2021

Wolfchant – Omega : Bestia Review

By Steel Druhm on April 13, 2021 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 26 comments

“I love when the genre is accidentally and maliciously mislabeled by an album’s promo package. It always leads to delightfully gruesome surprises and oh so satisfying pleas and groveling by shocked and dismayed reviewers once the true nature of the promo revels itself. It’s especially amusing since the sadistic AMG management rarely lets reviewers back out once a promo is drawn from the murk and claimed. Karma is a bitch though, and what goes around comes around, and this time it was your friendly neighborhood Steel who got hoisted by his own petard ov judgment when selecting Wolfchant.” Beastly besties.

Alexander – I Review

By Carcharodon on April 12, 2021 in Reviews, 27 comments

“Every now and again, even I stumble across an album that I struggle to overwrite and, in this case, that is because a terrible mistake was made. I picked up I, the debt by Canadian-German duo Alexander after spotting it, alone and unattended in the promo sump, sporting a funeral doom tag. Only it didn’t say funeral doom, it said funeral drone, something I realized only after the No Takesie Backsie policy had kicked in.” Strong policies, harsh consequences.

Devil Sold His Soul – Loss Review

By Dear Hollow on April 12, 2021 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Emo, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore, Post-Metal, 38 comments

“I have history with Devil Sold His Soul, but not all of it good, especially when we parted on poor terms: I got fed up with Empire of Light’s excessive vocals and didn’t give EP Belong ╪ Betray a fair chance. Loss, the first release in seven years, hits differently: it chronicles seven years of grief and personal loss from its creators. Is it the labor of love it was intended to be?” Devil in the details.

Suffocate for Fuck Sake – Fyra Review

By sentynel on April 12, 2021 in Reviews, Post-Metal, 24 comments

“Suffocate for Fuck Sake was one of those bands I’d heard good things about, but never quite got around to listening to properly. They’ve been around in the post-metal scene since 2004, though they never quite made it to “big name” status. They disappeared for nearly a decade, which probably didn’t help, before releasing their third album In My Blood in 2017. Here on the imaginatively titled Fyra (“Four”), they continue a tradition of tackling heavy topics with a theme of addiction.” Die.

Horndal – Lake Drinker Review

By Holdeneye on April 11, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Hardcore, Sludge Metal, 9 comments

“Art always has a theme, even if that theme is not having a theme. Consciously or unconsciously, the theme informs the art, and never the twain shall be separated. But sometimes the thematic elements of a piece of art transcend their medium, taking on a life all their own and looming so large that it can be difficult for a critic to properly evaluate the piece. I’ve found this to be the case with Swedish band Horndal. Named for the small industrial town where some of its members were born and raised, Horndal is the sound of a town lamenting its own demise. Their debut album Remains told the story of the closing of the local steel mill and of the devastating and dehumanizing aftermath for the citizens of Horndal, and sophomore record Lake Drinker tackles the struggles created when tech monstrosity Google purchased huge tracts of land near the town in order to build massive server facilities.” Home is where the hurt is.

The Lion’s Daughter – Skin Show Review

By GardensTale on April 10, 2021 in Reviews, Industrial Metal, Sludge, 21 comments

“Do you all miss Mark Z? I do, too. The poor bastard is eyeball deep in educational files and folders and here I am, cosplaying him in a misguided attempt to bring forth some of his essence. Two previous The Lion’s Daughter albums our dear slutgöatwitchvomitfuckerlörd reviewed, each scraping together very respectable scores and candid praise, but the burden now befalls me to continue the Big Z’s legacy concerning the St. Louis weirdos, a burden I declared to shoulder enthusiastically. Yet the promo for Skin Show gave pause.” Skinned to win?

Nad Sylvan – Spiritus Mundi Review

By Emya on April 10, 2021 in Reviews, 19 comments

“To be frank, my expectations were not high going into listening to Spiritus Mundi. As a Nad Sylvan noob, a quick glance at Sylvan’s promo shots and the choice of album cover had me performing the dreadful sin of judging an album by its cover. The deeper I made it into Spiritus Mundi, however, the less I questioned the numerous times El Cuervo has sung praises of Sylvan’s progressive rock in each of the ‘Vampire Trilogy’ albums. I unabashedly admit that Nad Sylvan knows how to write a charming album.” Nad spirits.

Les Chants du Hasard – Livre Troisième Review

By Twelve on April 9, 2021 in Reviews, Experimental Metal, 45 comments

“Sometimes, you have to try something different. Stagnating into a limited pool of metal quickly leads to burnout, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand… well, it probably wouldn’t be burnout explicitly, but that’s up there for sure. To stave off that awful feeling for as long as possible, I’ve made a conscious effort to be reasonably variable in what kinds of music I review for this site. I tell you this so you’ll understand why it was that when I first scanned through the promotional material for Livre Troisième, the third full-length release from French act Les Chants du Hasard, and saw the line “is it still metal? The question is now irrelevant,” my response was to dive right in, sight unseen.” Les Pretentious.

Mānbryne – Heilsweg: O udrece ciala i tulaczce duszy Review

By Doom_et_Al on April 9, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 98 comments

“The reason many debut albums sound so good, the theory goes, is that the composer has been creating and honing these songs (at least in their head) their whole life. What the songs lack in finesse, they make up for with creativity and fresh energy. It’s why hardcore fans of many bands prefer their earlier output, before an established groove was settled into. What happens, though, when you have the shaggy exuberance of a fresh and gifted songwriter, combined with the talents of more experienced heads to hone and polish the rougher edges? Mānbryne answers that question with Heilsweg: O udrece ciala i tulaczce duszy.” Marinating in Mānbryne.

The Limit – Caveman Logic Review

By Steel Druhm on April 9, 2021 in Reviews, 25 comments

“I’m not the biggest fan of the so called “super group” or “all star collaboration.” Nine times out of ten these end up pointless vanity projects with little to recommend them beyond the cast of players. Are there exceptions? Sure, that’s why I said NINE out of ten. The Limit definitely qualifies as a super group, featuring members of Pentagram (Bobby Liebling) and 70s punk icons The Stooges (Jimmy Recca) and Testors (Sonny Vincent). In an effort to pay homage to the 70s punk scene the members cut their teeth in, Caveman Logic is a collection of hard charging garage rock tunes with a pronounced punk attitude.” Early men doing primitive rock,