“‘Délétère’. A word which translates from French into English as ‘deleterious’. Aside from sounding distinctly metal, it apparently means ‘harmful’ or ‘damaging’. Bear this in mind. Addressing the band that is the subject of today’s review, Délétère partake in the affecting métal noir Québécoise scene.” Québéc-core.
“Elvellon is a quintet that consciously or not follows closer than I previously believed possible in the shoes of Nightwish’s mid-period. Their debut album Until Dawn is a stone’s throw from both Century Child and Once, while offering a distinct character through some small changes in compositional technique. This statement alone is not an indication of quality, however, and gives rise to the most important question of all. Do Elvellon manage to fill a gap left by Nightwish?” Dawnwish!
“I have two basic approaches when it comes to reviews. If the album is by a band whose discography I am familiar with, I’ll read the PR materials to learn more prior to listening. If it’s a band I haven’t heard of, but either grabbed off the promo list or was voluntold to take it by the inestimable Madam X, I won’t read anything about the band. I’ll dive right into the promo and form some unfettered opinions over a few listens before checking out the PR material. That’s how I did it with Belgian quartet Fire Down Below and their sophomore album, Hymn of the Cosmic Man.” Ignorance is bliss.
“Average albums are almost never fun to write about; the sheer abundance of ho-hum, inoffensive records is staggering, and writing about them stimulates my brain about as well as popping a couple tabs of Ambien. Ghostbound is the exception to this rule.” Ghosts and gravitas.
“Merciless were a cool act. They weren’t one of the best thrash acts, nor one of the most well-known of the B-tier. Yet between 1990 and 2002, they cut 4 throat-slashing records just past the heyday of thrash before calling it a career. Or so we thought. Who would have ever guessed a throwback band bassist would revive a classic sound in an attempt to relive the glory day? Certainly not I. But with former members of Deströyer 666, Centinex, and Portrait by his side, Total Destruction wants to lead you to a Dreadful Fate, whether you wanted a new take/act/genre or not.” Back from the dead and still without mercy.
This post has been removed because it promoted Nazi or Nazi-adjacent metal bands or musicians. We apologize.
“Pop quiz, motherfathers: What has the voice of an apathetic angel, Sabbathian wings o’ doom, and slowly circles the skies with Alunah in its claws and Italian fire in its heart? If you didn’t guess Haunted, either the review title got fucked up or you’re just one of the masses. Haunted aren’t exactly cavehold names in the doom community, but Dayburner sees the quintet looking to change that.” Doom in Venice.
“Perspective. It’s something even the most seasoned music fan and reviewer can lose sight of at times. Case in point, Colorado doom champions, Khemmis. They hit the scene like a ton of bricks in 2015 with their Absolution debut, awash in massive riffs, emotional vocals and a big dose of that X factor that makes a band stand out. Within a year they’d followed up with the massive Hunted, which showed an evolution and maturation as well as some new tricks. With such rapid fire successes, it’s easy to forget that Khemmis is still a young band.” Young and trve.
“Sisyphus, the tragic Greek figure of trickery and deception, has become quite the recurring theme in metal as of late. A man who cheated Death by having Death itself chained up when it was his time to go, Sisyphus was punished for his actions by having to roll a giant boulder up a hill to free himself from his fate. The only catch was that the boulder would roll back down to the very bottom once Sisyphus pushed it up to the summit, damning him to an eternity of boulder-pushing. It would also work as a bit of a fitting metaphor for Heirs of Sisyphus, the second album by Swedish blackened death metallers Gutter Instinct.” Blackened Death Avenue leads to Skid Row.
“Many of us at AngryMetalGuy.com make no effort to hide the fact that we love music that falls just off the beaten path. A good way to get mine and others’ attention is to name-drop The Mars Volta and King Crimson in a promo blurb: I’m immediately like a small child accepting candy from a stranger.” Free opinions!
