Reviews

Record reviews

Centuries – Broken Hymns Review

By Natalie Zed on April 22, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, American Metal, Reviews, Southern Lord, Hardcore, 1 comment

“Recently signed to Southern Lord, Florida-based hardcore act Centuries combine the frenzy of hardcore with emotive metalcore, hardcore punk ferocity and even some d-beat heaviness. After participating in SXSW, the band are currently holed up in Greensboro, North Carolina to record their next record (and full-length debut) for the venerable American label, Southern Lord. In advance of that all new release, indie label Halo of Flies is releasing Broken Hymns, a collection of all of their available work to date. The record includes material from their Creation/Extinction 7”, a split EP with Patsy O’Hara (from which the titular track of this record comes) and another split with Homestretch, as well as four original songs.” Natalie Zed is here to tell us about some hardcore punk, which we don’t normally deal with. Be diverse and read it!

Pessimist – Death from Above Review

By Happy Metal Guy on April 21, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, German Metal, MDD Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 5 comments

“The artwork is so typical and the title, silly and banal as hell. Even a cursory glance at the pointy band logo should immediately hint at which metal sub-genre this band belongs to, but hang on for a second and hold back that derisive snort…” Oh no!? What’s Happy Metal Guy going to say? The suspense has got to be killing you…

Colossus – Wake Review

By Alex Franquelli on April 21, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Perennity Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, 4 comments

I’ve spent the last few minutes trying to stick a label on Wake. Not that it matters anyway and, to be honest, watching MTV on mute while listening to “Ruinbuilder” with my headphones on is a valid alternative to tiring out my brain. Ms Germanotta is out of sync in this peculiar, extemporary world of mine as she moves about trying to keep up with the pace imposed by the nervous beat of a Swedish drummer. This unrepeatable choreography slowly fades into the background as Niklas Eriksson’s vocals, sometimes reminiscent of Savatage’s Zachary Stevens and Jon Oliva’s melancholic elegance, boldly sets the record straight with the opener “A Stir from Slumber”.

The Ocean – Pelagial Review

By Noctus on April 18, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Doom Metal, German Metal, Metal Blade, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 15 comments

“No one can fault The Ocean’s ambition. Ever since their 2007 opus, the double album Precambrian, they’ve been setting their eyes on bigger and bigger projects. In the past few years they’ve released two albums arguably designed to be thought of as a double album — Heliocentric and Anthropocentric. These dealt with the origin of man and the redundancy of God in a two-hour, post-metal journey constantly switching between the conventional and unconventional that made for a disorienting yet satisfying experience. However, I can’t help but feel Anthropocentric, the second album, was somewhat of a blunder.” Noctus has had some issues with The Ocean and not because he’s afraid of water. That’s fortunate, because their new opus is aqua-themed. Will Noctus take the dive or stay high, dry and judgmental?

Cathedral – The Last Spire Review

By Steel Druhm on April 17, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Doom Metal, English Metal, Reviews, Rise Above Records, Doom Metal, 1 comment

“So this is the end of the road for Lee Dorrian’s long-running psychedelic doom experiment. Looking back on Cathedral’s career, they’ve certainly delivered some entertaining, diverse albums while helping make doom cool and interesting again. While I always favored their earlier, less trippy stuff like Forest of Equilibrium and The Ethereal Mirror, their subsequent releases always had something worth investigating. So how does the ringmaster choose to lower the final curtain on his Carnival Bizarre? By returning to the beginning and re-introducing us to the raw, crushing doom that put them on the map in the first place.” Please remove your hats and bow our heads as we mourn the passing of modern doom giants, Cathedral. Steel Druhm will provide the eulogy and you’re all welcome to join us afterward in the graveyard for refreshments.

Just Before Dawn – Precis Innan Gryningen Review

By Steel Druhm on April 17, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Chaos Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 4 comments

“Another project from Rogga Johansson? When does the man sleep and find time for the finer things in life, like beer and Mexican wrestling? These questions plague me as I peruse the list of bands, side-projects and side-side projects which Rogga has his paws on (The 11th Hour, Paganizer, Demiurg, Megascavenger, Ribspreader, etc. etc.). Now you can add Just Before Dawn, which is his collaboration with Anders Biazzi (Blood Mortized, ex-Amon Amarth) and a gaggle of friends from bands like Puteraeon, Zombification, Revel in Flesh and Godhate. Together they’ve churned out a crusty, thick and vicious ode to all things Bolt Thrower and Asphyx, which is similar to Rogga’s recent work with Megascavenger, but better and more consistent.” Do you like Bolt Thrower? Do you think metal and war go hand in hand? Are you okay with retro Swedish death? If the answer to all these questions is yes, join Sgt. Steel Druhm on the front lines as he examines Just Before Dawn.

