“First appearances can be and often are misleading. Take Death Mask Replica, for example, the fourth release by Swedish band Bombs of Hades. After noticing the Captain Beefheart-spoofing title and marveling at the tastefully grim and artsy cover, one might expect some kind of experimental blackened death metal in the vein of Chaos Echœs to be hidden within.” Of course, you’d be totally wrong and embarrass yourself.
“There are many types of melodeath; the moody, acoustic-tinged odes of ’90s Dark Tranquillity, the thrashier Gothenburg style favored by early In Flames and At The Gates (and the thousands of other bands that ape them), as well as the poppier sound of Soilwork clones that seemed to crawl out of the woodwork in the late 2000s (hey, look, In Flames again!).” Kronos loves to classify and identify things. It’s what he does.
“There are several unassailable truths in heavy metal. A brutal death metal concert will always smell like garbage and unwashed socks. The wait for a new Necrophagist album will always be the metal blogosphere’s running joke. And when a band experiences some commercial and critical success after employing a fresh sound, you can bet your Ghost buttplug there will be a slew of imitators there to jump on the bandwagon and catch whatever stray dollars they can.” And that brings us to the flavor of the day.
“Consolidating an existing 2015 EP with new material, Vol. 1 & 2 is the debut full-length from Vancouver’s Seer, drawing on the likes of Kyuss in molding their heavy, riffy stoner doom sound. There’s a charming, rustic aesthetic to the music, and their dedication to simplicity is admirable—but this is far from a perfect record.” Well, El Cuervo certainly can’t be accused of burying the lede…
“I’m inclined to jump at the opportunity to review any music that surfaces out of the Icelandic metal scene. Their strong talent, adventurous spirit, desire to cross or mix genres and their overall quirkiness usually makes for an exciting listen. That was my expectation with Naðra.” Feel the Icelandic burn!
“Thirty years past its prime, Gravewürm’s songwriting and musical delivery continues to leave a lot to be desired, and after twenty-five years of existence and ten full-lengths, I ask myself the same question before every Gravewürm release: does Gravewürm have anything new—anything at all—to offer in their newest output?” That’s a really good question.
“In recent months, I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend of bands putting out hours worth of new music as one album. While Iron Maiden has already been notorious for giving you your money’s worth since the creation of the compact disc, other acts are taking that idea and running wild with it. I’ve always been a proponent of the idea that less is more [How can that be? – Yngwie]. Apparently, Brazil’s Bode Preto (or “Black Goat” in Portuguese) believes in the same philosophy. Mystic Massacre, their second album, is a hair shy of thirty minutes long. A little goes a long way… or is Mr. Malmsteen right?”
“I like my death metal like the Swedes like their herrings: putrefied to the point of being potentially hazardous to consumers. Come to think of it, that’s also how the Swedes like their death metal. No wonder I’ve been enjoying the waves of throwback Swedeath that have splashed across my eardrums with remarkable frequency since Bloodbath’s debut re-popularized the Stockholm sound over ten years ago. But even the pungent flavor of semi-rotten fish becomes bland and unsatisfying when consumed in bulk, and so it is with retro death metal.” When is too much really too much?
“Given how Ektomorf sounds (hint: like Soulfly), you’re probably surprised to see my name up there in the author’s hot seat instead of Dr. Fisting’s due to existing AMG precedents. Cards on the table: I brought this upon myself.” Took one for the team, he did.
““Love at first sight” is an interesting concept: a basic mammalian response formed by some pesky, involuntary biological and cognitive mechanisms. And I wonder, can music elicit something similar? Can you, perhaps, start loving a record during the first minute of a sample track? Can this kind of appreciation evolve into a long-lasting bond with a piece of music? The début by Finnish black metallers Sacrificium Carmen, Ikuisen Tulen Kammiossa, had that sort of a struck-by-lightning influence on me.” But will an early frost kill this blooming love?
