May 5, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Inverse Records, Progressive Death, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Progressive Death, Technical Death Metal, 22 comments

“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.

Hath – Of Rot and Ruin Review

By Kenstrosity on April 13, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Willowtip, Death Metal, 89 comments

“Pure originality is overrated. I mean, yeah, it’s nice when something newfangled pops up and smacks you in the kisser. However, I would much rather see an already existent construct improved upon, re-imagined or perfected in some way. I don’t care if it takes three iterations or four trillion, five-hundred billion, three-hundred-forty-seven million, twenty-thousand-and-two iterations to get there.” If it ain’t broke, improve it!

Architects of Aeon – Koloss Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 4, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Doom Metal, German Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Self-released, Doom Metal, 57 comments

“As a metal reviewer, I, every so often, have to describe the music I’m hearing. Using complex vocabulary, a plethora of unnecessary adjectives, and textures as real as your blind uncle’s toilet seat, I force you to feel, hear, and taste the album I’m reviewing. If you think that’s easy, you’re wrong. ‘Tis hard. Thankfully, for all you, I’m the master of my domain.” Touch nothing, hear everything.

Vltimas – Something Wicked Marches In Review

By Kenstrosity on March 29, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Portuguese Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Season of Mist, Death Metal, 90 comments

“Man, this March has been ridiculous. Just when all of us at the AMG Consortium of the Infernal’s brimstone lounge were bitching and moaning about the unfair quantity of choice black metal—leaving in its wake a noticeable dearth of death metal goodness—out of nowhere comes Equipoise, Gomorrah, Venom Prison, Aephanemer, and now Vltimas. Like Equipoise, but also not at all like Equipoise, Vltimas is a supergroup. Based out of Portugal, the band is comprised of three legends of the metal scene: David Vincent of Morbid Angel on vocals; Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen (ex-Mayhem, Aura Noir) on the guitars, and Flo Mounier of Cryptopsy fame manning the kit.” Something supergroupy this way comes.

Contrarian – Their Worm Never Dies Review

By Saunders on March 14, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Willowtip, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 77 comments

“Dear readers, what are your favorite ’90s progressive or technical death metal albums? Perhaps it’s Cynic’s legendary Focus, Death’s Human, Edge of Sanity’s Crimson, or is it Pestilence and their classic Consuming Impulse opus? Or maybe Atheist’s brilliant Unquestionable Presence album floats your boat. Or digging deeper, a more left-field choice: Martyr’s underrated Hopeless Hopes. New York’s Contrarian pay omage to the classic ’90s progressive and technical death scene through their retro and impressively authentic throwback style of spazzed out prog death on their third LP, Their Worm Never Dies.” Undying worms and olde death.

The Ridiculous Year o’ Death Metal Round-up, Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Kronos on December 27, 2018 in 2019, American Metal, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Slam, Swedish Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 131 comments

“A lot of good death metal came out this year. In the last six months, it has become an outright deluge, and Ferrous Beuller and I have doggy-paddled through it, coughing and sputtering and generally being overwhelmed. But even if great albums were few, enough good albums came out—and got passed over—that we’re in dire need of a recap. In fact the need is so dire that we can’t hope to cover it all ourselves.”

Aseitas – Aseitas [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Kronos on December 8, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Simian Song Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Death Metal, 55 comments

“The feeling that we’ve heard it all before has never been so persistent. A decade ago it was stagnant melodeath, then re-thrash, then retro doom, and now we’re in the middle of a burly old-school death metal revival. Where are the progressive bands willing to try something new and write the next chapter? The snarky answer: “ripping off Pink Floyd and Yes.” But there are others. One such contender, Portland’s Aseitas dropped one of the most puzzling death metal releases of the year with their self-titled debut.” New horizons, strange vistas.

Yer Metal is Olde: Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse

By Saunders on December 4, 2018 in Candlelight Records, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Swedish Metal, Yer Metal Is Olde, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Death, 141 comments

“There’s raging debate about which Opeth album sits on the pedestal as their greatest achievement. I’m not here to proclaim My Arms, Your Hearse as their best album, but it holds a special place in my heart and is a fundamental stepping stone towards the band’s momentous career peak. Fittingly it was the first Opeth album I heard around the turn of the millennium, setting me on course for a hell of a ride across the band’s decorated career.” Once were metal.