Fleshgod Apocalypse

Fleshgod Apocalypse – Veleno Review

By Angry Metal Guy on May 25, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 105 comments

“Fleshgod Apocalypse—known affectionately at the AMG offices as “Death Metal Rhapsody of Fire”—had a meteoric rise from its humble beginnings on 2009’s innovative Oracles. Though these Italian death metallers started on a Candlelight/Willtowtip, Nuclear Blast wasted no time elevating them to underground metal’s biggest stage. That pickup resulted in a larger budget, bigger productions and an evolution beyond the band’s death metal quartet status.” One of the brightest stars in the death metal universe is back with its fifth album. Will this be the one that makes us all go “Uuaaaaaauuuu”?

Stormlord – Far Review

By Kenstrosity on May 22, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Death Metal, Epic Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 36 comments

“Every once a while we at AMG hack and slash each other for promos. In this case, I slice-and-diced one Very Messy Individual™ (Holdeneye) in the name of a symphonic death metal band by the name of Stormlord. You see, symphonic death and symphonic black metal seem to be on the upswing this year.” Storming with malice.

Sinnrs – Profound Review

By Holdeneye on April 30, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Extreme Metal Music, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 37 comments

“I still remember the first time that I heard King by Fleshgod Apocalypse. The mixture of over-the-top symphonic arrangements with death metal hit me hard, and it remains one of my favorite albums of the last five years (or more). I had heard the style before, but King was the first album that showed me what can truly be accomplished when a band nails the perfect ratio of these ingredients. I eagerly await the follow-up to that great album with hype and trembling, but I thought I’d distract myself by picking up Profound, the debut from Danish duo Sinnrs, in the meantime.” Fleshgod for filthy sinnrs.

Meadows End – The Grand Antiquation Review

By El Cuervo on March 12, 2019 in 2019, Black Lion Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Symphonic Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Metal, 82 comments

Sweden’s Meadows End has been pushing their symphonic metal wares on the world for over 20 years and across 3 full-length albums yet had surprisingly avoided coverage at this website thus far. Album four goes by the name of The Grand Antiquation (TGA) and features album artwork about which I am undecided: is it delightfully tacky or just tacky? Light / dark theme? Check. Angel / devil imagery? Check. Heaven / Hell setting? Check? Shotgun wielded in one hand Terminator-style? Check. It’s certainly eye-catching and perhaps an indicator of the unsubtle amalgamation of metal and classical housed within. But does it fall closer to Heaven or Hell?” Worse or better angels?

Equipoise – Demiurgus Review

By Kenstrosity on March 8, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Death Metal, Epic Metal, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, The Artisan Era, Technical Death Metal, 252 comments

“Enter Equipoise, based out of Pittsburgh and made up of a veritable who’s who of the death metal spectrum—Sanjay Kumar of Wormhole and Perihelion on guitars; Chason Westmoreland (ex-Hate Eternal, ex-The Faceless) manning the kit; Jimmy Pitts from Eternity’s End and The Fractured Dimension setting the ivories ablaze; Hugo Doyon-Karout (Beyond Creation) decapitating the fret from his bass; Virulent Depravity’s Nick Padovani on guitars both electric and nylon, along with Phil Tougas (Chthe’ilist, Serocs, Zealotry) playing the same; and finally Stevie Boiser (ex-Vale of Pnath, Inferi, Tethys) taking hold of both lyrical and vocal duties. And that’s not even scratching the surface, what with the ELEVEN guest spots included within. What in the actual heck is happening over there in Pittsburgh?” Friendtality.

Hecate Enthroned – Embrace of the Godless Aeon Review

By Lord Doom on January 30, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Death Metal, English Metal, M-Theory Audio, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 121 comments

“January has been… slow for quality metal releases. Can Hecate Enthroned buck the trend and save us all? Embrace of the Godless Aeon is the sixth album from these Brits as they push past the twentieth year in their recording career. Coming off a five year release gap and sporting a new vocalist, is there any hellfire left in their demonic well of blackened death metal?” Embrace the orchestration.

Cripple Bastards – La Fine Cresce da Dentro Review

By Kenstrosity on November 9, 2018 in 2018, Grind, Italian Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Grind, 33 comments

“When I think of grind, the last place to which my mind takes me is Italy. But here I am, in the Piedmont region of the beloved boot-shaped country, whiplashing my upper vertebrae to smithereens with Cripple Bastards. This is their seventh full length since their inception in 1988, but along the way these bastards have also released one single, one live album, seven EPs, and more splits than would grace the stage at a drag queen lip sync competition. Cripple Bastards deal a chaotic brand of grind, unsatisfied with adhering to a single formula. While the band has embraced different influences successfully more often than not, the constant mutation Cripple Bastards undergo makes for an inconsistent discography. The goal, then, is for La Fine Cresce da Dentro to beat Cripple Bastards’ best album: 2008’s Variante Alla Morte.” Wow, he traveled to Italy just to listen to this band? These n00bs are dedicated as hell.

The Lion’s Daughter – Future Cult Review

By Mark Z. on July 25, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Electronica Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Sludge Metal, Black Metal, Electronica Metal, Sludge Metal, 78 comments

“When your parents said to follow your passion, I don’t think they meant for you to throw on a zip-up face mask, sling a taxidermy animal over your shoulder, and become a fucking weirdo. Yet that’s exactly what The Lion’s Daughter have done on third album Future Cult, and the result is sure to confound anyone familiar with the band previously.” Taxidermy is creepy.

Kenòs – Pest Review

By Kronos on May 30, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, Italian Metal, My Kingdom Music, Reviews, 38 comments

“As with a good ninety percent of Mediterranean death metal bands, Kenòs predicate their style on a brutal but boring interpretation of American brutal death, accented with a drum sound that’s preened like a fancy pigeon and monotonous vocals. Somebody out there likes this stuff, I’m sure, but that person isn’t me. Doomed to review Italian death metal every three months like clockwork, I can at least thank Kenòs for trying something a bit different here.” Pasta and pretension.

Inferi – Revenant Review

By Dr. Wvrm on April 24, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, The Artisan Era, Melodic Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 122 comments

“AV Club ran a recent piece on the best ever back-to-back-to-back run on an album. That site may not be brutal enough for you malcontents, but you know who is? Me. Inferi. 2014’s The Path of Apotheosis stands on its own merits, but the 6-7-8 of “Destroyer,” “Onslaught of the Covenant,” and “Marching Through the Flames of Tyranny” made that record. Alone, each could have been a song of the year contender; together, they drove me to get “Inferi” tattooed directly on my heart. Needless to say, the Nashville quintet set the bar for follow-up Revenant at an unrealistic level.” Expectations and tattoos.