“My roommate and good friend once got to meet Kentucky melodic black metal troupe Volcandra at work while I was stuck doing something infinitely less fun, I’m sure. I know this because she, familiar with how deeply entrenched I am in the metal scene, messaged me to ask, ‘Hey, do you know this band called Volcandra?’ I, of course, responded, ‘Yeah, they’re pretty good! Why?’ She replied, to paraphrase, ‘Yeah, I just got to meet them, and they seem really cool and nice.’ Imagine my thinly veiled jealousy as I came back with, ‘Oh that’s super cool!'” Womp womp.
Frozen Dawn
Angry Metal Guy’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
What, you thought I wasn’t going to make a list?
Kenstrosity’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
Kenstrosity ‘s waitied patiently to uncork his first ever big boy list upon the world, and here it comes! Get ready to be convinced.
Cursebinder – Drifting [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
“Perhaps some of you will recall that heady moment in 2021 when we reviewed the third record, The Grand Scheme of Things, by Kraków, Poland death metal outfit Dormant Ordeal, not once, but twice. In a week. For reasons. Still, it scored an indulgent 4.0 and a deserved 3.5, so at least it was worth it. Well, DO vocalist Maciej Proficz has another band, Cursebinder. And back in April, to little acclaim (at least that I saw), Cursebinder dropped its debut LP, Drifting.” Curses!
Record(s) o’ the Month – February 2023
The “diabolical façade” continues, as February followed in January’s surprising footsteps, turning out to be a remarkable month for metal. Weirdly, though, all the best stuff was released on the same day. Isn’t that an unlikely coincidence?
Frozen Dawn – The Decline of the Enlightened Gods Review
“As someone allergic to major keys, I find a natural home with metal, which tends to focus on the minor, or indeed, dissonance. We’ve all heard non-metal-listeners in our lives pontificate about how angry metal sounds. We all also know that it can bring happiness no matter how nasty it seems on the surface. Allow me to introduce you to some extreme metal out to prove this with a vengeance. Spain’s Frozen Dawn make their Transcending Obscurity debut with LP number four, a slice of melodic black metal fizzing with rambunctious energy. Polished and fresh, yet still retaining an air of the dark, occult past.” Stay frosty.