Mar22

Bloodgate – Solace in Mourning Review

By Eldritch Elitist on April 12, 2022 in Reviews, 17 comments

“Blood. Gate. BLOOD. GATE. BLOOD! GATE! If that isn’t a band name perfectly tuned for chanting at live shows, I don’t know what is. Yet in the online world, Cincinnati, Ohio’s Bloodgate, now two LPs into their career, is a virtually non-hyped entity. Perhaps a reformulation of their blackened thrash approach will help in that respect. While 2018’s Ambush and Destroy was a tantalizingly melodic slab of Skeletonwitch worship, Solace in Mourning, despite its more contemplative title, adds a heap of death metal to the mix and feels decidedly more aggressive and unhinged for it.” Open the gates!

Mortify – Fragments at the Edge of Sorrow Review

By Felagund on April 10, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 27 comments

“South America has an enviable metal pedigree. Like the early 90s Floridian filth we know and love, or the Gothenburg school that scratches that brutal yet melodic itch, the South American scene has delivered its own unique set of sounds, approaches and atmospheres to the heavy metal maelstrom. Perhaps that was why I was so eager to pick up Fragments at the Edge of Sorrow, the sophomore release from Mortify, a Chilean group who specialize in a murky, bass-forward death doom concoction verging on the technical.” Life on the edge.

Mares of Thrace – The Exile Review

By Huck N Roll on April 3, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Noise, Progressive Metal, Sludge, 28 comments

“Well, this came as a surprise. Shame on me for not paying closer attention to social media, but local duo Mares of Thrace have suddenly returned after a ten year hiatus with their third album, aptly titled The Exile. 2012’s The Pilgrimage was one of the first extreme metal albums I bought and liked, and then Thérèse Lanz and Stef MacKichan disappeared. Turns out they simply moved on with real life, but Lanz is back, accompanied this time around by Casey Rogers on drums and bass. For those unfamiliar with the band, they play a unique brand of metal that borrows from doom, sludge, prog, noise, and a bit more, and for two people they pack a massive punch.” Return of the Mares.

Record(s) o’ the Month – March 2022

By Angry Metal Guy on April 1, 2022 in Blog Posts, Record o' the Month, 168 comments

One of the problems with the Record(s) o’ the Month post is that I, apparently, cannot escape the glass cage of emotion that has been my life for a few years. Unfortunately, said glass cage doesn’t have an internet connection and that makes it difficult to keep up with everything. In reality, Record o’ the Month posts take a lot of work. So, I’m here to fix that! March is hardly done and I’m posting the Record(s) o’ the Month!

Morrow – The Quiet Earth Review

By Grymm on March 31, 2022 in Reviews, Crust Punk, 22 comments

“When you mention epic storytelling, your brain will zero in on the usual suspects: novels (The Lord of the Rings), movies (Star Wars), and video games (Mass Effect). Music normally doesn’t spring to mind unless you’re aware of the work of Alex CF. The former Fall of Efrafa vocalist crafted an epic tale of post-apocalyptic tribalism that has spanned not only eight releases so far, but across three separate bands: the sludgy futuristic Archivist, the overdriven doom of Anopheli, and today’s band, the downtrodden-yet-defiantly hopeful Morrow.” Unquiet epics.

Achelous – The Icewind Chronicles Review

By Itchymenace on March 30, 2022 in Reviews, Power Metal, 36 comments

“Achelous play fantasy-inspired power metal. While many of their contemporaries keep their tattered volumes of J.R.R. Tolkein close to their breastplates, Achelous use their second full-length album to create a soundtrack for R.A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale trilogy. I’ve never read Salvatore’s work, but The Icewind Chronicles gives me a pretty good sense of the epic battles that take place within its pages. The record contains their characteristic folk, power, and operatic metal leanings and like Blind Guardian or Manowar, Achelous packs a lot of high adventure into a five-minute song. They’ve been sharpening their axes, but is the battlefield too crowded for another album of dwarves, crystals, and flaming warfare?” Roll the ice dice.

Heltekvad – Morgenrødens Helvedesherre Review

By Maddog on March 30, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, 12 comments

“Heltekvad is a Danish three-piece fronted by Ole Luk of Afsky and Solbrud fame, flanked by two Afsky live musicians with a resume spanning Sunken and Morild. (Do I have your attention?) The band members’ atmospheric black metal repertoire has received its share of praise around these parts. But in contrast with the icy and evocative atmosphere of their past work, Heltekvad promises “heroic-sounding melodies” and “truly medieval soundscapes” on their debut Morgenrødens Helvedesherre.” Fevdal fvkk.

Nite – Voices of the Kronian Moon Review

By Crispy Hooligan on March 29, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, 60 comments

“There’s something about blackened vocals over trad stylings that just feels right. Whether it’s Midnight, Demiser, or Bewitcher, the juxtaposition of filthy vocals and NWoBHM leads never fails to shake me out of my stupor in the skull pit. So I was thrilled when our great ape overlord bestowed this formerly nameless n00b with Nite’s sophomore album, Voices of the Kronian Moon. Darkness Silence Mirror Flame piqued Steel Druhm’s wizened and jaded ears, but the album’s length hard-capped its ceiling. During the pandemic, have these Californians been taking Nite courses at the Steel School of Editing for Wayward Bands?” Moon Nites.

Nurser – Nurser Review

By Carcharodon on March 29, 2022 in Reviews, Grind, 20 comments

“On their self-titled debut, Nurser compress all the bile and venom they can muster into 17 minutes of brooding malevolence, punctuated by psychotic outbursts of rage. This combination of down-pace, creeping dread, driven by heavily fuzzed, static-laced guitars paired with savage eruptions of pummeling drums and death riffs, gives Nurser an unnerving unpredictability.” Nurse racket.

Luzifer – Iron Shackles Review

By Huck N Roll on March 28, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 22 comments

“A question was posed on Twitter, the most reliable source of information in the world, earlier this year asking which up-and-coming band was going to be the Next Big Thing. Someone commented that Luzifer was that band, and seeing March promo just sitting there all forlorn, I grabbed it. I knew nothing about them, and there’s a good chance you, dear reader, did not either. Turns out this German trio is three-fifths of the speed metal band Vulture, and Iron Shackles is their first full-length release.” Zatan’s Returnz.