There appears to be some lingering confusion relating to the March installment of Record(s) o’ the Month. It was intended as a semi-subtle April Fools gag while also allowing AMG Himself to opine on a few albums he felt strongly about. In the interest of rigorous, near pedantic completeness, other albums that really stood out in March included Satan, Messa, Kvaen, and Hath. But that’s the distant past, and now we must focus on the recent past (i.e. April). Those who live in the distant past are doomed to be retro weirdlings.1 Here at AMG, we strive to be modernists living several layers deeper in the present than the average slack-jawed peasant.2 Be like us. Live in the moment. Or the future. Onward.
Jayn Maiven and her Darkher project established a whole lot of cred in the doom genre on the strength of her 2016 Realms debut. Atmospheric, emotional, folk-tinged, and bleak as fook, there was something special and unique to what Darkher was doing. Fast-forward 6 years and we finally get the long-awaited followup. With great expectations weighing heavily, The Buried Storm picks up where Realms left off, creating a new world of forlorn longing and depressive but beautiful introspection. Joined by Forndom‘s Ludwig Swärd, Jayn once again weaves magic and mystery with her enchanting vocal melodies, tilting even further into folk territories. While The Buried Storm feels a bit less heavy than Realms, the compositions are excellently conceived and executed, oozing deep emotion and bittersweet melancholy. A stupendous comeback dripping with beautiful darkness. Darkherness.
Runner(s) Up:
Undeath // It’s Time…to Rise from the Grave – Old school death metal is back in vogue, and one of the premier purveyors of the style are Rochester, New York’s Undeath. On their sophomore splatter platter, Undeath streamlined their OSDM attack, while at the same time incorporating elements outside the usual knuckle-dragging scene. The result is wild, raucous and most importantly, fun death metal sure to garner plenty of replays. There are nasty grooves, oddball riffing and a weirdly epic vibe, lending bombast to the usual guts and gore baked goods. Adding to the spectacle is a feeling of wild abandon and recklessness, as if the whole contraption is going to fly apart at any moment. As Eldritch Elitist smarted summed up, “As a celebration of death metal – and as a celebration of its own gloriously unfettered existence – It’s Time… to Rise from the Grave is in a class all its own.”
