Experimental Metal

Nuclear Dudes – Boss Blades Review

Nuclear Dudes – Boss Blades Review

“Where to start with Nuclear Dudes? The brainchild of Jon Weisnewski—of Sandrider—the project spans a collection of kooky and noisy genres from powerviolence to synthwave. Even the artist Bandcamp page refers to it tongue-in-cheekily as ‘”music”‘ (scare quotes included). Each release—of which Boss Blades is the third in about a year—features a charming fluorescent figure scrawled upon a white background, courtesy of a Cooper Weisnewski I presume is Jon’s brother. This kind of consistency in self-branding certainly makes them stand out, and it’s fun.” More Fat Man or Little Boy?

Mamaleek – Diner Coffee [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

Mamaleek – Diner Coffee [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

Diner Coffee offers jazz and blues in their most perverse form, squeezing them from their hiding place like cysts. A counterpart to Imperial Triumphant’s latest, which portrays its filth beneath an urban sheen of golden decadence, anonymous duo-now-collective Mamaleek embraces the grime in the setting of a city diner.” How do you like your java?

The Callous Daoboys – Celebrity Therapist [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

The Callous Daoboys – Celebrity Therapist [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

“Everybody listen: The Callous Daoboys don’t give a shit. More than ever, they do what they do and you just have to deal with it. Matthew Ryan is their drummer and they’re from Atlanta – coincidence? I know, some of are saying, “wait, doesn’t Matt Ryan play for Indianapolis?” There, you understand The Callous Daoboys. Their bonkers take on mathcore has placed them at the scene’s forefront.” New year, new Dao.

Acausal Intrusion – Seeping Evocation Review

Acausal Intrusion – Seeping Evocation Review

Nulitas was one of the most promising debuts of 2021, its otherworldly atmosphere and outrageous replay value adding up to a lurching and lumbering beast with spines of searing dissonance cutting through the thick slogs of slimy riffs. While this soundscape is certainly not uncommon among the melody-hating hordes of masochists and self-flagellants, Acausal Intrusion injected a meditative quality that contrasted lethally with its hell-scraping gutturals and slam-esque pong snare. As such, upon its announcement, followup Seeping Evocation is easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year.” Seeping expectations.

Pyrithe – Monuments to Impermanence Review

Pyrithe – Monuments to Impermanence Review

“Cover art can be misleading, but here it’s a clue. Reflecting that twisted marine merging of human and coral, Pyrithe’s sound is chaos, artfully displayed. To their sludgy post-metal concoction, they add the use of coconuts, egg-shakers, kantele, and literal trash as musical elements. They also favor a disjointed, dissonant approach to songwriting, taking a leaf out of the more experimental edges of death metal, and beyond. In fact, they’ve even roped in Doug Moore of Pyrrhon and Seputus, the influence of which acts is quite evident. It’s heavy, it’s multifaceted, it’s a tiny bit mad, but is it any good?” Permanence and impetuousness.

Without Waves – Comedian Review

Without Waves – Comedian Review

“Cover art can be make or break. Despite that old axiom, I do indeed judge a book by its often horrific cover. I tend to avoid the intentionally bad (looking at you, Voivod’s Target Earth) and the unabashedly anatomical (I’ve already seen The Reek of Putrefaction, thank you very much.) However, there’s plenty of room between the two extremes to play, and you can always count on a few quality covers lurking around the primeval AMG promo sump; the kind that just begs for a spin or three. Such was the case with Comedian, the latest from Chicago-based progressive metalers Without Waves. Their fortuitous choice to immortalize a moment in the life of one very unlucky flamingo has earned them one whole review.” Flightless.

Nick Vasallo – Apophany Review

Nick Vasallo – Apophany Review

Nick Vasallo has been making music in the Bay Area for more than 20 years. He is best known as the guitarist and vocalist of deathcore legends Antagony, as well as tech death outfit Oblivion. Perhaps less well known, at least in metal circles, is his interest in musical theory and composition, which he studied extensively, ultimately being awarded a doctorate in 2011. He now teaches at college level. This brief bio perhaps gives some context for Apophany, a hybrid metal-classical album and the follow up to 2012’s Monuments Emerge. Smart-tech.

Sunless – Ylem Review

Sunless – Ylem Review

“Back in 2016 I stumbled across the promising demo from Minnesota’s Sunless, a fractured example of violent, dense and dissonant death. Urraca, their 2017 debut LP, expanded on the promise of the demo in appealing ways, firmly placing Sunless on the radar. Now they return, fittingly backed by Willowtip Records for their anticipated sophomore album, Ylem, dubbed the second part of a conceptual trilogy.” Dark and dangerous days.