Eclipse Records

Genus Ordinis Dei – The Beginning Review

Genus Ordinis Dei – The Beginning Review

By GardensTale on December 14, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 32 comments

“One can’t credibly accuse Genus Ordinis Dei of a lack of ambition. Predecessor Glare of Deliverance used bombastic symphonic death metal to weave a tale of religious prosecution and witchcraft. The entire storyline was accompanied by a series of self-produced music videos. A big project, but the album itself was undercut by bloat and failed to impress me as much as 2017’s Great Olden Dynasty had done. Now, as the year draws to a close, the Biblical story-weavers bring us The Beginning, another religion-themed concept album accompanied by videos, but with only 4 videos and a pared-down running time, I felt hopeful the Italians would not be making the same mistake twice.” Big religion.

Antirope – Amnesia Review

Antirope – Amnesia Review

By GardensTale on July 7, 2023 in Reviews, Alternative Metal, Doom Metal, 28 comments

“Alternative metal has a colorful history, running parallel with some of metal’s greatest upheavals and residing at the crib of nu-metal’s short but terrible reign. Nowadays the term is practically a relic, but every now and then a band comes along that hearkens back to that no man’s land between ‘true’ metal and radio rock. Antirope is such a band.” Alternative to what?

American Anymen – Cities Changing Names Review

American Anymen – Cities Changing Names Review

By Felagund on June 18, 2022 in Reviews, Industrial Metal, Punk, 25 comments

“We’re no stranger to bands who claim more sub-genres than they have members (or fans). You’ll routinely see tags for things like “symphonic doom” and “blackened death” and “hardcore Viking sludge.” It’s also not surprising when musicians change course from one album to the next. We’ve all perused reviews about a band with an established sound veering off into wildly new directions. Really, adding new sub-genres seems to come with the territory. But what happens when a non-metal band takes a running leap into the dark side? Such is the case with New York-based act American Anymen, a group that, up until very recently, played a vitriolic form of anti-folk on a slew of singles, EPs, splits and one full-length. Now, it appears they’ve leapt headlong into the metal game with Cities Changing Names.” Duct tape-core.

Genus Ordinis Dei – Glare of Deliverance Review

Genus Ordinis Dei – Glare of Deliverance Review

By GardensTale on December 10, 2020 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 14 comments

“Genus Ordinis Dei’s last platter, Great Olden Dynasty, was a surprisingly excellent piece of symphonic and melodic death metal. Italian metal is not usually known for its restraint, particularly with symphonics, but while the orchestral textures were as excessive as expected, the songwriting was tight and focused, and the versatile roar of vocalist Niccolò is a fantastic asset to the band. 3 years later, the band’s aspirations have grown.” Inquisition-core.

Guardian of Lightning – Cosmos Tree Review

Guardian of Lightning – Cosmos Tree Review

By Steel Druhm on July 15, 2020 in Reviews, Stoner Metal, 12 comments

“Heavy metal. Rock n’ roll. Attitude. Swagger. These are all good things, and if you can blend them together just right, they can create a great thing. Brazilian upstarts, Guardian of Lightning call their style of music “thunder metal” and they employ a lead bass in lieu of the traditional lead guitar as a kind of secret weapon. On their Cosmos Tree debut, this beefy threesome openly threatens you with a good time, taking a stoner metal style with plenty of attitude and making it as weighty and burly as possible.” Good wood.

Through the Noise – Dualism Review

Through the Noise – Dualism Review

By Master of Muppets on April 29, 2019 in 2019, Eclipse Records, Hardcore, Metalcore, Nu-metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Hardcore, Metalcore, Nu Metal, 34 comments

“This is sure to come as a surprise, what with the kvlt as fvck album art and all, but Through the Noise are about as trve as Santa. With their accessible angst and envelope-friendly chuggatry, these Swedes crabwalk the thick, downtuned line between nü-metal and metalcore, and by all rights, Dualism should have been inflicted upon a n00b. However, there have been far too many 4.0’s awarded as ov late, and I would be remiss to turn down an opportunity to bring you bastards crashing back down to reality, so we are here.” Punishment is due.

Blacklist-9 – Mentally Ill, Legally Sane Review

Blacklist-9 – Mentally Ill, Legally Sane Review

By GardensTale on March 15, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Eclipse Records, Groove Metal, Nu-metal, Reviews, Groove Metal, Nu Metal, 141 comments

“It’s funny how bands try to embellish their true nature through genre tags sometimes. Metalcore often tries to lay claim to melodic death metal, probably because it causes less out-of-hand rejection. Progressive metal promos are a minefield of djent bands, which can be progressive but are often anything but. Another one to be wary of is groove metal. Groove metal doesn’t have a great reputation in and of itself, and it’s bound to degrade further with the amount of nu-metal bands co-opting the term. Blacklist-9 (written randomly with or without hyphen even on the band’s own sources) ostensibly play groove metal.” Adding to the list.

Mycelia – Apex Review

Mycelia – Apex Review

By Saunders on October 10, 2018 in 2018, Djent, Eclipse Records, Metalcore, Nu-metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Djent, Metalcore, Nu Metal, Progressive Metal, 103 comments

“Do you like djent? How about metalcore? Switzerland? Or perhaps Mycelia’s self proclaimed moniker of progressive deathcore? If you answered yes to these questions, you are potentially in for a tasty treat via the band’s fourth LP, entitled Apex. With such genre tags commonly used as punching bags by the trve metal folk, keeping an open mind was an essential element in tackling my latest review assignment. I can’t say I’m a big fan of djent or metalcore, though I’ve dabbled in the past, and plenty of bands I’ve enjoyed over the years have had elements of the styles. I’d never experienced Mycelia’s chunky brand of modern, angst-ridden metal previously. So after spinning Apex and collecting my thoughts, have the experienced Swiss six-piece overridden my skepticism and gained a new fan?” 6 core and 7 years ago.

Set Before Us – Vitae Review

Set Before Us – Vitae Review

By Master of Muppets on August 27, 2018 in 2018, Eclipse Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Metalcore, 54 comments

“The masochistic methodology of Muppetism makes for many messes, multiple missteps, and much more metalcore than mere mortals are meant to amass. I wouldn’t put up with my own bullshit if it didn’t come with perks, and thankfully one of said Muppet bonus features is an almost inability to not be entertained. Long story short: I dragged Vitae from the depths of the Angry Metal Punishment Puddle in hopes of delighting in the suffering of others, so here we are.” Metalcore in the morning.