“In case you’re actually a dog and I don’t know about it, I’m going to begin this endeavor with an explanation of why Leprous is so important. Leprous are a progressive metal band; they are extremely good and their last two albums are among this decade’s best prog/avant garde releases.” Only a dog would miss out on this one.
“April was a good month for metal with a few firebombs of musical greatness peppered throughout like radioactive rainbow sprinkles from Hell. It was also a month where the AMG staff bickered, fussed and feuded more than usual over what was good, great and garbage. Some albums were way over-hyped, perhaps others were even overrated (gasp!), and opinions were more plentiful than assclowns at a Gathering of the Juggalos.”
“Swedish musician Ola Englund is a busy fellow. Between stints helping rejuvenate The Haunted on their solid return to form platter Exit Wounds and breathing a glimmer of life into the caveman corpse of Six Feet Under on their Unborn album, Englund has also built a solid and prolific output with his main band, Feared.” Sometimes simple death is good death.
“It was difficult for me to turn down a promo so intertwined with one of the subjects of my recently-completed dissertation. Aldous Huxley’s migration to Eastern philosophy, influenced by both Taoism and Buddhism, is well documented in his final novel, Island. The inhabitants of the idyllic island practice such spiritual, philosophical models, culminating in the consumption of so-called “Moksha-medicine,” a hallucinogen which permits heightened awareness and understanding. The band which explores similarly Zen and reflective topics is one to catch my eye and I excitedly embarked on this quest for internal liberation. In other words, El Cuervo is ready to get spiritually blotto.
“Despite falling broadly into the category of “death-grind,” Australia’s King Parrot are one of the most strikingly original and twisted bands to emerge lately. 2012 debut Bite Your Head Off was every bit as violent and direct as the title suggests, but set itself apart via songs with actual hooks (“Shit on the liver AGAIN!”), vocalist Matthew Young’s unique squawking style, and a deranged sense of humor furthered by the visual aesthetic of their music videos – establishing them as something like the Die Antwoord of grindcore.” We don’t always review grind, but when we do, it’s grindy.
“Pyramaze is a tough nut to crack and an even tougher one to anticipate or graft expectations onto. They released two very well done platters of crisp progressive power metal with Lance King at the helm in the early 2000s, the latter of which, Legend of the Bone Carver, ended up one of my favorite albums of the decade. When Lance left, they acquired the mighty Matt Barlow of Ice Earth fame and released the far heavier, very Iced Earthy Immortal. Then they fell silent and despite rumors of this singer or that joining the fold, no new material was forthcoming. Now, seven years later they finally reemerge from the Danish hinterlands with a new album, new guitarist and a new singer. But what do they sound like after so much time away? Like a completely different band, that’s what.” Are you ready to worship the sun? You better be.
“When one thinks of one-man black metal projects, one immed… WAIT, WHERE ARE YOU GOING!??!?!? NO, COME BACK HERE!!! WHY ARE YOU LEAVING? Yes, I know, another one-man black metal band. But this one is different, I swear! Come back… it’s okay… I love you.” It’s time for more basement metal. You love basement metal.
“We all have a little touch of crazy inside us. You know what I mean; trapped laughter that rumbles out with such force it makes your belly hurt. Sadly with all the hullabaloo and day-to-day grind we forget to stop and breath, but more importantly, we forget to laugh. American melo-death merchants, Nekrogoblikon have made it their mission to remind us that tapping into our crazy and embracing the silly is just downright necessary and I support that!” Goblins are the medium, meta is the message.
“The Yer Metal is Olde segment here at Angry Metal Guy has always been one of my favorites. If you’re looking to expand your repertoire with some classics or need a reason to shuffle back through your library, clatter through your jewel cases, or dig through cracked cassettes for nostalgia, this is a segment for olde and younge alike.” 1995 was a tough year for kings and patriots alike.
“For years I’ve tried to figure out why I can’t stand Suffocation and the only reason I can come up is that they are from New York. Which gets me thinking about Skinless. Which makes me sad that they haven’t put anything out since 2006’s crushing Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead. Then it dawns on me that the real issue I have with the whole bru/oo/00tal death scene is that I just miss Skinless.” Flay it again, Sam.
