Reviews

Record reviews

Beaten to Death – Unplugged Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on October 30, 2015 in 2015, Grind, Mas-Kina Recordings, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, 37 comments

“Beaten to Death: standard grindcore band name, anything but a standard grindcore band. Featuring ex-She Said Destroy vocalist Anders Bakke, ex-The Cumshots guitarist Tommy Hjelm, and Tsjuder drummer Christian “Bartender” (aka AntiChristian aka Jorn’s drummer since 2014, so you know he’s epic), Beaten to Death formed in 2010 and wasted no time putting out their first record Xes and Strokes just a year later. I missed this at the time because I am a tool, but fortunately Angry Metal Guy (or rather Jordan Campbell) was on hand to enlighten me come 2013 and the release of the band’s sophomore Dødsfest!” Relax, this isn’t really unplugged.

Visceral Throne – Those Who Have Fallen Beyond the Grace of God Review

By Grymm on October 29, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 35 comments

“Here’s something that I haven’t had in a long time when it comes to a review: brevity! Yes, gang, after several reviews of music clocking in anywhere between 50 and 80 minutes, the higher-ups decided it would be a swell gesture to hand me an EP by a young troupe from Indiana called Visceral Throne.” Prepared to be ensnared.

Sadist – Hyaena Review

By Kronos on October 29, 2015 in 2014, 2015, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Death Metal, 12 comments

“Sadist have been under the weather for quite some time. Once a respectable prog-death act, they did that thing that metal bands did in the ’90s a tad late and released the awful nu-metal Lego in 2000 to critical and fan disgust, after which they took a seven-year break.” Can these grizzled vets redeem themselves after the horrors of the past?

Abigail Williams – The Accuser Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on October 28, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Black Metal, Candlelight Records, Post-metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 43 comments

“Few bands have ever achieved the feat of satisfying their loyal fan-base one day and pissing them off the next. And all within a single decade. Having never been a fan of the early days of Abigail Williams, I avoided the apparent “hardship” many fans went through come the release of 2012’s Becoming.” We hardly even knew ya, Ms. Williams.

Apparatus – Apparatus Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on October 28, 2015 in 2015, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Lavadome Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 8 comments

“Grab your plush Cthulhu, throw away your textbooks on Euclidean geometry, pack a few snacks, and look reanimated, folks: the Dissonance Train to R’lyeh with a temporary stop in Obscura-ville is now boarding. If there are two things that seem to captivate plenty of minds in modern metal on the extreme side of the fence, they’re H.P. Lovecraft stories and how to translate the outer reaches of sanity into music via an incredible amount of dissonance.” Cthulhu 2016.

Draconian – Sovran Review

By Steel Druhm on October 27, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Uncategorized, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 84 comments

“My Dying Bride and Anathema invented what we now think of as the goth-tinged doom/death genre back in the early 90s with their respectively earth-shaking debuts. Though many bands have subsequently tried their hand at the style, few have nailed the original sound and mood as well as Draconian.” Sadness, thy name is Draconian.

Bastard Grave – What Lies Beyond Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on October 27, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Pulverised Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 25 comments

“I presume most of you guessed Bastard Grave’s chosen genre without listening to a second of their music, but in case you’re an extreme metal newbie (welcome! Take a seat, have some cake! Don’t mind the skulls, they’re not real. Probably), this extract from their promo sheet will give you a hint: “With the opening blare on the album starting off with the all-too-familiar guitar feedback reminiscent of a vague Entombed-ish trademark, it is easy to tell What Lies Beyond is heavily laced with the murderous HM-2 destruction and with absolutely no mercy.” That’s right, old school Swedish death metal that’s so devoid of new ideas, even the label thinks it’s generic!” Let’s get rote to the point, shall we?

Killing Joke – Pylon Review

By Grymm on October 26, 2015 in 2015, English Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Spinefarm, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, 135 comments

“Many older bands, once established, will eventually coast by just on their name alone. Sure, they’ll cut a new album every few years, but it never lives up to their influential works of yesteryear. It’s often an excuse to go out on the road, play nothing but the classics, and bring home the money while also hocking wares that have nothing to do with the band’s original intent. England’s Killing Joke, however, are a unique beast.” The Joke is on you!

Arkaik – Lucid Dawn Review

By Kronos on October 26, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 21 comments

“One of the longer-running bands in the seemingly boundless Southern California tech-death scene, Arkaik are coming up on ten years now, with Lucid Dawn as their fourth full-length in eight years.” Even in this sluggish economy, the tech sector is going strong.

Vehemence – Forward Without Motion Review

By Mark Z. on October 25, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Battleground Records, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 24 comments

“Gather round, I have a story for ye. Back in 2002, a Phoenix-based death metal group called Vehemence released an album called God Was Created, a work that escaped widespread popularity to essentially become the little engine that could – a cult classic of the genre, if you will.” As snobbish metal elitists, we like cult classics.