“I’m just going to come out and say it. I enjoyed Dimmu Borgir’s big-assed Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia. Yep, I said it. Haters be a hatin’ but its elements of bombastic orchestration and “beauty and the beast” vocals introduced a balance of demonic and angelic qualities that expanded on a style bands like Emperor and Limbonic Art had/have nurtured for years.” Don’t hate the keyboards, hate the player.
“Do you ever wonder what Dissection would have sounded like after Storm of the Light’s Bane if Jon Nodveidt made much better life choices and became obsessed with death metal and the original Star Wars trilogy? Yeah, neither did I, but Washington’s Hoth decided to answer that question in the form of their sophomore album Oathbreaker.” Some ideas just don’t look good on paper. This is one of those.
“In the year and some change that I’ve been writing for Angry Metal Guy, I’ve learned some very valuable lessons. Constant usage of the words “samey,” “juxtaposition,” and “swagger” will get you the Eternal Stinkeye. “Corsetcore” is not a real subgenre. We do not mention Jørn Lande He Who Shall Not Be Named around these parts for fear of his arrival, Dio cover songs in tow. But most importantly, you don’t finalize your Top Ten(ish) list in the month of November because a band can (and will) mess that shit up on you.” Grymm is learning while the black metal’s burning.
“Black metal has become so diverse that the tag has practically lost all meaning. What does it refer to these days? The post-black style first whisked from Cascadia in 2007 with Wolves in the Throne Room’s seminal Two Hunters? Or the stomach-churning dissonance of Deathspell Omega? Or maybe legacy acts like Mayhem, still trudging on and attempting to rekindle the fires that burned so fiercely in the early 90s?” Black metal has been seriously wounded, but the fire still burns.
“When you spend six years together, playing in each others’ bands and various side projects, it’s assumed that you get a strong feel of what each member is capable of bringing forth in a relatively new project. With each member also a part of the great UK doom/death outfit Eye of Solitude, Sidious has the distinct advantage of years of camaraderie and musical experiences together under their belt.” Lots of time in the tour fan can be a good thing, or lead to…complications. Which shall it be for this crew?
“American Horror Story: Freak Show puts faces to the monsters that walk among us, case in point Twisty the Clown! Lords of chaos and insanity, Orion (Behemoth), Daray (Dimmu Borgir, ex-Vader) and Heinrich (ex-Decapitated) of Vesania, give these monsters a soundtrack.” I hate clowns. All of them.
“I’ve been listening to a LOT of Blackened Death Metal lately and I have to say the whole “symphonic black/death” style is really sinking its teeth into the genre. I’m not condemning it, but sometimes these symphonic elements can easily be overdone. Septicflesh is a good example of the sort of over-the-top delivery to be had with their dark, symphonic landscapes. Though I’ve become quite a fan of theirs, their shit is literally dripping with orchestration. As expected, a clear line was been drawn between those that dig these metal movie soundtracks and those that don’t.” Is Noctem the new Septicflesh? Is Septicflesh the new black? All things will be revealed after you listen to your free U2 album.
“Back in 2011 I reviewed a record by the Transylvanian (that is, Romanian) black metal band Syn Ze Şase Tri. With loose connections to Negură Bunget—the guitarist/vocalist Corb was in the band from 2009-2010—these black metallers managed to get signed to Code666 and dropped a record entitled Între două lumi. The mastering on that album was so bad (DR5—with the final track pushing its way into DR4 territory) that I found myself literally unable to appreciate the music. I was listening to it on the speakers of an iMac (not exactly audiophile equipment) and I could hear audible peaking. I summarily trashed the album—as could be expected given that—and moved along my way.” Angry Metal Guy revisits a band that had much potential hampered by a terrible mastering job. How’d they do in 2012?
“Over the course of their career, Aeternus have taken me on a sonic ride full of dizzying highs, crushing lows and Milquetoast middles. Their highly acclaimed Beyond the Wandering Moon opus is a truly special album with an atmosphere and mood all its own and I find myself going back to it regularly over time. Their unusual blend of Norwegian black metal and symphonic death came to be known as “dark metal” and that summed up their original sound rather nicely.” But like all true love…one day it withered on the vine. Steel Druhm is bitter, but he’s still going to detail the trials and tribulation of the typical Aeternus fan. Give him your support and beers.
“Prior to 4 Shades of Me, their fourth full-length, Danish metallers Illnath had similarities to bands like Taiwanese Chthonic, South Korean Dark Mirror ov Tragedy, and the the non-Asian Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. The evolution that is 4 Shades of Me led them to drop the keyboard and symphonic sparkle, instead giving up their inner Illnath and adopting a virtually unrecognizable aggressive approach resembling the melodic blackened side of Dark Funeral. While I was intrigued to spin this album and waited for it with some anticipation I also had a seed of trepidation lurking in the pit of my stomach that 4 Shades of Me would have the same meh, lack of power and spark as Third Act in the Theatre of Madness.” I’m not sure what surprises me more, that Madam X actually has heard of the band Illnath, or that she actually knows their discog inside out? Looks like she’s the person to tell you whether or not you should be check out their new record Four Shades of Me.
