Releases

Pain of Salvation – Panther Review

Pain of Salvation – Panther Review

“Oh boy, have we all been waiting for this one. No album has lived in infamy quite like In the Passing Light of Day, which gave rise to the Sweaty Manbun Phenomenon here at Angry Metal Guy. Hard to believe that was three and a half years ago, but when it’s talked about on a monthly basis, it can seem like yesterday. Now Pain of Salvation are back with Panther, their eleventh studio release.” Much panther.

Faceless Burial – Speciation Review

Faceless Burial – Speciation Review

“Sometimes you know within seconds that an album is going to absolutely rule. I knew it when I heard the chimes in Desolate Endscape. I knew it when I heard the first riff of “Cognitive Sedation Butchery.” This time I knew it when I heard three notes – guitar, bass, and snare – and fell into a tetanic stupor, fists clenched in ecstasy, tongue projected out to the state line. Faceless Burial just made a modern classic in old school death metal.” Endangering species.

Pale Horseman – For Dust Thou Art Review

Pale Horseman – For Dust Thou Art Review

Pale Horseman have only been around for eight years, but For Dust Thou Art is the Chicago sludge quartet’s fifth album and their 2017 effort, The Fourth Seal, showed enough promise that I kept their name on my radar. I’m a fan of the (rather typical) influences I could hear on that record – early Mastodon, Neurosis, High on Fire – and thought the band was onto something good despite the overly long compositions. I’ve been looking forward to hearing how they hone their craft for the past three years now, hoping to hear them set themselves apart from what can often be considered a very homogeneous genre.” All we are is sludge in the wind.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell

Yer Metal Is Olde: Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell

“Hello, controversy! In all of metal, one of the most controversial topics is Black Sabbath with and without Ozzy. Passions are inflamed and regrettable words are spewed in both directions any time this debate comes up. Being a human completely lacking in emotion or empathy, I don’t care about it. I want good albums period, and let’s be honest, this record’s predecessor was Never Say Die!, undoubtedly one of the band’s least finest moments, with or without their infamous leading man. No matter what came next, it was a low bar.” Vintage evil.

Kingnomad – Sagan Om Rymden Review

Kingnomad – Sagan Om Rymden Review

“My fine friend El Cuervo is an old soul. Not an olde soul, mind you, but getting there. We both enjoy deeply of the 70s prog scene, and one release we both dig is the late Bo Hansson’s debut from fifty years ago, Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings, or Sagan om Ringen in Swedish. Who cares? Well, we do, and so do the four Swedish individuals who comprise the psychedelic prog-doom act Kingnomad.” One prog to rule them all.

Aleah – Aleah Review

Aleah – Aleah Review

“Readers of this site, and fans in general, know of Aleah Stanbridge. After doing some work on her own and collaborating with The Mission’s Andy Cousin in That Which Remains, she laid down guest vocals for Swallow the Sun and Amorphis before forming Trees of Eternity with Swallow the Sun guitarist Juha Raivio. Trees of Eternity released Hour of the Nightingale in 2016, months after Aleah tragically passed away from cancer at age 39. Since then, Raivio has been assembling and touching up Aleah’s work, and he’s finally presenting it to us now in the form of a double album.” Music is immortal.

Goblins Blade – Of Angels and Snakes Review

Goblins Blade – Of Angels and Snakes Review

“I don’t know what prompted me to grab this debut album from Goblins Blade. It could be that I was sick of all the prog I listened to this month. It could be that I wanted to save the world from another Holdeneye 4.0. Or it could be that the lack of an apostrophe in this band name made me cringe enough to want to write about it. Regardless, here we sit with my first power metal review of the year, and with promo blurb name drops like Judas Priest and Metal Church, I am cautiously optimistic.” The problem with goblins.

Record(s) o’ the Month – March 2020

Record(s) o’ the Month – March 2020

“March of 2020 was a big month for me, personally. I turned in a full manuscript of my dissertation for a seminar that gives you the bits and pieces that need to be fixed in order to go to a public defense. As a result, AngryMetalGuy.com is one step closer to getting AMG Himself back. You can bet that heads will fucking roll. That’s what I do around here. Fortunately, I had a solid stable of records to listen to while I was editing and planning my inevitable return, including March’s Record o’ the Month.” Back to rule.

Bythos – The Womb of Zero Review

Bythos – The Womb of Zero Review

“Yet, while these Scandinavians continue what they helped to create, their Finnish brethren have been at it for almost as long. Unfortunately, n00bs to the scene are enchanted—as we all have been—by the murders and mysteries of the Norwegian and Swedish camps. My favorites from that landmass, which shares borders with both Norway and Sweden, are the trio of Behexen, Horna, and Sargeist. Though their language is different, the message is the same. Bludgeoning, destructive, hateful, and vicious. But, what if a band came along, with members from all three of my favorite Finnish outfits? With the intention of slowing the pace, adding layers of melody, and capping it all off with the hooking guitar leads of Watain and Dissection? I wonder what that would sound like…” Panic Womb.