Czech Metal

Master – Saints Dispelled Review

By Kenstrosity on January 17, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 35 comments

“Five years and a little over one month ago, Master’s fourteenth full-length Vindictive Miscreant fell into my lap, courtesy of one Master of Muppets. Thanks to this serendipitous windfall, I get dibs on all Master records going forward, despite their classic pedigree and extensive back catalog which predates my own existence on planet Earth by almost ten years. What should belong to one of our olde curmudgeons, like Steel or even Dr. A.N. Grier, belongs to me. Today, Saints Dispelled grants me another opportunity to swing my big dibs-stick and acquire Master’s newest slab of fun, wretched, thrashy death metal madness.” Master baiting.

Somniate – We Have Proved Death Review

By Thus Spoke on July 14, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 30 comments

“I like my obscure literature as much as the next nerdy humanities graduate, but I’d never heard of Richard Brautigan’s In Watermelon Sugar. This obscure post-apocalyptic novel is the concept for Czech black metal outfit Somniate’s sophomore We Have Proved Death. Of its cryptically minimalist and idiosyncratic story, Somniate present their interpretation through a free-flowing melodious black metal that relaxes the genre boundaries of extreme metal in a way befitting of the magical realism of their subject matter. Yes, it’s black metal, but with a helping of spice and intrigue that sets it apart from the swaths of Dissection-worshippers.” Obscure lit finds niche genre.

Altars Ablaze – Life Desecration Review

By Kenstrosity on September 15, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 31 comments

“Metal fans are stupid, mindless idiots just looking for their next fix, demanding MOAR of the same exact shit they’ve heard a billion times over. That includes me, and that most certainly includes you. Especially you. With this powerful knowledge in hand, bands who tailor their music for themselves rather than for their fans are free to produce some of most unique and compelling metal around. On the other side of the same coin, some bands with this same knowledge often phone it in, delivering a fan-servicing slab of decent material without a lick of personality in the name of album sales. Czechia’s Altars Ablaze, a blackened death metal quintet formed from members of Heaving Earth, Supreme Conception, and others, explicitly refuse to cater to the unwashed masses.” Fan service or fan sacrifice?

Heaving Earth – Darkness of God Review

By Maddog on May 30, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 31 comments

“While I usually avoid harming animals, I had to chase a certain Abbathian cat up a tree to get my hands on this promo. My feline colleague gushed about Czechia’s Heaving Earth in 2015, calling Denouncing the Holy Throne a shamelessly uncreative but satisfying slab of vintage death metal. The band is back with its third record Darkness of God, but the seven intervening years have seen its sound evolve. Much like the latest Golgothan Remains, Heaving Earth’s newest offering adorns old-school death metal with speckles of dissonance and malice, and influences from across the death metal universe.” Darkness before divinity.

Et Moriemur – Tamashii No Yama Review

By Grymm on April 5, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 13 comments

“There’s an underlying majesty and mysticism emanating from the Land of the Rising Sun that causes many to flock to its call (like yours truly). Czech doom/death metal Et Moriemur also find inspiration to Japan’s alluring siren song, and on their fourth album, Tamashii No Yama (or “Mountain of Soul”), the band drew upon the country’s rich instrumentation, land, and mysticism to craft an album honoring its history and aura.” Honor or horror?

Cutterred Flesh – Sharing is Caring Review

By Kenstrosity on December 2, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, 43 comments

“Indeed, Sharing is Caring! In the spirit of sharing, allow me to share my opinion on Cutterred Flesh’s cheekily-named fifth album’s artwork. It’s brilliant, and my current favorite piece of 2021. On the surface, it follows a common aesthetic approach endemic to brutal death metal. Look closer, and notice that the subjects’ roles are flipped. The innocent, fragile hoo-mahns are the ones doing all of the flesh-tearing, stabbing and vivisecting of the big, scary monsters.” We care a lot.

Bohemyst – Čerň A Smrt Review

By Dear Hollow on August 11, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 17 comments

“C’mon, plague doctors are fucking rad. Who else can look like that much of a bird and still come across as badass? Throw in a sickle, a full moon, and an aura of divine punishment, ignoring that the graphics look straight outta some 2008 Assassin’s Creed DLC, and you’ve got yourself a pretty neat lil’ cover there. So, fancy cover? Check. Black metal? Check. Band from Eastern Europe? Czech. All my rambling to say, my interest is piqued. Bohemyst better get my motor running or else I’ll verbally smite it into the next dimension.” Motivational plagues.

Inferno – Paradeigma (Phosphenes of Aphotic Eternity) Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on May 12, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 35 comments

“Inferno might be the most obvious metal band name ever. On my initial search, I came across eighteen different Infernos (with and without umlauts). But I’ll give it to this Czech version, as they were obviously around when Inferno was a cool moniker. With now eight full-lengths under their belt, this group has been knocking around the black metal scene since 1996. With over a dozen splits, demos, compilations, and live albums, this Inferno has touched every nook and cranny of black metal as we know it.” Burning times.

Innersphere – Omfalos Review

By Twelve on February 25, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 13 comments

“So there I am, reading a book of poetry in the filth and muck of the Angry Metal Guy Promo Pit — totally minding my own business — when I overhear some kind of commotio. Raised voices, overblown guitar solos, agonized screaming, the whole nine yards. “Ah,” I think to myself. “Holdeneye did the 4.0 thing again.” I move to refocus on my book when I see something out of the corner of my eye: Innersphere. Omfalos. “Melodic death doom metal.” Pause for effect. Melodic… death… doom… metal. I try to wrap my head around the concept, and decide, with no chance remaining that I’m going to have the peaceful afternoon I’d planned for, to snatch up the album and leave, because, frankly, I need to know what exactly this thing is and how it works, because I’m telling you right now, there’s no way that’s a thing.” Face the thing that could just be.

Panychida – Gabreta Aeterna Review

By Doom_et_Al on November 29, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, 19 comments

“Panychida began as a fairly meat-and-‘taters black metal project in 2004, but has gradually been expanding its sound to include a greater emphasis on the classic heavy and thrash bands of yore. Gabreta Aeterna is the band’s most expansive and diverse effort yet, going all-in on the thrash, complete with righteous solos and rock-with-your-cock out passages.” Blackness in a hard place.