3.5

Avantasia – The Mystery of Time Review

Avantasia – The Mystery of Time Review

“You have to give Tobias Sammet his steely props. He doesn’t do things half-assed. Nope, he goes big, bold and lets the Metal Gods sort shit out. His Edguy material is plenty pretentious and overblown, but it can’t hold a magic candle to the sheer pretentious pomposity and bombast of his Avantasia project. Taking cues from Arjen Luccasen’s Ayreon outings, Sammet drags in every singer, guitarist and hanger-on he can and it seems he’s playing a metallic version of Pokemon (gotta catch em all). His last feat was the impressive double release of the Angel of Babylon and The Wicked Symphony albums (my fanboyish reviews of which, landed me a spot at AMG Industries, Ltd. for some reason), and I was very curious how he could top those massive platters of symphonic excess.” So how exactly does Mr. Sammet top his prior output? Steel Druhm is here to unravel the mysteries of time.

Finntroll – Blodsvept Review

Finntroll – Blodsvept Review

I sometimes have wondered whether or not Finntroll is proof that we live in someone’s hypothetical universe. This smarmy imagineer in a banal universe somewhere, may have constructed an elaborate The Producers-like scheme to produce a flop that makes him money. “How about,” he says to himself, “a group of Finns, speaking in a minor dialect of Swedish, dressed up as characters from the LARP version of Changeling: The Dreaming and make folk-influenced heavy metal, complete with a screaming madman instead of a singer! Who on earth would buy that?” Were this hypothetical businessman able to see into our not-so-hypothetical universe he would most certainly be surprised to see that this motley menagerie of Österbottningar that fits his description are releasing their 6th full-length record in just a few days time — and it’s their second on one of metal’s premier labels.

Voodoo Circle – More Than One Way Home Review

Voodoo Circle – More Than One Way Home Review

“What do Alex Beyrodt (Primal Fear, Sinner, Silent Force), David Readman (Pink Cream 69), Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner), Jimmy Kresic (Liquid One, Steve Lukather) and Markus Kullmann (Dezperadoz) all have in common? A rather nice little, old timey, Deep Purple, Whitesnake and Rainbow colored hard rock supergroup by the name of Voodoo Circle, that’s what! I had no damn idea what I was getting myself into when I raided this off the promo list. Tagged as power metal, I suspected my selection would lack the maggot infested blackened corpses that usually scream out to me. But what I didn’t see coming was the album I expected from Jorn when I reviewed Symphonic. Feeling that expectation rise just a little huh?” Madam X is all about danrkness and evil, until a little Jorn shows up. Then she’s all rainbows, ponies and fairy dust. Voodoo Circle plays right into her fangirlism and here’s the result…

In Vain – Ænigma Review

In Vain – Ænigma Review

In Vain hails from Norway, famous for its black metal, its fjords, its oil, its social democracy, but certainly not its progressive death metal. It’s actually a little strange that the land that brought us Borknagar, Enslaved, Ulver, and Solefald has never really produced its own Opeth or In Mourning, instead outsourcing that to its less affluent and pampered neighbor to the east (that’d be Sweden for the geographically challenged). Without getting too much into regional politics, it’s safe to say that given how high on the hog these Norwegians live—exploiting their Swedish workers and guzzling crude oil at the state’s expense—it’s surprising that none of them have wandered into the melodic, progressive death metal genre. They certainly have access to enough subsidies for the arts to do so if they wanted to.

Philip H. Anselmo/Warbeast – War of the Gargantuas EP Review

Philip H. Anselmo/Warbeast – War of the Gargantuas EP Review

“I know nothing about music. No, seriously: I have no clue what this stuff is all about. I know this Anselmo guy was in a metallic band: one of those which must have done something cool back in the 1990s (no, not in the noughties, as far as someone has told me) because nowadays he is allowed to make music in many bands and he even produces many others. This album is only 18 minutes long and this is great because it’s filled with noises of all sorts, but it works because I really like it and it gives me the kind of adrenaline boosts I need when I feel exhausted. This is basically an album where Mr Anselmo and a band he put together for the occasion (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals) play the first and the third song, while another musical group called Warbeast play the even numbers.”

