Black Metal

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Vyrion’s Soundcloud Releases

By Steel Druhm on December 14, 2013 in 2013, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, 3 comments

“AMG loyalists may recall my review of Vyrion’s debut way back in late 2011 and how impressed I was by this unheralded upstart act from Australia. If you missed that review or drank away the memories thereof, Vyrion plays a fairly progressive style of black metal with post-rock, melo-death and traditional metal influences. The material on their eponymous debut effectively blended these disparate styles into some really impactful and memorable moments and left me wanting more.” Steel Druhm is once again singing the praises of largely unsung Aussie black metallers, Vyrion. He’s also demanding you all cease and desist from missing their new material. You have been warned….

Thrall – Aokigahara Jukai Review

By Madam X on December 12, 2013 in 2013, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Moribund Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 2 comments

“Aussie black metal is unchartered territory for me, but if not, why not, right! From my early judgments, it doesn’t appear that black metal dominates or has the Aussie metal scene on its knees cowering in fear of the Dark Lord’s return, but certainly a few names lit a fire and I suppose you could say, spiked my interest. Ruin’s Place Of No Pity kicked off my grim journey of discovery, delivering mighty appealing song structures and evolvingly doomy interludes. Gospel Of The Horns followed suit with ex members of Bestial Warlust making up their dank mix and finally, Deströyer 666’s Phoenix Rising hit all kinds of home. Their brand of blackened death-thrash can only be described as packed to to the hilt with truly bestial riffing and it set the bar and my expectations sky high for Thrall.” Join Madam X as she throws another blackened band on the barbie in her analysis of Australia’s own Thrall.

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Bolzer – Aura

By JF Williams on December 11, 2013 in Black Metal, Death Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Swiss Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, 4 comments

“This year produced a great deal of excellent EP releases, but the Swiss duo Bölzer’s mini-LP Aura managed not only to be the best of the bunch, but also beat out most full-lengths with three tracks and 23 minutes of some truly next-level occult black/death metal. The record features perhaps one of the best riffs of 2013 in “Entranced by the Wolfshook,” which marries a Blut Aus Nord-ian guitar tone with pseudo-Wagnerian orchestral synths and an absolutely bangin’ main riff that you can’t help but meet with a shit-eating grin and grimace. Seriously – it’s the kind of metal-as-all-hell lick that an appreciation of which should serve as a litmus test to expose the false amongst our ranks.” JF Williams draws your attention to an EP you might have missed which may or may not feature the Riff of the Year! I like riffs. Do you?

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Haust – No

By Madam X on December 3, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Fysisk Format, Norwegian Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Black Metal, Crust Punk, 4 comments

“No wove its way onto my playlist around mid way through the year thanks to a tip-off from an Angry Metal Reader, and wow what a find! These angry, snarky cats originate from Notodden in the hills of Norway, but rather than puking out another Darkthrone Unholy Trinity, Haust’s fourth full-length deliver’s a raw, primeval tirade of rock meets punk, culminating in total humiliation and the realization of one’s limitations.” That pretty much sells itself, no?

Cult of Fire – मृत्यु का तापसी अनुध्यान (Ascetic Meditation of Death)

By JF Williams on November 30, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Czech Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 19 comments

“A divine mother to the enlightened and a ferocious killer to those fearful of death, the Hindu goddess Kali is a figure of reverence and terror alike – a being that is by all accounts complex, mystical and arcane. What better genre to pay tribute to the Divine Mother than the fearsome majesty and ritual violence of black metal? Cult of Fire, hailing from the Czech Republic, move away from done-to-death “orthodox” Satanism obnoxiousness on their second album मृत्यु का तापसी अनुध्यान (Ascetic Meditation of Death) in favor of focussing on Hindi mythology, creating an album that is entirely dedicated to this most fearsome of Hindi goddesses.” Czech black metal dealing with Hindu concepts? What could be more American??

An Autumn for Crippled Children – Try Not to Destroy Everything You Love Review

By Noctus on November 28, 2013 in 2013, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Shoegaze, Black Metal, Doom Metal, 9 comments

“Today on Angry Metal Guy we’re pleased to present you with some depressive, experimental doom black… wait, are those pink orchids? How adorable! It’s times like this that question whether I was destined to be a flower-arranger rather than a metal reviewer, but thanks to the adventurous forays of An Autumn for Crippled Children (AAfCC herein), I can finally embrace the idea of being both.” And on this special day of Thanksgiving, please allow Noctus to give you the gift of crippled children.

Malthusian – MMXIII Review

By Kronos on November 26, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, Invictus Productions, Irish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 5 comments

“The foremost sin of Angry Metal Guy as a website is that Noctus gave Altar of Plagues’ Teethed Glory and Injury a slightly less than perfect score. Since getting my hands on that album, I’ve been haunted by some part of it every day, whether it be the absolute devastation of “Burnt Year”, the dissonant wall of “Mills” or the wash of drum fills backed by gut-wrenching swathes of sound on “A Body Shrouded”. The album is one of few I have ever considered to be flawless, and one of the most memorable aspects of Teethed Glory and Injury is the drumming. So when I heard that after the group’s disbanding, Johnny King was drumming in Malthusian, I knew I had to check in on the budding black metallers before anyone had the chance to slightly disagree with me.” What’s this? Are Kronos and Noctus beefin?? And with the holidays just around the corner too. For shame!

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.

Eudaimony – Futile Review

By Madam X on November 15, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Cold Dimensions, German Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 3 comments

“Ever wondered what hell the unholy union of Germany’s Dark Fortress and Secrets of the Moon would spawn? Alright, now let’s make things a little more interesting and maybe just a little more sordid. Let’s bring in Sweden’s Naglfar and turn this into a lascivious little three-some. Taking it a step further, ever wondered what their bastard child would sound like? Well here you have it! Eudaimony is the spawn of just such an unholy, messy union, with former Dark Fortress front man Matthias Jell (Azathoth) on vocals, Naglfar’s Marcus E. Norman on guitars, bass and synthesizer and Secrets of the Moon’s Jörg Heemann (Thrawn Thelemnar) on drums.” Grim, unhappy blackness from a veritable super group of black metal luminaries? That’s got Madam X written all over it…in BLOOD!

Satan’s Wrath – Aeons of Satan’s Reign Review

By Madam X on November 13, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Greek Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 9 comments

“It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told.” “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” “Yes, it will, Precious, won’t it? It will get the hose!” Just like Buffalo Bill strutting his handiwork, Satan’s Wrath have returned full of, thrashy, blackened, Greek bombasity. They’ve recovered their Frankensteined Venom and Possessed skin-suits from the far reaches of their respective musty wardrobes and with the help of their trusty BeDazzler, they’ve given them a brand spanking new lease on life!” BeDazzled by the Devil? What else needs to be said about this homage to old school black/death/thrash and all things Venom and Possessed. Nothing!