Reviews

Record reviews

Vallenfyre – Splinters Review

By Steel Druhm on May 14, 2014 in 2014, Century Media, Death Metal, Doom Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 17 comments

“We haven’t reviewed any Swedish retro death for a spell, so here’s a big chunk of it to fill our crust quota. But Vallenfyre isn’t your average Swedish retro death band, mind you. They hail from the U.K. and are a super group of sorts, helmed by Gregor Mackintosh, longtime guitarist for goth/doom troupe Paradise Lost. Joining him in these brootal endeavors is Hamish Hamilton Glencross of My Dying Bride and Adrian Erlandsson of At the Gates.” Quite the pedigree of death, eh? It’s all in the breeding.

Blood Of Kings – Starvation Review

By Dr. Fisting on May 13, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Reviews, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Tridroid Records, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 5 comments

“Whenever a band can non-ironically cite Angel Witch and Tank as influences, you pretty much know what you’re in for. On their début album Starvation, Seattle trio Blood of Kings plays the sort of proto-thrash that used to be called “speed metal” back in the day. These days we don’t call it anything, because we’re too busy drinking heavily and buying back patches on eBay.” Need something new to go with that vintage back patch? Royal blood always jazzes things up nicely!

Plain Ride – Skeleton Kites Review

By Dr. Fisting on May 11, 2014 in 2014, Ektro Records, Finnish Metal, Not Metal, Reviews, 7 comments

“Plain Ride,’s latest album, Skeleton Kites, is billed as “a blues album created with a mindset of a West African proto-doom band, made in Finland.” If you’re wondering what the fuck that means, that makes two of us. More importantly, who is Plain Ride? Well, they’re a 5-piece band from Finland who have been around for about a decade. They’re led by vocalist/guitarist Janne Westerlund, who is apparently a big deal as a solo artist (never heard of him). Their website describes their style as “Folk, Country, Blues, hypno-psychedelic Krautrock.” In layman’s terms, that means that Plain Ride is either pretentious as fuck, or they have a very imaginative PR person.” I’m putting money on the latter.

Doom:VS – Earthless Review

By Steel Druhm on May 9, 2014 in 2014, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Solitude Productions, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 9 comments

“Doom:VS is a one man act with a pretty spotty record of productivity, but man, when they drop an album, it really drops hard! The brainchild of Johan Ericson (Draconian), Doom:VS released back to back gobstoppers of morose doom/death with 2006s Aeternum Vale and 2008s Dead Words Speak and both stand among the genre’s very best. Then, the band vanished from the mortal coil and seemed to be consigned to history. Without much warning, they’ve made a huge return with Earthless and now Johan is joined by Thomas Akim Gronbeak Jensen (Saturnus), who handles all the death roars.” Looking for something to really bring you down? Steel Druhm has just the pill for that.

High Spirits – You Are Here Review

By JF Williams on May 9, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 4 comments

“Running searches on the vast database that is the Metal Archives can be a fascinating – and sometimes hilarious – way of looking at the genre at a whole. For example, filtering for “lyrical themes”, unsurprisingly, finds that “nihilism” and “national socialism” trump out “rock”, “rocking” and “fun” in the heavy metal thematic lexicon. We sure are a cynical bunch, aren’t we? I’d like to think that Chicago-based traditional metal champion Chris Black (fellow music journalist and leader of a number of lauded traditional heavy metal groups such as Dawnbringer and Pharaoh, both of which I’ve unfortunately managed to neglect) himself went on a sojourn into these nether reaches of the Archives and decided that enough was enough. Black clearly has no time for modern metal cynicism, and his one-man throwback project High Spirits, with lyrical themes tagged in the Archives with “rocking” and “being in high spirits,” is about as light-hearted and easily palatable as modern metal gets.” Chris Black continues to be the new black in the world of throwback metal.

Castle – Under Siege Review

By Steel Druhm on May 7, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Doom Metal, Epic Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, Epic Metal, 13 comments

“At the crossroads of retro/occult metal, doom and throwback vest metal, sits Castle like some sort of big…castle. These San Francisco rockers exploded onto the doom scene with their punchy In Witch Order début and immediately carved a niche for themselves among contemporaries like Jex Thoth and Occultation. Blacklands took things to the next level by incorporating strains of epic metal and black metal riffery and the result was quite heady, unpredictable and fun. Now we get Under Siege, which once again rejiggers the Castle sound as the band evolves and matures with grace and dignity.” Have you heard these guys yet? If not, Steel Druhm thinks less of you.

Cradle of Filth – Total Fucking Darkness Review

By Grymm on May 6, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, English Metal, Mordgrimm, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal, 2 comments

“Suffolk extreme metallers (and eternal underground whipping martyrs) Cradle of Filth, have given Mordgrimm the official go-ahead to release their infamous third demo, Total Fucking Darkness, to the masses over 20 years after its initial release, remastered with more tracks.” Grymm gets pulled underground into Total Fucking Darkness, will he make it out unscarred?

Planet Rain – The Fundamental Principles Review

By Kronos on May 6, 2014 in 2014, Melodic Death Metal, Mighty Music, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 4 comments

“I like my death metal bleak and abrasive, dissonant and depressing, and full of sound and fury. Whether it signifies anything is irrelevant. But I wasn’t always like this, there were days when the young Kronos thought All That Remains was pretty damn heavy, had never heard of grindcore and had yet to utter the phrase “not brutal enough.”” Thankfully, our little Kronos has grow up…or has he?

Landskap – I Review

By Grymm on May 4, 2014 in 2014, Doom Metal, English Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Doom Metal, 5 comments

“‘There.’ That one word can describe a place of interest. It could be a home you grew up in, a pub you frequent, or a restaurant you and your family or friends enjoy eating at. ‘There’ can also be used as a point of indication in a role, such as ‘I was there to purchase cat food while making evil grimaces and throwing up invisible oranges at the cashier lady.’ What is the point of all this, you may ask?” Oh shit, ain’t that a cliffhanger!?

Agalloch – The Serpent and the Sphere Review

By Madam X on May 3, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Black Metal, Eisenwald Records, Folk Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 98 comments

“Marrow of the Spirit’s “Black Lake Niðstång” marked the beginning of my journey through American band Agalloch’s sizeable discography. The album delicately, but rather doggedly introduced me to the band’s neat fusion of avant-garde black-ish metal, neo-folk and post-rock, drawing influence and inspiration from the atmosphere of Ulver and the ambient nature of October Falls. It’s John Haughm’s talent for merging this kaleidoscope of textures that gives Agalloch a level of inspiring complexity while still giving the songs an air of accessibility and easy listening.” Madam X tries to wrap her arms around infinity and the cult of great expectations that comes with every Agalloch release. Expect dislocated shoulders.