Edge of Sanity

The Vision Bleak – Weird Tales Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 15, 2024 in Reviews, Gothic Metal, 44 comments

“Utilizing Type O Negative-esque booming vocals, surprisingly heavy riffs, and bombastic key-driven atmospheres, every The Vision Bleak album is Gothic metal goodness that’ll leave your skin crawling, hands bloody, and eyes leaking. Funny enough, 2016’s The Unknown was the first time any album I reviewed was chosen as the RotM. These eight long years have been quiet, undoubtedly due to the band brewing their next horrific release. Now it’s here and it’s like nothing they’ve ever done before.” Weird is the new bleak.

Decryptor – Imminent Ruin Review

By Saunders on March 3, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 15 comments

“Part of the enduring thrill of this here reviewing game, is dipping into the toxic gunk of the promo sump to pull out a freshly untapped talent or obscure underground gem that knocks your socks off and gives reason to share the love with anyone who will listen. Of course, shit can go pear-shaped pretty quickly in a densely populated modern metal scene, where carving an impression and standing out from the overcrowded pack offers a stern challenge. Hailing from British Colombia, Decryptor formed as recently as 2020, plying their trade through underground dedication and refining their skills via a few demo releases. Imminent Ruin signals the band’s first foray into full-length territory. With minimal profile or web presence, let us see if these young upstarts have the songwriting goods and talents to stoke deeper interest.” Ambition and ruin.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Bloodbath – Resurrection Through Carnage

By Saunders on June 18, 2023 in Yer Metal Is Olde, Death Metal, 33 comments

Bloodbath’s ginormous debut full-length is one for the ages. It’s also really olde now. Is the blood still wet? You bet!

Phlebotomized – Clouds of Confusion Review

By Kenstrosity on May 26, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 30 comments

“With their resurgence in 2019 with Deformation of Humanity, Dutch progressive death metal sextet[ Phlebotomized reestablished a foothold on the oddball prog-death scene. Combining off-kilter songwriting with dramatic synths and eerie croons didn’t dull the sharp edge of the Dutchmen’s death metal blade, and afforded the band an immediately recognizable identity. Now, the band prepares their next outing, entitled Clouds of Confusion, and with it comes another awesome cover and even MOAR weird death metal.” Blood for the Blood Takers!

Runemagick – Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind Review

By Steel Druhm on April 28, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 23 comments

“Sweden’s Runemagick have been banging away at the extreme metal world since the late 90s. With a sound traveling from basic nuts n’ bolts death metal into doom-death, these magick wielders have put in over 3 decades of sweat equity with 12 albums to show for their efforts. That makes it all the weirder that I’ve never heard them until grabbing the promo for album number thirteen, Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind. Making my decades-long oversight all the more glaring, Katatonia drummer, Daniel Moilanen has manned the kit for Runemagick since 2002. Oh, the shame! With a poser check on Steel frantically underway at AMG HR, I ran back through their voluminous back catalog to sample their wares.” Spells of concealment.

MMXX – Sacred Cargo Review

By Twelve on November 23, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 21 comments

“MMXX is a very short name for a band, but it still says a lot about its story. During periods of isolation and lockdown in the titular year, Andrea Chiodetti (ex-The Foreshadowing), Jesse Haff (Daylight Dies), and Egan O’Rourke (Daylight Dies) formed something of a doom metal supergroup, based in the United States and Italy, and began writing music inspired by the events happening around them. From there, the project has grown ambitiously—now signed with Candlelight Records, the band brought on guest musician after guest musician to form something of a dark Avantasia-like project.” Sacred cargo or suspicious package?

Dungeon Serpent – World of Sorrows Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on July 18, 2021 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 22 comments

“When you read “melodic death metal,” what do you think of? If your answer is “thrashy power metal with more chugging and harsh vocals” you’re not alone. I frequently avoid bands with the melo-death tag because that niche of the subgenre has a shallow well of inspiration and grows old quickly. Too often do I forget that Kataklysm is a melo-death band, and Sorcery is a melo-death record, likewise with At the Gates’ With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness. Both of these are the furthest thing from the cheesy version of melo-death. Thanks to The Nightmare of Being I’ve been on somewhat of a melo-death kick lately, which prompted me to take a chance on Canadian one-man band Dungeon Serpent and their debut record World of Sorrows.” Snakes in the Sorcery room.

Dystopia A.D. – Rise of the Merciless Review

By GardensTale on July 31, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 29 comments

“Preconceptions are fun, aren’t they? When I tell you Dystopia A.D. is a 2-man unsigned band from Jersey, or Joisey as it’s colloquially known, you’re already forming a picture in your head. If you’re like me, you’re probably expecting some sort of politically charged thrash, possibly of a crossover or core-related variety. Dystopia is, after all, a word that inherently defines a result of particular forms of governance, and Jersey is known primarily for blue collar thrash, Overkill of course its flag carrier. Combine that with the unsigned 2-man band and the picture seems complete. Except it’s utterly, utterly wrong.” Garden state fake.

Pile of Priests – Pile of Priests Review

By Steel Druhm on May 21, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 45 comments

“The manic death metal binge continues unabated at the stately House ov Steel. Today’s subject is the second album by Denver’s death metal adventurers, Pile of Priests. Having explored a fairly conventional old school death metal approach on their 2015 Void of Enlightenment debut, the band decided to go in a more proggy direction for their eponymous sophomore outing. Apparently a concept album, it’s replete with dramatic narration, a plethora of moods, a great deal of technical finesse and a large amount of hooks.” Padre packing.

On Thorns I Lay – Threnos Review

By Steel Druhm on February 20, 2020 in 2020, Death Metal, Greek Metal, Lifeforce Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 22 comments

“On Thorns I Lay have had an unusual career arc, evolving from doom death into goth rock and eventually alt-rock weirdness. After a 12 year period of inactivity, these Greeks reinvented themselves as a doomy melodeath act and 2018s Aegean Sorrow mixed elements of Insominium and the early Peaceville titans adroitly for an impressive platter of sadboi death. Threnos sees them sprinkling a wee bit more of their old doom style into their melodeath sound.” Thorn birds.