“New Jersey’s Blood Feast is yet another in a seemingly endless stream of resurrected relics that reaffirms I’ll never reach the bottom of the well o’ denim ‘n bullet belts.” Look what crawled out of the NJ swamp lands.
Apr17
Shores of Null – Black Drapes for Tomorrow Review
“One of my favorite things about writing for Angry Metal Guy Unlimited, LLC is when I’m blindsided by a new band. Quiescence, the 2014 debut album by Italian doomsters Shores of Null, impressed the hell out of me with their wonderful combination of Daylight Dies riding with Alice in Chains en route to an Amorphis gig, and landed themselves on my Top Ten(ish) list of that year. Here we are three years later, and they return with their eagerly-awaited follow-up, the dreary Black Drapes for Tomorrow.” Comfortably null.
Hellwell – Behind the Demon’s Eyes Review
“On the fateful day Mark “the Shark” Shelton was begotten, the planets and stars aligned and the Prime Mover proclaimed him the Eternal Champion of Trve Metal and Ass-tastic Productions. Burdened thusly by the crushing weight of metallic destiny, young Mark immediately set about the Herculean task of putting Kansas on the map for trveness. Founding the now venerable Manilla Road in the late 70s, he’s been churning out epical, olde timey metal ever since. The band’s sound always had one boot in the 70s prog rock scene with the other in early metal (and I mean way early, like Iron Butterfly), and though the results have been uneven over the decades, much respect is owed the man.” In-a-Gadda-Manilla.
Longhouse – II: Vanishing Review
“It’s worth remembering that the past shapes the future and every story has a takeaway, be it uplifting or perhaps more sobering. As the creative genius behind Longhouse, Joshua Cayer, uses a mixture of doom, sludge and post-metal to recount stories of the Algonquin First Nations and more specifically, of his family’s community, the Kitigan Zibi. Situated in Maniwaki, a town developed on land that once belonged to the Kitigan Zibi Reserve, Longhouse focuses on Quebec, though they hail from Ottawa, Canada.” Blackened roots.
Ophiuchi – Bifurcaria Bifurcata Review
“I’m about as fluent in South African metal bands as I am in French. And that’s a goddamn shame (the SA band thing, not the French thing). But, even for my limited knowledge of SA scene, I’m happy to say I spend a lot of time with a couple of good ones (Vulvodynia and Wildernessking). So, when I received a promo from a little known South African outfit (from our own SA native, Madam X), I was more than a little excited. Especially when I hit ‘play.'” This springbok has sharp horns ov iron.
Infernäl Mäjesty – No God Review
“From Kreator to Sepultura and every re-thrash act in between, this year intends to chase 2016 down and crush its skull, Whiplash-style. Now the thawing Canadian tundra has spit out Infernäl Mäjesty to bloody this party up. Exiting hibernation after over a decade, the old farts celebrate the big 3-0 with the fiery malice of No God.” Thrash as olde as the Canadian permafrost.
Of the Sun – Before a Human Path Review
“Self-proclaiming their music as ‘southern progressive metal’ sounds interesting on paper, bringing up imaginative scenarios, such as combining a dose of burly Down-styled metal with the adventure and bombast of prog. A number of similar scenarios whipped through my brain before settling in to jam Before a Human Path.” When prog-metal goes south.
Nightbringer – Terra Damnata Review
“In 2017, I can safely say that I’ve had my fill of black metal. I mean, you can only rehash icy cold Norwegian riffs or French angular awkward atonality so many times before it becomes old hat. And in North America, things are a bit different. When you mention American black metal to anyone, you’ll either get Agallochian followers of differing quality, or guys who write manifestos and tell you what is or isn’t true black metal while doing bad Bone Thugs-n-Harmony impressions. But Nightbringer? They’re a bit different.” Dare to be Nightbringer.
Novembers Doom – Hamartia Review
“2017 is already off to a good start doom-wise, with Pallbearer and Oceanwake dropping huge platter of mope and dope(smoker) on our collective shoulders. Now comes Novembers Doom’s new opus de emotionale, Hamartia. The word “Hamartia” is defined as a fatal flaw in a hero or heroine which will ultimately lead to their tragic downfall. What better subject matter for another oversized dose of doom/death from Chicago’s finest?” Tis the season.
Arthemis – Blood – Fury – Domination Review
“Until recently, Arthemis had been one of around a few dozen bands I’d always had a mild curiosity for but had never bothered to closely investigate. I’m convinced the only reason I knew of their existence was because they included Power Quest’s vocalist and guitarist (Alessio Garavello and Andrea Martongelli, respectively) amongst their ranks, though now only the latter remains in the band. I also vaguely remembered them from high school as one of a handful of power metal bands that had a propensity for including bare breasts on their album covers, which always struck me as an ironic practice for what might be metal’s least sexy genre.” From Power Quest to Power Chests.
