“What makes concept records ‘successful’? The expectations attached to them are never merely about the music alone. Much like musicals and operas, they transcend the genres they’re based on and approach the programmatic. But is it the originality and immersiveness of the concept, the quality of the accompanying music, or an intermedial dimension and interaction between the two that defines them the most?” Nautical tales and torn sails.
“Crucifyre are no strangers to the crucible of the Angry Metal Guy review. Way back in 2014, Madam X pilloried Crucifyre’s Black Magic Fire for “mimicking what’s been done before” and its “lack of adventure.” It appears the band took at least one of those criticisms to heart. Past adding a new vocalist and a new bassist, third try Post Vulcanic Black plays up the band’s quirks, sounding more eclectic and experimental than ever before (at least as far as death-thrash goes).” Evolve or die.
“There’re are few bands in the world that you can look at, or listen to, and say, ‘yeah, those dudes fucking know the road.’ And, while there aren’t many that would trump the almighty Motörhead, there’re those that share the punkish gonads, the old-school blues, and the electrifying energy of Lemmy & Co. Against the Grain know the road and dominate the Midwest.” The road is a grainy place.
“I am nothing if not a glutton for punishment, which is why I continue my dive into corners of the promo bin untrammeled by more self-respecting reviewers. While my last foray into the depths brought back a surprisingly good collection of alt-metal songs, today’s entree is a bit less appetizing. Marking their ground somewhere between bluesy hard rock and ’90s death doom, Chasing Ghosts don’t sound like many other bands.” Boo-urns.
“In an effort to expand my horizons, suppress my average scores, and prevent this blog from becoming a black- and power-metal only publication, I’ve decided to spend more of 2018 with the dregs of the promo bin; bands no one likes, no one has heard of, or no one has the courage to approach given their genre tag. With the questionable name of Holophonics and the even more questionable tag of ‘Alt Metal,’ I feared that Fast Forward was a product from the center of that Venn diagram.” Deep is the promo sump.
You like metal, bro? More importantly, you like bro metal? Boy, have I got the thing for you. Chicago quintet Harm’s Way, a band that makes the last Dyscarnate album look like fucking Modest Mouse.” What are your bench press stats, brah?
“Though riffs are the backbone of many metal genres, there’s a few types where you can get away with their absence. Atmospheric metal, like drone and anything with the post- prefix barely graze the subject matter, and many progressive bands prefer ambling about with bridges and solos to memorable hooks. These genres are favorites among musicians lacking that innate ability to construct tasty nuggets of melody that can carry the songs. Death metal, especially the old school kind, doesn’t have this luxury (extreme atonal examples aside).” Death does not smile on the riffless.
“I’ve already waxed poetic about my deepening love for ’70s rock but the ’60s remain a relatively uncharted territory for me. I’m of the not-so-humble opinion that The Beatles are overrated (though unquestionably hugely influential) and I find the progressive developments and greater variety found in ’70s rock far more appealing to a decade whose bands who were still much simpler and overtly blues-based. Thus, the promise of ’60s rock with a heavier edge, professed on the promo sheet appealed—on what am I missing out? Can the ’60s interest me? Will I ever stop questioning myself? Answers to some of these questions might be found below.” Question self, question music.
“With a new year upon us, I’ve given myself a new challenge as we enter yet another spin around the sun: how long can I go without reviewing a one-person black metal album? Seeing as how that’s all we have in the promo bins every January, the answer is ‘not long at all.’ Mind you, there are some excellent examples of one-person black metal done right, with Ashbringer and Myrkur springing immediately to mind. But for the most part, the genre instills as much joy in me as watching a Don Bluth animated feature with a razor blade to my wrists does.” New year, new basement black metal.
“Consistency is the opposite of AMG’s Law of Diminishing Recordings™. Not a lot of bands can lay claim to this positive attribute. Saxon are the reigning Kings of Consistency when it comes to NWOBHM: they will never release an album that will be at the top of anyone’s year-end list, but they’ll never put out a dud either. In the stoner rock realm, Fu Manchu are that band.” Riffs on demand.
