3.0

Severe Torture – Slaughtered Review

By Steel Druhm on July 1, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Death Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Death Metal, 2 comments

I have to admit right up front that I wasn’t overly familiar with Severe Torture and their cadaver of work prior to getting tasked with this review. I had heard bits and pieces of previous albums but nothing about them ever really grabbed my attention or made me feel the need to track down their material. So as I got familiar with Slaughtered, this Dutch death metal band’s fifth platter (or should I say splatter), I was pretty shocked by the quality of the material on display. Maybe I simply missed the boat on their earlier stuff but this is a solid enough release that I plan to go back to investigate much more carefully in the near future.

Galar – Til Alle Heimsens Endar Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 30, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Black Metal, Dark Essence Records, Folk Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, 0 comments

It would seem that Angry Metal Guy is actually forming review themes, like some sort of ongoing process wherein I discuss the ups and downs of the metal scene while reviewing records, and even debate them with some of the other reviewers. Because reviewing is an ongoing process here, often times things get lumped into groups in my head that others might not see. But what’s interesting is how during this big debate about whether or not bands should really be striving for an original and unique sound I am basically reviewing NÃ ttsol’s new record and Galar’s new albums side by side. Like NÃ ttsol, Galar is a young Norwegian band that is working in the footsteps of Ulver. Released by Dark Essence Records, Til Alle Heimsens Endar (“Until the End of All Worlds”) is the second album from the band, whose first record Skogsvad was released in 2006 and I, incidentally, have never heard it. The record itself is based on the work of Snorri Sturluson’s “Heimskringla”.

Edenbridge – Solitaire Review

By Steel Druhm on June 29, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, 4 comments

First things first. Edenbridge is a long running, very professional and entertaining female fronted, epic/symphonic band from Austria. Now, as we prepare for the release of Solitaire, their seventh album, it’s time to face some inconvenient truths. As good as these guys (and girl) are at what they do, this is not metal and it strains sense and sensibility to be reviewing this on a website called Angry Metal Guy since there is nothing here the least bit angry, or metal. This is not an attack on Edenbridge and I mean no negativity since I actually like Edenbridge quite a bit, from their debut up to and including Solitaire. It’s just time to cast them out of the metal universe and into the world of mainstream music.

Soilwork – The Panic Broadcast Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 25, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, American Metal, Eurocore, Metalcore, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Eurocore, Melodic Metal, 61 comments

Wow. So, it’s been like 10 years since I’ve listened to Soilwork and it turns out that they don’t sound at all even remotely the same. Sometimes a band falls off your radar and you don’t even think about them at all and honestly, Soilwork is one such band. Now, it’s probably not a surprise to anyone else but I was in utter shock when I turned on The Panic Broadcast to discover that the Gothenburg sound had totally been replaced by eurocore! See, now you’re laughing at my ignorance, but I’m a bit surprised. See, in Angry Metal World, the last record that Soilwork released was actually The Chainheart Machine in 2000. And back then, these guys were playing a not-entirely-novel, but very, very good version of the Gothenburg sound. Turns out in the much lamer real world Soilwork has had a bunch of records and gotten a new vocal style, a new sound and hyper-produced.

Angelus Apatrida – Clockwork Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 23, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, American Metal, Century Media, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 1 comment

Angelus Apatrida is a Spanish thrash metal band founded in the early 2000s, that is now putting out it’s third record, but Clockwork is the first for one of metal’s biggest labels: Century Media. So when I got this record, I just kinda went “who?” and went on with my day not thinking much of it. The name, which roughly translates to “fallen angels”, means nothing to me and has been sorta flitting in and out of my brain and while I was surprised to stick this in and hear thrash metal screaming at me (that’ll teach me to not read the bio first), I wasn’t really sure that there was anything here that would stick.

Thunderstone – Dirt Metal Review

By Steel Druhm on June 16, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Finnish Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, SPV, Power Metal, 0 comments

Whenever an established band parts ways with their original vocalist and brings in a replacement, long time fans rightfully get concerned. How will the new singer impact the band’s sound and style? Will he fit in or change the dynamic too much? That’s the situation facing Finland’s Thunderstone for their fifth album, Dirt Metal. After four pretty solid albums of Euro power metal with original frontman Pasi Rantanen, Dirt Metal starts the era of Rick Altzi on vocals. With this new era also comes the much dreaded and despised shift in sound and approach as well. Are you scared? Are you on edge yet? Read on.

Nominon – Monumentomb Review

By Cerebral Bowlesy on June 9, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, 1 comment

It is a bit odd that I haven’t heard Sweden’s Nominom. They’ve been around since 1993, when I was just a wee metal lad, discovering the merits of Carcass, Brutal Truth, and their ilk. And while perhaps the name was heard in the venerable annals of metal, it is not recalled by this metallion. The ranks of metal run deep, however, so it is not a big surprise. Just in recent years I discovered the intense and ever-evolving Immolation, so there’s always a wealth of metal to discover, and new interpretations of heavy to be explored, to make me forget I have tinnitus before I go to sleep.

Fatal Embrace – The Empires of Inhumanity Review

By Steel Druhm on June 3, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Metal Blade, Power Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 0 comments

Trends often start off with a good idea or at least a respectable inspiration. However, through imitation and copying, that original idea becomes a trend and the trend gets boring, overdone and ultimately becomes a joke. The retro 80’s power metal trend is in full bloom and many would say the 80’s retro thrash movement has been overdone for years already. As someone who grew up in the 80’s metal era, I may possess more tolerance for this whole “retro” thing since it does this old heart good to hear a quality metal album that truly captures the sound, energy and spirit of a time long gone. Therefore, my review of The Empires of Inhumanity, the new release by German thrashers Fatal Embrace will be more charitable than what it would have received from other angry metal guys. In all fairness, these Teutonic shredders have been around since 1993 so they could rightfully be considered part of the original thrash movement rather than a retro band. Either way though, over four albums Fatal Embrace have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to the 80’s thrash style of Slayer and Sodom while foregoing all modern styles and current trends completely.

October Falls – A Collapse of Faith Review

By Angry Metal Guy on June 1, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Black Metal, Debemur Morti, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 0 comments

Depressed Finns are really no surprise in metal these days. It seems like Finns are a pretty morose bunch in general. A country famous for bands like Poisonblack, H.I.M., Sentenced, Insomnium, Black Sun Aeon and Swallow the Sun, it shouldn’t be terribly surprising that some pretty bleak and depressing stuff comes out of Finland. And let me be clear, that’s not even naming huge groups of bands that I’m sure others could probably come up with. But October Falls isn’t your standard “depressed metal” band from Finland. There are no silly ESL lyrics about being buried in a plastic bag or any of that jazz. Instead, October Falls is a “depressive” black metal band with folk sensibilities.

Aeon – Path of Fire Review

By Angry Metal Guy on May 27, 2010 in 2010, 3.0, Death Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 0 comments

Swedish death metal, I mean real Swedish death metal with the legacy of brutality that everyone can identify in the form of (insert your favorite Swedish death metal bands here) lives on in Aeon, a band that hails from Ã–stersund a city in JÃ¤mtland (which is basically in the mountains and towards the Norwegian border). Astersund, while not known for its thriving metal scene, has indeed birthed one of Sweden’s current and most brutal death metal bands who were signed to Metal Blade and released an album a couple of years ago entitled Rise to Dominate which really excited fans of the tech and (more-or-less) brutal styles of death metal. I believe when I was introduced to them the words “fucking ridiculous” were definitely involved somewhere in that conversation.