American Metal

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: Body Count – Manslaughter

By Diabolus in Muzaka on January 6, 2015 in American Metal, Rap Metal, Sumerian Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Rap Metal, 35 comments

“June 10th, 2014: I looked out of my window and saw pigs flying, and shortly thereafter received a text from Satan asking why Hell just froze over. Suddenly I remembered that Ice-T’s rap metal outfit Body Count had just released Manslaughter, so I grabbed hold of one of the aforementioned pigs and flew to my local record store to pick up a copy. Upon hearing Manslaughter in its entirety, I texted Satan the answer to his question: “because a great rap metal album was released in 2014.”” There goes the neighborhood, again!

Volahn – Aq’Ab’Al Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 6, 2015 in 2015, American Metal, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Post-metal, Reviews, The Ajna Offensive, Black Metal, 25 comments

“Being my first review of 2015, I think it’s fitting that I wish all the AMGers out there a Happy New Year. May it be filled with joy! Conversely, I have two words for 2014: fuck you.” Before we embrace the shiny new year, Dr. A.M. Grier has to air some grievances. He also reviews some interesting black metal.

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: Black Anvil – Hail Death

By Mark Z. on December 24, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Relapse, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 4 comments

“Three years ago at a Krallice show in New York, a band named Black Anvil took stage, struck an immense wall-shaking chord, and immediately captivated my unsuspecting ears with their hefty, head-crushing riffs. Unlike the post-progressive-neo-sludge-blueberry muffin-whatever I expected to accompany Krallice, Black Anvil was firmly grounded in the primal forms of extreme metal, somehow combining black, death, thrash, and doom without sounding like they’d spent the last decade huffing rubber cement and playing Celtic Frost records backwards.” Holidays go better with rubber cement huffing.

Sans Soleil – A Holy Land Beneath A Godless Sky Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on December 22, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, Not Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, Tofu Carnage Records, Doom Metal, Drone, Not Metal, Post-Metal, 6 comments

“How often do you think of an instrumental band that substitutes that wishful vocalist with the swooning leads of a viola? My guess is never. You never think of that. Well, the masterminds behind Sans Soleil thought about it for you.” My mom always says “if you have a viola, you have everything.”

Dimesland – Psychogenic Atrophy Review

By Kronos on December 21, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Avante Garde, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Unsigned Bands, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 6 comments

“Yep, this is one of those albums. There’s not a sphere to be had on that cover, much less a corpse, but it remains one of the more striking and subtly unnerving pieces of album art around. It’s not like other covers, and Dimesland is not like other bands. Psychogenic Atrophy is the Oakland, California quartet’s first LP, hoping to ride on the coattails of bizarre death metal bands like Gorguts and Pyrrhon that we all love so dearly. Yet Psychogenic Atrophy provides us with a plastic disc filled with a music that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike technical death metal.” No sphere to be had, but this is far from bad.

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: Mike LePond’s Silent Assassins

By Al Kikuras on December 19, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 5 comments

“Symphony X nerds rejoice! Then again, maybe you won’t. Symphony X bassist Mike LePond’s first solo effort was released in September of this year and those expecting LePond to stick to his primary band’s keyboard-laden progressive metal path may be sorely disappointed. If you are, get that geeky head out of your pale behind (if you can get up off it long enough between games of Skyrim)…” New Jersey knows metal, and Al Kikuras knows New Jersey.

Retro-spective Review: Zao – Liberate Te Ex Inferis

By Grymm on December 16, 2014 in American Metal, Metalcore, Retro Reviews, Solid State, Tooth & Nail, Metalcore, 7 comments

“I realize that my covering this album will be a little controversial for some readers out there. Yes, the cover is a close-up of a dude’s heavily made-up eyeball, accentuated by black fingernail-polished hands. And yes, it’s metalcore.” We dont often highlight metalcore albums (for obvious reasons ), but Grymm has a soft spot for this golden oldie of the core scene.

Things You Might Have Missed: Dawnbringer – Night of the Hammer

By Steel Druhm on December 15, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Profound Lore Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 27 comments

“One of the biggest disappointments this year was Profound Lore’s inexplicable failure to get us a copy of the new Dawnbringer promo, Night of the Hammer. Due to said failure, it was we who might have missed one of the best albums of the year. I’ve been a major supporter of Chris Black’s (High Spirits, Pharaoh, ex-Nachtmystium) weird proto-metal project ever since their outre Nucleus platter, and I was equally bowled over by 2012’s Into the Lair of the Sun God. Maintaining the band’s upward trajectory once again, Night of the Hammer takes the Dawnbringer sound even further backward into metal’s past.” Like a hammer to a nail, so are the days of our metal lives….

Things You Might Have Missed 2014: Enabler – La Fin Absolue du Monde

By Jean-Luc Ricard on December 10, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Century Media, Hardcore, Metalcore, Things You Might Have Missed 2014, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Metalcore, 13 comments

“Last year, two EPs caught me totally off-guard. For a long time I just couldn’t get on with any form of punk – despite my penchant for good grind – though in recent years my tastes have developed and I’ve been increasingly delving into the –core end of things. But I was totally unprepared for how much I would enjoy Tide of Iron’s split with Grace (The Hard Work EP), and even more so Enabler’s Flies.” When we at AMG get surprised, we make sure you hear about it toot sweet.

Zero Down – No Limit to the Evil Review

By Steel Druhm on December 9, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Minotauro Records, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 9 comments

“If there was ever a band making music because they wanted to and not caring if anyone else liked it, Zero Down is it. These cats have been lurking in the most obscure corners of metaldom since 2002 and managed to self release three prior albums, with No Limit to the Evil being the latest. They rock an olden style of metal something like a mash up of British Steel era Judas Priest mixed with Motorhead, hard rock and punk, and in all honestly, it’s a bit of a hot mess.” That cover says a lot, but doesn’t tell the whole story.