FKÜ – 4 – Rise of the Mosh Mongers Review

By Dr. Fisting on April 16, 2013 in 2.0, 2013, Napalm Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Uncategorized, 1 comment

“FKÜ might be the oldest old-school thrash band you’ve never heard of. As the story goes, the original lineup of Freddy Krueger’s Ünderwear (amazing name, BTW) formed in Sweden way back in 1987, influenced heavily by S.O.D. With no recorded output, they went on hiatus for over a decade before finally re-forming, shortening their name, and releasing their debut Metal Moshing Mad in 1999. As the title implies, 4 – Rise of the Mosh Mongers is their 4th album.” Mr. Fisting has imposed some draconian and inflexible rules for how he rates re-thrash albums. Can FKÜ escape the swirling vortex created by his maddening and confounding need to demand originality from a genre that’s very existent depends on non-originality? Tune in and find out!

Memory Garden – Doomain Review

By Steel Druhm on April 15, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 4 comments

“I’m a sucker for the name “Memory Garden.” I love the classic Trouble song with that title and I’ve always appreciated this group as well. Part of the moniker love is due to having worked in a cemetery bearing that name during grad school (yes, Steel Druhm was a legitimate grave-digger), but the talent, class and polish of this outfit doesn’t hurt none either. These Swedes play a type of progressive doom that sounds like a mix of Candlemass, Memento Mori, Nevermore and Lansfear with some similarities to the material off Tad Morose’s classic A Mended Rhyme. Never too slow and dirgey, they infuse just enough traditional and power metal ideas to move things along and they bring an exceptionally high level of musicality to the table so everything goes down smooth as buttered silk.” Proggy, melodic doom should sound good to even the most attention challenged of metal fans. Even moss peeping, anti-doomers like AMG himself might enjoy the tasteful stylings of Memory Garden.

Kaledon – Altor: The King’s Blacksmith Review

By Steel Druhm on April 14, 2013 in 1.5, 2013, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 10 comments

“This album has been giving me fits. I initially confused the band with a power-prog outfit and volunteered to review it. Well, it’s about as far from power prog as Earth is from the Sun. No, Kaledon is a super mega cheesy symphonic power metal ensemble from Italy and they desperately want to be the next Rhaposdy of Fire. To that end, they pile on the swords, sandals, Spartacus and silliness (and they even roped Fabio Lione into guest vocals somehow). Though this is their seventh album (most being part of concept series called Legends of the Forgotten Realm), I had somehow missed them all, which is fortuitous, because from my investigations, they aren’t very good. In fact, they assault the listener with some of the most generic, uninteresting power metal in recent memory. Altor: The King’s Blacksmith is a heaping helping of cheese coated fruit, unfit for consumption by all but the most ardent LARPer.” Steel Druhm doesn’t like LARPing, but he does like power metal, even cheesy power metal. Doesn’t seem as if he’s liking this slice of spoiled Rhapsody pie though….

Woe – Withdrawal Review

By Natalie Zed on April 13, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, American Metal, Black Metal, Candlelight, Reviews, Black Metal, 2 comments

“Founded in New Jersey but based for most of their existence in Philadelphia, Pennsylania, black metal band Woe have been peddling their particular brand of utter bleakness since 2007. Originally a solo project created by current vocalist and guitarist Chris Grigg, by the time their second record Quietly, Undramatically was released in 2010 Woe had established a full lineup — which has still undergone many shifts in the past few years. The version of Woe that has come together to create Withdrawal is very different from the incarnation that produced either of their last two records, and it shows.” If you don’t think Philadelphia is a logical birthing ground for nihilistic black metal, you haven’t been to Philly. Natalie Zed will now take you on a tour of Woe’s soundscapes. Keep your arms in the bus at all times.