“As I grow older, I’ve learned that taking time to make sure your creative output is as sparkly, shiny, and impressive as possible is paramount to a healthy creative life. Music is no exception to this rule. Finland’s Diablerie released their sole album, Seraphyde, back in 2001. With only a couple of EPs since, mainman Henri Villberg returns with the long-awaited follow-up, the ambitiously-titled The Catalyst vol. 1: Control, the start of a planned thematic trilogy of albums.” A trilogy, eh?
“I rarely engage with music based on how it “feels” or, for example, bands whose lyrics hit me right in “the feels.” But Pain of Salvation, particularly Road Salt pt. 1, did just that to me in 2010. It sucker punched me right in the feels. In the Passing Light of Day strikes that same chord for me, but in a way that I think will keep me coming back for a long time.” AMG vs. the Feels.
“Some bands plug away releasing record after record of dry, digitized discipline that no one particularly cares to recall. And then there are those acts that manage to seamlessly meld technical proficiency, distinct brutality and that often evasive element of musicality that seasons the broth. Italy’s Hour of Penance have, for me, always been one of those bands.” Seasons in the broth.
“The monkey’s paw is gripped tightly in your hands, a mangy curio purchased on your recent travel abroad. The wizened fakir that sold it to you promised it could fulfill any wish, an absurd statement but here in the stillness of your room curiosity has sunk its claws deep into you and a whispered plea escapes your lips: ;I wish for an album that can recapture the sound of early Machine Head.'” If wishes were Machine Heads, Rob Flynn would abide.
“The disturbing rumble of old school, dark and brooding death metal is a familiar one. Burrowing, buzzing riffs, inhuman growls, and tumultuous drums and bass lines are encased in a constant, over-the-top imagery of torture and dread. But why are we so attracted to this blacker than black despair and sense of suffocation?” Embrace the horrors.
“I’m no wine buff but if I ever feel the urge to get rat-arsed in an upper class, debonair sort of way, I usually plump for a bottle of something French. Why? Well, when it comes to the old grape juice, Pierre just seems to know his stuff. Wine is one of those products that carries with it a particular weight of expectation according to the country or region of the world from which it originates, and in this respect music is not all that different.” Nor-core is a thing?
“Lovecraftian atmosphere in music is a tricky thing to nail down. The number of metal bands attempting to emulate H.P. Lovecraft’s pioneering brand of cosmic horror in aural form seems to increase exponentially from year to year, and while many of them come close, most fall short. I believe this is because people underestimate how many elements Lovecraft pulled together to craft his fiction.” Feel the tentacle!
“Back in December of 2015, Der Blutharsch and the Infinite Church of the Leading Hand released a three-track offering called The Wolvennest Sessions. A year later, a reconstruction occurred and two of those three tracks were Botoxed and sent scurrying away to a new home. At this new home, these two ditties partnered with three new friends to produce a five-track debut of ambient music clocking in at fifty-five minutes. Within this handful of tracks lies a hint of black, a little doom, and a touch of rock that sends the listener tumbling headlong down Wolvennest’s drug-induced rabbit hole.” Holes, nests – this has it all.
“With a basic internet connection offering an up-to-the-minute cornucopia of quality metal releases, snap judgments have become an unfortunate way of life. On my first listen, Undrask came off as middling melodeath in the vain of acts emulating Clayman—In Flames and peak Children of Bodom. Packaged in a blue-and-orange visage that could leave Michael Bay weak in the knees, debut Battle Through Time initially left me stifling a yawn. Sorry, better luck next time. NEXT!” A funny thing happened on the way to the review.
“Some metalheads get excited about new releases because they’re new; they know what they like and they want more of it. This album is for them. If you like death metal without a hint of pretense, pomp, or progression, Beast Incarnate has your fix.” Death for the masses.
