Record reviews
“Ótta consists of 8 tracks, beginning with a representation of midnight, moving through each Eyktir in the day, coming to a steady close at what would be representative of between 9 pm and midnight. Hardly a riveting concept I grant you, but thought provoking nonetheless.” Usually it takes lots of SepticFlesh and blood to make Madam X swoon, but Sólstafir’s blend of heathenish melodic, melancholic post-metal and bizarre alternative rock seems to have done the trick in a big way!
“Babylonian mythology has provided inspiration for a good few metal band names – Marduk, Tiamat, Absu, erm, Ereshkigal (cheers Wiki) and of course the subject of today’s scrutiny. Blood of Kingu kicked off in 2005 after the dissolution of Hate Forest, and contains the former members of that black metal entity along with two of their colleagues from Ukrainian nature-worshippers Drudkh. Debut album De Occulta Philosophia sounded just as you would expect given this pedigree, with the added novelty of throat singing. Sophomore Sun in the House of the Scorpion brought back metal growls to complement the glottal chants while improving on the songwriting and adding variety. Would they continue this upward trajectory on latest album Dark Star on the Right Horn of the Crescent Moon?” Bablyon isn’t just a town on Long Island, you know!
“Colombian Necktie: A slit across the neck under the jawline that makes the tongue fall out of said slit. That’s pretty metal, right? Totally. And before you get any ideas, Los Angeles’s Colombian Necktie have already secured that band name. You may be quick to say “Obvious death metal band is obvious,” but you’ll be happy to know that Colombian Necktie are a self-described sludgecore band, which sees them combining sludge riffs and progressions with hardcore songwriting styles.” Terrible name, but an interesting hybrid style. You can’t win all the time.
“These days it seems difficult to find the black metal of old; the kind that Hellscream, the sole member of Slovenia’s Provocator claims to play. Even the originators of the dark, raw, and minimalistic style have chosen to delve into experimental, avant-garde, symphonic and punk-driven crust that take the primitive and simplistic foundation of the 90s to bigger and (sometimes) cleaner heights. That being said, these new hybrids have created some incredible material and the old walls of Scandinavian black metal have burned down along with several churches.” Yet another newbie reviewer tackles yet another black metal band. Give Dr. A.N. Grier a warm welcome as he tells of church burnings and old school yearnings.
“Joy takes “retro” seriously. I’m sure most of our readers are familiar with the morass of “retro” groups that exclusively write music with a deaf ear to everything recorded after a particular golden time in the history of heavy metal, but this San Diego power trio set back the clock to a time pre-dating the genre entirely, recalling when Black Sabbath was a blues band and “heavy metal” existed only as a Steppenwolf lyric.” Set the machine for 1 B.S.D. (before Steel Druhm).
“Scientists agree that post-9/11 alternative rock is unquestionably the lowest point in both American culture and human history. Out of that entire era, one band stands tall above the shit heap of tribal tats, soul patches, and whining. That band is Godsmack. Yes, there are bands that are even less talented, and some that are more insulting to music lovers. But Godsmack has just the right combination of blatant unoriginality and shallow suburban angst, unrivaled in their ability to annoy me while enthralling the rest of middle-class ‘Murricah.” Hey, Mr. Fisting Himself is back and he seems really bitter.
“Pulverised Records sure know how to sell an album! Crucifyre’s promo pack is stacked up the wazoo with perfectly sharpened, shiny meat hooks that’ll slide with ease into that soft fleshy bit just under your chin. And just think, while you’re hanging around at attention, Crucifyre will assault you mercilessly with their second full length release, Black Magic Fire. Titbits like album art from computer-game graphic designer Stefan Hansson, that the band is made up of members from Morbid, Crematory and Repugnant and that Hank Shermann (Mercyful Fate, ex-Volbeat) contributed on “One And One Is One” all give that prickly feeling that you’re on the verge of something great.” Still using the “y” instead of the “i”, eh? What’s the point ov that?
“Wolf has been running at the forefront of the retro metal pack for a while now, surpassing even the vainglorious cheese meisters of Hammerfall. They’ve done so with slick, memorable song writing and a healthy respect for their elders like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate. Although they’re utterly devoid of originality or new influences, they’ve been uncannily skilled at aping and raping the past for golden metal moments of steel. 2011s Legions of Bastards had a strong Painkiller vibe, but Devil Seed slows things down and adopts a darker,more restive, simmering mood, like a filthy mob of commoners perpetually on the verge of rioting against the haughty upper crust.” Honey, the Wolf is at the door again!
“This album rustles my jimmies. I’m not a big fan of black metal specifically, but I am a big fan of desolate and disturbing music in the general sense, which is why Indian’s black-doom-noise horror From All Purity hit me with near-tectonic force earlier this year. Despite what AMG himself will tell you, black metal and noise make excellent bedfellows, as the aforementioned Chicago doom-merchants and other acts like Gnaw Their Tongues will show. Naturally, american’s debut, Coping With Loss, billed as black metal noise, caught my eye.” If there’s a rustle in your jimmies, don’t be alarmed now.
“Melodic black metal isn’t exactly a style that’s being extensively explored nor are its boundaries being pushed nowadays. Most of the bands that play this kind of music embrace their heritage and the stylistic elements that have been set in stone ages ago by the likes of Dissection and Naglfar. So where does the Norwegian quartet Vinterbris, formed in Bergen in 2010, stand with its second release Solace, and does it break any of the established patterns?” We’re late to the party on this one and it’s certainly jumped on the hype train, but does it really walk the walk? Probationary writer Roquentin opines.
