Avant Garde

As Light Dies – The Love Album – Volume I Review

By Lord Doom on September 26, 2014 in 2014, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, MAA Productions, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Black Metal, Gothic Metal, 5 comments

“I’m gonna cut the crap: The Love Album – Volume I will rip off all your skin and plunge everything else you’ve got into a vacuous void of nothingness. And you’re gonna like it. Madrid’s As Light Dies successfully takes the atmosphere of gothic metal bands and the ferocity of black metal, only to add a controlled, yet savage and intelligent portioning of avant-garde, resulting in something entirely unique and all their own.” Love songs in the medium of black metal, eh? Well, that’s probably not getting anyone laid.

Sólstafir – Ótta Review

By Madam X on August 26, 2014 in 2014, Avante Garde, Icelandic Metal, Post-Rock, Releases, Reviews, Season of Mist, Post-Metal, 60 comments

“Ótta consists of 8 tracks, beginning with a representation of midnight, moving through each Eyktir in the day, coming to a steady close at what would be representative of between 9 pm and midnight. Hardly a riveting concept I grant you, but thought provoking nonetheless.” Usually it takes lots of SepticFlesh and blood to make Madam X swoon, but Sólstafir’s blend of heathenish melodic, melancholic post-metal and bizarre alternative rock seems to have done the trick in a big way!

Chasma – Omega Theorian Review

By Madam X on June 30, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Black Metal, Candlelight, Post-Rock, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 3 comments

“Portland, Oregon seems the home of the wistful, the home of somber, shifting post-metal with a blackened bejeweled heart. Not too long ago we heard from Agalloch (with a sobering attempt at creating infinity in The Serpent & The Sphere) and now hot on the heels of 2013’s Codex Constellatia, Chasma return with their third full-length release. I’m a slacker and while I can remember seeing the blood red adorned Codex Constellatia hit the promo bin, it’s release date came and went and got lost in the metal mire. Omega Theorian was a little more persistent in succeeding where the earlier release didn’t.” Whenever someone mentions Agalloch in a review intro, I feel the need to read on.

Code – Augur Nox Review

By JF Williams on November 18, 2013 in 2013, Agonia Records, Avante Garde, Black Metal, English Metal, Finnish Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 2 comments

“Genre tags such as progressive and avant garde are kind of paradoxical terms in metal. Surely something truly progressive or avant garde should traverse the outer fringes of musical expression, bringing to the table a metal forged of fearless, arcane exploration? Often that’s not the case – those terms are in many ways boxes only slightly larger than thrash, death, and other tags of old. Does the anticipated third album of England’s Code break free of these restraints?” JF Williams asks and also answers. That’s why we keep him around.

Shining – One One One Review

By Noctus on June 2, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Grind, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Hardcore, 4 comments

“Shining are a black metal band from Sweden with a very dystopian, hateful and depressive tinge to their music and a long history of albums and exploits to their name – such as violent live shows and staging the death of their vocalist. Hell, the vocalist even has a book to his name with the title “When Prozac No Longer Helps”, which speaks volumes of what to expect in the pages. So when you look at the title and album art of this album you might consider One One One somewhat of a surprise or a departure.” Noctus likes avant-garde stuff, so when Shining came along with a new album of jazzy weirdness, he was clearly the man for the job.

Kraków – Diin Review

By Madam X on September 4, 2012 in 2.0, 2012, Avante Garde, Dark Essence Records, Norwegian Metal, Not Metal, Stoner Rock, 0 comments

Madam X learns the hard way that reviewing isn’t always a happy picnic. Nay, indeed, sometimes reviewing is a miserable picnic, full of bees, rain and miserably long songs that don’t ever end. Norway’s Kraków is a hard, but fair teacher.

Grayceon – All We Destroy Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 1, 2011 in 2011, 4.0, American Metal, Avante Garde, Profound Lore Records, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 4 comments

Grayceon is a three-piece progressive metal band from San Francisco that was formed in 2005 and that is releasing their third full-length All We Destroy via Profound Lore (which is being distroed by Sound Pollution in Sweden, by the way). Since their 2007 debut, the band has been hailed as something totally unique on the metal landscape, and in 2011 this is still very true. In fact, I would go so far as to argue that they are a singular voice in the area in such a way that there is very little functional comparison to a reader understand what it is that they do, and more specifically why it’s so damn successful. However, as a music reviewer that’s my job (or in this case, ridiculously time consuming habit), so I shall wade fearlessly into the fray and hope that you, angry reader, are left with a sense of why you should head over to Profound Lore’s website and purchase the record.