Immolation

Crescent – The Order of Amenti Review

Crescent – The Order of Amenti Review

“Some pain will last. In particular, those most formative of musical memories, the marriage of experience and DNA. Realm of Chaos and Consuming Impulse were the first to school me on how hard death metal could hit, and while Pierced From Within taught a lesson in climactic brutality, it was In Their Darkened Shrines that embodied the extravagance of extremity. These three tenets are what I champion in truly great death metal and, thanks to the latter, what can clumsily be described as “eastern” chord progressions have appealed to me ever since. Egypt’s very own Crescent know my needs, and their second album, The Order of Amenti, seeks to deliver just that.” Pyramid schemes.

Deconstructing Sequence – Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through Oddities of Space Review

Deconstructing Sequence – Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through Oddities of Space Review

“I’ve reviewed a decent amount of crappy records for AMG, and each one elicited a unique reaction. Some made me laugh; some made me cry; others still bored me to sleep or left me scratching my head wondering “why all the hype?” Listening to Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through Oddities of Space, the debut LP of Poland’s Deconstructing Sequence, made for an unexpected new emotional response to add to my repertoire of negative thinkpieces: I was actually rooting for this band.” Fight, fight, fight for our love!

El Cuervo and Diabolus in Muzaka’s Top Ten(ish) of 2017

El Cuervo and Diabolus in Muzaka’s Top Ten(ish) of 2017

“Making a successful and popular Top Ten list involves a series of complex calculations, comprised of, but not limited to the following: a tallying of recorded scores, estimated scene cred, a precise proportion of big and underground bands, a spot for that one record universally praised during the year, and a pathological need to seem like one has not missed anything.” Making a list, checking it thrice.

Afterbirth – The Time Traveler’s Dilemma

Afterbirth – The Time Traveler’s Dilemma

“Ever since zombies killed his dog in 2007, Will Smith has been dealing with his grief in the healthy way: by gurgling, screaming, and howling his way across New York’s underground metal scene. Many will be familiar with his work in Buckshot Facelift and Artificial Brain, and his talents are just as well displayed in Afterbirth.” Rage therapy.

Weregoat – Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication Review

Weregoat – Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication Review

“What do you get when you cross a werewolf with a goat? If you guessed “39 minutes of barbaric blackened death metal,” congratulations and welcome to a world where the only thing more bestial than the music is the sexual activity it describes.” Animal husbandry.

Aborted Fetus – The Art of Violent Torture Review

Aborted Fetus – The Art of Violent Torture Review

“Among an exciting breed of young talent and up and comers, long running acts such as Immolation and Suffocation continue releasing top-notch material, keeping the younger folk on their toes and creating a healthy link between past and present. Meanwhile certain bands admirably plug away through lengthy careers, causing modest waves in the deepest corners of the underground without ever really exploding or setting the scene on fire. Case in point being long running Russian act Aborted Fetus.” Nasty name, nasty music.

Hexis – Tando Ashanti Review

Hexis – Tando Ashanti Review

“Think of the most oppressive, putrid, and harrowing music you know. Now multiply the numerical representation of that oppressive and harrowing putridity by a thousand million. Your numerical representation is dwarfed by that of Hexis. In their world, Wormed sound like the Beach Boys, Ahab sound like wimpy clown fish, and Annal Nathrakh sound like a Tony Bennett tribute act.” That’s a mad world, right there.

Record(s) o’ the Month – February 2017

Record(s) o’ the Month – February 2017

“Another month, another spectacularly late Record(s) o’ the Month. At this point, can’t we just agree if you get it at all, it’s timely? As for February, it was a respectable month o’ metal with enough candidates for the top spots to make for a contentious selection, and no matter what we picked, some faction was going to have grievances. Since we’re a grievance type of website, we soak that shit up like craft beer and virgin’s blood.” It’s late, don’t hate.