Jan20

Serious Black – Suite 226 Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on February 8, 2020 in 2020, AFM Records, International Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 25 comments

“It’s no secret that Serious Black has fallen out of favor with me since 2016’s Mirrorworld. I mean, how do you fuck up a recipe as simple as As Daylight Breaks? Furthermore, how do you go from a Grier top-ten pick to a disappointment of the year? Well, it happened. Which found me almost missing out on 2017’s Magic and completely missing out on that same year’s acoustic release, First Light. And, when this year’s anticipated new record landed, I almost missed out again. For better or worse, Suite 226 is here with another concept story. This time a deranged lunatic rather than a top-hot magician. All I can say is buckle-up, kiddos. If I have to be here, then so do you.” Why so Serious?

Satan Worship – Teufelssprache Review

By Mark Z. on February 7, 2020 in 2020, Black Metal, Folter Records, International Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 19 comments

“A good blackened thrash album is like coming home to your favorite armchair. You’ve had it for years, the material is soft and has long ago conformed to the exact contours of your buttocks, ensuring maximum comfort when you sit your ass down after a hard day’s work to watch whatever bullshit you can find on Netflix. Yet occasionally, an album will feel more like a chair you’ve owned too long. There’s potato chip crumbles stuck in the crevices. Stuffing is coming out of the edges. The recliner no longer works. It’s still a good reliable chair, but it doesn’t quite warm the heart as much as it once did.” Sofa worship.

Quiescency – Message for Lamb Review

By Kenstrosity on February 6, 2020 in 2020, Deathcore, Melodic Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Rumf Productions, Russian Metal, Deathcore, Melodic Metal, Metalcore, 9 comments

“Metalcore. Deathcore. The ever nebulous ‘melodic metal.’ These are tags that discomfit discerning metalheads like myself. In those rare moments where I experience the excitement for a new release in these genres, as I did with Russia’s Quiescency, the worst case is that my anticipation overinflates. Since the band announced Message for Lamb roughly forever ago, my expectations for their debut record swiftly reached an unreasonable altitude. Alas, what goes up must come down.” Lamb stewed.

Moloken – Unveilance of Dark Matter Review

By Kronos on February 5, 2020 in 2020, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Post-metal, Progressive Metal, Releases, Reviews, Swedish Metal, The Sign Records, Death Doom, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 15 comments

“We pretend not to, but we forget about bands all the time here. I forgot about – what’s that band? – Fear Factory last week and just now forgot that my last introduction was also about forgetting. In part I have to blame the burning n00b fumes, skull pit wounds, and brain-hemorrhaging metalcore for the memory loss. Likewise, I could tell you that I forget stuff because my brain runs on eight-inch floppy discs, but in reality I made the transition to 3.5” years ago and am just bad at keeping current. Suffice it to say that I forgot about Moloken.” Remind him to always remember.

Lordi – Killection (A Fictional Compilation Album) Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on February 3, 2020 in 2020, AFM Records, Finnish Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 23 comments

“The rubber costumes, Halloween-themed perversions, and Rob Zombie-meets-’80s hair metal ditties aren’t on the list of ‘Things Metalheads Need.’ Yet, their Gwar-ish concepts spring up every couple of years as the Metal Monster Squad’s own songs (?) summon them via radio shows hosted by either Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider or Rockin’ Ralph Ruiz. And they don’t seem to care if you want what they have to offer or not—even if they’ve done it some ten times in twice as many years. And, only God/Satan knows, but there’s a handful of you sick sonsabitches out there that enjoy this crap. So, this review of Killection (A Fictional Compilation Album) is for you. Be ashamed of yourself.” Monster, Inc.

Marrasmieli – Between Land and Sky Review

By Twelve on February 2, 2020 in 2020, Atmospheric Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Naturmacht Productions, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Folk Metal, 65 comments

“At any given time, it’s a safe bet that I’m craving new atmospheric black metal. Take your blackest metal impulses, turn down the fury and turn up the melodies, and I’m probably a happy fan! I enjoy black metal a lot, but tend to prefer less angry and more melody in the style. So seeing Marrasmieli and their debut album, Between Land and Sky labelled as “folk/black metal” in the Promo Pit was plenty good enough for me.” Black lite.

Crowhurst and Gavin Bryars – Incoherent American Narrative Review

By Emya on February 1, 2020 in 2020, Ambient, American Metal, Experimental Metal, Noise, Prophecy Productions, Reviews, Ambient, Noise Metal, 17 comments

“Not knowing what to expect from Crowhurst and Gavin Bryars’s new album Incoherent American Narrative, I snuggled into a corner of my couch with a piping hot mug of mint tea at my side and put on my Sennheisers. Now that I have experienced the album more than a handful of times, the idea that keeps coming to mind is that of a sound collage. Sound collages, like their visual counterparts, are compositions created from “gluing” together various, oftentimes disparate, sound pieces. Incoherent American Narrative fits that description to a T.” Art and crafts.

Coffin Curse – Ceased to Be Review

By Saunders on February 1, 2020 in 2020, Chilean Metal, Death Metal, Memento Mori, Reviews, Death Metal, 31 comments

“Australia is in the midst of a devastating bushfire crisis and severe drought, so the fun-loving summery good vibes we are accustomed to, have been undercut by widespread devastation of habitat, wildlife, property, and loss of lives. Throw in the usual trials and tribulations of life and it’s been a strange time. But as is often the case, metal is a cathartic remedy to tough times. And some good old, no-frills death metal played with ferocity and feral rawness is just what the doctor ordered.” Casket case.

Elden – Nostromo Review

By El Cuervo on January 31, 2020 in 2020, Fuzzorama Records, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Stoner Metal, 10 comments

“I selected Nostromo by Elden on the basis of being both a literature and sci-fi nerd (Joseph Conrad’s 1904 novel and Alien, respectively, though Alien itself is referencing Conrad by naming its ship Nostromo), hoping the resultant album would invoke a similarly strong response. How fare these Swedes when embarking in their own vessel called Nostromo?” In space no one can hear you nerd.

Leeched – To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse Review

By Grymm on January 31, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Grind, Hardcore, Industrial Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Hardcore, Industrial Metal, 41 comments

“Every year, January is the token month when seemingly every label releases all their one-person black metal projects en masse, and it usually falls on my furry shoulders to find new, creative ways to say, yet again, how a band sounds like certain outfits we no longer talk about. But no, not this year! This year, this damn January, Leeched saw fit to release To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse, the hotly anticipated (by me, at least) follow-up to their impressive debut, 2018’s You Took the Sun When You Left. I was eagerly awaiting filthy, undulating industrialized hardcore with so much dirt and grime that not even a lifetime supply of either Dove soap or Orbit gum could ever clean or freshen up.” Dirty deeds.