4.0

The Body – Christs, Redeemers Review

By Alex Franquelli on October 4, 2013 in 2013, American Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Thrill Jockey, Sludge, 1 comment

“Nobody understands The Body. Not even The Body understand The Body. It is a musical gesture pure and simple, with no need to be described and no reason to be judged. It is there and then, with no epistemological meaning whatsoever; it is an artistic expression lying on an imaginary floor deprived of attributes. Or full of attributes, which is the same thing. This duo of pain inflictors from Portland, Oregon, knows how to fiddle with cacophony while, at the same time, titillating your senses with moments of supreme beauty. Not happy with the description?” When Alex gets in a groove, he doesn’t care if you like his descriptions or not. That won’t stop him for waxing poetic all about these sludgesters.

Obelyskkh – Hymn To Pan Review

By Natalie Zed on September 27, 2013 in 2013, Doom Metal, Exile On Mainstream Records, German Metal, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, 2 comments

“Bavarian doom barons Obelyskkh have turned to pagan imagery for the basis of their third full-length release, Hymn To Pan. A mix of doomy psychedelic and stoner sludge, the title of the record is drawn from a poem “Hymn of Pan” by romantic writer Percy Bysshe Shelley. Pan, a pagan god of wild places, music, and sexual freedom, is evoked with delicacy as a muse in Shelley’s poem, whereas Obelyskkh most definitely appeal to the goat-limbed gods darker and more lecherous side.” Anyone in the mood for A Midsummer’s Night Doom? Did I mention the “sexual freedom” part? This stuff sells itself!

Vattnet Viskar – Sky Swallower Review

By Grymm on September 18, 2013 in 2013, American Metal, Black Metal, Century Media, Doom Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 7 comments

“Any band or artist worth their salt will marry their influences to create something new, whether said influences are musical, aesthetic, or simply a product of their environment. Vattnet Viskar (roughly translated from Swedish as “the water whispers”) are definitely a product of the state of New Hampshire. When one pictures New Hampshire, he or she thinks of rolling hills with lush greenery, picturesque winters, and rivers of clean, flowing water… all from the northern half of the state. Southern New Hampshire (especially VV’s hometown of Plaistow) is a panoply of industrial parks, gas stations every block or two, oppressively hot summers where you can see the heat rising from the asphalt while walking out of a heavily populated 7-11, and the occasional forest or lake being slowly (and sadly) converted into a housing project. Sky Swallower flawlessly combines the two images into one cohesive, impressive album.” Black metal from the “live free or die” state makes a certain amount of sense and new writer Grymm makes his AMG debut to discuss why.

Grumbling Fur – Glynnaestra Review

By Alex Franquelli on September 9, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, English Metal, Not Metal, Reviews, Thrill Jockey, Not Metal, 3 comments

‘“Why did you start making music?” I asked, while pretending to sip the amazingly cheap red wine in my half-broken glass, scouting for what was left of my dignity while lying on the cold floor. I don’t think he ever gave me an answer, but there are times when Daniel O’Sullivan does not even bother formulating a reply. He breathed out another puff, I turned my head and gave an intoxicated nod to the ceiling while looking nowhere ahead of me. Grumbling Fur’s music is exactly like that whiff. It is not an answer because nobody has ever posed the right question.” If we ever needed someone to decipher that whiff of smoke, you know we’d call Alex to do so. He speaks smoke and obscurity, after all.

Ulcerate – Vermis Review

By Jordan Campbell on September 4, 2013 in 2013, Death Metal, New Zealand Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Death Metal, 5 comments

“Ulcerate’s emergence was rather inauspicious. Their first work, The Coming of Genocide, didn’t hold much promise. It was pretty standard for mid-aughts uber-blast brutality, assaultive to the point of redundancy. But there were some gnarly guitar squalls nestled in their amateurish blastfuckery, and on their first true album, Of Fracture and Failure, things started to get wild. Then, Everything is Fire happened, and things got real.” First Carcass and now this? It’s all big releases, all the time and and Jordan Campbell is on the job with his always insightful musings.

