3.5

Borknagar – Universal Review

Borknagar – Universal Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 22, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Indie Recordings, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 1 comment

Borknagar is a class act and has been for a long time. Reaching all the way back to their first, self-titled release, this band has separated itself from the herd by being just plain more interesting and unique. Eventually they just separated themselves from the modern black metal scene altogether, heading towards more progressive pastures. Universal continues a trend away from the raw and simple towards the highly complex, dynamic and progressive—but the question is whether or not the band’s fans and general public will want to follow the band in this direction. Well, and whether or not where the band is leading is somewhere worth going. [Read the whole review here.]

Aeternam – Disciples of the Unseen Review

Aeternam – Disciples of the Unseen Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 15, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Metal Blade, Power Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, 4 comments

Egyptian metal is apparently a genre now! I didn’t have any clue! I just thought it was kind of a thing that Nile did. And then it was Nile and Behemoth. And then it was Nile, Behemoth and SepticFlesh. And now it’s Nile, Behemoth, SepticFlesh and Aeternam! I think that counts as a genre! So, that’s pretty cool in and of itself. Oh, and it turns out that Aeternam is pretty cool themselves, leading to a generally all around happy feeling for a few fleeting moments before the general irritants that keep me so angry all the time come crashing back in.

Troll – Neo Satanic Supremacy Review

Troll – Neo Satanic Supremacy Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 22, 2010 in 2010, 3.5, Black Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 0 comments

Troll is the side project of former Dimmu Borgir bassist current The Kovenant vocalist Nagash (aka Lex Icon), but it also has the honor of being the first project he was ever involved with at the very young age of about 14. However, after the band fell apart it soon became his solo project and has gone through some various incarnations over the year. If one were to give Neo-Satanic Supremacy a cold listen, one would not every know that a major transformation had taken place in the band’s history. No, instead one would assume that Nagash had quit Dimmu Borgir to produce this very record. Because, well, frankly it sounds like the band circa 1998.

Ihsahn – After Review

Ihsahn – After Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 12, 2010 in 2010, 4.0, Black Metal, Candlelight, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 8 comments

Easily one of the most anticipated records of 2010 for me has been Ihsahn’s new offering. While I was a passing Emperor fan, really just a fan of In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk-era, I was taken by Ihsahn’s solo stuff. The Adversary felt fresh, progressive enough, a step away from the later Emperor material of which I wasn’t a fan, and it captured the sonic styles and textures that he was never quite allowed to explore while in Emperor. The record didn’t stick with me as I had hoped, while I listened to it occasionally it didn’t hold a steadfast position in my discography. On the other hand, angL blew me away. Probably the finest record of 2008, angL has maintained a steady place in the rotation and is a record that I’ve showed to dozens of people. Perfectly produced, perfectly composed and smartly written, angL contained everything that I wanted out of a new progressive metal record. So, of course, when I heard that Ihsahn would be releasing a new record in 2010, I became justifiably excited.

Three – Revisions Review

Three – Revisions Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 28, 2009 in 2009, 3.5, American Metal, Metal Blade, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 3 comments

Progressive rock and metal have been looking for a new band to update the genre with something new and original for a long time. While the progressive metal sub-genre has expanded outward, it seems like progressive rock has been left to whiny emo kids and their pretentious and totally incomprehensible space odysseys. Though in recent times bands like The Dear Hunter have started to appear, they tend to be far more eclectic, and rock oriented than I think many fans of progressive guitar rock are really looking for. So when Three burst onto the scene a few years back and was, really, the first band to do something new and interesting with progressive rock since the mid-90s, they began getting some well-deserved attention.

Nile – Those Whom the Gods Detest Review

Nile – Those Whom the Gods Detest Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 26, 2009 in 2009, 3.5, Death Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, 3 comments

Nile has long been one of the few brutal death metal bands, in that sort of Hate Eternal vein that I’ve ever been a real big fan of. They have, probably due to the judicious use of their musical talent, been able to make a type of brutal death metal that is interesting and varied enough that it doesn’t feel like a waste of time to listen to. Actually, that’s the understatement of the year. These masters of grindy death metal have produced some of the most memorable death metal albums of the modern death metal era starting in earnest with their classic record Black Seeds of Vengeance in 2000, but continuing through to today. 2007’s masterpiece Ithyphallic made my top 10 list and I have been greatly anticipating my chance to listen to the new opus, entitled Those Whom the Gods Detest.

Gorgoroth – Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt Review

Gorgoroth – Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 26, 2009 in 2009, 3.5, Black Metal, Regain Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 0 comments

Gorgoroth is almost more infamous than famous these days. Known for the extremity of its members, its outrageous and genuinely evil and offensive stage shows and, most recently, its law suit, the band has gained the respect of the black metal scene in recent years for moving ahead of the pack with a calculated but extremely raw sound. 2003’s Twilight of the Idols and the band’s 2006 release Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam had seen the band slipping from the hands of the former primary writer into the hands of King ov Hell. With that, the sound of Gorgoroth became far more aggressive, blasty and chaotic. Of course, with the split, Gorgoroth reverted to Infernus who wasted no time in producing a new ode to Satan: Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt.

Hypocrisy – A Taste of Extreme Divinity

Hypocrisy – A Taste of Extreme Divinity

By Angry Metal Guy on October 26, 2009 in 2009, 3.5, Death Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Swedish Metal, 0 comments

Hypocrisy – A Taste of Extreme Divinity Rating: 3.5/5.0 Label: Nuclear Blast (EU | USA) Website(s): hypocrisy.tv | myspace.com/hypocrisy Release Date(s): USA: 11.3.2009 | EU: 23.10.2009 Hypocrisy is a band that should need no introduction in the world of modern death metal. But, surprisingly to me, many in the American scene still are not aware […]

Epica – Design Your Universe Review

Epica – Design Your Universe Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 12, 2009 in 2009, 3.5, Nuclear Blast, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 11 comments

Epica is a symphonic power metal/gothic metal band from the Netherlands that has really taken the scene and the world by storm since their founding in 2002 due to the amazing voice of their mezzo-soprano vocalist (who also happens to be a hotty, there are no coincidences in metal) Simone Simons and the epic *cough* nature of their music. Design Your Universe is the band’s fifth album, and honestly, the first one I’ve ever sat through assuming the band would be like a mix of old Theatre of Tragedy and Nightwish.