Jul22

Daidalos – The Expedition Review

By Felagund on August 21, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Epic Metal, 18 comments

“The Expedition is a concept album that tells the story of the doomed 1845 voyage of Captain John Franklin and his crew of 129 men and their frost-filled journey through undiscovered portions of the northwest passage. Grizzled sea captains? Ice pirates? Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi may not crave such things, but I sure do. Daidalos have certainly plucked a worthy story from the annals of history on which to base their album. And as is their right, the band has chosen the soothing sounds of symphonic, epic black metal to tale this tale.” Voyage of the damned.

Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement – Constructing the Cataclysm Review

By Itchymenace on August 16, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 35 comments

“Let’s address the elephant in the dojo right away: Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement is a stupid name. It’s one of hundreds in a long and not very proud line of uninspired, overly wordy death metal band names. I’m all for cool ninja stuff – my tattered Octagon DVD is a prized possession – but how does a shuriken even entwine someone? It doesn’t make sense. Still, my track record proves I’m attracted to bands with questionable names. The album art is cool, and I really wanted the music to match. Name and art aside, the band plays your typical classic style of balls to the bloody walls death metal.” Samurwhy?

Coscradh – Nahanagan Stadial Review

By Dear Hollow on August 9, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 19 comments

“There’s something primal lurking beneath Nahanagan Stadial as its immense title track kicks in. Dublin’s Coscradh is blackened death and war metal at its core, crawling riffs, reverb-laden vocals adding to relentless bottom-end riffage and guitar-abusing speed, with a heaping helping of doom to top things off.” War, death, and no peace.

Box – Cherry Blossoms at Night Review

By El Cuervo on August 5, 2022 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Thrash Metal, 15 comments

“Madam X and Steel Druhm wield immense power over promo distribution. Their headline genre summaries dictate whether a promo will be chosen for review or not. Among the detritus of adjectiveless “stoner metal” and “old school black metal,” the memorable “thrash prog with darkwave” stood out like a beacon. Such description is conferred on Oregon’s Box and their record entitled Cherry Blossoms at Night.” Cherry orchards and cold lakes.

Raptore – Blackfire Review

By Holdeneye on August 4, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 62 comments

“Originating in Argentina, Raptore released one full-length album back in 2016 and have been relatively quiet ever since, with a contribution to a 5-way split being their only other official release. But after moving to Spain in search of the right lineup, founding guitarist and vocalist Nico Cattoni finds his project poised to unleash sophomore record Blackfire upon an unsuspecting trüe metal scene. Single “Prisoner of the Night” demonstrates Raptore’s kitchen-sink approach to writing classic heavy metal tunes by combining bits of early Ozzy with the hair metal swagger of Mötley Crüe and a bit of American power metal.” Angry birds.

Prosper or Perish – Shroud of Serpents Review

By Grymm on August 3, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 15 comments

“It’s been a good, long time since I’ve reviewed a melodic death metal album. Once upon a time, it was the only genre of music I would listen to, as it acted as a gateway portal between the classic style of heavy metal we all know and love, and the heavier, more extreme sounds that most of us flock to in droves after a while. Just like both extremes of the spectrum, the genre I’m focusing on definitely has its place, but unlike those extremes, it paints itself into a corner after a while, not looking to branch out or adapt without catastrophic results. Philadelphia’s Prosper or Perish hope to break out of that comfort zone with their third album, Shroud of Serpents.” Snake or swim.

Reeking Aura – Blood and Bonemeal Review

By Maddog on August 2, 2022 in Reviews, Death Doom, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 23 comments

As a hippie vegan with a houseplant obsession, I know all too much about blood and bone meal. If you’ve ever bought organic fertilizer, it likely contained these horrifying but nutrient-rich byproducts of slaughterhouses. While much less objectionable, Reeking Aura’s debut Blood and Bonemeal is no less vile than its namesake. Boasting band members from Grey Skies Fallen, Artificial Brain, and Buckshot Facelift, Blood and Bonemeal harks back to the halcyon days of Autopsy and Asphyx, dishing out grimy death metal riffs across the tempo spectrum.” What’s that smell?

Chat Pile – God’s Country Review

By Cherd on August 1, 2022 in Reviews, Noise, Noise Rock, Sludge, 162 comments

“Hopelessness is both a universal and local phenomenon. It’s always the same handful of pressures that cause it; resource inaccessibility, environmental/health factors, power held by the unscrupulous, etc, but every place has its own particular aesthetic of hopelessness. Despondency in, say, Guangzhou, China will look, sound and feel different than it does in the American Midwest. Sludge/Noise band Chat Pile call their debut album God’s Country “Oklahoma’s specific brand of misery,” and indeed their name itself comes from the piles of toxic waste, left over from an unregulated lead and zinc extraction industry, poisoning towns in the Sooner State.” American nightmares.

Lathe – Tongue of Silver Review

By Dear Hollow on August 1, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Noise, 47 comments

“Tongue of Silver represents two landscapes. It beats down upon the dead soil of the barren American West, empty and lonely winds plastering sun-bleached hills. But it pulses with the beating heart of its folklore, as legendary as it is flesh and blood. It’s a tall tale of the mundane, paying homage to not only Americana, but to the crushing weight of drone metal. The story it tells is not of speedy gunslingers or soul-searching troubadours but found in the negative spaces “somewhere between sand and rust:” a living, breathing, and uniquely American commentary on expansion and decay.” American threads.

Teethgrinder – Dystopia Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on July 31, 2022 in Reviews, Hardcore, 10 comments

“Whether in the presence of a low or high grind tide, the quest for more persists. It’s no secret that quite a few of us in the office are sickos looking for a cheap, direct-to-vein thrill. Why just the other day our own El Cuervo was at the water cooler pining for the muddy-muzzled lashing of Ass to Mouth. And who could blame him? Their 2014 outing had a unique charm of blended political samples and rough-tongued tirades against the traditional pummel and pierce of high ethanol grind. Teethgrinder understands this hunger.” Molarity ensued.