“Sometimes, on a cold and miserable winter evening, when you haven’t been outside for several days because Lockdown 3.0 and work sucks because you haven’t been to the office or seen any of your colleagues for 11 months and you really want a beer or five but can’t because you decided not to drink for January for some damn fool reason and… well, anyway, you get the picture. On those sorts of evenings, sometimes what you need is an ice-cold sliver of raw, lo-fi black metal.” Feel the moon.
![Ghoultown – Curse of Eldorado [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Ghoultown-Curse-of-Eldorado-01-768x768.jpg)
“Yeah, yeah, ya’ll’ve told me: reckon I’m the only one ’round these parts that loves the Lone Star State’s Ghoultown. Staffer ev’n says to me, ‘What’s’there to like?’ But he ain’t considered this: ‘Wha’s there not ta like?'” Red neck, metal heart.
![Yashira – Fail To Be [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Yashira-Fail-To-Be-01.jpg)
It’s difficult to bounce back after a massive loss. Jacksonville’s Yashira were riding high on not only an excellent debut album in 2018’s Shrine, but also via fervent word of mouth about their abrasive live shows (including a coveted spot in that year’s Welcome to Rockville), and a split with metalcore legends Zao. However, with the tragic death of drummer Seth Howard later that year, you’d be forgiven if you expected Yashira to call it a day.” Failing upward.
![Frigoris – … in Stille [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Frigoris-...-in-Stille-01-768x762.jpg)
“Do you remember 2020 having a January? I know logically it must have but, given the monotonous ruination that has been this year, I really struggle to remember anything that happened pre-Covid. One thing of note that research tells me did take place in January was the release of … in Stille, the fourth full-length from German black metallers Frigoris.” Sticks like tar.
![Sightless Pit – Grave of a Dog [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sightless-Pit-Grave-of-a-Dog-768x768.jpg)
“Lee Buford of The Body and Dylan Walker of Full of Hell provide an alternative angle of attack: harsh, industrial and nasty. Grave of a Dog, described by Walker, is “about the anonymity of struggle, the darkness of a lifetime wasted warring against nature, god and everything else, only to be defeated… nothing… the end.” Into the dog pit.
![Old Nick – The Night of the Ambush and the Pillage by the Queen Ann Styl’d Furniture, Animated by One of the Dozen or So Spells That Thee Eastern Vampyre Has Studied [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/OldNick-NightoftheAmbush01-768x768.jpeg)
“I’m not sure why I spent so much of 2020 deep diving into the raw black metal recesses of Bandcamp. Might be because ice cold nihilism was especially in fashion this season, or maybe all the social isolating helped me connect more with the weirdo basement dweller one man band crowd. Whatever the reason, I wound up having a great time listening to some truly terrible music. A lot of it is borderline unlistenable, and a lot of that’s on purpose, because badly recording and producing one’s bad playing is pretty kvlt. Of course, this doesn’t preclude truly talented musicians drawn to the genre’s gritty mystique from making some rock solid metal albums.”Hey, Doctor Old Nick!
![Dearth – To Crown All Befoulment [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/848826.jpg)
“I just like violent music. Death metal is the last word in musical aggression but it knows many phrases. Bone-crunching verbs and enough unsavory adjectives to terrify the dead all terminate in one fatal piece of punctuation. California’s Dearth utilize their pen to grave ends.” Grave new world.
![The Ridiculous Year o’ Death Metal, Part 2 [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/dm_2020_square_splash_wtext_1500-768x768.jpg)
“When I say death metal has been absolutely disgusting in 2020, it can only be a good thing. While we at Angry Metal Guy have done our best to cover as much calamity as possible, it was inevitable that some releases would go unrecognized. To that end, this round-up exists solely to shed unholy light on those atrocities that didn’t quite make the cut, but absolutely warrant your attention.” Death Redux.
![Karmacipher – Introspectrum [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/839815-768x768.jpg)
“I love a puzzle. Something I can piece together, stitch by stitch. But no matter the complexity, there has to be a guiding light to see me through to the end; however faint and however far. Hong Kong’s Karmacipher are architects and second album Introspectrum is their monochromatic maze.” Karma, karma, karma, karma, Karmacipher.
May 2021 be a better year for us all.
