3.5

Autumnal – The End of the Third Day Review

By Steel Druhm on October 17, 2014 in 2014, Cyclone Empire, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Doom Metal, 24 comments

“Kindly overlook the album cover you see to the left. Not only does it lack the good grace to include some kind of cool spherical object, but it also resembles something from a Christian new age rock group (the kind they play at inoffensive volumes in Christian, new age-y coffee joints). Worse still, it doesn’t give the slightest indication that Autumnal is a winningly morose, melodic doom act from Spain, or that The End of the Third Day is destined to be one of the sleeper hits of 2014.” Are you ready to feel those gloriously sad feels?

Rigor Mortis – Slaves to the Grave Review

By Steel Druhm on October 14, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 4 comments

“Rigor Mortis is about as cult a name as there is in the annals of thrash. Unable to capitalize on the genre’s first wave in the mid 80s, the band’s 88′ debut was a wild, almost cartoonish dose of speed with death undertones that arrived just in time for the entire thrash genre to go over the proverbial cliff due to oversaturation.” This may be the surprise of the year right here.

Calm Hatchery – Fading Reliefs Review

By Mark Z. on October 13, 2014 in 2014, Death Metal, Polish Metal, Reviews, Selfmadegod Records, Death Metal, 8 comments

“Ah, Polish death metal. The riffing quivers with imperial might, the drumming carpet-bombs soundscapes like F-22s over Syrian ISIS outposts, the band names evoke titanic sacrilegious deities or bear primal aggression with their blunt simplicity: Behemoth, Hate, Azarath, Decapitated, and – Calm Hatchery. Uh – the fuck? Yes, forming in 2002 with a moniker that calls to mind cuddly newborn dinosaurs instead of ragged bleeding neck stumps, Calm Hatchery already stacked the cards against themselves….” Worst band name ever? We report, you decide.

Allen/Lande – The Great Divide Review

By Steel Druhm on October 8, 2014 in 2014, Frontiers Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 11 comments

“A talented singer can become, in the hands of a skilled songsmith, a powerful tool for artistic expression. In such a craftsman’s nimble fingers, powerful vocals can be woven and molded to create a truly sublime listening experience. Likewise, in the hands of a rank amateur, those same vocal gifts can become nothing but a hammer, and every song the nail.” When you learn who is responsible for crafting songs for these metal legends, you may fear a hammering in your immediate future.

Orange Goblin – Back From the Abyss Review

By Steel Druhm on October 3, 2014 in 2014, Candlelight Records, Doom Metal, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 3 comments

“The pub gremlins known as Orange Goblin are back and once again, they’ve been fed after midnight and doused with way too much cheap beer and rotgut whiskey. For the uninitiated, that means more rowdy outlaw biker rock filled with southern blues, doom and stoner influences that all get sent crashing into the rocks of macho bravado and testosterone. Following up 2012s enjoyably soused A Eulogy for the Damned, Back From the Abyss keeps the sketchy pool hall chic intact and adds more dumbbells, prison tattoos and Lemmy-isms for a potent potable of in-your-face, no bullshit biker metal.” Grab the moonshine and the brass knuckles, the Goblins are back in the bar!

Internal Bleeding – Imperium Review

By Al Kikuras on September 24, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, 17 comments

“Internal Bleeding helped to pioneer the much maligned (but somewhat loved) ‘slam’ death metal genre over 20 years ago, and are by most accounts the first band to use the term. As the premiere slam band alongside Suffocation, they’ve been divisive since day one.” Love em or hate em, they’re back to get all Strong Island on your ass.

Madrost – Into the Aquatic Sector Review

By Saunders on September 22, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 16 comments

“After consuming my fill of thick gourmet stew from doom heavyweights YOB and Pallbearer over the past month, it’s refreshing to get back to some no-frills meat and potatoes metal, courtesy of unsigned Californian thrashers Madrost. Firstly, the fact the band is unsigned is a little baffling, especially when considering the subpar tripe that winds up on labels these days. Not that Madrost are a particularly game changing or innovative band ready to set the metal underground ablaze, but they certainly have the chops and enough of their own identity to warrant a record deal.” It has been said we only review thrash here at AMG (or was it death)? Either way, here’s some fucking thrash!

Northern Oak – Of Roots and Flesh Review

By Lord Doom on September 20, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, English Metal, Folk Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 3 comments

“Oh no, not another folk metal album! Time to sit through tales of drinking, paganistic pride, the majestic Scandinavian forests, and- Oh wait, that’s not the case here? Okay, false alarm. Jokes aside, I do enjoy a healthy dose of folk metal. Sure you’ve got your standards like Ensiferum and Korpiklaani that are among the bigger folk metal names, but deep down inside there’s some really well-hidden gems in the scene. Unfortunately, it seems that with every decent folk metal band you find, there’s at least five mediocre ones. South Yorkshire’s Northern Oak falls in the middle of the greats and the wannabes, and it leaves them in an interesting place, considering how small of a band they are judging by the Facebook likes.” We like judging musical talent by Facebook likes. It’s what we do.

Noctem – Exilium Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on September 19, 2014 in 2014, 3.5, Art Gates Records, Black Metal, Death Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 10 comments

“I’ve been listening to a LOT of Blackened Death Metal lately and I have to say the whole “symphonic black/death” style is really sinking its teeth into the genre. I’m not condemning it, but sometimes these symphonic elements can easily be overdone. Septicflesh is a good example of the sort of over-the-top delivery to be had with their dark, symphonic landscapes. Though I’ve become quite a fan of theirs, their shit is literally dripping with orchestration. As expected, a clear line was been drawn between those that dig these metal movie soundtracks and those that don’t.” Is Noctem the new Septicflesh? Is Septicflesh the new black? All things will be revealed after you listen to your free U2 album.

Sick of It All – Last Act of Defiance Review

By Dr. Fisting on September 18, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Hardcore, Reviews, Hardcore, 2 comments

“Having formed at the tail end of hardcore’s first wave, New York’s Sick Of It All is one of the few HC bands — possibly the only one — that not only still exists, but continues to make powerful, relevant music. Decades after most of their contemporaries have imploded in a cloud of drama and/or poor judgment (oh hi, Cro-Mags), SOIA is still at it. They’ve never gone soft, never staged a “comeback,” and haven’t had a lineup change since Clinton’s first term.” NYC hardcore…is there any other kind? Nah, not really.