Feb21

DayGlo Mourning – Dead Star Review

By GardensTale on February 11, 2021 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, 45 comments

“I remember a comment in a discussion about stoner, of which a paraphrase would come down to ‘stoner doesn’t have anything left to strive for because Kyuss created and perfected the genre with the same album.’ But still, there’re exceptions. Elder and Boss Keloid are two prime examples of putting a different twist on stoner, Clutch has been an offbeat banner-carrier for years and even lesser-known acts like Realms of Vision get to tweak the formula a little. Does DayGlo Mourning’s Dead Star take break new ground, or is it the same old song?” Dead stars and glo-sticks.

Everdawn – Cleopatra Review

By Emya on February 11, 2021 in Reviews, Symphonic Metal, 52 comments

“4.0ldeneye gets all the attention around these parts when it comes to the topic of overrating. I try to be more reasonable with the scores I dish out than my fellow Pacific Northwestern coworker, but I admit I feel I have slipped under the radar with the multitude of high scores I have handed out, particularly to bands hovering in the symphonic metal sphere. My point is, I’ve dished out my fair share of very good and above scores, and this review of Everdawn’s Cleopatra is yet another example.” A plague of overrating?

Wizard – Metal in My Head Review

By Holdeneye on February 11, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 39 comments

“I’m not quite sure how this is possible, but I didn’t know that Germany’s Wizard even existed until Steel Druhm mandated that I clear my schedule for this week to review the band’s 12th studio album, Metal in My Head. I mean, they play exactly the kind of ball-busting, artery-clogging cheese metal that originally enticed me to emerge from my primordial metalcore soup and set me on my way to becoming a full-fledged trve metal organism.” Head cheese.

Keys of Orthanc – Of the Lineage of Kings Review

By Twelve on February 10, 2021 in Reviews, 27 comments

“The title track and introduction for Of the Lineage of Kings, the fourth full-length release from Canadian Lord-of-the-Rings-meets-black-metal fans Keys of Orthanc, amusingly, feels like the perfect theme music for me as I compose this introduction paragraph. For one thing, this review is late — I’m not sure I’ve ever penned a review quite so long after the album has already come out. Life, it gets in the way. And yet, I am determined — determined, against all odds, to overcome the aforementioned life and get news of Of the Lineage of Kings out to you, the reader.” What heroes do.

Crystal Viper – The Cult Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on February 10, 2021 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 36 comments

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little afraid of picking up the new Crystal Viper. Having never let me down, the band’s 2019 release, Tales of Fire and Ice, was truly disappointing. In fact, it’s so disappointing, that after three-to-four spins, I erased it from my computer and threw out the review I was writing. Sadly, its only mention was as a 2019 Disappointment o’ the Year. So, yeah, I was a little worried.” Cult is just another word for family.

Blue Hour Ghosts – Due Review

By sentynel on February 10, 2021 in Reviews, Alternative Metal, Progressive Rock, 16 comments

“NASA once lost a perfectly good spacecraft due to a units error, which led to a miscalculated course and a fiery collision with the destination planet. The navigation team had raised concerns that it was off course before the actual crash, but no action was taken. Managers preferred to assume everything was fine until it was too late. Here on final approach hoping everything is fine is Italy’s Blue Hour Ghosts with their second album, Due.” Brace for impact.

Sea Sleeper – Nostophobia Review

By GardensTale on February 9, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge, 29 comments

“The nasal, Mastodon-like cleans, oftentimes soggy with vocoder effects, reveal an occasional word or two, but most of it gets lost like foam on a cresting wave. The more prominent harsh vocals hold the middle between screeching and barking and are only distantly related to words. The riffing style is the direct result of running a simulation for simplified old Gojira mixed with simplified old Mastodon with the knob marked for “slamminess” turned to full.” Sea ranties.

Ad Nauseam – Imperative Imperceptible Impulse Review

By Kronos on February 9, 2021 in Reviews, 236 comments

“Ad Nauseam spilled into the avant-garde black/death metal scene in 2015 with Nihil Quam Vacuitas Ordinatum Est, a record that stood out for its audacity even among the most ambitious and experimental extreme metal records. Think Gorguts, think Baring Teeth, think Imperial Triumphant, and, yes, think Pyrrhon, but the Italian quartet are their own phenomenon.” Artisan sickness

Kjeld – Ôfstân Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on February 8, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 30 comments

“Many moons ago in the distant year of 2015, Kjeld barreled into my eardrums and then my top five with the outstanding Skym, which was and remains one of the most exciting modern black metal records I’ve heard since I started writing for this blog. Nearly six years and thirty-odd firings later, I get to write about Kjeld again.” Kjeld by death.

Transatlantic – The Absolute Universe

By Dr. A.N. Grier on February 6, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, 40 comments

“Yet, Transatlantic is one of the more pretentious groups I’ve ever heard. When I first realized that the debut record, SMPTe, was the first letter of each member’s surname, I rolled my eyes so hard I fell off a bridge. Even so, this foursome knows how to play, and Portnoy has made himself a diverse drummer that can play many styles. So, when we got Transatlantic’s The Absolute Universe, I had to partake. I mean, who else would be dumb enough to review a three-disc record?” A universe of material.