Death Metal

Netherbird – The Ferocious Tides of Fate Review

By Kronos on December 24, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Scarecrow Music Group, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 6 comments

“Steel Druhm has for some time been riding me to finish, or, more accurately, begin this review. Squeezed in before end of the year lists, I have rather wisely decided to comply with his request [As you should ALL of my requests! — Steel “Imperious” Druhm] and reveal my thoughts on the latest release from Stockholm’s Netherbird, a relatively unknown black metal quintet with a surprising taste for melody in the vein of their countrymen in Gothenburg.” Better late than never, Kronos arrives with a review of Netherbird’s latest blast of blackened death. However, because it’s so late, Kronos will begin the new year in metal detention.

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: The Schoenberg Automaton – Vela

By Kronos on December 20, 2013 in Australian Metal, Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Death Metal, 3 comments

“The Schoenberg Automaton first caught my eye with their self-titled 2010 EP, which I probably found while browsing Bandcamp in a Meshuggah-induced stupor, keeping an eye out for anything promising that my penniless ass could download. The three-track tour de force immediately turned me on to the Brisbane based tech-death group and their jittering, atonal, and surprisingly refreshing style. Since that excellent EP, the Aussies have had three years to muster all of the necessary insanity for a full-length release that matches the intensity and freshness of those three songs which first put them on my radar. Vela had better damn well deliver.” Our man Kronos tells you about an Australian death crew you might have missed and probably shouldn’t have!

Retro-spective Review: Exorcist – Nightmare Theater

By Steel Druhm on December 19, 2013 in American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Retro Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 17 comments

“Even in the strange annals of metal history, the Exorcist saga is particularly weird. As an early entry into the fledgling death metal scene, they released but one album and then promptly vanished without a trace as surely as if they went into Metal Band Witness Protection. No live shows, no album signing appearances, no interviews in crappy DIY zines, no nothing! Making them all the more mysterious was the fact that only one super crappy, out of focus photo of the band existed (which included one guy in reverse KKK garb).” Who were Exorcist and what the hell happened to them? More importantly, why should you even care. Because Steel Druhm says so, that’s fucking why!

Things You Might Have Missed 2013: Cóndor – Nadia

By Happy Metal Guy on December 16, 2013 in Colombian Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Unsigned Bands, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 0 comments

“At first glance, this band’s name looks like that of a typical thrash metal band. This definitely has to do with my learning of a fairly unknown Norwegian thrash metal band with a nearly identical name a few months ago. But even then, just look at the form of the word “Cóndor” – two syllables, starts with ‘C’ and ends with ‘r’, and a mere six alphabets in total. This word simply has great potential to be crafted into a pointy, symmetrical logo with polish effect in the style of, say, Havok’s logo. Stereotypes, however, aren’t always accurate.” Happy Metal Guy is easily confused by band names and stereotypes, but he overcomes these disabilities to clue you in on some good doom/death you may have missed.

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….

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: Kuolemanlaakso – Musta Aurinko Nousee

By Steel Druhm on December 10, 2013 in 2013, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Svart Records, Things You Might Have Missed 2013, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 3 comments

“Since all my “Things You Might Have Missed” this year came from the doom genre, I thought I’d shake things up with… some doom/death! Yes I know, not a very big shake up, but worthwhile metal is worthwhile. Anywho, Kuolemanlaakso is a Finnish doom/death act with an insanely complicated name, composed of members from Swallow the Sun and Chaosweaver and they rock a rather simple, but very effective style of death/doom that somehow remains accessible.” This is a release Steel Druhm was supposed to review last month, but he was too overworked (he’s essentially an indentured servant with an iPod and a keyboard). Since he liked this quite a bit, he wanted to be sure you didn’t miss it and feel remorse later. You can thank him with beer.

Sheol – Sepulchral Ruins Below The Temple Review

By Grymm on December 2, 2013 in 2.5, 2013, Death Metal, English Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Death Metal, 3 comments

“What’s old is new again. Many new bands are ravaging old graveyards to exhume rotting corpses of bands and styles long since past their sell-by date. 70’s proto-doom, 80’s retro-thrash, and now, 90’s fuzzy Swedeath are the templates that bands are utilizing to create their own legacies. UK’s Sheol are the newest duo to bring out the rotting, zombified corpses of early Dismember and Darkthrone into the sunlight (studios) with their debut EP, Sepulchral Ruins Below The Temple.” 2013 winds down as it cranked up – with loads of old school Swedish death. Do you have room for just a little more?

J.J. Hrubovcak – Death Metal Christmas (Hellish Renditions of Christmas Classics) Review

By Steel Druhm on November 26, 2013 in 2013, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 7 comments

“Ho ho ho! The Christmas season is upon us, and as the holiday draws nigh, thoughts turn to chestnuts, eggnog, peace on Earth and… death metal??? Apparently Hate Eternal bassist and man of good cheer, J.J. Hrubovcak felt Trans-Siberian Orchestra weren’t stuffing enough metal in the stocking, so he decided to craft a short, vicious collection of harrowing carols.” Ready for a Slay(er) ride in the snow? You better be, because J.J. Hrubovcak and his yule tide death machine are coming to town and you’re on their naughty list!

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!