Insomnium

Nightrage – The Venomous Review

By Roquentin on April 17, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Despotz Records, Greek Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 52 comments

“Sometimes, context is everything. Take Greek/Swedish melodeath stalwarts Nightrage and their 2005 release, Descent into Chaos. During a time when our digital voraciousness was yet gestating, the general availability of music limited, and my taste still fully receptive of Gothenburg metal, the subjective value of that objectively passable album became immense. Great riffs and melodies, catchy hooks, and an innate sort of aggressiveness bedazzled me. Listening to it today, it sounds good, if unremarkable and most certainly not at the level of some of the classics of the genre. Context, like I said, matters the most.” Nostalgia has limits.

Raise the Black – Portrait Review

By Dr. Wvrm on February 13, 2017 in 2017, Doom Metal, English Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 28 comments

“These days, the album bin’s like a box of chocolates: most morsels are halfway decent, except the random orange-flavored ones. Despite a name suggesting a jaunt on the Seven Seas and a promo sheet whispering sweet nothings of Insomnium, Agalloch, and Woods of Ypres, Raise the Black’s debut, Portrait, has the pinkish taste of despair to it.” Taste the pink despair!

Angry Metal Guy’s Supplemental List(s)

By Angry Metal Guy on January 3, 2017 in 2016, Blog Posts, 96 comments

Yesterday I published my Top 10(ish) of 2016 and it’s a good list. But as has been pointed out, a lot of the supplemental material I usually include was missing. So today I’m posting a follow up: Angry Metal Guy’s Supplemental List(s). This should give you insight into some of the things which weren’t included, as well as a couple of other things I’ve been thinking about posting lists of for a while. This is being thrown together quickly and unplanned. But I just think you guys deserve it and I like list-making. It’s probably something I should list under my hobbies on Facebook.

Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2016

By Steel Druhm on December 30, 2016 in 2016, Blog Posts, Lists, 153 comments

“Well, it looks like we made it to the end of another year of music, mayhem and interweb tomfoolery! And while 2016 kicked most of our asses in unpleasant ways, it was an outstanding year for metal music. In fact, I think it was the best overall since I joined the AMG meat grinder way back in 2010.” Don’t shoot the messenger gorilla.

Madam X’s Least Disliked Ten(ish) of 2016

By Madam X on December 29, 2016 in 2016, Blog Posts, Lists, 95 comments

“As the year winds to a close I find myself reflecting on what this year has been for me musically, and I have to say, unlike other reviewers on the site, I’ve found it extremely difficult to doll out any significantly high scores. This has led me to just one conclusion, Madam X’s Top Ten(ish) of 2016, shall instead be titled Madam X’s Least Disliked Ten(ish) of 2016.” There is no X in team.

Mark Z and Diabolus in Muzaka’s Top Ten(ish) of 2016

By Madam X on December 27, 2016 in 2016, Blog Posts, Lists, 62 comments

The lists keep coming and the choices are getting stranger. Now Mark Z. and Diabolus in Muzaka get the spotlight for their Top Tens. Follow along and take copious notes if you know what’s good for you.

Far Beyond – A Frozen Flame of Ice [Things You Might Have Missed 2016]

By Diabolus in Muzaka on December 21, 2016 in 2016, German Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Things You Might Have Missed 2016, Melodic Black Metal, 38 comments

“Many have complained about 2016’s selection of great music, and not without reason; it can seem a bit lacking. Germany’s Far Beyond, the one-man project of Eugen Dodenhoeft, decided to roll with the simplest solution of all to 2016’s musical woes: stop releasing music that isn’t great. With this, A Frozen Flame of Ice was born. That was simple enough to fix.

Corona Skies – Fragments of Reality Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on November 16, 2016 in 2016, Alt-Metal, Finnish Metal, Groove Metal, Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Mighty Music, Power Metal, Reviews, Rock, Hard Rock, Pop Metal, Power Metal, Rock, 36 comments

“Having read plenty of trash masquerading as philosophy and heard plenty of nonsensical music both within and without metal, I figured I was desensitized to weird stuff. Hell, the world seems almost desensitized to weirdness; Jacques Lacan, one of the biggest dolts to ever pretend to think about stuff and write it down, posited that an erection was equal to the square root of -1 and more than zero people took him seriously.” Weird is full of surprises.

Record(s) o’ the Month – September 2016

By Steel Druhm on October 25, 2016 in 2016, Blog Posts, Record o' the Month, 115 comments

“They say it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. AMG Industries and Unihorn Distribution Inc., have wholeheartedly adopted this adage, especially when it comes to the Record(s) o’ the Month. In other words; you may get them late, but at least you get them, so pipe down about it! Now that we have the proper mindset established, we can proceed productively.” Yadda-yadda-yadda, here it is!

Insomnium – Winter’s Gate Review

By Steel Druhm on September 13, 2016 in 2016, Century Media, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 90 comments

“Coming from the refreshingly short blasts of concise metal by High Spirits and Sumerlands and having to tackle a 40-minute melo-death song seemed like a particularly arduous shift of gears for yours truly. Winter’s Gate is Insomnium’s seventh release, and apparently they wanted to pay homage to Edge of Sanity’s legendary Crimson opus by crafting a massive composition filled with similarly diverse moods and complexions.” Winter is coming (and staying).