Jul19

Nad Sylvan – The Regal Bastard Review

By El Cuervo on July 12, 2019 in 2019, InsideOut, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Progressive Rock, 30 comments

“Having ensnared my heart in 2015 (Courting the Widow) and delivered a solid follow-up in 2017 (The Bride Said No), Nad Sylvan and his merry band of prog musicians have returned in 2019 to conclude the so-called ‘Vampire Trilogy’ of linked albums. The Regal Bastard spins a typically perverse tale and represents a not insignificant musical step forwards from Bride. Widow is one of the best progressive rock releases in the past 5 years while Bride was somewhat less ostentatious and stuck with me far less. Bastard draws from both of these experiences in forging a surprisingly fresh release in what can be a particularly stuffy genre. Prog nerds, read on.” Triple the Nads.

Burial Remains – Trinity of Deception Review

By Holdeneye on July 12, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Dutch Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Transcending Obscurity, Death Metal, 23 comments

“Back when I was a snot-nosed n00b, I waxed non-poetically about how old school death metal has never really grabbed me all that hard. Now that I’m a snot-nosed non-n00b, I should probably set the record straight and disclose that the Swedish death metal sound really does have a place in my heart. That Boss HM-2 guitar tone is just so nasty, and when it’s combined with punk rhythms, it can induce an almost trancelike state with its beautifully bouncing beefiness. That sound is what has set a lot of European death metal apart in my ~~Holden~~ eyes, and I almost universally ignore the OSDM bands from my own country because of it.” Benedict Holdeneye.

Arkhaaik – *dʰg̑ʰm̥tós Review

By Carcharodon on July 11, 2019 in 2019, Doom Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Swiss Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 72 comments

“Arkhaaik have, for reasons best known to them, decided to write and perform this in proto-Indo-European (PIE). The PIE tongue, last spoken several thousand years BC, remains only partially reconstructed. And this, according to my extensive Wikipedia research, at least explains the asterisks, which are used to mark reconstructed words. What’s that? Enough linguistic history? Well, there’s more but, if you’re sure.” Dead tongues and other creepy things.

Disentomb – The Decaying Light Review

By Saunders on July 11, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, 36 comments

“The mounting pressure that comes with the weight of expectation an artist faces after establishing success and credibility in the metal scene, must be daunting. Some are probably content to roll with the punches and block out distractions, while others inevitably feel the pressure bearing down upon them. I’m not sure which camp Australia’s Disentomb falls into, but regardless, following up the acclaimed beast of riffy brutal death on their 2014 album Misery was always going to be a difficult assignment, especially with increased anticipation following an extended period between albums.” Redisentombed.

Disrupted – The Procrastination of Being Review

By Twelve on July 11, 2019 in 2019, Concreto Records, Death Metal, Mexican Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 53 comments

“While I can certainly appreciate awesome riffing, furious roaring, and bestial drumming, I’ve always felt like the approach just needs something… more. Melodeath, death-doom, and similar styles are what have resonated with me more strongly in the past, leaving “just” death metal largely off of my radar. A short while ago, I reviewed the latest from Mettadone, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the modern take on the style. Fast-forward to the present, and here I am again, giving death metal another chance in my life.” Death adds life.

Suicide Forest – Suicide Forest Review

By Master of Muppets on July 10, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Avantgarde Music, Black Metal, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 27 comments

“Summer: blah. Rampant blinding sunlight, not a dead tree to be found, and everywhere I go is plagued by incessant seasonal euphoria… I hate it, yo. Without autumn’s dying beauty or the melancholic jubilation of winter nights, I find little to sustain the part of me that feeds on natural darkness and am forced to hunt down anything that’ll let me at least hear that which I cannot presently see or feel. Enter Suicide Forest.” Put some winter in your summer.

Aphrodite – Lust and War Review

By Huck N Roll on July 10, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Fighter Records, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 29 comments

“The dog days of summer are upon us. The glory of finding albums that are monthly contenders for our highest accolades seems but a distant memory. Instead, we find ourselves scouring the pits of promo hell in desperate searches for something, anything, with redeeming qualities. So I find myself saddled (by my own choice) with Lust and War, the debut album from Toronto’s Aphrodite.” Speed kills.

Celestial Grave – Secular Flesh Review

By Kenstrosity on July 9, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Finnish Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 65 comments

“There are few things in this world as pleasant as raw black metal. The kind that barely registers as music to the ears of the unwashed. The kind that gives all of your family members doubts about your competency. The kind that elicits concerned glares from passers-by. You know what I’m talking about. So it was with great anticipation that I plucked Finland’s Celestial Grave from the AMG promo vault for a look-see.” When the void plucks you.

Metalian – Vortex Review

By Steel Druhm on July 9, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, High Roller Records, NWOBHM, Reviews, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, 26 comments

“Canada is in the midst of a speed metal renaissance at the moment, with bands like Skull Fist and Riot City blazing burning pathways back to the 80s. Now you can add Metalian to the backward focused mob rush. Their third opus Vortex is a shameless throwback dose of speed mixed with traditional and NWoBHM ideas, designed and executed to sound totally natural in 1984. That means tossing Agent Steel, Razor and Judas Priest in a burlap sack and shaking furiously to see what happens.” Dad metal happens.

Hex – God Has No Name Review

By Cherd on July 9, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Transcending Obscurity, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 24 comments

“When I look at the cover art for the sophomore full-length, God Has No Name, by Spain’s Hex, I see a hyperbolic metal label distribution PR blurb made pictorial. ‘Riffs so heavy, so scorching, they splinter the Earth’s crust into black obsidian shard,’ it declares. Straight-faced, it adds ‘A sound so singularly malignant, it tears a hole in the very heavens above. As it rends the firmament, fire erupts from blah blah blah,’ you get the point.” Sounds of an apocalypse fading.