Asphyx

Angry Metal Days 2020: Update 01

Angry Metal Days 2020: Update 01

“Hello everyone! As I cannot pay the rent in the skulls of newbies, I work during the daytime for a traveling company. As such, I know that right after Christmas, people booking holidays surges. Now before you spend money on some dumbass idyllic location like the Canary Islands or Iceland, why not sweat it up with a bunch of strangers in black for a week on a field of grass in Slovenia? That’s right, bitches, it’s time for the first Angry Metal Days update!” Metal Avengers Assemble!

Dr. A.N. Grier’s Top Ten(ish) of 2019

Dr. A.N. Grier’s Top Ten(ish) of 2019

“Name another site out there with writers hiding behind silly monikers whom you know better than your best friends. Name a site you dared to lean on, pouring your heart out in the comments, getting positive and uplifting responses when you needed them most. Name a site you’ve spent as much time debating, loving, and sharing music as you have on AMG. You can’t.” Truth telling.

Cleric – Serpent Psalms Review

Cleric – Serpent Psalms Review

“In Cleric’s own words, their second full-length is “Swedish-style death metal that mixes in the elements of doom that [they] used to play. Think Entombed mixed with Asphyx and pepper with a pinch of Candlemass.” If this is the recipe, boy oh boy, is it tasty.” Taste the Cleric.

Rank and Vile – redistribution of flesh. Review

Rank and Vile – redistribution of flesh. Review

Cherd hides his immense adoration for my skills when he mocks the way I lob pun grenades into the middle of serious conversations in our backchannel communications, but that’s only because he hopes his dad joke skill is up to the challenge of his avatar ascending into toddlerhood. When I saw Rank and Vile in the bin, I couldn’t resist the beautiful play on words in the name. Just look at how ‘Rank’ is doubly punned — genius!” Thinning the ranks.

Coffin Rot – A Monument to the Dead Review

Coffin Rot – A Monument to the Dead Review

“This is death metal from Portland, Oregon. I could probably stop there and you would still know whether or not you’ll love this album. That city is absolutely dominating the genre this year, and we should probably just add a “Portland Metal” tag to Wordpress as that domination extends beyond the bounds of death metal. You’re probably getting tired of me blabbing about how great the Weird City’s output has been this year, but I could comfortably fill half of my year end list if forced to choose only from records released by Portland bands. And so, I will continue to drink from the fountain until it runs dry.” The weird travel on.

Gatecreeper – Deserted Review

Gatecreeper – Deserted Review

“Well, the dog days of summer are upon us. Except they’re not. It’s 5 am and 68 degrees outside and I’m freezing my ass off. Come on, sun. Get the fuck up and shower me in your relentless rays of sunshine. Cook the desert sand once more and soften the asphalt so it’ll nestle my broken body when I fall dead from heatstroke. Anything to keep me from shivering under my pelt blankie as I settle down to Gatecreeper’s new record, Deserted. My only hope is that this new release will warm my blood like the band’s 2016 debut did before.” Fire and Ricin.

Bastard Grave – Diorama of Human Suffering Review

Bastard Grave – Diorama of Human Suffering Review

“For one, Bastard Grave hails from Sweden, which is the home of some of my favorite death metal releases. Classics like Entombed’s Left Hand Path and Dismember’s Like an Everflowing Stream, as well as Grave’s entire catalog, warm my sad, little heart. The riffs, the vocals, and the pace—which feels like treading through knee-deep mud—grip me like quicksand. Second, Bastard Grave have a female bassist. Hmmm… like Bolt Thrower, you ask? Are Bastard Grave a Swedish Bolt Thrower?! Because that would be sick.” Grave reviews.

Outre-Tombe – Nécrovortex [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

Outre-Tombe – Nécrovortex [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

“Everything about this record blares old-school death metal. Look at the cover; it’s timeless metal art. Outre-Tombe is a great name for an old-school death metal band. Nécrovortex is one of the coolest titles of 2018 in any genre. The cards are stacked in Outre-Tombe’s favor, and they squeeze every drop out of the opportunity afforded to them, making one of the best death metal records of 2018. Although it seemed like few people in our regular readership missed this humdinger of a record, giving great death metal the spotlight surely won’t hurt.” Belated gushery.

Sönambula – Bicéfalo Review

Sönambula – Bicéfalo Review

“Before hearing Deathhammer by Asphyx a few years ago, I didn’t think that death/doom was something that I wanted or needed in my life. Its combination of crushing heaviness and blistering extremity immediately grabbed me. I love that album so much that I named one of my favorite workouts after it. “Deathhammer” is what happens when I go out to my garage, put the title track on repeat, and beat a giant tire with a 20 pound sledge until I can no longer breathe. You can imagine my glee upon finding out that my latest promo counts the mighty Dutch juggernaut among its primary influences.” Hammer time.

1914 – The Blind Leading the Blind Review

1914 – The Blind Leading the Blind Review

“Let’s get this part out of the way. 1914 is a Ukrainian metal band that plays songs about German stormtroopers. What could go wrong? It didn’t take much effort to find an interview with founder and vocalist Ditmar Kumar in which he mentions that he’s often asked if 1914 is a Nazi band and drops this quote: “Fuck Nazis and all kind of totalitarian shitheads.” Subtle, but I think we can move on.” Remember the fallen.