Reviews

Record reviews

Nymf – From the Dark Review

By Steel Druhm on September 2, 2013 in 2013, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Swedish Metal, Transubstans Records, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Stoner Metal, 2 comments

“Every now and then AMG himself deigns to drop an unknown chestnut of metal into my promo bin and demands my thoughtful analysis. From past experience, these have ended up being quite enjoyable surprises (Dofka, Degial). Now he’s provided me with From the Dark, the second release from the obscure Swedish stoner/doom act Nymf which walks the line between typical stoner acts like High on Fire and Orange Goblin, American trve metal like Argus and more traditional doom like Candlemass.” Rough n’ ready stoner/doom from Sweden sounds mighty good and Steel Druhm would usually order it from the menu, but will Nymf satisfy him or get sent back to the chef along with some choice words?

Watain – The Wild Hunt Review

By Madam X on August 31, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Black Metal, Century Media, Reviews, Swedish Metal, 6 comments

“Alright, so unless you live under a rock, by now you MUST have an inkling that Watain have carved another notch to their bullet belts with their fifth studio release — The Wild Hunt. This attractively adorned album (depicting the spoils of a lengthy musical journey) hit the shelves a few days back with all the usual hype and aggrandizement one would expect of a Watain album, released through their own label His Master’s Noise (under the umbrella of Century Media Records). Following on from their well received opus of 2010 (check out how Angry Metal Guy weighed in on Lawless Darkness here), The Wild Hunt sees Watain beefing up their orthodox brand of black metal, showing the middle finger to the dictators of the world and borrowing from a feast of decidedly odd influences. So what of it, have these gents from Sweden’s Uppsala, who cite the influence of Bathory and Dissection among others, delivered the goods.” Madam X breaks down the new Watain record The Wild Hunt. What does she think? The world may never know!

The Ruins of Beverast – Blood Vaults Review

By Steel Druhm on August 30, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Black Metal, Doom Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Van Records, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 1 comment

“Here’s something I was really looking forward to! The Ruins of Beverast is a one man solo project from Alexander von Meilenwald, the former drummer of Nagelfar and sometimes drummer in Verdunkeln. Since the Unlock the Shrine debut, Meilenwald has taken his core blackened doom/death sound and increasingly melded it with grim atmospherics, odd, creepy-as-fuck ritual chanting and eerie church music to attain a type of epic horror movie music intended to unsettle and disturb the listener. Each subsequent release dug itself deeper into this construct or terror and unleashed longer, more drawn-out examples of the style, and while the music is the very height of “acquired taste”, it has a terribly compelling power that draws one back.” Do you like really long, creepy blackened doom with tons of occult elements? Who doesn’t, right? Join Steel Druhm as he discusses witches, witch burning, women’s rights and song length.

Vista Chino – Peace Review

By Jordan Campbell on August 29, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, American Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Heavy Metal, Stoner Rock, 2 comments

“No, this isn’t the title of the second Palmsszzzzzzzz record. Vista Chino is the mercifully rechristened Kyuss Lives! (A moniker so abysmal that even something like Kinda Kyuss would’ve been an acceptable alternative.) John Garcia and Brant Bjork’s resuscitated baby now has a name befitting something classier than a casino-circuit cabaret act, and they’ve got eyes on reclaiming the long-abdicated stoner / desert rock throne. 2013 is becoming the year of comeback records: Gorguts, Carcass, and now Kyuss. Well, kinda ,
Kyuss.” There’s a special sandy place in many hearts for the desert rock of classic Kyuss. Can the members of that seminal act recapture the magic with the awfully named Vista Chino? Jordan Campbell reports from Sky Valley.

Ataraxie – L’Être et la Nausée Review

By Noctus on August 28, 2013 in 2013, 4.5, Death Metal, Doom Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Weird Truth Productions, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 7 comments

“Jesus fucking Christ. From the moment the teaser came up on the YouTube showcasing some of the most foreboding death/doom I’ve heard in recent memory, I knew this album would be good; no question about that. Dealing with the subject of insanity and sickness, there really is no better genre of metal to match it — the crushing weight of sound along with the jarring shifts in tempo make it the perfect medium for some seriously skin-crawling material. The potential for this album was huge, especially knowing the track record this band has for great releases; Slow Transcending Agony being one of my go-to death/doom records. But it posed risks, the biggest being the length — keeping one’s attention for a double album.” Noctus isn’t afraid of a double album of hostile funeral doom/death, but should you be?