Mortillery – Origin of Extinction Review

Mortillery – Origin of Extinction Review

“In the sea of mediocre re-thrash that was 2012, the unheralded debut by Canadian upstarts Mortillery was one of the few life rafts of quality. Murder, Death, Kill was tongue-in-cheek fun and had all the flavor of the second wave of ’80s thrash while incorporating just enough traditional metal and punk elements to keep things interesting. You could feel the youthful exuberance and hunger in the band’s music and they greatly benefited from the exception vocals of Cara McCutchen and the axe slinging acumen of Alex Scott and Alex Guitierrez.” Steel Druhm happily trotted out the skull tank of rethrash for 2012s Mortillery debut, and now they’re back with a follow-up! Will that tank start up again after sitting all year?

Thyrfing – De ödelösa Review

Thyrfing – De ödelösa Review

Thyrfing might be one of Swedish metal’s ‘best kept secrets,’ an unfortunate moniker for any band. Having been around since the late ’90s and having released 6 full-length records through 2008, these Viking metallers have a history and deep respect in the scene – but not a ton of notoriety. As anyone who’s listened to pop radio should be aware, there is no direct correlation between notoriety and talent; while the former is great for those involved, the latter is better for fans and Thryfing produced 3 very well-respected records between 2000 and 2005 before going astray with 2008’s Hels vite following the departure of vocalist Thomas Väänänen. The band’s sound during that time developed, getting darker and less… well, let’s be frank about those keyboards… fruity.” Now that the band is releasing their second record with new vocalist Jens Rydén, Angry Metal Guy tells you whether or not these Swedish warriors have righted their longship.

Skineater – Dermal Harvest Review

Skineater – Dermal Harvest Review

“Dermal Harvest is the horror-drenched debut from Swedish extreme metal outfit Skineater. Though the band was together as early as 2008, it wasn’t until 2011 that they began to seriously court label interest, play live and record demos. They often market themselves as a supergroup of the extreme metal underground, as their members include guitarist and founder Håkan Stuvemark (ex – Wombbath, ex – In Thy Dreams, ex – Vicious), guitarist Kari Kainulainan (ex-Mourning Sign, ex-Amaran), drummer Matte Modin (Raised Fist, ex – Dark Funeral), bassist and backing vocalist Stefan Westerberg (ex-Carnal Forge, ex – In Thy Dreams) and vocalist Jörgen Ström (The Mary Major).” Natalie Zed gives you the lowdown on this Swedish death “supergroup” and tells you if they have enough skin in the game.

Suffocation – Pinnacle of Bedlam Review

Suffocation – Pinnacle of Bedlam Review

New York brutal death metal pioneers, Suffocation, have never sounded better. Even though their seventh studio album, Pinnacle of Bedlam, is the first without longtime drummer Mike Smith, the music’s percussive section has not lost its technical edge. Dave Culross—whose drumming last appeared on Suffocation’s 1998 EP, Despise the Sun—fulfills his role as the band’s blast-beating machine well. From the opening burst of percussive gunfire in opening track, “Cycles of Suffering”; to the sluggish, cymbals-heavy drumming heard in tenth and final track, “Beginning of Sorrow”; Culross displays an aptitude for adjusting the knob on the tempometer as and when appropriate. Still, there is not much creativity when it comes to filling in the aural blanks between both tracks, as Culross predictably serves up a plethora of blast beats. But hey, this is Suffocation. Expecting their drummer to do anything else but that is like expecting Crucio Siege Tanks to remain in tank mode while defending Terran bases [It’s like he’s speaking KlingonSteel Druhm].

Koldbrann – Vertigo Review

Koldbrann – Vertigo Review

“I’ve noticed that the face of Norwegian black metal is a changing, it’s becoming more adventurous, more rock infused, more progressive and God forbid, more accessible [well, it can’t get LESS accessibleSteel Druhm]. I can confirm however, that while they’re not just all about the evil any longer, they definitely haven’t lost sight or forgotten about the mighty Dark Lord Satan! Breath people, all is still right in the world.” How does Koldbrann fit in to this new movement? Follow Madam X on her trend analysis.