Jan19

Flotsam and Jetsam – The End of Chaos Review

By Huck N Roll on January 14, 2019 in 2019, AFM Records, American Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 67 comments

“Fans of 80s thrash, rejoice! For we have a couple of albums coming out over the next few weeks from bands that were active in the genre’s infancy. First up is the latest from the never-let-go-of-the-dream quintet, Flotsam and Jetsam. I’ll mention the Jason Newsted–Metallica connection only because my February review will contain a similar reference, but everyone’s aware of this link. Most of those people haven’t really listened to the band, either then or now, which is a shame. While not as influential as their more famous counterparts in the “Big 4,” their first two albums, as well as 2016’s self-titled return to form, are well worth checking out.” Flotzilla’s revenge.

A Pale Horse Named Death – When the World Becomes Undone Review

By El Cuervo on January 14, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Long Branch Records, Reviews, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 31 comments

“A belated Happy New Year to all. But the genre at the core of today’s review may not be conferring that same wish on its listener; namely, atmospheric, Gothic metal. And there is surely but one obvious band when we consider Gothic metal from Brooklyn, NY; namely, Type O Negative (‘TON’). Given the clear limitations of a specific sub-genre of metal in one borough of a city, it’s no surprise to learn that Sal Abruscato, the Brooklyn goth behind A Pale Horse Named Death (‘Pale Horse’), has long-standing ties to that late but great band as a founding member of both.” Type So Negative.

Spillage – Blood of Angels Review

By Steel Druhm on January 11, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 53 comments

“Spillage is the brainchild of one Tony Spillman (get it?), a true journeyman of the Chicago metal scene who worked as a guitar tech for Trouble and appeared in Earthen Grave with Trouble alum Ron Holzner. After the unfortunate demise of Earthen Grave, Mr. Spillage wanted to pursue his own creative endeavors, founding Spillage and releasing a self-titled debut in 2015 featuring Trouble’s Bruce Franklin on guitar. Fast forward a few years and the band has a new lineup, with Franklin producing instead of performing. With all these connections to Chicago’s premier doom act, you’d expect sophomore opus Blood of Angels to be a chip off The Skull, and they do bill themselves as “power doom.”” Troubled.

Soilwork – Verkligheten Review

By Dr. Wvrm on January 11, 2019 in 2019, Melodic Death Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 156 comments

“Not long ago, sweating the steely Damocles ax of content output, I considered outing my own Indefensible Position: Soilwork’s most recent two full-lengths, The Living Infinite and The Ride Majestic, are their best. Formulaic? Sure, but riddled with tip-top bangers and speedy sing-alongs stronger than any they’d ever done. That both received 2.0s balled my segmented digits into puny rage nuggets whenever that betrayal came to fore. But then, an oddity: I re-spun the damned things, probably for the first time with my shiny reviewer ears, and found my ire lessened.” Still tilling the same soil.

Mo’ynoq – Dreaming in a Dead Language Review

By Lokasenna on January 10, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Black Metal, 75 comments

“Mo’ynoq, Uzbekistan is a former fishing capital and trade hub now lain low. Once a place of bounty, the decline and poisoning of the Aral Sea by the agricultural practices of the Soviet Union have left it dying husk, its few remaining inhabitants stricken with cancer and illness even as they scratch out a living from their drying, dusty coastline. It is from this place that North Carolina’s Mo’ynoq borrow their nom de guerre. However, such an evocative (if obscure in the United States of 2019) moniker all but mandates high standards.” Dead seas.

Saqra’s Cult – The 9th King Review

By Dr. Wvrm on January 9, 2019 in 2019, Amor Fati Productions, Belgian Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 70 comments

“The saqra of South American lore pesters, pranks, and provokes the lovely people residing in the former domain of the Inca Empire. Though unclear whether that tradition begat their codpiece affinity, Saqra’s Cult’s 2017 debut Forgotten Rites embraced that legacy surprisingly well for a bunch of Belgian black metallers glomming onto a different continent’s folk tales. Tribal black metal works about as well as [Insert Anything You Can Imagine, Really Here] black metal ever works—pretty damn well (if you can riff). But with The 9th King losing a lot of their overt South American influence, can Saqra’s Cult still put the can in Incan?” That pun stands alone.

A Swarm of the Sun – The Woods Review

By Steel Druhm on January 9, 2019 in 2019, Doom Metal, Drone, Post-metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Version Studio Records, Doom Metal, 83 comments

Isolation, misery and despair. These are the grey building blocks A Swarm of the Sun use to craft their unique soundscapes of depression and suffering. The work of Erik Nilsson and Jakob Berglund, this project has explored the human experience in harrowing ways, most notably on 2015s masterpiece of pain, The Rifts. That album cut a hole in my soul like no other album ever did, even though I was in a good place in life at the time with no particular reason to bask in the suffocating despair the band so effortlessly conjures. Their sparse brand of post-rock/metal and quasi-doom is unlike anything else out there, possessed of a grim power that drains all the light and joy from the world, consigning you to endless cancer wards and funeral parlors to witness the grace and desperation that comes at the end of life. The Woods sees the dour duo return with another dose of downer post-rock, and it’s predictably bleak and unsettling.” The hearts of darkness.

Lost in Grey – The Waste Land Review

By GardensTale on January 9, 2019 in 2019, Finnish Metal, Reaper Entertainment, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Folk Metal, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 61 comments

“Another year, another Nightwishcore, one is tempted to think at the sight of Lost in Grey. At this point, I’d be mighty tempted to make a template review and merely swap names and album titles out for the most homogeneous sound in the business. Efficient reviewing for 2019! Or it would be, if Lost in Grey had not unleashed the first major musical upset in my worldview of the year with their sophomore album The Waste Land: it attempts something different with the style!” Bombast in the borderlands.

The Mound Builders – The Mound Builders Review

By Cherd on January 8, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Doom Metal, Failure Records, Hardcore, Sludge, Stoner Metal, Hardcore, Sludge, 57 comments

“The break room at my real life place of employment has one of those old glass globe candy dispensers. It’s full of candy and only costs a nickel, but it goes largely unused by employees. No, not because millennials have never seen a nickel and the machine doesn’t take Venmo. It’s avoided because some sociopathic agent of chaos filled the thing with a mix of M&Ms and Skittles that are almost visually indistinguishable. Sure, both are independently enjoyable, but something about the idea of accidentally tasting them in combination, or getting one when you expect the other makes people dubious. The new eponymous album by Lafayette, Indiana’s The Mound Builders is the musical equivalent of this conundrum of expectations.” Sketchy candy.

Bloody Times – On a Mission Review

By Holdeneye on January 8, 2019 in 2019, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Rock'N'Growl Records, Heavy Metal, 104 comments

“Saying that I love Night of the Stormrider might be an understatement. In fact, it would be one of the few albums I would rate a perfect 5.0. For those poor souls not in the know, John Greely was the singer on that classic album, and I’ve always thought that his place in metal history is quite fascinating. While he fronted what is arguably Iced Earth’s finest moment, he’s primarily known as the guy that Matt Barlow replaced. Thinking that Greely had disappeared from the dark saga of heavy metal forever, I was delighted to get the chance to check out a new album featuring his voice. On a Mission is the sophomore album from nominally German band Bloody Times.” Blood on the Ice(d Earth).