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Locust Leaves – A Subtler Kind of Light Review

By Eldritch Elitist on March 24, 2017 in 2017, Greek Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 44 comments

“Even the most stigmatized genres within the metal canon were born out of an earnest desire to innovate, and as such I’m willing to give any style — or in this case, a combination of styles — a fair shake. Enter Greece’s Locust Leaves, a band I was rather eager to cover due to their proclaimed fusion of prog, black, thrash, and doom metal. Locust Leaves does indeed cover all of these styles (and more!) in the span of just thirty-six minutes on their long-gestating debut A Subtler Kind of Light.” Many Greek chefs, small kitchen…FIGHT!

Brother Firetribe – Sunbound Review

By Steel Druhm on March 22, 2017 in 2017, Finnish Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Heavy Metal, 61 comments

“Were you one of those kids raised on Rocky movies? If you were, you soaked up those bombastic training montage scenes that were so essential to the Stallone flicks. You cheered as he ran along the beach, screamed as he climbed snowy mountains, shouted when he lifted 2 ton heavy things and whistled as he chased poultry around sketchy back alleys. Part of the thrill of those scenes was the relentlessly upbeat, hilarious cheesy soundtrack populated by the likes of 80s radio icons, Survivor.” The 80s called; they want their 80s music fans back.

Without Waves – Lunar Review

By Kronos on March 21, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 17 comments

“Chicago has a busy music scene, and I can hardly be bothered to go to shows even when bands I already like are playing, so there are plenty of cool second city bands that I’ve always heard of but never checked out. One such familiar name is Without Waves, an experimental/prog metal/rock outfit set to release their third album, Lunar, into a crowded field of new music this March 17th.” In a crowded field, is this brutal enough?

Lunar Shadow – Far From Light Review

By Steel Druhm on March 19, 2017 in 2017, Cruz Del Sur, Epic Metal, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, 55 comments

“Nostalgia is a part of life, as inescapable as death, taxes and back hair. In moderation it’s a wistful and harmless reminder of happy times and precious moments. Taken to extremes however, it becomes ABBA-centric musicals and ironical Hipster Hell (i.e. Williamsburg, Brooklyn). The biggest problem with throwback/retro nostalgia-core is the fact it must forever look backward at what’s already been done, rarely managing to inject modern ideas or sensibilities into the mix. Flying in the face of this truism, Lunar Shadow boldly strides out of Germany with a new take on living in the past.” A retro twofer? Everyone loves a bargain.

Evocation – The Shadow Archetype Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on March 11, 2017 in 2017, Melodic Death Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 24 comments

“I still remember the day I ventured into the world of Swedish melodic death metal. The time, the mood, the buying of so many albums. There was At the Gates’s Slaughter of the Soul, Dark Tranquillity’s Projector and Damage Done, In Flames’ Jester Race and Clayman, The Haunted’s debut and Made Me Do It, and Amon Amarth’s Fate of Norns. All purchased and consumed within weeks of each other. I was fucking hooked—ignoring reason (and my food budget) to please my insatiable craving for everything this genre had to offer.” The Left Hand Path has many toll booths.

Behind the Sun – Post Solis Review

By GardensTale on March 10, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Djent, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Djent, Progressive Metal, 21 comments

“We live in an age where trends tend to follow a very specific curve thanks to high-speed propagation and market saturation. Djent is no exception. The first stage is inception. A creator comes up with an idea, shares it, and becomes ground zero. Sometimes this is subtle and hard to trace back, sometimes it’s Meshuggah.” Consult the Djent Timeline if you will.

The Furor – Cavalries of the Occult Review

By Saunders on March 8, 2017 in 2017, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Transcending Obscurity, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 31 comments

“The patriot in me gets a little warm and fuzzy when contemplating the healthy state of the Australian metal scene. Whether it be divisive big guns Ne Obliviscaris and King Parrot, head-scratching experimental acts like Portal and Hope Drone, the thrashy old-school goodness of Hobbs’ Angel of Death and Deströyer 666, cutting edge modern tearaways Départe and Deadspace, or reliable tech death stalwarts Psycroptic, there’s a hugely satisfying selection of Aussie metal to satiate a wide variety of extreme tastes.” Is it just me or do Aussies like their D’s and P’s?

Atlas Pain – What the Oak Left Review

By El Cuervo on March 8, 2017 in 2017, Folk Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Symphonic Metal, Folk Metal, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 34 comments

“I like folk metal. It’s best when it takes the form of black metal infused with instrumentation and arrangements native to its respective country. Saor, Panopticon, and Nechochwen are truly great examples of this. The upbeat frolics of Finntroll, Korpiklaani, and their ilk are not merely average by comparison but actively annoying. I find their attempts at inducing happiness grating and vapid. There are logically two conclusions which I would likely reach following my random selection of Atlas Pain’s What the Oak Left: delight or irritation.” Not liking Korpiklaani is like hating dogs.

Rozamov – This Mortal Road Review

By Huck N Roll on March 8, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Battleground Records, Doom Metal, Dullest Records, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge, 14 comments

“While I (im)patiently wait for Pallbearer to drop their next tour de force upon us, I find myself digging through the promo bins looking for other angst-ridden doom to whittle away the days. Thus I stumbled upon the first full-length effort from Boston’s Rozamov.” Hold over doom is now a thing.

Zombie Motors Wrecking Yard – Supersonic Rock’n Roll Review

By Zephyrus on March 7, 2017 in 2017, Australian Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, 17 comments

“Supersonic Rock’n Roll is a hard hitting redneck rampage through the dusty deserts of the Australian outback. If you’ve never been, Zombie Motors is about to take you on a tour, like it or not.” Undead outback tours? That could be a money maker!