Fleshgod Apocalypse

Fleshgod Apocalypse – King Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 2, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 100 comments

Fleshgod Apocalypse is well known in these parts for having produced a debut album that I worship and two albums since then that I don’t. Back in aught nine, the band released Oracles, which was a neoclassical death metal record unlike anything I had heard. The songs were intense, with intricate, artful, and beastly guitar work. Unfortunately, while songwriting was excellent, the drum sound on the record was a bit like reading a great Russian novel IN ALL CAPS; high art, ruined by someone’s inability to capitalize properly. 2011’s Agony was a better produced record than its predecessor in some ways, but the band undermined its own sound by moving all the interesting melodies and ‘riffing’ to the orchestras. When they returned to correct this problem on 2013’s Labyrinth, the master was so bad that all attempts to rectify earlier missteps were voided by the static of clipping master.

Rhapsody of Fire – Into the Legend Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 13, 2016 in 2016, AFM Records, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 42 comments

“It’s sometimes hard to keep up with the entity we call [Luca Turilli’s] Rhapsody [of Fire]. Starting in the late ’90s, these Italian cheese-mongers took the power metal world by storm with their bombastic, orchestral power metal. The young, bright-eyed Italian maestros reeled off four albums that added an epic, operatic flair to the neoclassical metal of the 1980s they’d grown up on. While the band’s near-demise is one of the greatest scares of my adult fandom, Rhapsody of Fire’s return from the near annihilation was celebrated with two excellent records and an EP in short succession. Then tragedy struck. Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli would each get their own version of the band—with Turilli’s staying on Nuclear Blast, and Staropoli’s moving on to AFM.” What became of these poor, Italian maestros in the big, cold, dark world? Click to find out!

Exmortus – Ride Forth Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 7, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 32 comments

“California’s own technical thrash metallers, are a band who does everything I love in metal. They write fast songs, packed with frantic energy and rarely pushing the 5 minute mark. Their guitar work is tight, melodic, and classically influenced. Ride Forth, which drops on January 8th from Prosthetic Records, is an album that goes from zero to 90 in a split second and never drops in intensity as it pounds through nine tracks of palm-muted, staccato licks, arpeggios galore, and non-stop double-kick ass kicking (all while doing it for the Horde!).” Well, that sounds promising. But everyone knows that things are never this simple with Angry Metal Guy.

Housebreaking – Against All Odds Review

By Grymm on October 14, 2015 in 2015, Bakerteam Records, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Nu Metal, 18 comments

“Yes, folks, there’s a band called Housebreaking, and their second full-length, Against All Odds, is here, and is promoted as a cross between Amon Amarth, Rammstein, Dark Tranquillity, and… Soulfly?” If they pull off that epic mix, you may need to put some newspapers down.

Bloodtruth – Obedience Review

By Kronos on September 14, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, 33 comments

“Here at Angry Metal Guy, we love Fleshgod Apocalypse. Well, maybe not love… and sometimes not even very much like. It’s a complicated relationship. But one thing we can agree on is that Oracles is kickass. Its sultry fusion of tech-death and neoclassicism was a winning move that everyone, including Fleshgod Apocalypse somehow failed to follow up on properly. But of course, there are those few who malign such progressive elements, and thus ask the question, “What would this band sound like if they just wrote death metal?”” Kronos asks the hard questions and then answers them.

Rise of Avernus – Dramatis Personæ EP Review

By El Cuervo on April 2, 2015 in 2015, Aural Music, Australian Metal, Code666 Records, Doom Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Doom Metal, 27 comments

“Dramatis Personæ is the sound of a band trying to relocate the European orchestral metal canon into their snakey and spidery Southern-Hemispherical home. Australia’s Rise of Avernus would love to have Fleshgod Apocalypse’s authentic Italian heritage of classical music and opera informing their extremity – it’s this quality which made Oracles so ground-breaking.” They can’t all be Italian….

Carach Angren – This Is No Fairytale Review

By Madam X on February 21, 2015 in Black Metal, Dutch Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal, 74 comments

“These days the word “fairytale” conjures up quesy images of watered-down Disney films, of sickly sweet soundtracks that work their way so far under your skin they freeze your blood, and of delightful princesses toiling away in grueling mediocrity until they fall into the strong arms of an musclebound Prince Charming to live happily ever after… and that’s not metal!” Madam X has issues with Disney and she can’t let them go. But this ain’t no damn fairytale!

Hate – Crusade: Zero Review

By Madam X on January 30, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Death Metal, Napalm Records, Polish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 41 comments

“Polish band Hate are adding to their already dense blackened death catalogue. Crusade: Zero makes its presence known two years after the release of Solarflesh, and while I’m excited Hate are making a speedy return, I’ve felt some apprehension that they’ll suffer the same criticisms they’ve been labelled with in the past…” Mini-Behemoth is back and filled with hateful respect…for Behemoth.

Noctem – Exilium Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on September 19, 2014 in 2014, 3.5, Art Gates Records, Black Metal, Death Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 10 comments

“I’ve been listening to a LOT of Blackened Death Metal lately and I have to say the whole “symphonic black/death” style is really sinking its teeth into the genre. I’m not condemning it, but sometimes these symphonic elements can easily be overdone. Septicflesh is a good example of the sort of over-the-top delivery to be had with their dark, symphonic landscapes. Though I’ve become quite a fan of theirs, their shit is literally dripping with orchestration. As expected, a clear line was been drawn between those that dig these metal movie soundtracks and those that don’t.” Is Noctem the new Septicflesh? Is Septicflesh the new black? All things will be revealed after you listen to your free U2 album.

Ichor -Depths Review

By Kronos on September 8, 2014 in 2014, Bastardized Recordings, Death Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 27 comments

“Take a close look at this album cover and you’re bound to notice that it looks exactly like every other goddam modern death metal band’s album cover. This is no coincidence, seeing as an impressive chunk of death metal releases over the past decade have all been painted up by one man: Pär Olofsson. The guy’s website is a bizarre who’s who of modern death metal covers stripped of their identifying characteristics, so that any metalhead worth keeping around can have fun rattling off artists and titles as the paintings scroll by. Ichor are his latest patrons, and, in continuance with modern death’s gore/symmetry fetish, he felt compelled to draw them some purple tentacles for Depths.” Do Ichor’s purple tenticles wrap themselves around, and get their death-like grip on Kronos?