“Throughout the tapestry of shimmering tones, weighty riffs, and desperate fry vocals in Light Will Shine, a common thread courses, of vulnerability and tension. Belgium’s Divided offers a style not unlike Glassing, Amenra, and Envy, with crystalline melodies colliding with unforgiving heaviness, with a distinctly unfriendly guitar harmonic approach. However, it professes a soundtrack for anxiety.” Unite through division.
Glassing
Distances – Abstruse Review
“In 2013, I attended a concert in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with hopes of seeing Intronaut and Scale the Summit. However, because I’m a good little Hollow, I decided to stop in for the openers. The youth center in which this was played was scrawled with graffiti in the dim lighting, and the stage was a makeshift affair about a foot or less off the ground, and a row of beaten couches comprised the seating. When I was welcomed into the concert area, Albuquerque quartet (at the time) Distances came up, a band whose numbers rivaled the audience members. There we stood, bobbing our heads to a post-metal sound whose colossal quality blew the roof off the shady little venue.” From youth center to center stage.
Kronos’ and Grymm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2021
Kronos and Grymm deliver artisan Top Ten(ish) lists for 2021. Just look at that craftsmanship!
Saunders’, Huck N’ Roll’s and Cherd’s Top Ten(ish) of 2021
Saunders, Huck and Cherd deliver their weighty Top Ten(ish) lists and try to get along in the process.
TheKenWord’s and Carcharodon’s Top Ten(ish) of 2021
TheKenWord and Carcharodon assembled these Top Ten(ish) lists and apparently they stand by them. You can judge if that is the right decision.
Doom_et_Al’s and Dear Hollow’s Top Ten(ish) of 2021
Lists are a gift and Doom_et_Al and Dear Hollow have presents to distribute. Prepare for tidings of anger and joy.
Glassing – Twin Dream Review
“Glassing and I have a complicated relationship. Spotted Horse hit a spot for me in 2019: the first 4.0 I ever awarded ’round these parts. Unfortunately, time was not kind and my experience with its rough edges and one-dimensional vocals landed it on Contrite Metal Guy, where I reeled it back a point. The band’s tantalizing blend of concrete-thick sludge and crystalline melody is nonetheless unforgettable, and the initial hype and subsequent fall from grace is something that still haunts me.” Glassing over the past.
Ingrina – Siste Lys Review
“Many metal bands do not have drummers. This is not because drummers are cantankerous, unhygienic, or otherwise objectionable people – though of course you may have evidence to that effect. No, the value of a drummer is so great that bandmates will tolerate even the worst tendencies of the percussively inclined, and in fact seek out kit-kickers like the jilted seek closure. The reason is scarcity; there are just not enough drummers out there. Which makes it especially rare for a band to contain two.” Kit cats.
Svalbard – When I Die, Will I Get Better? Review
“It’s hard to have hope sometimes. We live our lives constantly getting up and going, always moving onto the next thing—moths chasing flames that grow more elusive as the dawn approaches. We’re tortured by silence in a screaming year, laced with events of turmoil and perpetual change—a silver silence that holds a mirror up to our faces and our truths. And we don’t always like what we see. It’s hard to have hope when we’re distracted, romanced by the illusion of productivity, blinded by privilege, and shielding our weary eyes from discomfort. This is what makes Svalbard so important; they force us to look.” Dying to heal.
Contrite Metal Guy – Mistakes Were Made
“The life of the unpaid, overworked metal reviewer is not an easy one. Cascading promos, unreasonable deadlines, draconian editors and the unwashed metal mobs – it makes for a swirling maelstrom of music and madness. In all that tumult, errors are bound to happen and sometimes our initial impression of an album may not be completely accurate. With time and distance comes wisdom, and so we’ve decided to pull back the confessional curtain and reveal our biggest blunders, missteps, oversights and ratings face-plants. Consider this our sincere AMGea culpa. Redemption is retroactive, forgiveness is mandatory.” Whoopsie.