Apr16

Sinistro – Semente Review

By Grymm on April 4, 2016 in 2016, Doom Metal, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Doom Metal, 25 comments

“Whenever I’m given a new band to check out for review, I do as much thorough investigating as humanly possible. So when a band is labeled as “doom rock,” which is the case with today’s subject of scrutiny, Portugal’s Sinistro, I get a bit antsy, as it’s usually just a cover-up for gothic silliness. Add to the fact that the band members only go by one letter each (save for frontwoman Patricia Andrade), and it doesn’t bode very well from the start. Can you judge an album by the band members’ tired monikers?

Ihsahn – Arktis. Review

By Angry Metal Guy on April 3, 2016 in 2016, Candlelight, Melodic Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Progressive Metal, Spinefarm, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 58 comments

“Ihsahn is always in motion. Following a storied career in one of the premier black metal bands of all time, he’s released five full-length albums. Nearly all of those records have been critically acclaimed, but only one has been critically acclaimed by me. While I enjoyed The Adversary, Ihsahn’s post-Emperor zenith was angL. Starting with After, however, Ihsahn started to lose me. What made his earlier material so good—riffs, riffs, more riffs, and slick composition (also riffs)—began to be replaced by increasingly abstract compositions. And when songs like “Scarab” started getting replaced with tracks like “M,” I stopped enjoying new Ihsahn albums. Yet Arktis. marks the next phase for Ihsahn, having finally left the Nihilists behind him.” Praise Zarathustra!

The Glorious Rebellion – Euphoric Review

By Mark Z. on April 3, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Hard Rock, Magnetic Eye Records, Reviews, Sludge, Noise Rock, Sludge Metal, 30 comments

“Being a metal reviewer is fun. I get to discover new gems I probably wouldn’t have otherwise heard, I get to think of creative ways to make fun of bad albums, and I get to work with an amazing and talented group of fellow writers whose reviews and recommendations provide an abundance of new, quality metal to check out. But like all jobs, this one has a dark side.” Here comes the bittersweets….

Novembre – URSA Review

By Grymm on April 3, 2016 in 2016, Doom Metal, Italian Metal, Peaceville, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 47 comments

“I have an admission to make, and it’s not an easy one. Until the past few weeks, I had never heard of Italy’s Novembre. Yes, as Angry Metal Guy’s resident doom meister who worships at the altar of the Peaceville Three, considers Funeral’s From These Wounds a desert-island album, and champions any band that possesses The Riff of Sorrow, I had neglected to check out one of Italy’s heralded progressive exports.” Please publicly shame this man.

Geryon – The Wound and the Bow Review

By Kronos on April 2, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Profound Lore Records, Progressive Death, Releases, Reviews, Death Metal, 26 comments

By now, you’ll have learned about/salivated over the prospect of Gorguts’ new EP, Pleiades’ Dust, which looms on my horizon like a shining oasis of pretense. If you’re unlucky enough not to have the privileges of an AMG staffer and still have to wait to listen to it, then boy do I have good news for you. The Obscuran prog death trend is still picking up steam and kicking up dust, now most pertinently in the form of New York two-piece Geryon. The side project of Krallice’s Nicholas McMaster and Lev Weinstein, Geryon are a band I’ve overlooked, but The Wound and the Bow struck me immediately.

Verment – Death’s Domain EP Review

By Saunders on March 31, 2016 in American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Death Metal, 4 comments

“Despite the general misconception from non-metal folk that our beloved art form is a one-dimensional game, in reality metal in 2016 is as wide-ranging as it’s ever been, offering a bevy of stylistic riches and impressive diversity in both the cultural and genre stakes. Death metal itself has morphed and mutated from its rank beginnings into a myriad of sub-genre offshoots to appease extreme tastes of all kinds.” At the metal buffet, would you find room for Verment on your plate?

The Bendal Interlude – Reign of the Unblinking Eye Review

By Grymm on March 31, 2016 in 2016, Black Bow Records, Doom Metal, English Metal, Groove Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Doom Metal, Groove Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, 12 comments

“Reign of the Unblinking Eye, the debut full-length from British groovers The Bendal Interlude, couldn’t have come at a better time in my life. Between the stress of watching (and partaking in) the complete clusterfuck that is the American Presidential election where, as a general whole, the candidates proceed to make asses out of themselves.” Everybody sucks 2016.

Interment – Scent of the Buried Review

By Steel Druhm on March 30, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, Pulverised Records, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 13 comments

“Whoa, it’s quite a surprise to see a new Interment album in 2016 considering they were a contemporary of Entombed and Dismember back in the early days of the Swede-core death scene, but didn’t release anything until 2010. Now we get the erstwhile followup a scant 6 years later? Major machinations are clearly underway at Camp Interment and their production schedule is definitely ramping up!” Releases may be slow, but death they certainly know.

Graves at Sea – The Curse That Is Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on March 29, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Doom Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Sludge, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 31 comments

“Having had the opportunity to review some doom/sludge releases lately that focus on preserving the genre’s mood without over-exaggerating the delivery, I’ve come to appreciate those bands that can deliver hypnotizing, doomy atmospheres in simplistic, down-to-earth ways.” Simple doom over fancy doom!

Victorian Whore Dogs – Afternoonified Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on March 29, 2016 in 2016, English Metal, Hibernacula Records, Reviews, Sludge, Sludge Metal, 13 comments

“With a band name like Victorian Whore Dogs, “be serious” is, most likely, not a common phrase for these UK sludge metallers. This becomes undeniable when you discover VWD song titles like “Michael Bay’s Transformers Are the Best Transformers” (from 2013’s Fetch EP) and the ridiculous song about Conan the Barbarian’s sexual endeavors (“Kromdrom,” from 2015’s Hobo Chic EP).” Who let the dogs whore?