When we say we missed this release, we mean we REALLY missed it…by years!
Things You Might have Missed 2010
Things You Might Have Missed 2010: Hollow – Modern Cathedral/Architect of Mind (Reissue)
Talk about buried and nearly forgotten classics! In their all too brief existence, Hollow walked the line between traditional and progressive metal and had a really compelling sound that fell somewhere between Mindcrime-era Queensryche, Crimson Glory and latter day Agent Steel. However, it always seemed they were completely overlooked and to this day I have […]
Things You Might Have Missed 2010: Entrails – Tales From the Morgue
Yet another great release that seemingly got missed by the metal press,the Entrails debut Tales From the Morgue (available on F.D.A. Rekotz) falls in the same oddball category as Interment’s debut from earlier this year. Both releases are by bands who were at ground zero of the Swedish death metal explosion in the early 90’s […]
Things You Might Have Missed 2010: SIG:AR:TYR – Godsaga
The one man Canadian black/folk/viking metal band known as SIG:AR:TYR came out with a really great new album this year but did anyone hear it? (sounds of crickets chirping and wind whistling across the frozen wastelands). Sole band member Daemonskald (you think it says that on his drivers license?) has continued to refine his vision […]
Things You Might Have Missed 2010: Ufomammut – Eve
Ufomammut is a band that sounds exactly like their name implies – a colossal, prehistoric elephant lumbering through the cosmos. Their latest release, Eve, exemplifies this sound and takes it to a completely new level of heaviness and groove-infused psychedelia.
Things You May Have Missed 2010: Adversarial – All Idols Fall Before the Hammer
Adversarial are a ‘blackened-death’ band from Toronto who’s 2010 debut is out on Dark Descent Records. This is one record that I’d been meaning to get to since I got the promo months ago, but you know, no rest for the angry, so I never got there. Well, not until this week, when I was duly impressed by this band’s chops on their debut record All Idols Fall Before the Hammer. The tracks on here go between blistering and atmospheric, and it’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of death metal.
Things You Might Have Missed 2010: Vex – Thanatopsis
In my opinion this is one of the more painfully overlooked records of 2010. In fact, I’ve seen pretty much no press on this album at all, and yet somehow it has just been rockin’ my world since I got my hands on it. Released in September via Horror, Pain, Gore, Death Prod-uctions, Thanatopsis is largely reminiscent of the mighty The Chasm, but has plenty of originality to throw around. The riffs are sometimes blistering and blackened, laden with trem picking and melodic passages, and sometimes the band breaks it down to harmonious doomy, atmospheric parts. In both cases, everything feels in its place and the record flows expertly making for a fantastic listening experience that is both heavy and emotionally evocative.
Things You Might Have Missed 2010: Byfrost – Black Earth
Ahhh, my Immortal. Yeah, I love Immortal and I’m not afraid to admit it. Be it old Immortal, new Immortal, I love it all! I’m plenty keen on Abbath’s solo project I as well. Since Immortal and I can only record so much material and I always want more, I was happily surprised by the debut full length Black Earth from Norway’s own Byfrost (available on Painkiller Records). Hailing from the very same town as the mighty Immortal, Byfrost plays a style of blackened thrash so remarkably similar, that fans of the frigid ones can’t help but smile and thrash along. The vocal style of Heavy Harms (winning name) is nearly identical to that of Abbath and the overall song structures and riffing stylesÂwill remind you of Immortal and I equally.
Things You May Have Missed 2010: Briton Rites – For Mircalla
Briton Rites is a heavy doom metal act hailing from Atlanta Georgia and their debut album For Mircalla came out of nowhere and really blew me away. Released by Echoes of Crom Records and features Phil Swanson of Hour of 13 on vocals and one of the heaviest, most distorted guitar sounds out there courtesy of Howie Bentley of Cauldron Born. Together these gents serve up some truly ginormous Cathedral, Pentagram, Witchfinder General worship of the highest caliber but with a style all their own. With a thematic concept largely dealing with cult vampire movies like “Captain Cronos” or “Crypt of the Vampire,” there’s enough doomy and gloomy atmosphere here to scare the most rabid werewolf and enough raw, heavy ugliness to convince a metalcore band to go back to playing pop-punk.
Things You May Have Missed 2010: Cradle of Filth – Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
I can’t admit to being or having been a big Cradle of Filth fan. I had a friend who didn’t like either them or Dimmu Borgir and gave me Spiritual Black Dimensions and Dusk and Her Embrace on the same day. I exclusively listened to Dimmu and didn’t really like the Cradle record at all. So I got Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa with a bit of skepticism (at best). I mean, really, when was the last time that you heard anything good about this band? A band that on the Top 100 Ways to be Black Metal list is referenced about 8 times: “Don’t be Dani Filth”.
