Record reviews
“Mystic is a curious beast indeed, fusing prog-power with a spacey feel and Eastern-influenced, Oriental (for lack of a better word) synths. Citing inspiration from Ritchie Blackmore and his awesome work on Rainbow’s Rising in their pursuit of Eastern influences, Elderoth foolishly stacked the odds against themselves. Can you possibly believe the hype?” Blackmore laughs at you from his mountain.
“The stoner doom warriors, led by vocalist/guitarist Lori S. finally returned to the studio after a self imposed hiatus following the release of their excellent III long player a decade ago. The result is this anticipated fourth full-length album, entitled Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere. So where do Acid King stand in 2015? Has a lengthy period of gestation resulted in a drastic detour from their long established and rarely tweaked formula?” Prolific they are not, but back they are.
“Radioactive Vomit exist to fill your ears with filthy and depraved music that will appeal solely to those who are already experienced with extreme metal and how to enjoy it. These Canadians have the subtlety of a morningstar, and their 2012 Witchblood demo stood alongside Revenge’s Scum.Collapse.Eradication as a how-to guide for nailing down disgusting Incantation-influenced black metal.” Well, that escalated quickly.
“Yes, it’s French and it’s “avant-garde.” Again. Fortunately, when four-piece Chaos Echœs is concerned, that description isn’t a bad thing. Unlike some of their disappointing compatriots, these guys are the real deal.” Is it me or is it getting harder to disrespect the French these days?
“I’ve never listened to Infernus before, and a quick perusal of their promo shots (corpsepaint, bullet-belts, graveyards) and song titles (killing Christians, paganism, war, sodomy) led me to believe they were a Scandinavian second wave band that I’d just never got around to checking out. Infernus in fact hail from the other side of the globe…” The votes are in and you want more goats!
“When the term ‘groove metal’ gets bandied about it usually conjures up negative thoughts about some third-rate Pantera ripoff (anyone remember Pissing Razors?) or something nu-related. I mention it here because it’s a term I’ve seen attached to the music of West Virginia’s Byzantine and such a label is ill-fitting for the versatile music the resilient modern metallers create.” Byzantine have a formula, and you guessed right, they’re gonna use it!
“Talk about discombobulating! Have you ever wondered what would happen if Spiritual Beggers (specifically the Christian “Spice” Sjöstrand era) came across a Magic 8 Ball, a Time-Out Machine (T.O.M) and a little vial of liquid black rock, and after much consultation with the 8 Ball decided to don their headbands and flared jeans and jump back to the 70s to hang out and jam with Led Zep?” Hot Tub Time Out Machine?
“There’s just something about Seldon Hunt’s artwork that draws me deep into the full concept and mood of an album. Hunt is somehow able to match auditory art with an observable one. And Område’s Edari is no different. Hunt’s work conveys a sense of beauty, confusion, and uneasiness that perfectly encapsulates a band that compares themselves to influential acts such as Manes and Ulver.” What’s with all the avant-garde metal this year? Must be due to global climate change.
“Now here’s a cannibal of a different color. Some may be aware of the Death To All tours that happened over the last few years, but for the unfamiliar, Death to All is a cover act paying homage to Death and the late, great Chuck Schuldiner by running through the greatest hits of the seminal band’s discography live. From that loving tribute tour, a loving side project was spawned. Savage Land is a new kind of tribute to Death, written to be an an album slotted between Leprosy and Spiritual Healing in the Death discography.” No individual thought patterns here, but hey, they’re only human.
“Greek black metal seems to earn its fair share of acclaim, be it Acherontas’ latest album, meloblack torchbearers like Rotting Christ, or the epic pagan-isms of Macabre Omen. But while I love the bigger names, exploring the scene in depth has always been something I’d do ‘one day,’ just like finally watching the episodes of Twin Peaks after Laura Palmer’s killer is revealed, or cleaning up that mysterious stain in the corner of my living room.” Stain first, Greek exploration second.
