Aug22

Thoughtcrimes – Altered Pasts Review

By Dear Hollow on August 27, 2022 in Reviews, Alternative Metal, Mathcore, Metalcore, 7 comments

“Thoughtcrimes is just cool. The product of an act assembled by former The Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Billy Rymer, Altered Pasts isn’t your typical Converge-core “three minutes of incomprehensible shrieking and feedback” aesthetic. While it has its fair share of blasting rhythms and jagged tempo shifts reminiscent of mathcore’s toddler approach to keeping time, the band has infused it with dynamics. In recognizing that extreme music is just an endless din if it’s not given the room to breathe in crescendos and diminuendos of solid songwriting, Thoughtcrimes have constructed their sophomore effort carefully.” Altered math.

Grave Digger – Symbol of Eternity Review

By Steel Druhm on August 26, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 29 comments

“Rarely has an album been titled as accurately as Symbol of Eternity, Grave Digger’s 20th goddamn full-length. I’ve been listening to these unstoppable German dirt movers since their 1984 debut and they just WILL NOT stop releasing albums. Such was the eternal crypt crud onslaught that I had to take a mental health break from reviewing them following 2017s lackluster Healed by Metal outing. Two more platters came and went since then, both fairly solid, and 2022 sees yet another release unearthed by the lords of exhumation. Taking a break from their Scottish clan war fetish, the band once again focuses on the crusades for the first time since 1998s Knights of the Cross. Other than the subject matter, nothing has changed in the tried-and-trve Digger sound.” Four men, no grave.

Machine Head – ØF KingdØM and CrØWn Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on August 26, 2022 in Reviews, Groove Metal, Thrash Metal, 133 comments

“For better or worse, Machine Head has returned with another album. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve said it before, I’m a diehard fan of Flynn and co. But it’s hard to imagine the band returning with anything decent after the absolute dumpster fire that’s Catharsis. Not to mention the resulting departure of everyone but Flynn. But Machine Head has done it before. Remember Supercharger and the brilliant resurrection that is Through the Ashes of Empires? Without that struggle and success, we would never have received The Blackening. So, maybe there’s still hope.” Damn the Machine.

Splintered Throne – The Greater Good of Man Review

By Holdeneye on August 26, 2022 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 35 comments

“Splintered Throne hails from Portland, Oregon, and while The Greater Good of Man is their third full-length album, it’s something of a fresh start for the band. After founding member and longtime vocalist Brian Garrison left, the band brought celebrated blues singer Lisa Mann into the fold, and it doesn’t take long for her to prove that she’s more than a match for Splintered Throne’s heavy/power/hard rock formula.” Chairkiller.

Träumen von Aurora – Luna and Aurora Review

By Doom_et_Al on August 25, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 7 comments

“Indecisiveness. Tragic flaw of many of art’s most enduring characters: Hamlet, Holden Caulfield, Spongebob Squarepants. It was also the feeling I got when I first listened to Luna and Aurora by German post-black metallers, Träumen von Aurora (Dreaming of Aurora). This looks, smells and is packaged as a double album, with Spring (Aurora) following darkness (Luna), a neat inversion of The Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The band, however, bills Luna and Aurora as their third and fourth albums respectively. Stylistically linked, released on the same day, but definitely separate albums.” Double troubles.

Lacrimas Profundere – How to Shroud Yourself With Night Review

By Steel Druhm on August 25, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 17 comments

“Germany’s Lacrimas Profundere have been stoking the flames of gothic doom since the mid-nineties, exploring a range of related styles over the years. Their early works were heavily based in the My Dying Bride framework of morose doom, but they evolved into a more rock-oriented sound mixing To Die For and Type O Negative tropes willy-nilly. They found their best moments exploring that style on albums like Ave End and Filthy Notes from Frozen Hearts and could usually be counted on for rocking, super-angsty fun. Lineup shuffles and personnel drama threatened to end the good/sad times, but 2019s Bleeding the Stars saw them reborn with a new, very talented vocalist and edgier approach. Roughly three years later we’re graced with the followup, How to Shroud Yourself With Night.” Hiding in the gloom.

Morbid Evils – Supernaturals Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on August 25, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 23 comments

“Loudness is a weapon. Many great sludge bands know that. Amplified judiciously, altered maliciously, sludge has the potential to be gargantuan, overwhelming—the thick ooze of a proper harmonized rumble can leave your innards sufficiently massaged with low-end pleasure. Morbid Evils knows this well, with previous encounters showering us with growling guitars moving at a funeral pace against a drowned-out, stoner backdrop. While changes across their previous outings arrived at a tectonic pace, Supernaturals erupts this mighty Finnish trio into a form that is far more visceral.” Are you loud and morbid?

Ghost in the Ruins – Return to Ash Review

By Dear Hollow on August 24, 2022 in Reviews, Metalcore, 11 comments

“Ghost in the Ruins is a metalcore band from North Carolina, born from the ashes of Further the Fall, debut full-length Return to Ash making a wrecking ball to eardrums everywhere. Taking cues from the glory days of metalcore, expect galloping breakdowns, dueling melodic axe work, and vicious vocals galore.” Children of the core.

Becoming the Archetype – Children of the Great Extinction Review

By Holdeneye on August 24, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Metalcore, Progressive Metal, 114 comments

“Like my colleague Dear Hollow, I cut my metal teeth (and nails) on heavy Christian music, and Becoming the Archetype is, without a doubt, the greatest extreme metal band of the faithful persuasion. We don’t normally receive promos from Solid State Records, but when BtA shocked their fans in June by announcing a surprise album after a ten-year hiatus, I knew I’d do terrible things to get my hands on the promo. Fortunately, all I had to do was email the band, who got me in touch with the label and its PR firm, and here we are. Phew! I quickly enlisted Hollow’s help, thinking that such a momentous occasion demanded a two-pronged attack.” Acts of faith.

Blood of Indigo – Dawn of the Shaded World Review

By Grymm on August 24, 2022 in Reviews, Gothic Metal, 20 comments

“Here’s an interesting factoid for you: in my formative metal years, one of my all-time favorite “guilty pleasure” genres of metal was of the Gothic variety. Back in the 90s, groups like Moonspell, Tiamat, and Samael ruled my heart and eardrums with their combined ferocity, ingenuity, and dark energy to the point where I searched out many a band bedecked in frilly shirts and side-laced leather pants. So when Toronto upstarts Blood of Indigo look to welcome back a treasured sound which, combined with their love of gaming(!!!), I thought that this should be a no-brainer, win-win scenario, especially when you consider they spent five years working on their debut, Dawn of the Shaded World.” Goth is the new purple.