Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal Review

Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal Review

“How deep is your backlog of albums you intend to give a full spin sometime, but you never get round to it? I couldn’t even begin to tally mine. One of the albums that has languished in this limbo is Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora, the previous release from melodeath veterans Darkest Hour. I remember liking the slice I tried, but with so much to listen to and so little time I failed to give it my full attention. Grymm sure loved it, though, and in his absence, I was more than happy to step up and finally give the band the attention they deserved from me.” In the darkest hour, we cried more, more, MOAR!

Feelingless – Metal against Animal Cruelty Review

Feelingless – Metal against Animal Cruelty Review

“That title is great advertising. The details are even better. Feelingless is a nonprofit side project of Hugo Markaida from Spanish melodeath band Rise to Fall. Feelingless and record label Noble Demon have pledged to donate all proceeds from debut album Metal against Animal Cruelty to animal shelters in Spain and animal welfare charities abroad. I wasn’t familiar with Markaida’s other work, and reviewing a record that straddles melodic death metal and metalcore is risky business. But after reading that blurb, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.” Up with animals.

Slow Burning Rage – Slow Burning Rage Review

Slow Burning Rage – Slow Burning Rage Review

Slow Burning Rage is a one-man crew consisting of multi-instrumentalist Ryan Parrish, who you may know as the former drummer of melodeath heavyweights Darkest Hour, as well as other varying acts like Iron Reagan, Mammoth Grinder, City of Caterpillar, and Bleach Everything (to name a few). What can you expect from Slow Burning Rage, then? Well, for as varied and crazy as his resume is, it’s nothing like any of his acts. Slow Burning Rage’s self-titled debut is deemed “jazz sludge” by the promo gods.” Rage for change.

Light This City – Terminal Bloom Review

Light This City – Terminal Bloom Review

“May 2011. A younger Mark Z. has just finished his junior year of college, reeling from adolescent crushes and mired in deep apprehension for the future. In this turmoil, nothing soothed the soul better than the rushing emotion and positive energy of bands like A Wilhelm Scream, No Trigger, and Heartsounds. Were they metal? Fuck no, but their intricate melodic punk was exactly what I needed at the time. This listening regime also had the unexpected consequence of reintroducing me to Light This City.” Hit the lights!

Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt Review

Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt Review

The first time I saw Mammoth Grinder live, I was wasted at a bar in Portland and had to laugh as the band announced every song as a Deep Purple track to see if anyone would notice. The second time I saw Mammoth Grinder live, I was shithoused in Brooklyn and had a Warriors-style adventure trying to find my way home on the New York subway system after the show. Point is, apparently being drunk and seeing Mammoth Grinder live is the best way to get hooked on them, because I’ve been anticipating Cosmic Crypt since before I started writing for AMG.” Fat, drunk and at a Mammoth Grinder show is no way to go through life, Z.