Aug21

Deafheaven – Infinite Granite Review

By Doom_et_Al on August 23, 2021 in Reviews, 133 comments

“Every Deafheaven album prior to this has been a reaction to the last. If the cold, heavy New Bermuda was an attempt to establish the band’s bona fides to a skeptical metal world after Sunbather, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love was the group embracing the warm blackgaze sound they pioneered and drifting away from the black metal scene about which they have always been so ambivalent. In that respect, Infinite Granite breaks the mold: it is a continuation of the aesthetic of OCHL, not a reaction to it.” Bad reactor.

Arcane Existence – Colossus Review

By Emya on August 23, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 59 comments

“What initially drew me to Arcane Existence’s sophomore release Colossus was, admittedly, the album cover. The rich, concentrated gem tones, spindly castle, misty forest, and swirly, cyclonic clouds hovering underneath a full moon had me hooked. I can handle this, I thought to myself, hoping against hope that none of my greedy coworkers would slap their name on the promo before I could do a little more research prior to fully committing. After learning that Arcane Existence describes their sound as symphonic blackened death, it was game over. Say no more. This promo was mine.” Art and large expectations.

Gloop – Crayon Sun Review

By Dear Hollow on August 22, 2021 in Reviews, Blues, Noise Rock, Punk, 14 comments

“Gloop is a trio from West Virginia but currently based in Baltimore, having released two full-lengths since 2017. A truly disconcerting brew of noise rock by way of no-wave with a healthy dose of bluesy rock and upbeat punk, Crayon Sun takes Gloop to darker depths with in-your-face dissonance, angular riffs, and a defiant punk attitude. A shapeshifting beast both apathetic, frenetic, and abrasive.” The Glooper.

Ravendust – The Gold of the Aura Review

By Doom_et_Al on August 21, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 12 comments

“Certain animals have an association with extreme metal. There’s the goat, of course, representing the Azazel goat that bore the sins of mankind and was sent off to the wilderness. There are worms, about whom I’ve written before. Now you can add ravens. Even one of AMG’s reviewers is named after the eerie birds that peck out eyeballs. Ravendust is a solo act clearly inspired by ravens and their… dust? It’s a remarkably unscary name for a project that hearkens back to the brutal days of the second wave. Sounding more like a Hogwarts house in Harry Potter, Ravendust has been around since 2019.” Ravens, dust, and gold together at last.

Witchcryer – When Their Gods Come for You Review

By Steel Druhm on August 20, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Occult Rock, 25 comments

“I recall being quite taken with Witchcryer’s 2017 debut Cry Witch when I stumbled across it in the rancid promo sump. A product of Las Cruces, Earthen Grave, and The Living Fields members, it had a lively doom rock sound akin to Castle and Jex Thoth and frontwoman Suzy Bravo was a force to be reckoned with. In hindsight, however, I overrated the album as it was very short on content, and though its high points are great, it has downslopes and filler too, which is a bad sign for such a short album. Nonetheless, I was still excited to get my hands on their sophomore album When Their Gods Come for You and see what the last few years had done to their sound.” Gods and sirens.

Legions of the Night – Sorrow is the Cure Review

By Carcharodon on August 20, 2021 in Reviews, Power Metal, 10 comments

“German power metal trio Legions of the Night was formed during the course of 2020, the obvious time in our history to assemble a group of people to collaborate closely on a new project. It brings together founding member Jens Faber, drummer Philipp Bock (both of Dawn of Destiny) and singer Henning Basse (ex-Metalium and Firewind, among others). That line-up, together with the fact that their debut includes a cover of Savatage’s “Sirens,” might give you some sense of what to expect from this album.” Power of the Legions of the Night are calling.

Devoid of Thought – Outer World Graves Review

By Dear Hollow on August 19, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 41 comments

“Do you remember when Blood Incantation was the poster-boy of radical and boundary-pushing death metal? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Since then, however, it’s become cool to hate on the hype, and your favorite ancient alien-loving Denverites have become the flavor of “ugh, those pretentious bastards?” in spite of Hidden History of the Human Race earning a roaring 4.0 from the illustrious L. Saunders and earning acclaim from across the metalverse. Their use of OSDM with cosmic themes and enough psychedelic flourishes to get you to start smelling space colors was ambitious and thoughtful, and I believe, undeserving of the hate. I hope you like Blood Incantation, because Devoid of Thought does.”” Stare into devoid.

Mythopoeic Mind – Hatchling Review

By Twelve on August 19, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, 18 comments

“I love learning new words. Yesterday, Cherd made me aware of ebullient, and I’m still waiting for an opportunity to use pulchritudinous, which I learned from the review of the last Shape of Despair album (also waiting for a new Shape of Despair album), in casual conversation. Mythopoeic is another new word for my vocabulary, which is becoming increasingly pretentious at a frightening rate, and it’s also the main reason I selected Hatchling for review today. According to the notes that came with the album, this is the sophomore release from Norwegian prog-rockers Mythopoeic Mind, formerly the studio project of one Steinar Børve of Panzerpappa.” Words can hurt.

Bonehunter – Dark Blood Reincarnation System Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on August 18, 2021 in Reviews, 57 comments

“Bonehunter and I have a deep, penetrable relationship that’s difficult to describe. They put out albums, and I review them. OK, so that wasn’t complicated. But, the last time I checked, I’ve reviewed more of their albums than I have any other band since starting at AMG. This year’s Dark Blood Reincarnation System makes four albums and four Grier reviews for these crusty Finns. If you don’t know Bonehunter, it’s time you were educated. Bonehunter is best known for two things: bear erections and punky, black-thrash.” Bones to the wall.

Fearancy – Dæmonium Review

By Twelve on August 18, 2021 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 10 comments

“With a couple of slight modifications, Dæmonium would make a solid power metal album, and, at first, I wondered if I was in for a thrashy-power-metal group masquerading as melodeath. The vocals, however, immediately dissuaded me from that notion, in the form of rasping shouts that care for neither heavy brutality or catchy adventure. Across the album, the vocal performance is the Thing That Is Not Like The Others, and while I have respect for the style – and don’t think it’s performed badly by any means – I definitely think that this album would feel like a heavy power metal act if not for them.” Melopowerdeath.