“Many people hold many things as precious in this wonderful floating rock we call Earth. Some value money over all else. To others, power is the key to happiness. Love is also a beautiful, unifying force in this cesspool of a world. The one thing we all can agree on and wish we could hoard, is time.” And Grymm will be getting none of the time spent with this album back. Not ever!
“If there is one thing that can be said about Slovenia, it’s that they have supplied us with a number of great metal bands. For instance, there is… ummmm… well… fine, so I don’t know any off the top of my head. But they’ve given us at least one good metal band.” Does one good band make for a regional scene?
“Royal Hunt has been knocking around the prog-metal circuit forever, and though they’ve dropped a few killer releases, I’d describe their overall discography as a bit spotty. There are those classic albums where their melodic AOR/metal style really hit a sweet spot, and others were it feels like they’re stuck in a lower gear. Their golden age was in the mid 90s with vocalist extraordinaire, D.C. Cooper (Silent Force, Steel Seal) and most fans would likely point to 1997s Paradox as they crowning achievement.” The hunt resumes. Tally ho!
“Like death and taxes, Mötörhead is an institution that can easily be taken for granted. For the past 40 years, it’s been an article of faith that A) frontman Lemmy Kilmister is a god in human form, and B) his band will release an album of consistent (if predictable) amphetamine-fueled rock ‘n roll every two years or so.” The band that beat up your grandfather is still around, and they want your lunch money.
“Josh Graham is a serial pie fingerer. Aside from his visuals and art work for established names such as Neurosis and Vattnet Viskar, he’s also embarked on a number of music projects including the post-rock Red Sparowes and post-metal A Storm of Light. Now he brings his tight atmospherics and stunning visual design to his new ambient project IIVII and its debut, Colony.” There’s complete anarchy here at AMG headquarters!
“While there are some who would have ol’ Kronos trapped in a padded room reviewing deathcore and only deathcore for the foreseeable future, one of the perks of Angry Metal Guy’s preoccupations is that I’m able to slip in a review every now and then that doesn’t quite fit the death/grind beat that I usually work.” Hey. Who approved this review?
“”Spirituality” is a word that causes many people to assume the focus of the coming conversation will be one of a religious context. But I find the word to be broader than that (so does Webster’s Dictionary).” And this old chestnut has a lot of spirit.
“If the name Publicist UK may seem unfamiliar, the band members themselves should certainly ring a bell. This project includes several metal veterans, including guitarist David Obuchowski (Goes Cube), bassist Brett Bamberger (Revocation), and drummer Dave Witte (Municipal Waste/every band ever). At this point, you’re probably thinking that this will be an incredible thrash album.” To thrash or not to thrash, that is the question.
“Euro-power is in a bit of rut lately, with very few releases really grabbing my jaded ears with the proper blend of bombast, cheese whizardry and over-the-top exuberance. Stratovarius was once a no brainer when I needed such sonic excesses, but the past few albums have been hit or miss affairs, especially 2013s Nemesis where the band explored a more commercialized, and dare I say it, poppy style.” Can the former Lords of Euro-power regain the Cheddar-Coated Throne of Power?
Poland’s Riverside should be no stranger to the dedicated reader of these Angry pages. After discovering the band’s Anno Domini High Definition in 2009, Riverside has sneakily become one of the staples of my playlist. I wasn’t completely enamored with Shrine of New Generation Slaves; but its chill, more reflective moments are the ones that I keep coming back to: “The Depth of Self Delusion,” yes, but especially, “We Got Used to Us,” which has a slow groove and a transcendent chorus. Still, SoNGS lacked the punch and progressive drive that ADHD—and the band’s earlier material—had, and landed far more in the territory of post-Marillion prog, without the brooding darkness into which late Gazpacho has wandered recently. SoNGS was, arguably, nothing more or less than a road sign, though, pointing towards 2015’s latest record: Love, Fear and the Time Machine.