Nekrogoblikon – Power Review

By Madam X on August 27, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Adrenaline PR, American Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 6 comments

“I’m finding it tough to grasp the fact that it’s been two years since Los Angeles, CA’s Nekrogoblikon released Stench. While being one of the silliest, over-the-top albums I picked up in 2011, it was packed with just the right level of gore, disembowelment, blood and great folk infused melodic death (as only goblins can deliver) that their dark onslaught just didn’t date! Goblins, hobgoblins and gore, oh my! These are a few of Madam X’s favorite things. Join her as she examines the weirdly melodic death metal of Nekrogolikon.

Tarja – Colours in the Dark Review

By Steel Druhm on August 26, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Finnish Metal, Gothic Metal, Reviews, Universal Music Group, Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal, 14 comments

When Tarja Turunen took her larger-than-life operatic talents out of Nightwish and off to South Beach, she and her former band-mates engaged in enough back-biting and insults to fill an entire season of a Mexican soap opera (and a few Mexican wrestling matches as well). When all the bickering was done, Nightwish acquired Anette Olzon and soldiered on as Tarja began her solo career in earnest. While Nightwish has fared respectably with a few decent albums under their belt in the post-Tarja era, Tarja’s solo outings have ranged from average to rather bad.” Can this comely Finnish diva reverse course and put out a killer goth-metal platter? Steel Druhm examines all the colours (except blue and green, since he’s a bit colorblind).

DevilDriver – Winter Kills Review

By Jordan Campbell on August 25, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, American Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 10 comments

“DevilDriver has always been a bit of an underdog story. Not in terms of success, but in terms of cred. Many metalheads have made the transition from nü-metal goofclown to full-on ripper—myself included—but none of us to had make the transition in the public eye like Dez Fafara. His first band, Coal Chamber, was arguably one of the silliest acts of the nü-heyday (no small feat), and his metamorphosis from mesh-clad demigod to fledgling Hesher has been a minor feelgood story.

Primitive Man – Scorn Review

By Alex Franquelli on August 24, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Relapse, Reviews, Sludge, Hardcore, 3 comments

Oh the pleasure of punishment without guilt, of terror without a motive, of sadistic pain with too much uncontrolled joy and salty drops of unrequited love. Primitive Man call the bluff we all know as life by showing the vulgar side of our existences. Our bodies reek when in fear because the matter doesn’t lie; we do; it doesn’t. If less than 40 minutes of raw, filthy music played without compromises may sound like a sonic déjà-vu, don’t worry: you may be right. Primitive Man’s music is, in fact, an end to itself: an epic journey through punishing dissonances mostly played at an excruciatingly slow tempo. Eyehategod? Maybe. But more than 20 years after an album like In the Name of Suffering graced our ears, the demise of black metal, the growth of drone-based trends and the evolution of what some term ‘extreme music’ all give us an updated version of that masterpiece. It hurt then as it does now and the bleak landscape remains the same. Hate doesn’t evolve; it just gets bigger.” Alex is here to discuss life’s ugliness and pain, glorious pain. Apparantly this album makes him go on like Pinhead in a bondage bar.

Turisas – Turisas2013 Review

By Angry Metal Guy on August 23, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Century Media, Epic Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, Viking Metal, 19 comments

We all knew Turisas2013 was going to be a controversial record when the title was released. Turisas2013 doesn’t read like a particularly inspiring name for this Finnish ‘folk metal’ band’s latest record. One commenter quipped that it sounds like what they called the folder where you store the .wav files, not the title of the record itself. On top of that was the remarkably short turnaround time. Turisas isn’t a band known for its quick work, and they were coming off a remarkable and fascinating record from 2011 that I flat out loved. Recent history teaches us that ‘fucking with the formula‘ is generally a bad thing; if a band needs 5 years, give it to them! But just as Orphaned Land faced label pressure, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Turisas2013 was produced under pressure from a label that doesn’t want the world to forget that Turisas exists[1. Note: this is entirely speculation. No one told me shit.]. Whatever the reason for looking at a Turisas record in 2013 with the half-baked name of Turisas2013, it’s here… Is it everything you feared?