2.5

Chaostar – Anomima Review

By Madam X on May 4, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, 5 comments

“Christos Antoniou is a busy guy, classically trained musician and composer, he’s probably more commonly associated with the likes of Septicflesh. Album after album they’ve brought something huge, dramatic and tasty to the table and if you’re like me you’ve ravenously gobbled up every last scrap and looked around for seconds. Well here they are… what you may or may not know is that Christos has a side-project called Chaostar, born round the time Septicflesh released The Eldest Cosmonaut. While their core sound definitely captures some of what makes Septicflesh great, it’s also enough set apart that it’s an entirely different animal.” Join Madam X as she’s dragged kicking and screaming out of the mosh pit and unceremoniously dumped into the world of baroque style classical music… will she come out unscathed on the other side?

Total Negation – Zur späten Stunde | Zeiträume Review

By Noctus on March 14, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Black Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Temple of Tortorous Records, Uncategorized, Black Metal, 3 comments

“With a project name like Total Negation, it’s very difficult to be mistaken when it comes to what you’re in for. More or less taking the feeling of being pessimistic and forming it into a sound would be a start, as far as descriptors go. Total Negation is a German black metal project that takes every feeling of despair and discontent and forms it into a distant, almost apathetic sound. What Total Negation do is very differently from other similar bands taking black metal in a more depressive route – think Xasthur or perhaps even Spektr for example.” Join Noctus as he dives into the evil white cube that is Total Negation.

Neaera – Ours Is the Storm Review

By Happy Metal Guy on March 10, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Death Metal, German Metal, Metal Blade, Metalcore, Reviews, Death Metal, Metalcore, 17 comments

“If you mow the lawn to Heaven Shall Burn like Happy Metal Guy—which is supposed to be a good thing—you would kinda do the job almost as well with Neaera. Ours Is the Storm is this band’s sixth studio album and it serves as nice filler for HSB fans to feast on until the next HSB album drops like a giant pile of bird poop all over the world from mid to late April (← also supposed to be a good thing).” Happy Metal Guy steps in to tell you all about the new Neaera record. Now with proper capitalization!

Saxon – Sacrifice Review

By Steel Druhm on March 1, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, UDR Music, Heavy Metal, 19 comments

“There’s no better example of a hard-working, determined, but ultimately second tier act than Saxon. They were part of the original NWoBHM and have been churning out traditional metal albums since 1979. They’ve had classic platters like Wheels of Steel and Denim and Leather and a wealth of classic songs (“Crusader” is so damn good). Still, most metal fans wouldn’t put them on as high a pedestal as Maiden or Priest in the Pantheon of Metal Kings (ov Steel).” So does Sacrifice finally earn Saxon that much sought after ticket to the top of the pops? Maybe we should manage expectations…

Vreid – Welcome Farewell Review

By Madam X on February 23, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Rating, Releases, Reviews, Black Metal, 14 comments

“After the tragic, but remarkably metal, death of their vocalist, Windir was laid to rest in 2004. From its ashes came Vreid (“wrath” in Norwegian), which barreled onto the scene, knocking ten tons of shit out of listeners with machine gun riffage, under the command of ex-Windir bassist Hváll. Vreid have a black metal flavor that bears more than a few striking similarities to the misanthropic, war and history flavored style of Windir. Outside of that, Vreid have riff-heavy, black ‘n roll similarities to the likes of Carpathian Forest, some of the attitude and energy of Borknagar’s Universal album and a blend of the rocking grooviness of Sepultura and the more traditional and melodic elements of Taake, Koldbrann, Ragnarok, and middle earth’s own Carach Angren.” With a list of comparisons like that, you’d think it wouldn’t be possible for Madam X to get angry about this…

Stratovarius – Nemesis Review

By Steel Druhm on February 13, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, EarMusic records, Finnish Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 26 comments

“During my tenure here at AMG, I don’t think I’ve taken quite so much guff for a review as when I gave the last Stratovarius opus (Elysium) a mere 3.0. I found that rather funny, since a 3.0 is a pretty good score around these parts. While Elysium had some very good songs, it had several rough spots and a general lack of energy that short-circuited the album’s flow. Now I’m tasked with examining Nemesis, the follow-up by one of the titans of Euro-power and a band I’ve respected and enjoyed for a long time. It turns out to be a tough album to get a handle on.” Watch Steel Druhm search for a handle on things and when he finds it, things aren’t gonna be pretty.

Bloody Hammers – Bloody Hammers Review

By Steel Druhm on February 11, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, American Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Soulseller Records, Death Metal, Heavy Metal, 11 comments

“Its clear the whole “occult retro doom/rock” thing is here to stay, like it or not. With entities like Hour of 13, Castle, Occultation, Devil’s Blood and Ghost already throwing on the vest, hailing the 70s and generally receiving good press, you can expect newcomers to keep popping up like hippies at a grow-op. Bloody Hammers is one of those filthy, dirty hippies (saddled with a name that implies a death metal barrage).” I know what you’re all thinking. Why won’t Steel Druhm stop shoving retro doomy vest metal at us? Well, I shove because I love and here’s more vest to add to the rest!

Hate – Solarflesh Review

By Madam X on February 8, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, Napalm Records, Polish Metal, Rating, Releases, Reviews, 23 comments

“As part of the Polish Big 4 (Decapitated, Vader and Behemoth) I haven’t yet figured out why Hate, with seven hefty albums already under their belts, never quite seem to reach the notoriety of their counterparts, Behemoth (hazarding a guess here, but a lack of court cases maybe?).” Madam X isn’t a morning gal and needs a good dose of Polish death to get moving in the AM. Will the new Hate opus be her new alarm clock?

Defeated Sanity – Passages into Deformity Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 2, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Death Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Willowtip, Death Metal, 5 comments

Brutal death metal and I have never really seen eye to eye. This could either be blamed on the fact that far too many bands in the genre sound like The Pukey Cookie Monster playing to the soundtrack of a dishwasher; or I simply just don’t know enough about the music itself [Here at Angry Metal Guy, our Modus Operandi is to blame everyone else. Therefore, it’s the genre, not you. You’ll figure it out with time. – AMG]. German death metallers Defeated Sanity, however, have showcased some technicality in their previous sonic assaults, which I appreciate.

Enforcer – Death By Fire Review

By Steel Druhm on January 28, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Cock Rock, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, 6 comments

Enforcer is an easy band to poke fun at. Though from Sweden, they play a retro style that seeks to hit the sweet spot between NWOBHM and early American speed metal acts like Abattoir, Jag Panzer and Attacker, with the occasional dose of hair metal/cock rock tossed in for shits and giggles. This style calls for a fair amount of skin-tight white jeans, hairspray, bullet belts and overall silliness pasted on a rickety frame of Iron Maiden and Saxon riffs. How that strikes you is a very personal matter and I’m not one to judge (that’s a lie. I’ve been silently judging you all for years).