2016

Record(s) o’ the Month – March 2023

By Angry Metal Guy on April 1, 2023 in Blog Posts, 201 comments

As things have gotten busier and I’ve struggled with a lot of different things, it’s true that there is a burdensome aspect to being the guy who’s always doing the Record(s) o’ the Month. This year, I tried to approach this differently. I intended to use Zadion’s stupid fucking comment as the kind of bulletin board material that keeps motivating a guy to keep playing even when he’s on the verge of retirement due to his bum knee and a skyrocketing K-rate. But the “diabolical façade” cannot march on.

Almanac – A Discographic Review [Tsar (2016), Kingslayer (2017) and Rush of Death (2020)]

By Angry Metal Guy on August 25, 2020 in Reviews, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, Thrash Metal, 36 comments

“For the last four years, I have been neglecting—and you have been denied my Very Important Opinion™ about—one of the most idiosyncratic voices in metal: Victor Smolski. And so, in a Swallow the Sun-sized act of hubris, I’m writing a discographic review of Victor Smolski’s Almanac.” You can’t spell “Almanac” without MAN!

Vale of Pnath – II [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Dr. Wvrm on January 12, 2017 in 2016, American Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Willowtip, Technical Death Metal, 52 comments

“I never thought of myself as a tech death fan. Coming from a thrash background, I never needed insane drum machine combos or faster-than-light scales to get my dander up. But after penning one tech death TYMHM this winter, I was struck by the notable divide between Dormant Ordeal and current beau Vale of Pnath.” Kronos laughs at your newbiehood.

Mistur – In Memoriam [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 9, 2017 in 2016, Black Metal, Dark Essence Records, Melodic Death Metal, Norwegian Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Viking Metal, Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Viking Metal, 97 comments

“If you look back through the top ten archives of the site, you’ll find it’s not uncommon to see a band on a list that was never reviewed by us. If a promo doesn’t come through our hand-hewn bone doors, it doesn’t get reviewed. But, even with that rule in place, there’re just too many promos arriving on a weekly basis to catch them all. What is uncommon is an album that not only landed on a couple lists but also took the top spot.” The embargo must be broken!

Concert Review: Ulcerate, Zhrine, Phobocosm, and Vukari at Reggie’s, Chicago, Illinois – November 27th, 2016

By Kronos on January 8, 2017 in American Metal, Bindrune Recordings, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Icelandic Metal, Live Reviews, New Zealand Metal, Progressive Death, Relapse, Season of Mist, Technical Death Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 22 comments

“So it was with great portent that night fell upon Reginald’s Emporium of the Fine Arts, cloaking Chicago in a sickly sodium glow. Just on the edge of Chinatown, next to a bombed-out taco joint under the Green Line, brutality was brewing, summoned in darkness from the ragged edges of the Earth. And as the sun set, than the venue was assailed by… no one at all.” The abyss is a lonely place.

Uprising – Uprising [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 8, 2017 in 2016, Black Metal, German Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Wolfsgrimm Records, Black Metal, 24 comments

“Why we would be receiving a promo (with a 2017 release date) for a record that has been out since March of 2016 is beyond me. Well, it’s not beyond me because this sort of thing happens all the time. Sometimes it occurs because of a band’s recent signing and re-release of that album or, other times, it’s because a new distribution deal sends the record overseas. Regardless the reason for the delay, I couldn’t pass up a last-minute TYMHM for Uprising’s self-titled debut.” Another minor gem from us to you. Now buy us a beer.

Omnizide – NekroRegime Review

By GardensTale on January 7, 2017 in 2016, Black Metal, Carnal Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 26 comments

“I’m not an expert on black metal; in fact, I’m somewhat at an initiate level. While I have dug the occasional blackened affair like Axamenta, I’ve never had quite as much love for the kind of gritty, treble-laden, snare-abusing, hysterically-snarled theater that has been hated by parents, loved by anti-establishment youths and mocked to varying degrees by just about everyone else. This makes for a difficult situation when the dumping grounds of December leave naught but black metal promos.” Black is the season.

Rebel Wizard – Triumph of Gloom [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Saunders on January 7, 2017 in 2016, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Self-released, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 24 comments

“One-man projects are increasingly common in the modern metal market, as dedicated individuals take the purely DIY route and leave band politics and shenanigans to other folks. Personally, 2016 has yielded two impressive discoveries of Australian one-man projects, from the slick melo-death theatrics of Valtari to this impressively vitriolic slice of mayhem from Rebel Wizard.” You rebel scum.

Dunsmuir – Dunsmuir [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Saunders on January 6, 2017 in 2016, American Metal, Doom Metal, Hall of Records, Rock, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Doom Metal, 11 comments

“Considering their impressive all star line-up, the debut self-titled LP from Dunsmuir seemed to fly under the radar rather curiously. The freshly minted rock project featuring Dave Bone (The Company Band), Brad Davis (Fu Manchu), Vinnie Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio) and none other than legendary Clutch frontman Neil Fallon released a consistently solid debut album worthy of your attention.” How the hell did we miss this?

DGM – The Passage [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Eldritch Elitist on January 5, 2017 in 2016, Frontiers Records, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 44 comments

“Italy’s litany of exports are unmistakably intertwined with the country’s culture; one look at a Fiat or an Armani suit and my intuition immediately tips me off that it’s a product of pizza-pasta land, even if I can’t quite place what makes the item in question distinctly Italian. The same applies to DGM.” It’s all in the seasoning.