“The reigning kings of techno/industrial/party death are back once again to pump up the volume and rock your boots n’ pants, boots n’ pants. On their 13th full length, Monument, Crematory sees some major line up changes but the kraut rockers pick right up where 2014s Antiserum left off. That means more poppy techno-death tailor-made for metallized strip clubs and sketchy back alley discos.” Boots n’ pants and boots n’ pants….
“Despite the general misconception from non-metal folk that our beloved art form is a one-dimensional game, in reality metal in 2016 is as wide-ranging as it’s ever been, offering a bevy of stylistic riches and impressive diversity in both the cultural and genre stakes. Death metal itself has morphed and mutated from its rank beginnings into a myriad of sub-genre offshoots to appease extreme tastes of all kinds.” At the metal buffet, would you find room for Verment on your plate?
“Whoa, it’s quite a surprise to see a new Interment album in 2016 considering they were a contemporary of Entombed and Dismember back in the early days of the Swede-core death scene, but didn’t release anything until 2010. Now we get the erstwhile followup a scant 6 years later? Major machinations are clearly underway at Camp Interment and their production schedule is definitely ramping up!” Releases may be slow, but death they certainly know.
“With a band name like Victorian Whore Dogs, “be serious” is, most likely, not a common phrase for these UK sludge metallers. This becomes undeniable when you discover VWD song titles like “Michael Bay’s Transformers Are the Best Transformers” (from 2013’s Fetch EP) and the ridiculous song about Conan the Barbarian’s sexual endeavors (“Kromdrom,” from 2015’s Hobo Chic EP).” Who let the dogs whore?
“There really isn’t much more to be said about Ragnarok that hasn’t already been said by our beloved Noctus and Madam X (and the rest of the black metal community). Ragnarok, like Urgehal, are one of the most underrated black metal acts on the planet. Perhaps it’s due to their consistency and unwillingness to fix-what-isn’t-broken that’s kept them from reaching black metal stardom (if “stardom” is actually attainable in this genre).” Consistency is the hobgoblin of great black metal (because it requires hobgoblins).
“After all these years, AMG knows me far too well. If there’s something he wants done, he knows exactly what to say in order to manipulate my Heavy Metal Emotions®. And in this case, that would be “hey man, I found this band that sounds like a prog version of John Bush-era Anthrax.” The band in question is Gracepoint, an independent act based out of Minnesota.” Is grace in the hand better than 2 in the Bush?
![The Body & Full of Hell – One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache [Split] Review](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/TBFOH-Album-Cover-768x790.jpg)
“There are times when you don’t want music to be uplifting. When abject nihilism and despondency will match or elevate your mood and you just want to be subjected to someone else’s anger. Both Full of Hell and The Body understand that sentiment. One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache is their stark, raw scream into the abyss. It is a split born of noise, sludge and grind. It’s as unrelenting as it is devastating and those looking for ease of access need not apply.” Uncomfortable is the new comfortable.
“How does one sit down and write a followup album when your discography includes not only Eater of Birds but Gin? The former regarded as “2007’s landmark album” and the latter acclaimed as “a pillar in American extreme metal.” Colorado’s Cobalt put themselves in that very position, and I suspect the process saw them battered and bruised in places they never thought possible.” It’s tough to be a trendsetter.
“My introduction proper to Anvil came at the pubescent age of 14 when I chose Pound for Pound as one of my 12 introductory cassettes from the Columbia House Record Club. I’d heard a song here, a song there, but Pound for Pound was the first platter I heard from nuts to noggin. My initial feeling? Underwhelmed.” Will the new platter whelm Mr. Kikuras?
“One lesson I’ve learned in my tenure at AMG is that burgers can be successfully compared to just about anything. Just like burgers are a great plan for a meal in a pinch, they also work in that annoying pinch when a lede just refuses to come to mind. I think we can largely agree that listening to Swe-death records is like the endless quest for the perfect burger.” In dining, as in death, it’s the seasoning that counts.
