Record reviews
“Dark Moor has been tilting at windmills a very long time. As one of Spain’s longest-running power metal bands, they’ve had successful early albums like The Hall of the Olden Dreams and The Gates of Oblivion which benefited from crisp writing and the raspy roar of Elisa Martin. When she was replaced by Alfred Romero on the band’s eponymous 2003 album, they lost a bit of what made them stand out.” Grab your tinfoil hat and open your X-File!
“Last year’s big surprise for me was Palingenesis, a beautiful neo-folk album that beat out some really good death metal for my year-end list’s #9 spot and led to me purchasing the very last vinyl copy Nebelung had on them (suck it). At first glance, progressive sludge/doom outfit Moloken might not seem anything like that troupe of cello-wielding Germans, but All is Left to See turns out to be full of surprises.” Here at AMG, we like musical surprises that don’t involve White Wizzard.
“I have to give respect where it’s due. Upon reading the bio sheet that came with Stahlsarg’s debut album, Comrades in Death, I discovered that the British band already has their own beer out. I wish more bands would just cut out the middle-man and get right to brewing my favorite beverage. Also, they have shirts, coffee mugs, and even tote bags from a single glance of their webstore. All of this done without a single release! If nothing else, Stahlsarg knew to take a page from Cradle of Filth when it comes to marketing and promotion.” Beer, black metal and tote bags. Huh?
“Writing press releases for regular ol’ death metal must be a tedious job. Brutal only has so many synonyms, and it seems every fifth album that comes out is supposed to rip my face off or dig out my entrails with a rusty melon baller. My face is still here, I’ve never touched either end of a melon baller, and death metal reliably carries on.” Melon baller awaits!
“Darkest Era came out of left field in 2014 with a righteous album that stormed my playlists and ultimately became my Album o’ the Year. Their blend of Celtic folk, black and epic metal left me highly impressed and wanting much more. While another full-length is a ways off, they’re dropping a two-song limited edition vinyl EP titled Gods and Origins.” What’s this, an early stocking stuffer?
“I learned a major lesson this year writing for Angry Metal Guy Industries Unlimited, Inc.. No, I still keep the toilet seat lid up after I go. Rather, band names are everything. This calendar year alone, I’ve reviewed bands named after long Biblical phrases, Roman numerals, house breaking your dog, and even a band that was one letter away from sending homophobic metalheads running for their nearest vial of eye-bleach. And now? Mammoth Storm from Sweden is here.” A hard rain is gonna fall.
“Semantic satiation is what happens when a word is repeated over and over again, causing it to briefly seem devoid of meaning. I’m no cognitive psychologist, but it seems to me that the same thing can happen with death metal. Brazilian death squad Pathologic Noise don’t make terrible music, but repeated listens to it was the brutal equivalent of semantic satiation.” Sounds like someone needs a trip to the nervous hospital.
“Those who remember my review of Vreid’s rambling Welcome Farewell will remember that they arose from the tragic end of Windir. Vreid’s sound bears some similarities to Windir’s warring black metal roots, but it also goes beyond that. They’ve honed a black ‘n roll sound that’s loaded with repetitively catchy riffs and melodies that bludgeon in their familiarity and overuse.” Who’s up for some overused bludgeoning?
“First things first: it’s no coincidence that the eponymous frontman of Nad Sylvan sounds remarkably similar to Peter Gabriel. Fresh from performing on Genesis Revisited II and subsequently touring with Genesis as principle vocalist, Nad Sylvan now exercises his musical talents on his own album. Some (read: me) have described him as the Ripper Owens of prog rock, but fortunately for Sylvan, he isn’t saddled with the subtitle “rank amateur.”” Some names don’t translate well to other countries. Nad Sylvan is such a name, but this doesn’t mean the music is lost in translation.
“Amberian Dawn are a Finnish neoclassical power metal stalwart that has been around for almost a decade, always lurking somewhere on the outskirts of mainstream popularity, but never quite reaching the status of bands such as Nightwish or Epica.” Enough of this kvlt crap, let’s fire up the pop-porn!
