Reviews

Record reviews

Heartless – Certain Death Review

By Happy Metal Guy on June 2, 2013 in 1.5, 2013, Halo of Flies, Hardcore, Not Metal, Reviews, 0 comments

“This hardcore punk band is right. Death is the horizon beyond which one cannot see, but the Heidegger-ish album title would be more impactful if the song lyrics actually related to the German existentialist’s philosophy.You see, this Pittsburgh group has lyrics dripping with the stale venom of bitter angst, which seems to be directed at society. (What’s new, right?) But Happy Metal Guy isn’t too sure about that, because the lyrics are too cryptic for anyone’s good. If you want your audience to attempt to understand your point of view, at least string together a bunch of more coherent phrases.” Happy Metal Guy is fine with German existentialism, providing you don’t screw him over with shitty lyrics. The man has standards after all!

Lacrimas Profundere – Antiadore Review

By Steel Druhm on May 31, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, German Metal, Gothic Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Gothic Metal, 2 comments

“More goth-metal from Napalm Records? Sure, I think we all need a break from the endless waves of retro-death, retro-thrash and black metal (which is by definition retro). Lacrimas Profundere has been around forever and over the past five or six albums, they’ve settled into a comfort zone of glum, goth-rock in the same vein as Entwine, H.I.M., To Die For and naturally they include plenty of nods to The Cure and The Cult. While one can hammer them for essentially releasing Ave End over and over again, their knack for keeping things catchy and lively continue to draw me back time after time. While I think their Filthy Notes For Frozen Hearts was their best release in this cycle, I was more than pleased with 2010s The Grandiose Nowhere and still spin it pretty often when that urge to be morose hits me.” Steel Druhm is on a goth-metal kick, so you all must deal with it and play along until we go back to death metal 24/7.

Tristania – Darkest White Review

By Steel Druhm on May 30, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Gothic Metal, Napalm Records, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 9 comments

“Norway’s Tristania was one of those quirky, but compelling bands that really grabbed my attention with their Beyond the Veil album. Their strange mash-up of goth, death, black and symphonic metal was quite intoxicating and had more moods than any crazy ex girlfriend you care to mention. Follow up World of Glass was also gripping and fascinating, but as the years went by, Tristania’s wow factor rapidly drained away. By the time of 2010s Rubicon, they had become a mere shade of their former selves and the album felt like run-of-the-mill goth-metal with little to set it apart from the legions of similar female-fronted acts. I expected more of the same here with Darkest White, but I was pleasantly surprised by the improvements the band has made in their approach and song writing.” Since all we do is review death metal that sounds like Septicflesh, Steel Druhm thought it might be a good time to review some goth-metal. Tristania was available, so here they are for your viewing and reading pleasure.

Iron Tongue – The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown Review

By Happy Metal Guy on May 29, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Neurot Records, Reviews, Sludge, Sludge Metal, 2 comments

“It’s unusual to see a Southern metal band opting for comic-style album artwork, one typically expects to see John Baizley’s surreal, exotic and naked-women-filled art gracing the cover. However, the music on this record is anything but comical; this Arkansas sextet means (retro) business.” Happy Metal Guy talks on the merits of prescription drugs, dope, sludge and rehab and he manages to fit in a review of Iron Tongue’s The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown!

Eldkraft – Shaman Review

By Natalie Zed on May 28, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Epic Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Epic Metal, 1 comment

Shaman is the debut album from Sweden’s Eldkraft, a group who attempt to unite the ancient and mystic with the epic and contemporary. Their conceptual influences are Norse mythology and pagan rituals, especially those concerned with transition, growth and spiritual journeys. Their sound, however, does not have the folksy old-fashioned quality that one might expect; instead, they have gone for modern production and complex instrumentation that makes them sound considerably more grand and expansive than one would expect from a three-piece. This combines to make Shaman a strong and sometimes startling debut.” Join Natalie Zed as she goes on a journey of discovery with Eldkraft’s debut, Shaman.

Svart Crown – Profane Review

By Madam X on May 27, 2013 in 2013, 4.5, Black Metal, Death Metal, Listenable Records, Reviews, 33 comments

“Cast your mind back to Feb 2011 when Steel Druhm came across what he referred to as a particularly ‘insane, claustrophobia inducing, vicious, ugly, hateful’ blackened death album by brutal French metallers, Svart Crown. Witnessing the Fall quickly worked its filthy, sharp claws into Steel Druhm’s brain, battering and shredding his grey matter in a way that Behemoth and Belphegor have rarely done.” Can Svart Crown top their 2011 release? Join Madam X as she opens her mind up to a whole lot of evil to find out!

Summoning – Old Mornings Dawn Review

By Noctus on May 26, 2013 in 2013, 4.5, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Uncategorized, Black Metal, 27 comments

“It was seven years ago that I purchased my very first CD as a teenager who knew nothing about music other than the fact I absolutely loved it and wanted to find something completely different and obscure. I opened up a metal magazine and was instantly pulled in by the mysterious description and album cover to Summoning’s Oath Bound. The nature-influenced album cover, the Austrian black metal description, all of it seemed incredibly alluring so I bought it blindly — my first ever musical purchase. Needless to say, Oath Bound arrived and floored me.” Noctus has a heartfelt history with this group of Tolkien-obsessed black metal maven, but does their new album live up to his lofty (and insanely fanboyish) expectations?

U.D.O. – Steelhammer Review

By Steel Druhm on May 25, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, AFM Records, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 7 comments

“U.D.O. (i.e. Udo Dirkschneider), the voice of Accept is back with his umpteenth album full of typically old school, Germanic heavy metal. As with all his previous platters, Steelhammer is Accept-ish in design, with nods to Teutonic power metal like Grave Digger. Sometimes speedy, sometimes mid-tempo, the man and his band traffic in meat and potato metal riffs with his now classic raspy snarl dropped on top thereof. While you have to admire his consistency, it doesn’t always lead to memorable albums, though you can usually count on a handful of above-average ragers. 2011s Rev-Raptor was a rather fun and engaging outing, and Steelhammer follows right along in the same cheesy, but familiar mode.” It’s Udo and his band U.D.O. and that means more Germanic metal with silliness, hooks and Accept-isms. If you liked any of his other 200 albums, you’ll probably like this too.

Joel Grind – The Yellowgoat Sessions

By Steel Druhm on May 25, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, American Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 3 comments

“Whoa! Steel Druhm did not expect this thing to kick anywhere near as much ass as it does. In fact, this is an insidious ass-kicking machine, free from the lab and turned loose on mankind with naught but ill intent. The author of this wanton hiney massacre is one Joel Grind, the force behind the old school, retro thrash band Toxic Holocaust. Between albums he apparently felt the burning need to craft this hugely lethal collection of thrash anthems under this eponymous project name.” Imagine if old Bathory got humped by Motorhead and Slayer and you would have a good idea what this goat sounds like. BAAAAH!

Bruce Soord with Jonas Renkse – Wisdom of Crowds Review

By Angry Metal Guy on May 24, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Kscope, Not Metal, Reviews, 2 comments

I was surprised to see Katatonia’s Jonas Renkse show up on a record with The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord—’cause I have no idea what the connection between these two is or has been. But seeing this combination—two people who come from pretty different worlds in my brain—I couldn’t give this a skip. And neither should you.