Record reviews
“Given my track record on stripped-down and synth-heavy New York bands, I’ve been meaning to check out Psalm Zero for some time. Their 2014 effort, The Drain made it on to some year-end lists around the metal chaosblogosphere, but in the time between it and Stranger to Violence, I never quite followed up on the buzz.” The man doesn’t chase trends.
“Sweden’s Seedna is a captivating brew. Taking cues from bands like Alcest, Cobalt, and Shining, they overlaps post-black soundscapes and blend their seams into one smooth surface.” You like brews, don’tcha?
“Welcome to the Graveyard was easily one of my most hotly anticipated releases of the year. As a big fan of Castle’s eclectic take on occult doom rock since their 2011 debut, I couldn’t wait to see what they would come up with after 2014’s mammoth Under Attack. Said album showed an interesting progression in their style and an overall streamlining of their sound and that continues here in small ways as we get another high-quality dose of moody, dark tales spun by the creative powerhouse duo of vocalist/bassist Elizabeth Blackwell and guitarist Matt Davis.” Have fun re-storming the Castle!
“Try as I may I can’t understand what’s so compelling about anti-Christian blasphemy in metal. Have bands not realized that the Satanic Panic ended in the last millennium? Do they think they’re actually offending anyone, or making any argument, no matter how hack, that hasn’t been made before? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that bands like American black-death blasphemers Profanatica should give up on their blasphemies against Christ. I just don’t understand how such ideals can animate good music.” Blasphemy!
“‘Rage had a unique contribution to metal and was a throwback to the golden age of melodic heavy metal in the best possible sense of that word. These guys carried the torch proudly and […] they did it with a creative, idiosyncratic flare that made them as big as they did become,’ wrote AMG himself in a premature and not-dead-yet type of eulogy in February 2015. A year and some change after the attempted disbandment, Rage, or rather mastermind Peter “Peavy” Wagner and two of his fresh henchmen, are back with new material along with grand ideas of a reinvigorated, back-to-the-roots energy and a rediscovered heaviness.” Well speak of the dead!
“Dear mother: my battle for acceptance in the brutal world of AMG Amalgamated Blogworks, Ltd. goes on. I’ve survived the gauntlet of milquetoast prog submissions and am a better man for it. There is no respite for the “New Guy,” however: this week my inbox greeted me with a fist to the face in the form of a French power metal album and I fear I may not survive this next phase. Power metal and France typically do not go hand in hand.” The struggle goes on and on.
“Solo projects are a mixed bag for me. On one hand, you’ll occasionally get a musician’s pure, unencumbered vision, free of competing egos, stylistic conflict, or bullshit social media drama that inevitably leads to a nasty breakup and months of blog posts detailing the extended legal battle over rights to the band name. More often, however, you get good ideas and musicianship hampered by a lack of self-awareness or weakened by the absence of an additional creative force. To paraphrase Stephen King, writers are often the worst judge of their own work.” And that’s where we come in.
“I’ve never been a fan of video games. Do I hate them? Well, no, but my anger management specialist suggested I give up this vice or he’d walk. For years he has been trying to convince me that Guile is no match for Ryu and my stubbornness will lead to homicide. But, if there is a style of metal appropriate for all the video game mumbo jumbo, it’s prog.” Prog with video game themes no less.
“No, Kronos hasn’t died. But yes, this is a Unique Leader record which he isn’t reviewing. Rather than his cold, dead hands, I obtained it via the surprisingly bureaucratic AMG promo distribution system instituted this year by our Weberian overlords. A quick glance at the Unique Leader roster will leave you entirely unsurprised by the record in question: Suffer by Lord of War, a US-based death metal troupe.” Enter the Iron Cage of rational thought!
“Thrawsunblat is a bit more related to black metal than the last two Woods of Ypres records were, but the late David Gold’s influence is certainly felt here. It’s easy to hear some similarities to Ensiferum along with newer Winterfylleth, but there’s a very Canadian element that sets Thrawsunblat apart.” The Woods live on….
