“Despite the myriad of line-up changes and a couple of sub-par albums, Dying Fetus have kept on trucking, paring themselves down to a lean and destructive trio and bouncing back to top form with 2012’s Reign Supreme. Now, some five years in the making they return with their eighth full-length release. So how does Wrong One to Fuck With stack up in the Fetus canon?” Load the Fetus cannon!
“‘Sir, the Tyrannosaurus’ are too strong. They’ve breached level four!’
‘Shit!’
‘What do we do!?’
‘I…uh…send for The Sorcerer. He’s our only hope now.’
‘But, sir, there’s a chance the atmosphere down there could cause a cataclysmic fusion. The Sorcerer could perish, or even worse…’
‘Just do it, rat! Either The Sorcerer succeeds or the Tyrannosorceress is born. God help us all.'” This theme park was a bad idea.
“Take a look at this Donald Trump inspired t-shirt released in early 2016. That was the first time that I had heard of Virginia’s crossover-thrash outfit Municipal Waste since their 2012 solid, but uninspired album The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space). While they released a couple of splits and EPs during the four years in-between, it was that stunt—a year later apparently more relevant than ever—that brought the (metal) public’s spotlight back on them.” Under new waste management.
“The AMG blog is a well-oiled machine. Thus, even a minor wrench in the gears on the part of the writers is met with the most dire of consequences. Last week, that wrench was yours truly, as I turned in a late review due to a sudden bout of illness that caused last-minute work (and general annoyance) on the part of our editors. You know what they say: you mess with the bull, you get the ‘core.” Let slip the dogs of ‘core.
“It’s mostly G rated, when it’s not violent, sick and twisted. That speaks to the accessibility of what you can expect from Drought Year’s sophomore release – Nothing More Than Worthless.” It’s a dry heat.
“Angry Metal Guy is angry. That was very meta and meme-ish, I know, but when he started the blog back in 2009, he had a lot of opinions about our favorite music of choice, and he was not afraid to share them. You know who else personifies Angry Metal Guy? Today is the Day’s Steve Austin.” Angry isn’t always a lifestyle choice.
“Three years ago, New York’s Tombs dropped an impressive album in the form of Savage Gold, a seamless meld of post-rock heaviness, Gothic sensibilities, and blackened ichor that yours truly enjoyed tremendously. Since then, guitarist/vocalist/mainman Mike Hill presided over a change of labels and personnel, adding vocalist and synth player Fade Kainer (ex-Batillus), drummer Charlie Schmid (Vaura, Gospel of the Witches) and guitarist Evan Void (Hivelords) to the fold. One thing Hill promises with each Tombs release is to expect the unexpected. With The Grand Annihilation dawning, has Hill found the winning recipe, that sweet spot of blackened Gothic perfection?” Reinventing the tomb.
“A funny thing happened to metalcore in the last six years or so. After the Killswitch Engages and As I Lay Dyings of the world spent years churning out Gothenburg riffs and tough-guy breakdowns like cheap beers at a frat party, metalcore bands finally listened to Periphery and started latching on to this new thing called ‘djent.'” Metalcore through the ages.
“In the opening moments of the original Conan the Barbarian film, Conan’s father holds up a newly forged sword and solemnly instructs his son that in their world, you can trust no man, woman or beast, only cold steel. This wisdom is as applicable today as it was in the Hyborian Age, but allow your own friendly neighborhood Steel to attach a modern-day proviso. When a new Iced Earth album arrives, you can trust it will include three things: bombast, bravado and triplets. Many, many triplets.” Orc-fried Ice.
“The thorough and rigorous research process which all bands with whom I’m unfamiliar undergo relented one key piece of information for Seattle’s A Flourishing Scourge: they shared a bill with Rhine who I reviewed last year and who I noted for their unusual and disparate range of influences.” Woe to the easily influenced.
