“”3, 2, 1, 0…All engines running. Liftoff!” The first arpeggiated synth of Giobia’s new album Plasmatic Idol rings out and jettisons me into space. In keeping with the space theme, the title of the opening track, “Parhelion,” refers to the shimmering spot in the sky which appears on either side of the sun as a result of the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals in Earth’s atmosphere. Giobia are definitely not n00bs to the space rock genre.” Starry eyes.
‘Krosis is a progressive deathcore band from North Carolina, A Memoir of Free Will being their second full-length. I’m not sure what progressive really entails, as the label has been used to describe anything from the djenty chuggaboundabounboundaluggs of Structures or Volumes, to the transcendental offerings of Slice the Cake or Kardashev.” Jawbreakers.
“Hmmm… a Greek black metal band that sounds like Marduk, Gorgoroth, and Ofermod? Yeah, that oughta work. And this year’s Death Clan OD is only their third release. Well, this should be easy enough. *Five minutes into 2012’s Seeing Through the Shadow Consciousness (Open Up the Shells)* What in the hell was that?! *Five seconds into the 2015 follow-up, Erotomysticism* What in the fucking fuck?! So much for an easy, middle-of-the-road black metal release.” Clan wars.
“In popular music, the West Coast is known for the smooth, extravagant, and maximal productions of Dr. Dre, while the East Coast is known for the grimy, gritty, and dusty productions of Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA. I prefer the latter, and when it comes to slam, travelling further East gets me the grotesquery I crave.” Slam of the rising sun.
“While Svart Crown have never shied away from ambitious concepts, Wolves Among the Ashes presents, for better or worse, the most direct sublimation of extramusical ideas in their style. Initially, the music is as demented as the psychological and sociological madness they choose to explore.” Wolves and madmen.
“It’s easy to underestimate the importance of what song to select as a single. Most of the time, this will be the first point of contact for prospective new fans, and where they will decide whether the music at hand is to their tastes. So a single must show the full spectrum of a band’s music at their best, but in a digestible manner. My first sampling of Unzucht came from advance single “Nein,” and my snap judgement discarded the band as a poor Rammstein imitation.” Judging books by covers.
“Goblinsmoker’s Toad King began a narrative arc about amphibious forest dwellers who are served by a goblin underclass. A Throne In Haze… is the second installment of the planned trilogy. While fun, this story is superfluous, since the lyrics are sparse and delivered in an unintelligible blackened rasp. A Throne In Haze... is a trim 26 minutes over three songs, and it’s all riffs, baby.” Let them eat riffs.
“Boy, are you all in for a treat today. Our resident Sepultura reviewer, Dr. Fisting, has gone into hiding, conveniently around the time the Quadra promo became available. With nobody else raising their hand, and me having some time on mine, I said “If you want some Canadian idiot to take a stab at it, here I am.” There’s a caveat, though: the number of minutes I’ve spent listening to Sepultura over the past thirty-four years can be counted on one finger. So you’re not getting a review today from some lifelong fan who hates the fact that certain people aren’t in the band anymore.” Tabla rasa.
“Those who know me barely at all or better can confirm that I will listen to anything. Indiscriminately. Without hesitation. Unless it’s thrash metal or doom metal or speed metal. With these three subgenres of my beloved I am picky, who knows why. Assassin belong to the thrash metal category. Established in 1984 under their current moniker (they spent one or two years under the name Satanica), Assassin only have a few titles under their bullet belt. This is due to a breakup in 1989, but after reuniting in 2002 the band has released material steadily every few years or so.” Old dogs, old tricks.
“Born in America’s literal heart of steel, Ironflame makes music that lives and breathes those heroic values. The brainchild of one Andrew D’Cagna (Nechochwen, ex-Obsequiae), the band specializes in true heavy metal, championing the styles of their musical forbears in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Dio.” Blood for the power gods!
