“Gather ‘round, friends, I’ve got a new group for everyone to check out, they’re called Sortout. They’re Austrian. They’re metal. They’ve got shouts. They’re angry about something. They have a band motto. And now, take a quick look at that cover art and confirm what you already knew to be true: today, I bring you metalcore.” Gut conqueror!
![Birdeatsbaby – The World Conspires [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/birdeatsbaby-world-conspires-768x768.jpg)
“One of the best ways to get my attention is to mention a band crossing genre boundaries in unexpected ways. Birdeatsbaby drew my eye, first, with their rather evocative name and, second, with that drop-dead gorgeous album art. But what really caught my interest was their history; the band started off in the punk cabaret scene and developed to include prog metal and symphonic influences.” Protect Baby Yoda!
“I’m sure you figured it out from the cover art: yes, it’s me again, and I’m reviewing yet another female-fronted symphonic metal band. Why am I doing this to myself? How did I offend Steel Druhm, and when will he let me off the hook? All excellent questions for another day. For now, let’s focus on Nevaria, a Bavarian group releasing their debut full-length, Finally Free.” Freedom from mimicry.
“I am ashamed. Why? Because I almost let this badass record slip through my greedy clutches. You see, my good friend (who we know as Septic ’round these parts) randomly pops in now and again to apprise me on some of his choice metallic discoveries. He introduced Irish/German/Dutch quartet Ascend the Hollow to me and I was instantly hooked. Like, so fast my head spun. I needed to share my excitement for Echoes of Existence with as many people as possible, but how? It would’ve been grand if we received promo, I thought. Then, all of a sudden I received a virtual sucker punch while rooting around the bin—the thing’s been sitting there since the end of April! How in the actual heck did I miss that??? And lo I experienced great embarrassment. I nearly neglected one of the coolest new bands to materialize out of absolute nowhere this year.” Finder of nearly lost things.
“Death ‘n roll bands are very few and far between, the good ones even more so, and its purveyors regularly receive the level of scorn usually reserved for groove metal. Entombed’s Wolverine Blues pretty much spawned the genre and is the only album that could be considered a classic in the style. Even high quality releases like Calmsite’s Elvisdeath don’t get picked up by wide audiences. Maybe Swedish peddlers of the sound Jesus Chrüsler Supercar will be able to turn things around for the woefully waning sub-genre.” Do they think they’re what they say they are?
