2.5

Dread Sovereign – For Doom the Bell Tolls Review

By Akerblogger on February 28, 2017 in 2017, Doom Metal, Irish Metal, Reviews, Van Records, Doom Metal, 14 comments

“As the curfew tolled the knell of the parting day, I decided to wander through the dark remains of a graveyard near my home. A thick and heavy fog rolled in, illuminated by moonlight, as I stared into the well of souls. By this point, I was thirsty and miserable and I felt myself slipping further into the void. I was bewitched by the scent of death as the children of the grave emerged from the gloom and approached me. The children carried individual USB sticks that held copies of an album by the Irish band Dread Sovereign.” Mix Tapes of the Dead!

Pyogenesis – A Kingdom to Remember Review

By Dr. Wvrm on February 27, 2017 in 2017, AFM Records, Alt-Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Alternative Metal, 40 comments

“Oh, I’ve heard death and I’ve heard black. I’ve heard prog metal albums that I thought would never end. I’ve heard so much shit that it’s all started to blend, but I never thought I’d see Pyogenesis again.” The cease and desist letter is inbound.

Ghost Iris – Blind World Review

By Mark Z. on February 15, 2017 in 2017, Danish Metal, Djent, Long Branch Records, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Djent, Progressive Metal, 69 comments

“To me, there’s no music genre entirely without merit. Hardcore? Give me some Counterparts, please. Hip hop? Aesop Rock is my jam. Emo? I’ll rock out to Taking Back Sunday like it’s 2005 and I need something playing in the background while I apply eyeliner for my Myspace profile pic. Djent? Now that’s a tricky one.” Go easy on the guyliner, Z.

Cnoc An Tursa – The Forty Five Review

By Lord Lucan on February 14, 2017 in 2017, Apocalyptic Witchcraft, Folk Metal, Reviews, Scottish Metal, Folk Metal, 56 comments

“How do you keep a genre fresh without turning it into something it’s not? This is a question I’ve been pondering for a while now. See, I’ve been a near-obsessive devotee of the whole atmospheric-blackened-folk metal shebang ever since I caught Winterfylleth as a support band back in about 2009. Unfortunately, after many years, countless foliage-themed album covers and a surfeit of unintelligible shrieks about Odin and mountains, the sub-subgenre is starting to feel a little stale, and thus my corresponding enthusiasm for new releases is beginning to wane accordingly.” Kilts, hilts and glory.

Cultes Des Ghoules – Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love Review

By Grymm on February 13, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Polish Metal, Reviews, Under The Sign of Garazel Productions, Black Metal, 13 comments

“When I was a wee little Grymmling, I developed an addiction to peanut butter cups. I know, it’s hard to get addicted to the heavenly concoction of peanut butter wrapped in milk chocolate, but as a kid, the flavor combination blew my mind. So when I was a teenager and worked my first job, I did what any respectable teen would do; I bought a fuck-ton of peanut butter cups and gorged on them. Needless to say, the stomach issues weren’t pleasant. That memory sprung to mind when I snagged Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love, the third full-length by Polish black metal weirdos Cultes Des Ghoules.” Bring forth the Comfy Chair!

Mord’A’Stigmata – Hope Review

By Akerblogger on February 10, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Pagan Records, Polish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 9 comments

“We’ve experienced the highs of weirdness with European stalwarts Dødheimsgard and Thy Catafalque but we’ve also experienced the very real lows with bands like Aborym twisting the weird nozzle just a bit too far. Mord’A’Stigmata, unwilling to release a plain-Jane of an album, have released Hope, a hopeless mixture of sullen atmospheres and ritualistic ominousness with the occasional bluesy lead. It sounds fantastically enticing on paper, but does the conceptual fantasy match up the aural reality?” Black metal hates paper!

Ember Falls – Welcome to Ember Falls Review

By Treble Yell on February 9, 2017 in 2017, Finnish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Pop Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Melodic Death Metal, Pop Metal, 61 comments

“Treacly melodies, sub-dermal hooks and pop-infused synths, Ember Falls are gunning for stardom by way of your mental taste buds with their debut, Welcome to Ember Falls. Fame is an elusive, fickle beast and Ember Falls is but another band hoping to stand out amongst a deluge of delicacies jostling to whet our collective appetite. It remains to be seen whether Welcome to Ember Falls sluices down an eager gullet, hitting the bliss point like an Olympic sharpshooter or is instead a bitter pill to swallow.” Take your black medicine!

Vermilion Whiskey – Spirit of Tradition Review

By Huck N Roll on February 9, 2017 in 10 South Productions, 2017, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Southern Metal, Stoner Metal, 18 comments

“I’ll be honest, 2017 has been tough on Huck N Roll so far. It seems like every promo I open says “Black Metal,” or “Death Metal,” or “Brutal Blackened Death Metal,” all of which make my sphincter tighten and send me back to my knitting, losing hope by the minute that something softer on my olde ears will eventually arrive.” Wrath of the Knitting Circle!

Invasion – Destroyer of Mankind Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on February 7, 2017 in 2017, Abyss Records, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 19 comments

“War…war certainly changes. Whether it was the Crusader’s use of the crossbow against their enemies’ inferior longbows, the subversive tactics of the Cold War, the intellectual dispute between the thought of Martin Luther and Francisco de Vitoria on the justness of combat (the latter was right, by the way), or the modern West taking Plato’s Republic one step further and treating everyone as the great philosopher did Greeks in our international war laws.” What’s it good for?

Morta Skuld – Wounds Deeper Than Time Review

By Ferrous Beuller on February 6, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Death Metal, Peaceville, Reviews, Death Metal, 19 comments

“The process of quantifying quality is always a capricious thing. Contrary to nature, what I might allow for one band, I may use to vilify another, and we haven’t even begun to touch on the perils of genre favoritism — because, despite any reviewer’s very best attempts to consider a product on its individual merit, there will always be some material that I’ll subconsciously allow an extra furlong of leeway.” Media bias!