“Long Distance Calling is the best instrumental metal band you’ve never heard of. Formed in 2006, this German quartet first came to my attention when I discovered 2007 debut Satellite Bay last year, an album that went perfectly with my lonely drives along the sparkling New England coastline.” Accept the charges.
“One of the best quotes of the year comes from the promo blurb for Siinai’s new album, Sykli: “…this album burst out of us, like when a ketchup bottle loses its cap when you are violently shaking it.” This from a band that in the past has also released an instrumental concept album about supermarkets.Yes, Siinai are a strange Finnish act that do odd things. This album’s concept isn’t as weird as “music to shop to.” Instead, Skyli professes to be about the cyclical nature of life. Considering that this is an instrumental album, figuring out how well it conveys a concept can be tough, but that’s why we get the big bucks, right?” Clean up in aisle Life.
“Angel Vivaldi and I have had our brushes in the past, but despite his considerable back catalog, I’ve never found myself with the racing heart and flushed cheeks that many other younger instrumental/shred fans seem to exhibit when his name comes up.” Shred is as shred does.
“Not all who wander are lost. In fact, many wanderers know exactly where they are – in the first two-thirds of a post-rock song. Love or hate it, the “crescendo-core” formula has been a successful one, and Magma Waves are not out to challenge it with their debut …And Who Will Take Care of You Now, a record that finds its groove somewhere in roads well-trodden by the likes of If these Trees Could Talk and God Is an Astronaut.” Building it up to tear it down.
“Having formed in 2004 with only a split with fellow Ohioans Mouth of the Architect under their collective belt, this five-piece instrumental outfit gathered their resources and dropped their debut, The Tides Will Prevail, upon my lap. Taking a chance with 5 songs at 52 minutes in length, and without a vocalist to focus on, The Tides Will Prevail must grab the listener and keep their attention if it wants to succeed.” Ebb, flow or overflow?
“A great and wise man once said, “Let the music do the talking.” Okay, that was Steven Tyler, but it’s still true. There are times when a lot can be said with just your instruments, without the need for a voice, especially when those bands with voices want said voice to just shut up. In recent years, we’ve been bombarded by a slew of instrumental acts with varying degrees of success and talent. Belgian quartet Hemelbestormer (loosely translated to “idealist” in Dutch), is the newest to join the InstruMetal ranks with their debut album, Aether.” Be like Steven Tyler.
“Although we try to cover the metal scene pretty even-handedly here at Angry Metal Guy, some genres will always get short shrift. While our inbox gets swamped with retro-what have you, orthodox black metal, and your brutal/tech death band of the week, some genres that I like – slam, for instance – rarely make an appearance here. Another one of those genres is modern instrumental prog, a la Animals as Leaders and our band of interest, Scale the Summit.” Instrumental albums are a sticky mistress. No, wait….
“Imagine, for a second, one such object, say a charcoal black freight train splattered with shiny, rainbow-colored spots that has descended to our plane straight from some kooky stoner heaven, traveling at a high speed, unstoppable, and crushing everything in its path.” So little time to get out of the way of the Rainbow Train. Now less…now none!
“If you’re like me (and you should be, because come on) instrumental metal has never gripped you deeply. While Pelican or Scale the Summit are fine now and then, typically the music just induces a pleasantly reflective mood, with occasional thoughts of “hey, that’s pretty” or “well, that’s a neat riff.”” Metallic mood music has a place, doesn’t it?
“China’s Tengger Cavalry are a rather prolific bunch, aren’t they? With five full-length albums in as many years, these Mongolian folk metallers have been making waves over the last few years, even going as far as opening for Turisas when the latter hit Beijing a couple years back. With their profile expanding and people catching wind of their majestic blend of exotic shaman folk music and melodic death metal, they did what any self-respecting up-and-coming band should do: they re-recorded their 2010 debut.” Is it ok to re-record mega obscure albums no one ever heard? we report, you ponder.
