Last month I debuted a new Record o’ the Month format, and I thought it was pretty good. With a bit of input from the folks here who review at Angry Metal Guy, we were able to put together a good list of shit that was competing for the top position. While June is not as strong, there were still three records that tied for score and I, Angry Metal Guy, decided that a shared throne was necessary. So here it is, your Record(s) o’ the Month!
Record o’ the Month goes to Vintersorg’s marvelous Orkan. It is majestic, it is serious, interesting and creative. Most of all, it also has some of the best cover art I’ve seen in ages and I want it to be the header on Facebook. This record is out today in Scandinavia. Soon everyone will be basking in its glory. Bask away! Man, to think, we’ll probably get another new one in a year!
Runners Up:
Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody // Ascending to Infinity — C’mon. You knew it was coming. This record is a tremendous ball of stinky Italian cheese, but it is a tasty cheese, perfected after years of aging. It’s the kind of cheese you need a fine wine to, but not the kind of cheese that will impress your bourgeois friends. Nay, indeed, this cheese will probably embarrass you in front of your significant other. It’s like a stinky cheese. The point is: it’s very tasty. Buy it. And then eat it alone in a closet.
Dawnbringer // Into the Lair of the Sun God — Steel Druhm was mightily impressed by this record and with good reason. The NWoBHM strains that run through this project take one back to the storied days of olde without just seeming like an act of unadulterated nostalgia. Instead, this is just kick ass heavy metal that should be enjoyed with a cheap lager and a jean jacket.
Be’lakor // Of Breath and Bone — Gemma regaled us all with tales of the might Be’lakor’s ability to avoid the dying death throes (heh) of melodic death metal: by listening to Be’lakor. And really, this record is amazing. It’s a tad long for my taste, but that’s literally my only complaint. The record is a marvel of modern melodic metal.
