“Psychedelic rock with lashings of proggy jam, a smooth layer of spacey ambiance, and a heavy crust to ensure conformity to a metal-lover’s palate. This is what I was promised by Germany’s Black Space Riders on their fourth full-length, Refugeeum. As it goes, this is more of a confused hybrid of baked goods in concept, and a bland homemade cake in execution, rather than a luxurious Victoria sponge, with some serious identity problems.” The cake was a lie…again.
““Black metal, noise, krautrock, post-rock and something else, but none of the above at the same time,” wrote Alex Franquelli about Locrian’s previous record Return to Annihilation. These words ring truer than ever on Infinite Dissolution, a record that eschews categorization and shows the Chicago/Baltimore trio carrying their sound into unexplored and inexplicable structures, bringing together disparate worlds, and moving even farther away from the slow ambient noise and drone that marked the first, hyper-productive part of their career.”
“Vibrant green fields, replete with young men and women frolicking with each other in their natural environment, adorned with flowers and flowing locks. Loose-fitting headbands and azure jeans which gently swell at the bottom. A world of love where acceptance is life, difference is disregarded and war is abhorrent. And drugs. A fucking shitload of drugs.” Get off my lawn, you hippies!
“Japan’s Barbatos is apparently a side project of Yasuyuki, vocalist/bassist for punk-metal combo Abigail. While the two bands are similar to the point of redundancy, Barbatos has been far less prolific, releasing only four full-lengths (and a bunch of 7″ splits) during a 15-year career. Straight Metal War is their first LP in nearly a decade, and it’s on Hell’s Headbangers — a label whose resistance to modernity is rivaled only by the Amish — so you KNOW it’s gonna be some old-school shit.” Boobs!
“What with the subtle consumer advice regarding one Ethereal Shroud album and Angry Metal Guy’s upcoming (and doubtless gushing) review of the new Trials disc, you may have noticed a theme on our brave little blog: blatant conflict of interest. Never one to miss out on a shameful trend, I’ve decided hop aboard the choo-choo of duplicity and perform an honest, above-the-board review for the completely unaffiliated French brutes in Kronos.” AMG: avoiding the mere appearance of impropriety in favor of flagrant impropriety.
“It’s difficult to shake the feeling that among all of metal’s subgenres, power metal remains the one that refuses to grow up, stuck forever in an adolescent state. Barring a few bands, the power metal scene might as well still be living in the middle of the nineties, when Stratovarius’ Visions had just been released, Nightwish were kind of relevant, and Symphony of Enchanted Lands, by that Italian band that used to be known simply as Rhapsody, lurked around the corner.” Ah, the 90s were the good old days for 80s style power metal.
“There’s an amusing irony at the start of Yellowtooth’s sophomore platter of extra heavy stoner rock. It begins with a sound clip from Open Range – arguably the most glacially paced western gunfight movie ever made. It’s so slow, the protagonists actually engage in a protracted round of shopping for candy and chinaware on their way to the climactic shoot out. By comparison, Yellowtooth is quick to pulls out the Heavy Stick and bash away until you resemble a victim of its brother, the Ugly Stick.” Open up and say RAAAARRRR!
“Feed the silage of Napalm Death, Rotten Sound and Cephalic Carnage (the grindier bits) to the cow of creativity, and Cattle Decapitation will likely have something to say about your heinous animal cruelty. But survive their wrath, and one to three days later this noble beast will reward your sadism by passing quite the musical meadow muffin.” Poo goes there?
“I’m not going to lie. When I got handed the new Reclusive Blasphemy release from New England/New York’s One Master, I immediately assumed they were another one-man outfit nestled firmly in the bosom of pretentiousness, gathering mid-paced black clouds, and smothering the listener in an atmospheric bla(n)ck(et). Not only is One Master a full band, but it also has a sound as raw as sewage.” More black metal fury from New York, because it’s an angry kind of state.
“For those who like scorching deserts, scantily-clad temptresses, and animals that will poison you and then rip your face right off, look no further than the land down under. Hell? Close – Australia. It’s no surprise such a rugged environment has given rise to filthy bands that blur the lines between thrash, black, and death: Nocturnal Graves, Denouncement Pyre, Innsmouth, and the almighty Deströyer 666. Of perhaps lesser profile – though no less quality – is Victoria’s Destruktor.” Former penal colonies make the best metal.
