Jan19

Ancient Bards – Origine – The Black Crystal Sword Saga Part 2 Review

By Eldritch Elitist on January 23, 2019 in 2019, Italian Metal, Limb Music, Power Metal, Reviews, 47 comments

“When it comes to my favorite metal guilty pleasures of the past decade, Ancient Bards’ first two records have locked down a pretty sweet slot. Arriving at a time when even the first wave of Rhapsody imitators were beginning to lose relevance, the Bards fully embraced the irony of their “Ancient” moniker, injecting a well-worn formula with Power Quest-levels of sugar-coated melodies and the invigorating folk overtures of Equilibrium to formulate something that was fully cheesy, yet fully fresh.” Bards, beets, Battlestar Galactica.

Mortal Scepter – Where Light Suffocates Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on January 22, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Xtreem Music, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 105 comments

“My serious pursuits see me swimming in the olde. Philosophy’s greatest treasures are centuries and millennia old. One area of Ontarian contract law is essentially governed by a case concerning seafaring during the Napoleonic Wars. Romantically, well, I’ve gone grave robbing instead of cradle robbing, my affections being towards a lovely woman a few months my senior. It seems only fitting that French death-thrashers Mortal Scepter caught my eye.” Born too late.

Ars Magna Umbrae – Lunar Ascension Review

By Cherd on January 22, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, I Voidhanger Records, Polish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 151 comments

“Dissonant black metal is having a bit of a moment. With the late-aughts explosion of woodsy atmoblack now a decade old and on the wane—if ever so slightly—and artists turning to other inspiration for blackened evolution, those reclusive and mysterious French musicians of Deathspell/Aus Nord who first pioneered a more technical, terrifying sound are suddenly elder statesmen of a mini-movement. Now there’s K. M., the appropriately cryptic single member of Poland’s Ars Magna Umbrae, with a new album of dissoblack tunes.” Magna opus.

Horrisonous – A Culinary Cacophony Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 22, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Memento Mori, Reviews, Death Metal, 39 comments

“Eating is metal. We survive by threshing matter to an unrecognizable paste, forcing it down a lightless cavern and then, in the darkness, boiling it in acid. The act of feeding ourselves encapsulates the blend of violence, intensity and profundity we reach at when we use ‘metal’ as an adjective. Horrisonous drive this point liver-deep with their debut full length, A Culinary Cacophony. Its members have been slinging death around the Sydney scene in bands such as Temple Nightside, Backyard Mortuary, and Illimitable Dolor, and they’ve put their overstuffed CVs to work chopping, searing, and seasoning a viscous trough of old school death metal.” It’s a gutter buffet.

Imha Tarikat – Kara Ihlas Review

By Treble Yell on January 21, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Reviews, Turkish Metal, Vendetta Records, Black Metal, 86 comments

“The dichotomy of black metal is that despite pockets of cell-division spawning mutations of various strains, the genre prefers to spurn innovation and maintain its core of anti-religious suppurations. For every Solefald, Patria, or Ihsahn out there pushing black metal out from its comfort zone, there are legions of corpse paint-bedecked bands stoking the fires of tradition with coals of unimaginative blast-beats and stale iconoclasm. I love black metal, but that love tends to seek out bands who demonstrate innovation rather than those who peddle another tired take on Under a Funeral Moon. I crave something different and that thirst has lead me to Kara Ihlas.” Different god, same blackness.

Evergrey – The Atlantic Review

By Steel Druhm on January 21, 2019 in 2019, AFM Records, Gothic Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, 50 comments

“Evergrey carved quite the little niche for themselves over the last 20-plus years. Their brand of stripped down depressive progressive metal is never the most flashy or trendy thing in the room, but they’ve always had a certain somber magic that pulls you in and draws you back. They’ve been on a nice roll of late too, with 2014s Hymns for the Broken and 2016s The Storm Within both delivering the sadboy goods with enough meat and weight taters to hit the metal bone just so. The Atlantic is the final chapter in the loose conceptual trilogy started with Hymns, dealing with the confusing ebbs and tides of life as we try to chart a course and keep our head above water.” Come sail away.

Vile Apparition – Depravity Ordained Review

By Kronos on January 21, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Memento Mori, Reviews, Death Metal, 52 comments

“Abstract: Many recent investigations in the field of death metal have returned to classical techniques in order to reliably synthesize brutality. In recent years, authors have generated several novel formulations that draw from classic literature to generate new brutalities that fit modern needs but are still as effective as older formulas. Here I report on a recently discovered compound, formulated on a reliable basic structure, which exists at high purity with few residuals. This new product is applicable for research use and will be available in digital databases shortly after the publication of this article, with physical availability expected later in 2019.” SCIENCE!

Swifan Eolh & The Mudra Choir – The Key Review

By Lord Doom on January 20, 2019 in 2019, Apollon Records, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 45 comments

You know how almost every crappy family TV sitcom has an inevitable flashback episode? The family kids have discovered some contemporary genre of music that Dad doesn’t understand, and it’s causing him to wax nostalgic about his younger days. He regales his children with tales of the halcyon days of the wild 60’s and 70’s, of weed and hippies and free love, and about the time he and his high-school buddies had a prog band; probably called something like “Wizard’s Sleeve” or “Maxwell von Phlogiston and his Marvellous Dragonling Starship.” The Key sounds exactly like what I imagine sitcom Dad’s throwback prog band sounds like.” Dad rock is the best rock.

Wolfhorde – Hounds of Perdition Review

By Lord Doom on January 18, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Inverse Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, 72 comments

“Taking the leap from trolling in the comments section to writing serious reviews made me realize how little I really know about an increasingly complex metal genre. Perhaps this is endemic of an ever more experimental metal scene where genre-spanning efforts are becoming more common and reviewers throw out increasingly long lists of sub-sub-categorizations. Perhaps I’m young and lack the knowledge base of my elders. Perhaps there is just more music around these days. Whatever the case, Wolfhorde have let the dogs out with the genre hopping Hounds of Perdition, but is this sophomore effort about to get Old Yellered by yours truly?” Blackened dogs.

Malevolent Creation – The 13th Beast Review

By Ferrous Beuller on January 18, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Century Media, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 291 comments

“When I was a boy, busy putting my beleaguered vertebrae through a heavy metal crash course in brain surgery, there were a few records that would stay with me forever. On the death metal spectrum, my friends and I loved nothing more than realigning the atoms of our necks to the dulcet tones of Consuming Impulse or Realm of Chaos. Malevolent Creation’s first two albums, The Ten Commandments and Retribution, were also prime influences in our quest for spinal reconfiguration. I even rather enjoy the much-maligned Stillborn, despite its horrendous production. But, of course, this isn’t a retrospective of death metal’s classic era, it’s a review of Malevolent Creation’s newest offering and the first since the untimely passing of frontman Brett Hoffmann.” Altered beasts.