Primitive Man – Scorn Review

By Alex Franquelli on August 24, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Relapse, Reviews, Sludge, Hardcore, 3 comments

Oh the pleasure of punishment without guilt, of terror without a motive, of sadistic pain with too much uncontrolled joy and salty drops of unrequited love. Primitive Man call the bluff we all know as life by showing the vulgar side of our existences. Our bodies reek when in fear because the matter doesn’t lie; we do; it doesn’t. If less than 40 minutes of raw, filthy music played without compromises may sound like a sonic déjà-vu, don’t worry: you may be right. Primitive Man’s music is, in fact, an end to itself: an epic journey through punishing dissonances mostly played at an excruciatingly slow tempo. Eyehategod? Maybe. But more than 20 years after an album like In the Name of Suffering graced our ears, the demise of black metal, the growth of drone-based trends and the evolution of what some term ‘extreme music’ all give us an updated version of that masterpiece. It hurt then as it does now and the bleak landscape remains the same. Hate doesn’t evolve; it just gets bigger.” Alex is here to discuss life’s ugliness and pain, glorious pain. Apparantly this album makes him go on like Pinhead in a bondage bar.

Turisas – Turisas2013 Review

By Angry Metal Guy on August 23, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Century Media, Epic Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, Viking Metal, 19 comments

We all knew Turisas2013 was going to be a controversial record when the title was released. Turisas2013 doesn’t read like a particularly inspiring name for this Finnish ‘folk metal’ band’s latest record. One commenter quipped that it sounds like what they called the folder where you store the .wav files, not the title of the record itself. On top of that was the remarkably short turnaround time. Turisas isn’t a band known for its quick work, and they were coming off a remarkable and fascinating record from 2011 that I flat out loved. Recent history teaches us that ‘fucking with the formula‘ is generally a bad thing; if a band needs 5 years, give it to them! But just as Orphaned Land faced label pressure, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Turisas2013 was produced under pressure from a label that doesn’t want the world to forget that Turisas exists[1. Note: this is entirely speculation. No one told me shit.]. Whatever the reason for looking at a Turisas record in 2013 with the half-baked name of Turisas2013, it’s here… Is it everything you feared?

Shakhtyor – Shakhtyor Review

By Jordan Campbell on August 16, 2013 in 2012, 2013, 4.0, Cyclone Empire, Doom Metal, German Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Sludge, Sludge, 10 comments

“In an age where gimmicks run rampant, from Black Veil Brides to Shitfucker (two bands, if you think about it, that are basically brothers from different mothers), it’s refreshing to see a band get noticed merely on the basis of craftsmanship. Shakhtyor are so no-frills it hurts. They’re painfully unmarketable: three German dudes that look like, well, dudes, with an unpronounceable-to-most Russian moniker and a blatant disregard for the value of vocals.” Jordan Campbell weighs in with his first review for Angry Metal Guy — the obscure German sludge act Shakhtyor out in a few days from Metal Blade Records in the US.

Witherscape – The Inheritance Review

By Steel Druhm on August 13, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Century Media, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 17 comments

“There are few sure things in the world, but there’s one name that screams quality and excellence and that name is Dan Fucking Swanö. From his work on top-notch death metal albums like Edge of Sanity’s Crimson, his collarboration with Bloodbath, Threshold and Demiurg and his proggy solo albums like Moontower, the man has the midas touch and one of the best death roars of all time. He’s also a producer extraordinaire and perhaps the best at making death metal sound the way it should. Witherscape takes his hefty talents and pairs them with unknown instrumentalist Ragnar Widerberg and the result is a concept album about a gothic insane asylum and evil goings on. Musically, it’s a stunning mash-up of Crimson, Damnation-era Opeth, Omnium Gatherum, Mercyful Fate and even King Crimson.” Steel Druhm has a mancrush on Dan Swanö and you should too, unless you’re a woman. Join him as he explains why Witherscape justifies his love.

Parasite Inc – Time Tears Down Review

By Madam X on August 3, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, German Metal, GoodDamn Records, Melodic Death Metal, Releases, Reviews, Uncategorized, Melodic Death Metal, 9 comments

“Sheesh the Reaper’s working overtime this year! Every which way you turn there’s another corpse stinking up the joint. German melo death band Parasite Inc captured my eye (or maybe it was my ear) a few weeks back with their video for “The Pulse Of The Dead” off their sophomore release Time Tears Down. The video isn’t particularly flashy, there’s no blood and guts and no fancy scene set or story being told. Basically it’s just four musicians against a pretty stark background furiously slaughtering their instruments, catchy melodies challenging heavy grooves, creating no holds barred, modern, melodic death magic.” Melo death seems to be making a comeback in 2013 and Madam X is here to tell you if Parasite Inc. can help the revival.