The esteemed professor D. Grover the XIIIth has graced us with the findings of his most recent adventure of discovery and scientific inquiry. Here is his account of the harrowing The Faceless record.
Svölk – Nights under the Round Table Review
Norwegian Svölk continues to show that the boundaries of Norwegian metal is expanding and for the better, at that. Lord Doom tells you more!
Grave – Endless Procession of Souls Review
Retro-thrash, retro-death, will the present ever stop being the past?? Well, at least it’s Grave doing what Grave does, so I shant complain. Nasty, slimy death from Sweden can always crash on my couch (after I put down some plastic).
Khonsu – Anomalia Review
Keep of Kalessin mainman’s brother releases his own project. Are they truly “bonded by blood”? [YOU’RE FIRED! – AMG]
Trollfest – Brumlebassen Review
To be honest, I’d never checked out Trollfest before. I’m an Angry Metal Guy, not a fucking silly one. These guys looked too goddamned much for me. Sure, I like Finntroll a lot, and they’re kinda silly, but there’s always been a serious side to them despite the band’s rambunctious and ridiculous music. But Trollfest? I dunno. They always struck me as just a pair of lederhosen and a made up language too far. But ack och fy, I have been living my life in the shadow! What a sad, sad, Angry Metal Guy I have been. Brumelbassen is a meistervärk!
Krampus – Survival of the Fittest Review
To say I’ve been moved by this album is just a slight understatement… bear with me while I try and reign in my fangirl-ism! It’s rarely that I’ve come across an album that carries such a strong and powerful message, while sounding mind-blowing at the same time. This 8-piece, modern folk metal band hail from Udine, in north-eastern Italy, and it seems this city, known for its iron commerce, will soon be known for a slightly more folk inspired kind of metal. Krampus have a style that is reminiscent of new wave folk metal act Eluveitie and sometimes progressive, mostly melodic, folk metal acts Amorphis, Wintersun and Korpiklaani. Where they differ however, is that instead of looking to the past for inspiration, Krampus have crafted Survival of the Fittest wholeheartedly, lyrically and musically, looking towards the future and a rather bleak, battered and bruised future it appears to be. This is the bands first full release, however Krampus have already released two very tempting EP offerings (Shadows of Our Time and Kronos’ Heritage), and will be leaving for their first extended European (Heidenfest) tour shortly (joining the likes of Wintersun and Korpiklaani), and therefore there is a definite expectation that Survival of the Fittest will be well-received.
Cold in Berlin – And Yet Review
It looks as if they were all wrong. For years, critics of all sorts have assumed that punk could not, and would not mix up with the likes of those who thought that the light at the end of the tunnel is a truck coming in their direction. I mean, the nihilist stance of bands such as The Sex Pistols and Discharge, their “new luddism,” aimed at destroying and denying progress for the lack of an acceptable alternative, undeniably struck a chord in the goth camp. But, if destruction would act as a unifier, the means to achieve it were indeed on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The passive, almost fatalistic melancholy of goth clashed (sometimes in more that one way) with the actively destructive attitude of punk. Could we ever imagine that a synthesis would have been possible? Not until 45 Grave and deathrock came about in the early 1980s. Fast-forward to 2012 and what we find is a band that combines Joy Division, Christian Death and Refused. The good news is that it does it terribly well. The bad news? Well, this time there isn’t any. Simply because a band that tries to add something to the menu can’t fail. And if it does it with such angst and power, then it means that there’s still hope for angry music in this world.
Katatonia – Dead End Kings Review
Katatonia are one of my favorite bands, I think it’s safe to say. In the top 10? Probably, but definitely the Top 15 – with A Great Cold Distance and Last Fair Deal Gone Down duking it out for one of the best records of the 2000s. Their development as an act that has moved this far from Dance of December Souls and Brave Murder Day is immense. Those records are absolute classics, but as a band Katatonia has developed a feel for modern, depressive rock in the late 2000s that one could only have guessed at when Discouraged Ones and Tonight’s Decision were being released. But I did not enjoy Night Is the New Day pretty much at all. Instead, while everyone was freaking out, I was underwhelmed. It was filled with songs that didn’t speak to me even remotely. And unlike Viva Emptiness which finally just clicked for me after about 18 months of not digging it, Night Is the New Day still doesn’t pack any kind of punch.
Bedemon – Symphony of Shadows Review
Are you wearing a vest? Well, since Steel Druhm feels like he’s found the Holy Grail of doom metal, you best get to the tailor and get fitted for an old timey one. Actually, better make it two because this is big!!
Wisdom – Judas Review
Hungarian power metal band Wisdom are one of those unique groups that aren’t only able to maintain a solid and consistent aesthetic identity across multiple records, but also continue concepts and composition techniques. All of their albums contain references to an enigmatic, nomadic figure they refer to as “Wiseman,” and every one of their songs are based on a single famous quote. They also tend to base many of their lyrics (especially choruses) on epigrams and adages as well. Judas fits into the rest of their cannon seamlessly.
