Angry Metal Guy

Twilight – III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb

By JF Williams on March 14, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Black Metal, Century Media, Reviews, Black Metal, 4 comments

“It’s easy to be skeptical of the US black metal super-group Twilight. Perhaps the only one of its kind, this ever-changing collective has included key players from Leviathan, Draugar, Xasthur, Nachtmystium, Krieg, Isis, The Atlas Moth, Minsk, and, as of this year, Sonic Youth. As one might imagine, the results have been polarizing among listeners, and with their third (and final) release III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb, Twilight has elected to go all out with a fantastically idiosyncratic record.” J.F. Williams is throwing around terms like perversely groovy and bizarre and disjointed. Does this spark your interest? Read on!

Epistasis – Light Through Dead Glass

By Kronos on March 12, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Crucial Blast Records, Danish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 6 comments

“Imagine that you mated Gorguts and Dodecahedron and left their bastard progeny on the doorstep of The Ocean. By the time Light Through Dead Glass flies out the F1’s mouth, nature and nurture have taken their course in shaping their grubby offspring. Passed down from their father are incoherent shrieks and furious black metal riffs, complementing the intricate bass lines and scintillating guitar tone contributed by their mother. Both parents passed on the recessive atonality and strangeness alleles, and somewhere along the line a mutation occurred giving rise to the novel trumpet player feature. Despite Epistasis’ breeding, their adopted parents have taught them some manners, instilling upon the young band a sense of melody and introspection. With such a colorful bouquet of attributes, Epistasis is an impossible specimen to miss in a screen, even for the amateur metal geneticist.” In our ongoing quest to marry ivory tower academia with metal analysis, here’s Kronos discussing insect genetics and their relation to progressive and black metal. Huh?

Vanishing Point – Distant is the Sun Review

By Steel Druhm on March 11, 2014 in 2014, AFM Records, Australian Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 14 comments

“It seems I don’t get to review power metal all that much these days, though it was one of the reasons I was originally recruited by AMG in the first place (my official title was Assistant Chief Power Metal Weenie). Instead, it’s Rogga Johansson this, retro death metal that, yadda yadda yadda. Maybe that’s why it feels so refreshing to hear some genuinely solid power-prog from long running Aussie act Vanishing Point.” Steel Druhm takes a short break from reviewing Rogga Johansson projects to enjoy some prog-power. Feel free to join him.

Die Choking – Die Choking Review

By Madam X on March 10, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Crust Punk, Earsplit Records, Grind, Reviews, Crust Punk, Grind, 1 comment

“The way Die Choking bursts out of your speakers, gnashing its angry yellow, plaque covered teeth at your throat, they have me wondering whether to skip the intro and dive straight into the heart of the review… well almost. Philadelphia based Die Choking are on the verge of releasing the first vinyl press of their début, 5-track, self-titled EP and with it comes a crust-based grindcore sound that harkens to the very early days of Napalm Death and at the same time worships the sacred ground walked by Nails. ” Madam X delves into some ugly grind in a very…revealing review.

Retro-Spective Review: Anacrusis – Screams and Whispers

By Grymm on March 9, 2014 in American Metal, Progressive Metal, Retro Reviews, Thrash Metal, 21 comments

“I get sad when bands don’t get their just due. I get sadder when I find out about that band after they had disbanded. One fateful night in 1993, I was watching MTV’s Headbangers Ball and caught a video of “Sound the Alarm” by St. Louis, Missouri’s progressive thrashers, Anacrusis. From what I’ve read online, “Sound the Alarm” was played once and only once on that show, and it was after the band had called it quits earlier that year. I was fortunate enough to be floored by that song.” Join Grymm as he shines a light on a truly under-appreciated metal treasure.

Abyssal – Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius Review

By Natalie Zed on March 8, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Doom Metal, English Metal, Profound Lore Records, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 6 comments

“The latin phrase “Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius” comes from an incident in the early 13th century known as the Massacre at Béziers. The ironically named Pope Innocent II had declared a crusade against those he identified as heretics in Northern France, and the first town his assembled force attacked was the well-fortified town of Béziers. As the siege developed, it became a massacre, with more disciplined soldiers losing control of the mercenaries in the force who massacred the people, pillaged the town and ultimately burned it to the ground. The Massacre at Béziers has become emblematic of religion gone mad, persecution in its most extreme and dangerous incarnation, not just for the degree of the bloodshed, but for its indiscriminate-ness.” This is late, but also good. Nat knows her black metal!

Morbus Chron – Sweven Review

By Steel Druhm on March 7, 2014 in 2014, Century Media, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 21 comments

“The times they are a changing! If you were around for my review of Morbus Chron’s 2011 opus Sleepers in the Rift, you know how impressed I was with their Autopsy-laden salute to early American death metal. That album was a sewage leak of nastiness and I still spin it often. Naturally, I expected more of the same with their follow up, but I didn’t get it. Not even close. That’s because Sweven (yea olde English for “visions”) is an enormous departure in style and approach, veering off into the world of proggy, tripped out weirdness, while somehow still remaining death metal.” Wow, this one really knocked Steel Druhm off his feet, and he’s notoriously difficult to knock over. You best read on.

Stuck in the Filter – February’s Angry Misses

By Jordan Campbell on March 6, 2014 in 2014, Reviews, Stuck in the Filter, 10 comments

“In the first of what will (hopefully) be a monthly column, Stuck in the Filter will shine a light on a handful of albums that didn’t get proper love upon release date. So, without further chatter, here’s some quick samples and quicker blurbs on some notable releases that didn’t get the full five-hundred.” In any given month, mistakes are made and things are missed. To partially ameliorate this unavoidable fact of life, we delve into the greasy, unclean filter of the AMG promo bin. Wear your gloves.

Human Cull – Stillborn Nation Review

By Kronos on March 5, 2014 in 2014, Crust Punk, English Metal, Grind, Hardcore, Reviews, WOOAAARGH, Crust Punk, Grind, 1 comment

“Band names are difficult to decide on, which is why so many of them are overwrought (Cryptopsy), ridiculous (Gorguts), deliberately self-effacing (literally any local hardcore band) or a combination of the aforementioned (The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza). No matter how terrible or fantastic a band is, their name can have a huge effect on what you think of them. Enter Eexeter’s Human Cull, a band whose sobriquet is so fantastically violent and straightforward that it could only signal one thing: really good grind.” Good grind is hard to find. Ask anybody.

Dodsferd – The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race Review

By Madam X on March 4, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Greek Metal, Moribund Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Crust Punk, 6 comments

“”No rules and no respect for none!” These wrath-filled words of wisdom give me the impression this Greek band of misfits like their metal the same way that they take coffee, straight up, black and nasty as hell. I’m new to Dodsferd, but from what I can gleam on the interwebs, it’s the principle project of Wrath, frontman for the likes of Nadiwrath, Kampf, Grab and ex-Drunk Earth (now adopting the moniker NunOnBong!).” Greek black metal is so very…Greek. Madam X can tell you more.