Angry Metal Guy

Alkerdeel – Lede Review

By Roquentin on April 12, 2016 in 2016, Belgian Metal, Black Metal, ConSouling Sounds, Drone, Reviews, Black Metal, 30 comments

“Harsh and fairly abstract genres such as drone, noise, and left-field black metal are conceptually subtle, fragile things that require a careful balancing act to pull off properly. There are two ways that successful bands do this. One group of musicians immerses itself fully into the abyss of extremes, slowing down tempos to the point of near immobility and amplifying texture beyond thresholds of painful saturation (Sunn O)))). The other group carefully crafts concoctions that are ultimately dynamic in their repetitiveness and cohesive in their chaos (Aluk Todolo). Belgian four piece Alkerdeel belong to the latter.”This high-wire act is about to get real.

Necrot – The Labyrinth Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on April 11, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Tankcrimes Records, Death Metal, 19 comments

“I remember a simpler time, and American death dealers Necrot remember when death metal was just death metal, and The Labyrinth is their testament to that seemingly distant memory.” Can death live on in the past or is it still dead?

Howls of Ebb – Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows Review

By Roquentin on April 11, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Reviews, Death Metal, Experimental Metal, 41 comments

“There’s a lot of pent up anger and frustration going around these days. Whether that certain something bothering you is serious like the weather or banal as your governing politicians spewing hatred, it’s always nice to be able to turn to metal in search of some escapism. To find a way out. A portal to a safe space. A wonderful soundtrack for hollow and bitter soliloquies. You might think, at first, that San Francisco’s ex-trio, now duo, Howls of Ebb provide exactly that with their experimentally tinged blackened death adorned with dark and threatening atmospheres and hints of aggression.” And you would be extremely wrong.

The Zenith Passage – Solipsist Review

By Kronos on April 10, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 33 comments

“I love getting debut records to review, partially because debuts are usually where bands try to bring something new to the table, and partially because it means I have a lot less contextualization to do before I write about the album. But then there are sometimes cases in which I’m actually familiar with a band prior to their release, and in this instance I have The Zenith Passage covered.” Hey Kronos, you gonna pick up all those names you just dropped?

Victims – Sirens Review

By Mark Z. on April 10, 2016 in 2016, Crust Punk, Hardcore, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Tankcrimes Records, Crust Punk, Hardcore, 9 comments

“They say old soldiers never die, they just fade away. But what about old crust punk bands? If Victims are any indication, they don’t die either – instead, they just charge right through their mid-life crisis in a fog of Skitsystem riffs and shattered beer bottles.” This smells like shitty beer and anarchy.

Mortichnia – Heir to Scoria and Ash Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 9, 2016 in 2016, Apocalyptic Witchcraft, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Irish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 42 comments

“With a name as depressing and hopeless as Mortichnia, it shouldn’t be surprising that this five-piece Irish outfit creates dark, brooding, blackened doom meant to squash all happiness from your life.” Sadness is the new Xanax.

SIG:AR:TYR – Northen Review

By Steel Druhm on April 9, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Folk Metal, Hammerheart Records, Reviews, Viking Metal, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Viking Metal, 53 comments

“SIG:AR:TYR are one of the most criminally overlooked acts in the Viking/folk/black metal arena and even after three high quality albums they still seem woefully under-appreciated. Taking the best elements of Bathory’s Viking era and fusing them with influences ranging from Immortal, Falkenbach and Primordial, founder and sole member Daemonskald crafted some amazingly epical moments on unsung classics like Beyond the North Winds and 2010’s Godsaga.” Prepare to feel the Hammer o’ the North.

Retro-Review: Blaze – Tenth Dimension

By Angry Metal Guy on April 8, 2016 in English Metal, Retro Reviews, SPV, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 48 comments

“Tenth Dimension got name-dropped in my “Top 15(ish) of the 2000s” from 2010 and I have mentioned it from time to time on the blog. Every time a few readers show up and say stuff like “Oh man, yeah! Such a sadly overlooked record!” And while it is sad that it’s been overlooked, Tenth Dimension was released in a pretty difficult context. Blaze Bayley was basically a musical leper who got signed to SPV because of his name and connections to Iron Maiden. The story of his first post-Maiden band is one where everything was stacked against them, including signing with a label that obviously didn’t expect the band to amount to anything. BLAZE’s debut album, Silicon Messiah, got released on the same day as Brave New World, and (shock) no one heard it. Yet it was hard hitting, modern and conveniently in a key that worked for Bayley’s voice. It was also produced by Andy Sneap and was thick and heavy. Two years later, the band turned around and dropped a concept album called Tenth Dimension, which not only features some of my favorite artwork ever, but ranks among my favorite heavy metal records of all time. With a review of Blaze Bayley’s Infinite Entanglement in the pipeline, it got me thinking about this amazing album again.” And rather than wax 800 words about it as an ‘intro’ to my review of the new record, I thought I’d give it its own post.

Hemotoxin – Biological Enslavement

By El Cuervo on April 8, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Unspeakable Axe Records, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, 11 comments

“Maybe I’ve heard one too many shitty re-thrash bands but it’s easy to draw conclusions from the bold illustration and title of Biological Enslavement by Hemotoxin. I feared that simplistic chugs, an angsty vocalist and a Neanderthal’s lyrics would lie behind the spiky logo and alien landscape. Happily, Hemotoxin are marginally more refined than this.” Marginally refined rethrash could be a whole new genre.

Murder Made God – Enslaved Review

By Kronos on April 7, 2016 in 2016, Comatose Music, Death Metal, Greek Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 12 comments

“Greek brutal death outfit Murder Made God didn’t exactly make a splash with their debut, Irreverence, which introduced the band with little fanfare. Enslaved isn’t out to challenge your conceptions of brutal death metal, but there’s a wealth of material on this album that shows the band growing but certainly not diversifying. With a name like Murder Made God, brutal death is what you expect, and brutal death is what you get.” Take what you get when it is given!