Alcest

Cartographs – Wilt & Blossom Review

By Grymm on March 1, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Post-metal, Prime Collective, Reviews, Shoegaze, Black Metal, Shoegaze, 90 comments

“Right now, while the rest of the United States is either snowing or trying to thaw, right in my happy home in Florida, it’s starting to become summer already. While many people find this concept idyllic, in reality it feels kinda gross and dreary. The sudden increase in temperatures and humidity, along with grey skies, compounds feelings of dread and sadness as the grey permeates and hovers until the skies finally break, and we are delivered that deluge of rain that makes everything somewhat better. It’s rare to come across an album that captures that break effectively. Wilt & Blossom, the debut album by Danish upstarts Cartographs, managed to do so with great ease.” Haze of torment.

Joyless Euphoria – Dreaming in Ultraviolet Review

By Kronos on February 25, 2019 in 2019, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Boersma Records, Reviews, Shoegaze, Black Metal, Shoegaze, 77 comments

“Even before Sunbather set off a scene-cred melee best likened in both intensity and contrivance to the Hedley Lamarr goons/Rock Ridge citizens brawl in Blazing Saddles, post-black metal was no spring chicken. James Kelley of Altar of Plagues suggested that the band’s change of direction on Teethed Glory and Injury was at least in part due to boredom with a stagnant scene and despite the downright bacterial rate at which post-black metal bands spawn, I can think of very few remarkable records in the style that have come out in recent years.” Blue light special.

Astronoid – Astronoid Review

By Mark Z. on January 31, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Blood Music, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Shoegaze, Progressive Metal, Shoegaze, 69 comments

“You wake up and everything seems better. The air is fresher, the sun is brighter, and you feel a sense of hope you haven’t felt in years. That’s what it was like listening to Astronoid’s 2016 debut Air for the first time. From out of nowhere, the Massachusetts quartet burst onto the scene with a style that hit the perfect sweet spot between fresh and familiar. Combining Deafheaven-esque music with airy, poppy singing, the band built off their experience in Vattnet Viskar to create something truly original, something that soared through a world of timeless innocence right onto my Album o’ the Decade shortlist.” Following a dream.

Rauhnåcht – Unterm Gipfelthron Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 10, 2019 in 2018, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Debemur Morti, Folk Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 49 comments

“Shit, there’re still albums coming out in 2018? Good ones, too? Yet, with my top ten already complete, it’s easy to write off December. But Madam X‘s watchful eye doesn’t sleep. And thank your lucky stars for that. Because we would have walked right past Rauhnåcht’s newest release, Unterm Gipfelthron.” Nearly missed.

Nature Morte – NM1 Review

By GardensTale on November 21, 2018 in 2018, Argonauta Records, Black Metal, French Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, 44 comments

“Ladies and gentleman, today is a milestone. Since joining AMG, I have reviewed everything from stoner to Gothic, thrash to black and back. I’ve dabbled in death metal, slithered through sludge and appraised the avant-garde. But the one genre I never picked up was post-black. My experience with the style starts at A and ends at lcest, and even with them I haven’t paid much attention since Eçailles des Lunes. The genre simply had little allure to me, even though I do enjoy some post-other type of bands, and I figured other writers would be better suited to place those records in the proper context. But as I still enjoy spinning the promo roulette, the little silver ball had to bounce to post-black one day.” Always bet on post-black.

Sylvaine – Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone Review

By Grymm on November 1, 2018 in Ambient Metal, Black Metal, French Metal, Norwegian Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Ambient Metal, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 109 comments

“Back in 2016, Katherine Shepard, aka Norwegian/French multi-instrumentalist Sylvaine, dropped an impressive album of beautiful soundscapes in Wistful, taking the groundwork laid down by the likes of Alcest and branching out into greener, more ambient paths. In doing so, Sylvaine provided a soundtrack to some amazing memories, and when word dropped that she was working on a follow-up, to say that some of us were frothing at the bit to give it a listen would be a mild understatement.” Light in the darkness.

Vardan – Unholy Lightless Summer Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on August 8, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Italian Metal, Moribund Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 108 comments

“It’s lunchtime time and you know what that means: AMG time. You open your phone and you see this review at the top of the page. “Fucking Vardan?” you say. “Doesn’t AMG have an embargo on this guy?” you ask. Your mood has changed. Your day has flip-turned upside down. You can’t do this right now. You consider not reading the review. But you know that would be a mistake. You’re dying to know what lifted the embargo. You know you want an Unholy Lightless Summer.” Ograbme!

Møl – Jord Review

By Mark Z. on April 28, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Holy Roar Records, Reviews, Shoegaze, Black Metal, Shoegaze, 53 comments

“Maybe it’s just me, but shoegazey black metal just isn’t as exciting as it used to be. It’s easy to forget just how groundbreaking Alcest’s debut truly was, and though Deafheaven caught a lot of flack for their apparent Pitchfork pandering, I always found Sunbather to be a captivating, dreamy, and refreshingly honest record in a genre that’s far too often up its own ass with being ‘cvlt’ and ‘trve.’ But as happens, the style got saturated, the pioneers got mediocre, and these days the release of a new ‘blackgaze’ album generates about as much anticipation as getting a colonoscopy.” Pucker up, hipstercups!

Sojourner – The Shadowed Road Review

By Eldritch Elitist on March 20, 2018 in 2018, Avantgarde Music, Black Metal, International Metal, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 82 comments

“For just a moment I’m going to break Angry Metal Guy‘s most sacred of journalistic vows to explain how Sojourner’s The Shadowed Road ended up in my undeserving hands. Occasionally, one of our editors will send out an office-wide memo requesting a quick turnaround on a high profile review. Such was the case with Sojourner’s sophomore effort, and while this Swede-Kiwi joint venture yielded a decent debut in 2016’s Empires of Ash, what I perceived as a safe, derivative take on the atmospheric black/folk formula failed to hoist me up on the bandwagon. Volunteering to cover its follow-up, then, was an action born as much from curiosity as it was from a desire to stem undeserved hype. Well, fuck me running, because this time the hype is more than deserved.” All aboard the H-train.

Harakiri for the Sky – Arson Review

By Mark Z. on February 13, 2018 in 2018, Art of Propaganda, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 1 comment

“If there’s a more promising band out there than Harakiri for the Sky, I don’t know of them. Formed in 2011, this Austrian duo first came to my attention with 2014’s Aokigahara, whose crisp, riffy take on post-black metal was a welcome change from the Alcesty haziness overflowing the genre. My love affair continued with 2016’s III: Trauma, a terrific album that narrowly missed a spot on my year-end list with its lush, gorgeous melodies. Since then Harakiri’s gifted songwriting and unique style have built a rabid fanbase (including both myself and Master of Muppets), making Arson one of my most anticipated records of the year.” Ooooo… the suspense! So much filthy click-bait. I wonder how this is going to end…