Amorphis

Vorna – Sateet palata saavat Review

By Master of Muppets on September 23, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Lifeforce Records, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Folk Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 45 comments

“With the annual pilgrimage to dead leaves and perpetual darkness underway, an appropriate soundtrack is imperative to survival; I need something that will simultaneously sonically augment the surrounding scenery as well as shield me from its scheduled sadness, something which will bring this death to life and save me from it. Such a savior has arrived in the form of Vorna’s Sateet palata saavat, and though I am loathe to share such splendor with the likes ov you, the urge to babble about said greatness has temporarily overtaken my selfish recalcitrance: you’re welcome, yo.” The autumn wind smells like Muppet.

Manntra – Oyka! Review

By Twelve on July 29, 2019 in 2019, Croatian Metal, Folk Metal, NoCut Entertainment, Reviews, Folk Metal, 21 comments

“Why do people listen to folk metal? For that matter, why do I listen to folk metal? There are many plausible answers to this strangest of questions, beginning with “power metal and Vikings are a great combination,” and spanning all the way to “flutes are cool, man.” Truthfully, I think “folk metal” is too broad a term. When I first stumbled across Okya!, the fourth full-length from Croatian folk metal band Manntra, I was intrigued by the “folk metal” tag the band carried, but also brought with me the usual trepidation of not really knowing what to expect. Ensiferum folk metal and Eluveitie folk metal are, after all, very different metals, but both fall under the same basic tag.” A jig in a folk.

Rogga Johansson – Entrance to the Otherwhere Review

By Eldritch Elitist on July 19, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Transcending Obscurity, Death Metal, 35 comments

“Whatever happened to melodic death metal? No, I don’t mean power metal with harsh vocals, as the term’s modern connotation entails. I’m talking about classic, knuckle-dragging death metal riffage, paired with somber, melodic atmosphere; the sort explored by Edge of Sanity, Tales from the Thousand Lakes-era Amorphis, and others during the 90’s. It’s a specific concoction that fell out of popularity as the genre pushed ever onward down increasingly brutal and complex avenues. And yet, Rogga remembers.”Rogga! Rogga!

Bloodred Hourglass – Godsend Review

By Holdeneye on June 25, 2019 in 2019, Finnish Metal, Groove Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Out of Line Music, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 45 comments

“Last year, no fewer than eight AMG staff members placed Queen of Time by Amorphis somewhere on their year end list. If you’re reading this and happen to be one of the eight people whose names are written in bolded burnt orange in support of that album on this page — especially if your name starts with Angry and ends in Guy — please stop reading now and go about your business elsewhere. I’ll be honest with you, I never once made it all the way through that album in one sitting despite trying in earnest six times. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to love on Queen of Time, but that’s just it — there’s a lot of it. The sugary melodies are great, but the album and most of its songs are far too long and there is not enough heaviness to balance out the pop. I was content to remain silent in my dissent until I began spinning Godsend, the fourth record from a different Finnish band, Bloodred Hourglass.” Hourglass houses and stones.

AngryMetalGuy.com’s Aggregated Top 10(ish) of 2018: The List to End All Lists

By El Cuervo on January 2, 2019 in 2018, Blog Posts, Lists, 283 comments

“We have finally reached the conclusion to 2018’s list season: the AngryMetalGuy.com Meta List. In all, despite our best efforts to bemoan the quality of metal in 2018, 221 unique releases have made their way into our compiled lists which span the entire heavy spectrum. This not only goes some way to dispel any notion that metal is dead but also illustrates that the Angry Metal Hall is now shockingly crowded despite Steel Druhm‘s frequent and violent ejections. I am intrigued and entertained to observe which records which rise to the top of the heap and am delighted to honor our collective favorite records from 2018.” The best of the beasts as determined by maths.