I’ve been a big Sonata Arctica fan for a long, long time. One of the first records I ever reviewed in my entire reviewing career was Silence, which by many is still considered to be the band’s finest record. I loved it, and I was instantly hooked by the band’s sweet hooks, tightness and particularly the vocal stylings of one Tony Kakko. The music was just technical enough to make me feel superior to all the people who were listening to Nu-Metal, but poppy and feel good were the other traits that I loved about the band. I’ve always described it as “driving music.” You know, hit the open road, go as fast as you think you can get away with and blast Sonata Arctica at top volumes while you barrel down the highway into the amazing summer day. Sound familiar to your experience? I hope so, because that’s the angle I’m starting from.
Angry Metal Guy’s Playlist: 8/2/2009 – 8/8/2009
Life has been busy for this Angry Metal Guy lately, and therefore not as much music listening has been happening as I would like. However, I’ve been rockin’ out to some stuff and some of the stuff on here will also show what I’ll be reviewing in the upcoming weeks. I just want to say […]
Indie Recordings 2010 Schedule
Some may have read recently the post that made it on Blabbermouth, but was sent to anyone who was on Indie Recordings’ list about the restructuring and the fact that Borknagar and In Vain are going to have their records pushed back until 2010. Of course, this is a bit of a shame as I […]
Katatonia Releases New Artwork!
Ok, being the Katatonia fanboy that I am, I was very pleased to see, despite the questionable name Night is the New Day, the cover art for the new albums is totally fucking awesome. Katatonia WIN!
Beardfish – Destined Solitaire Review
“Apparently, someone forgot to inform Beardfish that 1970 has graciously left us behind to suffer without it. If they’re not careful, these guys are going to get lost in a pile of pet rocks, bell bottoms and turtle necks. Still, it’s hard to argue in matters of taste, so I’m going to try to be as fair about this record as I can be. While these guys aren’t really doing something that I enjoy intrinsically, I do appreciate certain things about them and their new album Destined Solitaire.” Angry Metal Guy weighs in on Swedish proggers who will never forget the feeling of ’68.
Shining – VI/Klagopsalmer Review
As a matter of full disclosure, I must say that I am a huge Shining fan, but a fairly new one. I totally got turned onto this band because of their opus V:/Halmstad which was easily the best record I bought in 2007 and which blew me away. I then went back and got their […]
New Katatonia Record Announced!
I guess that one shouldn’t really be happy when one hears about a new Katatonia record being released. I mean, their music is massively depressing and it makes me all sad inside. And yet, I love it so much.
Valkyrja – The Invocation of Demise
Valkyrja – The Invocation of Demise Rating: 2.5/5.0 – Nothing special Label: Metal Blade Websites: myspace.com/valkyrjaswe | valkyrja.swe.name Valkyrja hails from Sweden, where the ice-cold summers, and even colder winters, apparently breed tons of little metal kids. Everywhere you look here you run into a band, and many of them are good. But certainly not […]
Megadeth – Head Crusher
I make no bones about it, I am not a big Megadeth fan. Remember that part of Lord of the Rings where Gandalf calls Théodin “the lesser son of great fathers?” Yeah, the way I see it: Megadeth is pretty much the same way. Overrated, not very interesting and pretty much just kind of annoying. […]
Swashbuckle – Back to the Noose Review
Swashbuckle – Back to the Noose Rating: 3.0/5.0 Label: Nuclear Blast (EU | USA) Websites: myspace.com/swashbuckle | swashbuckle.info Release date: July 24th, 2009 (EU) | August 11th, 2009 (USA) Pirates are becoming an all-too-common and all-too-silly theme in our current society—sort of a strange zeitgeist, if you will. Everything from the pirates in Somalia to […]