“Vendetta is a very old and very German band, with their full-length debut being released back in 1987. Like one particularly moronic German who took it upon himself to draw the dumbest conclusions out of philosophy’s oeuvre humanly possible, Vendetta really like the idea of Violent Revolution.” Who doesn’t like the idea of some vintage Kreator?
“Motörhead may no longer be around to kill your lawn but, in their wake, churn flotsam and jetsam inspired to take up the axe and split our eardrums asunder. The aptly titled Born Again proffer to raise a pint to the metal gods of yore with their debut Strike with Power in the hopes of rekindling the embers left by Lemmy, et al. The danger in carrying the flame left by music’s Übermensch is that it can be difficult to escape their long shadow and the line between homage and second-rate irrelevancy is thin.” We miss Lemmy.
“‘I hope this is one you’re reviewing and you didn’t actually buy it,’ said my fiancée less than thirty seconds into this album. Why? I won’t spoil it so early on, but if ever a band’s sound suited their name, the sleazy, leering proto-punk of Bay-area throwbacks Lecherous Gaze would fit the bill.” So sleazy it’ll leave a stain on your speakers.
“Their older stuff isn’t half bad with its Dissection-inspired melodeath and meloblack hybrid, and certainly offers a blacker, rougher outlook than those of the Gothenburg ilk at a similar time. Yet In Thousand Lakes hail instead from the significantly less kvlt Spain. It is at least one of the rainier parts. But all this research and I’d not even yet listened to the album! I pulled on my Somberlain boots and prepared to get stuck into the Light’s Bane…” Tales from the thousand fakes.
“Between post-rock and post-metal, the former is the only genre I prefer over its metal equivalent. In both cases, the genres are known for their atmospherics, long cyclical instrumental sections and overall floaty dreamy attitude. But where post-rock seems to have mastered the art of supplementing the reverberating guitars with great ebb and flow in the composition, post-metal often seems satisfied with turning up distortion and echo and calling it a day.” Post-it notes.
“I’ve begun this year somewhat jaded. I’m not feeling the negativity in the same way as at 2016’s end but I’m disgruntled at many things. January failed to impress me musically and I selected a couple of promos for bands with which I’m unfamiliar, in the hope that I’d experience the joy of the unknown excellence. Dool’s debut album, Here Now, There Then, promised to at least be something with note-worthy subject matter: the enigmatic blurb on their website describes an exploration of the seediness of their hometown of Rotterdam through the medium of ‘dark rock.’ But my reactions to music in recent times requires quality to pique my interest.” One man’s struggle with mediocrity.
“Primal Attack play thrashy melodic death in the vein of The Haunted but run it through an ‘actually any good’ era Machine Head filter. There’s also a strong Pantera presence in the ‘fuck you’ attitude.” Put on your beater and strap on the heater.
“As you might have noticed and/or protested, I’ve recently had a ratings run of Steelian proportions. I know I should thank my lucky stars that most of my comrades would kill to fall ass-backward into this vat of high scores and tickled bemusement. But I’m a greedy bastard and I want more!” It’s not a competition.
“There are things you can count on every year around this time. Resolutions will be made, pursued, and immediately broken. If you’re American, groundhogs will be conspicuously spied on because of some archaic weather myth involving them and their shadows. And no matter what nationality you are, we will have a metric ass-ton of black metal to review.” Back to the black (again).
“I first listened to Cosmoprism: The Theurgy – Act 1 just after midnight. As I snuggled into my unicorn shaped pillow, I allowed the ambient nightmare that Tome of the Unreplenished had created into my mind. I let it capture my imagination and I was rewarded with a listening experience that, honestly, seemed to transport me into another world.” Into the uni-verse.
