“Many older bands, once established, will eventually coast by just on their name alone. Sure, they’ll cut a new album every few years, but it never lives up to their influential works of yesteryear. It’s often an excuse to go out on the road, play nothing but the classics, and bring home the money while also hocking wares that have nothing to do with the band’s original intent. England’s Killing Joke, however, are a unique beast.” The Joke is on you!
“When it comes to turning an extremely limited sound into a career spanning decades, Fear Factory stands alone (or with AC/DC). And as we approach the 20th anniversary of their “cyber metal” style and reflect on how heavily the band utilized themes of technological advancement, artificial intelligence and mutation, the irony of how little their approach has “evolved” should be obvious even to the most Neanderthal of metal fans.” Fear Factory is back to single-handedly disprove all your fancy theories of evolution and kick circuit boards in your face.
“As far as we know, futurist music is no more. One of the last attempts to resuscitate the arthritic soul of the clanging artistic mechanism in the rock and metal community was probably Mike Patton’s Pranzo Oltranzista, but the year was 1997 and I was almost two decades younger. In the meantime, neither the likes of John Zorn or Elliott Sharp have ever contributed to the reiteration of that crime against common sense that was immortalised on Marinetti’s Manifest of Futurism in 1909. Too abstract and complex, their art; too prudent and astute their approach, contemporary artists have been neglecting pure noise for over 50 years.” Confused? That must mean Alex is back to confound and bewilder.
“One visit to The Monolith Deathcult’s website or Facebook page and you’ll instantly have the same problem I do when trying to take these guys seriously. I mean, come on. If you met me in a bar and I was holding a baseball bat, outfitted in atrocious sunglasses, and sucking on a cigar, you’d be looking to trade me for the lead man of Bad Guys as your designated wingman, and rightly so.” No one’s getting lucky tonight.
“Three years ago I found a little piece of time-travel magic when I stumbled upon A Forest of Stars and their third release, a whimsical offering that envelopes you like an opium haze, transporting you back to 1891, re-opening the imposing wooden doors to the gentleman’s club and recruiting you into their English Victorian brotherhood.” Metal’s version of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is back to save the day. Are you worthy of admission to their club?
“I must have had the phrase “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” drilled into my head by every music teacher imaginable. Everybody practices chords and scales repeatedly, right? Riffs? Solos? You have to in order to succeed in anything. Well, how about songs? Japan’s newest export in industrialized noise metal, Legion of Andromeda, have set out to challenge your notions of what noise and repetition can create via their debut, Iron Scorn.” And who doesn’t like fudge?
“They say nine out of ten startup companies fail. Much of this has to do with the venture’s lack of resources and connections; failing to find the know-how and know-who before the money runs out.” As companies race to find investors, you’re tasked with deciding what bands to invest your funds into. Choose…wisely.
“There are three things you need to know in regards to Raunchy: 1) I’ve had an unhealthy love affair with them since stumbling across Wasteland Discotheque back in 2008; 2) they have the most misleading band name ever; and 3) never say “can I get Raunchy?” when asking for their promo.” We call that a micro-aggression, and we only tolerate macro-aggressions at AMG. HR awaits!
“So this is what the end-times look like, eh? We live in an age where clean water, organic food, and simple shelter costs a premium. A world where wars are still waged in the name of money and God, forests are plowed and industrial parks are erected, and in America, where a livable wage is becoming less of a reality because we decided, “Hey, corporations are people, too!” These are depressing times, my friends, and we need something to fulfill a long-dormant spirit that has been slumbering for too damn long.” And that, my friend, is where Godflesh comes in.
“There’s something about the call of psycho-bombastic, industrialized black metal shunning the hypocrisy of cult religions that arouses my curiosity. To give you a bit of background, Invertia are in the process of launching their second full-length release via ultra-angry, techno geeks Ohm Resistance Records.” Madam X likes dark stuff. This is dark stuff. Does she like it? Find out!
