Jun19

Moonlight Haze – De Rerum Natura Review

By Dear Hollow on June 17, 2019 in 2019, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Symphonic Metal, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 40 comments

“I guess I brought this on myself. All that trash I’ve been talking at the office about power metal has finally come full circle, and here I am laying out the carpet for a power metal band. The debate rages on: does power metal belong among the ranks of true metal or is it too melodic? I suppose, since the beginning, one of metal music’s core tenets has always been a focus on excess. Whether it be slamming death metal’s absurdly violent lyrics or black metal’s corpsepaint, power metal’s dramatic focus on the operatic and epic certainly fits.” Abuse of power.

Organectomy – Existential Disconnect Review

By Kenstrosity on June 17, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, New Zealand Metal, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Slam, 78 comments

“The Summer of Slamcore and Other Slammy Things™ continues for this guy right here. So far, my choices from the promo bin failed to impress or rapidly soured after the initial bout of Shiny New Thing Disorder lifted. But there must be light at the end of the tunnel. As soon as I saw New Zealand’s very own modern slam juggernauts Organectomy peeking out from under all of the mediocre black metal dreck littering the place, I knew I had found that light.” Wham, bam, thank you, slam!

Power from Hell – Profound Evil Presence Review

By Mark Z. on June 17, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Brazilian Metal, High Roller Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 10 comments

“A few years ago I had a strange and insatiable desire to find the simplest and punkiest blackened thrash imaginable. My search led me to find gems like Chapel and other bands I didn’t enjoy as much, including Power from Hell. Led by vocalist and guitarist “Sodomic,” the Brazilian trio have been kicking around since 2001 and released four albums before their 2015 Hells Headbangers debut Devil’s Whorehouse.” Power outage.

Slomatics – Canyons Review

By Akerblogger on June 16, 2019 in 2019, Black Bow Records, Doom Metal, Irish Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 21 comments

“Since 2005, Belfast based space-sludge juggernauts Slomatics have scoured the cosmic plains for doomy inspiration. The universe is a vast place, and with their seventh album set to be released in 2019, Slomatics haven’t run out of inspiration. Every Slomatics’ record tells a story. Their 2016 release Future Echo Returns was an earthy beast, dense and direct. Bone-rattling heaviness in the form of fuzz-laden doom was the main tool used on that record; in my review of that release I desired more tenderness, more humanity. Canyons is more expansive, an exploration of the far reaches of the universe.” Star sludge.

Distant – Tyrannotophia Review

By Saunders on June 15, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Deathcore, Dutch Metal, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Deathcore, Slam, 25 comments

“Distant is a curiously subtle and vague moniker for a deathcore band with slam death leanings. Describing themselves specifically as downtempo deathcore, whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean, the Netherlands outfit bring their down-tuned grooves and pig squealing brutality in typically boneheaded style with the subtlety of their chosen name certainly not translated into their musical template. That’s all good and well, yet with an increasingly stacked year of quality metal releases, does Tyrannotophia deliver to the expected standards of brutality and songcraft on their debut full-length?” Short armed.

Sadistic Ritual – Visionaire of Death Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on June 14, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Unspeakable Axe Records, Thrash Metal, 17 comments

“Goddamn, I’ve reviewed a lot of black metal this year. Not that I’m upset about it. But, since joining this illustrious website of snobbery and pretentiousness five years ago, my yearly average is higher than it’s ever been. Is it due to Grier selling out and over-rating the under-rated albums of 2019? Oh, hell no, you over-commenting sonsofbitches. It’s because I’m blessed to review bands like Istapp, Darkthrone, and Vous Autres. Over-rater, I am not. Over-editor? Well, yeah, look at what I have to work with here! But, in hopes of lowering my average for the year and giving my black, swollen head a rest, I closed my eyes and reached into the scorpion-infested grog box that is the AMG Promo Bin. And out I pulled Atlanta’s only Kreator-inspired thrash metal band, Sadistic Ritual.” Thrashlanta.

This Gift Is a Curse – A Throne of Ash Review

By Doom_et_Al on June 14, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Hardcore, Reviews, Season of Mist, Sludge Metal, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Hardcore, Sludge Metal, 51 comments

“If you’re not challenging yourself, if you’re not occasionally exposing yourself to uncomfortable feelings and emotions, especially with a genre as extreme as metal, then why bother? Good art is discomforting and sometimes painful, and Swedish metallers This Gift Is a Curse are strong adherents of this view.” Suspicious packages.

Sandness – Untamed Review

By El Cuervo on June 14, 2019 in 2019, Cock Rock, Hair Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Rockshots Records, Cock Rock, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, 28 comments

“Sandness. The essence of sand. It’s coarse and it’s rough and it’s irritating and it gets everywhere. Such characteristics are not really desirable for a young Italian rock band releasing their third album and aiming to bring 80s hair metal to the modern day. Untamed follows a 3-year break, a time in which the band aimed to create something “more straightforward, shorter and more lighthearted,” descriptors which are quite different to those listed above. But the real queries are around quality. Do they achieve their goals? Should you invest your time here? Do I like Sand(ness)?” The Sandness of love.

Ravensire – A Stone Engraved in Red Review

By Steel Druhm on June 13, 2019 in 2019, Cruz Del Sur, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Epic Metal, Heavy Metal, 23 comments

“Ancient armies will clash. Muscle, sweat, bone and blood will meet gleaming steel. Once tranquil fields will be littered with tattered banners and fallen heroes. This is Ravensire’s world and we just fight in it. Hailing from Portugal, they’re an epic heavy metal band through and through, taking inspiration from all the best swords (Doomsword, Ironsword), the Viking ethos of Bathory’s Hammerheart era, and of course, the loin beclothed he-men of Manowar.” Stone beats Steel.

Skelator – Cyber Metal Review

By Holdeneye on June 13, 2019 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 88 comments

“I stand before you today to confess two great sins. First, I was not allowed to watch He-man growing up, so you will not be treated to the appropriate level of jokes that this band name demands. Alas, I’m neither the writer that you want nor the one that you deserve. Secondly, despite living in the Seattle area for my entire life, I had never heard of local band Skelator until stumbling upon them in the promo bin the other day. I was far too busy with real life circumstances to take on a review for this week, but the combination of the band’s location and my physiological response to hearing the advance track required me to reprioritize my life.” Cause you had to be a He-Man, dincha?