Alcest

Of the Muses – Senhal Review

By Twelve on November 8, 2023 in Reviews, 12 comments

“Good blackgaze feels way too hard to come by. There’s just something about the crossroad of metal and not metal that eludes so many artists and listeners. Done right, it’s one of my preferred styles of metal, allowing for intense beauty and vivid emotion at the same time, so I was excited to have the opportunity to review Senhal, the debut full-length album from Italy’s Of the Muses. According to its promotional material, the album mixes doom, black, and post-metal alongside dreampop elements in a mesh of blackgaze.” Gaze into the void.

Ashbringer – We Came Here to Grieve Review

By Carcharodon on September 26, 2023 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Noise, Post-Metal, Sludge, 64 comments

“I have fond memories of Ashbringer’s third record, Absolution. Now, in part, this could be put down to the fact that I wrote the review while sipping an ice cold beer by the river in the picturesque city of Hội An, Vietnam. It could also be because Absolution got me my first Record o’ the Month back in June 2019, a victory that I naturally ascribe entirely to myself, rather than to the fact that Ashbringer wrote a great, progressive black metal record.” Ash fanciers.

Deadly Carnage – Endless Blue Review

By Thus Spoke on September 13, 2023 in Reviews, Post-Metal, 44 comments

“Deadly Carnage are a band who have really evolved. Beginning—as their vicious-sounding name might imply—in the bleakest of black metal, they have progressively moved into post-black territory, and their music seems only to have strengthened throughout. As they have substituted more and more harsh vocals for clean singing, dissonant chords for layered harmonies, and blastbeats for swaying, doomier rhythms, their sound has grown more introspective and intriguing.” Deadly evolution.

An Autumn for Crippled Children – Closure Review

By Doom_et_Al on August 3, 2023 in Reviews, Shoegaze, 41 comments

“For a while there, around 2013, when black metal briefly flirted with being cool, it seemed like everyone and their dog were trying to be the next, “Black metal but with [insert random genre here, the weirder the better].” One of the weirder projects, both conceptually and in name, was The Netherlands’ An Autumn for Crippled Children (AAfCC). Fusing black metal and dream pop, it was shoegazey… but lighter; post-metally… but shriekier.” Crippled but able.

Woods of Desolation – The Falling Tide Review

By Ferox on December 5, 2022 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Post-Metal, 34 comments

“Australia’s Woods of Desolation makes metal to metaphor by. The band’s evocative style of blackgaze, preoccupied with the natural world and the passage of time, provokes strong reactions from their small but passionate cadre of fans. The Falling Tide is WoD’s first album since 2014’s As the Stars. That one dropped during what can be called Peak Blackgaze, when outfits like Alcest and especially Deafheaven briefly captivated mainstream audiences and divided the backpatch set with their twinkling takes on metal’s trvest subgenre.” All star gazers.

ArcTanGent 2022 – A Triumphant Return

By Carcharodon on September 20, 2022 in Live Reviews, 44 comments

Two members of the esteemed AMG staff attended the ArcTanGent Festival in Somerset, England. How many returned? Read the journal entries we recovered and pray for those we lost.

Kardashev – Liminal Rite Review

By Carcharodon on June 8, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Doom, Death Metal, Post-Metal, 175 comments

“In the year that was 2020—you know, that year—I stumbled across an EP by an unsigned band from Arizona. That EP was The Baring of Shadows by Kardashev, an absolutely devastating record about harrowing heartache and managing mourning. Combining elements of black and post-metal with progressive death, Kardashev’s self-styled deathgaze casually sauntered to #5 on my 2020 List despite only comprising four tracks, one of which (“Snow-Sleep”) also took my Song o’ the Year spot. It seems I wasn’t the only one Kardashev impressed. It was announced in January 2021 that the quartet had signed to Metal Blade. To say I was pumped for the sophomore full-length would be something of an understatement.” Fanboy summer.

Demiricous – Chaotic Lethal Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on May 10, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 43 comments

“When you listen to Demiricous’ first two records, they clearly didn’t know what sound, style, or production they wanted. One is more At the Gatesy and relatively dynamic in the mix. The other is a Hatesphere punishment that makes your ears scream in pain. Back in the saddle, Demiricous has brought all their death/thrash influences together on Chaotic Lethal.” Chaotic good or chaotic bad?

Falls of Rauros – Key to a Vanishing Future Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on March 24, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 54 comments

“This multi-instrument outfit continues to work with its traditional format of six tracks over forty-five minutes. But, while this new record doesn’t have anything you haven’t already heard, the band has a knack for execution. Somehow, they continue to breathe uniqueness into each effort and supply just enough originality to make each new record different from the last.” Vanishing returns?

Lantlôs – Wildhund Review

By El Cuervo on July 26, 2021 in Reviews, Alt-Metal, Post-Metal, 27 comments

“Lantlôs (should) need no introduction to those who are familiar with post metal genres. Their core song-writer and multi-instrumentalist, Markus Siegenhort, was there at the genesis of ‘blackgaze,’pushing black metal into a sound that would arguably define its existence through the 2010s. Even Neige of Alcest can be heard on earlier records. This culminated in the 2014’s Melting Sun which is not only the greatest blackgaze record ever but also one of my favorites from the last decade. However, it’s been such a long time since that moment that I feared the band had faded into obscurity. Social media murmurs from last year gave rise to hope and now 2021 finally brings us a sequel called Wildhund. How is their bite after so long?” Long delayed post.