Record reviews
“‘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!?
“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.
“So it seems after the polarizing response to Alcest’s latest offering, Shelter, some metalheads are afraid that everything he touches will turn into a psuedo-sentimental Slowdive-worship band instead of the ‘post-black’ or ‘blackgaze’ monikers coined by passionate (and often clueless) fanatics.” Noctus braved daylight to bring you a review of Melting Sun… was it worth it?
“Well, that cover and the title pretty much say it all. Autopsy is back again rather soon after last year’s The Headless Ritual, and they’re up to their usual sick, crusty, gore-soaked death metal shenanigans. Rocking their old school style of death mixed with doom and horror movies shtick, these shameless fiends show no interest in evolving and if anything, they’re actually devolving further into a grisly stew of sticky unpleasantness. No surprises await the Autopsy fan, just more reliably unhinged sonic mayhem that approximates being on a condemned rollercoaster with zombies, serial killers and hostile ex-girlfriends.” Don the gore-gore boots and join the kickline of the dead, because Autopsy is back to bloody the waters.
“I don’t know what it is lately with the United Kingdom and it’s inhabitants looking to bulldozer over all those around them. With Conan crushing heads like they’re little businessmen on Kids in the Hall, it seems like the UK is a new hotbed for monolithic, slower-than-a-glacier doom metal. Scotland’s Of Spire & Throne are tossing their cabers into the ring, bringing forth quite the slab of sludge with their three-song EP, Toll of the Wound, and dangnammit, this deserves to be heard!” FREEDOM…and quality doom too!
“Helstar is a band I’ve always held close to my metal heart. I grew up with them and their early albums were always big favorites. Their Burning Star debut was a classic slice of early American metal and featured the godly “Run With the Pack,” which I slotted in at #8 of my best metal songs of all time. Follow-ups Remnants of War and Distant Thunder were pure, balls to the walls, classic metal with attitude, and 1989s Nosferatu introduced a more thrashy, yet neo-classical style that hit hard and left a lasting impression.” Can the 2014 Helstar still wow Steel the Fanboy?
“The Barren Throne sees us heading back to Reykjavík, Iceland for a re-boot of brutal tech-death band Beneath. You should remember from my last review, or not, that Beneath is built up from the dregs of some of Iceland’s top metal bands (Sororicide, Changer, Diabolus and Atrum) and a mere 2 years after the release of Enslaved by Fear and the loss of frontman Gísli Sigmundsson, they’re about to make an aggressive comeback.” Madam X assumes The Barren Throne, will she delight in causing heads to roll?
“Have you ever listened to Between the Buried and Me and thought “Wow, wouldn’t it be great if there was a band just like this, but with even worse vocals?” I sure have, so it’s a good thing that Calgary’s Super Massive Black Holes are about to release their début album, Calculations of the Ancients. This experimental metal quartet has crafted a suite of tracks for the proggiest of them all, playing tuneful basslines and intricate riffs while filling the vocal skill gap between Between the Buried and Me and me.” Kronos wrestled this straight from the snapping jaws of a great white! Was it worth the fight?
“A one-man black metal army of darkness – yes, like you I’m already cringing at the thought of spending a week or, God forbid, longer being tormented by fuzzed-out direction-less blackened murk! Somewhere in the midst of releasing their range of splits, EPs and their full-length (Worshipping Times of Old), German band Infestus switched from being a force of three, to being left to the power of one.” Madam X takes on the dank, dark depression of one-man project Infestus, will she end up cut up, depressed and alone? Read on and find out!
“Edguy and I have an abusive relationship. I loved their early stuff so much that I allowed myself to be taken advantage of and settled for subpar albums like Rocket Ride, though it made me feel dirty and shameful. Making it all the worse, at times it seems Edguy deliberately sets out to troll their fanbase, offering equal doses of quality power metal infused with hard rock alongside mega-cheesy, sleazy cock rock that would make Larry Flynt blush.” Is this the good Edguy or the other…Edguy?
