Happy Metal Guy waxes poetic about metal’s worst excesses and.. what? Likes them!? THAT’S IT! YOU’RE FUCKING FIRED!
4.5
Wodensthrone – Curse Review
Black metal and folk metal are tightly entwined in many ways, but also also have a fraught relationship. Both are often inspired my the beauty or bleakness of the natural world and frequently use pagan symbolism and iconography. Wodensthrone occupy a unique location in the liminal space between these two extremes.
Huntress – Spell Eater Review
Huntress is a theatrical band from SoCal that embodies everything we love to hate about SoCal. But, shit, sometimes even SoCal turns out stuff we love.
Inverloch – Dusk | Subside Review
Natalie Zed tells you why you should listen to the new Inverloch record. Like, maybe it’s good or something.
Anathema – Weather Systems Review
You can take the dirty hippy out of metal, but you can’t take the metal out of the dirty hippy.
Borknagar – Urd Review
Borky didn’t bork it this time.
Gorod – A Perfect Absolution Review
So Gorod doesn’t suck.
Asphyx – Deathhammer Review
In the opening stanza of the title track, legendary death gurgler Martin Van Drunen proudly proclaims “This is true death metal, you bastards!” Well, Mr. Drunen, you had me at “this.”
Pharaoh – Bury the Light Review
I’m a fan of Pharaoh, have been since their 2003 debut After the Fire. These Philly fanatics are the present and future of the new retro wave of traditional heavy metal (NRWOTHM) and over their short but solid career, they’ve fused retro ideals with prog and enough thrash sensibility to kick the required ass quotient.
Woods of Ypres – Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light Review
Life (and death) can certainly be strange. How else do you explain one of 2011’s most unfortunate events giving rise to 2012’s most unusual listening experience.