May18

Corrective Measures: Angry Metal Guy’s Stack o’ Shame Edition

Corrective Measures: Angry Metal Guy’s Stack o’ Shame Edition

“Like with video games or books, one’s “Stack o’ Shame” is the stuff one intends to do but has not been able to do for one reason or another. These reviews are all too late to write full 600-800 word reviews for. On the other hand, I am going to be way too busy this winter to be able to handle writing a bunch of TYMHM. So, I am invoking my right to rule through this (hopefully one-off) post that rounds up some stuff that I fully intended to review and didn’t. So by ways of an apology to both you, the readers, and the albums in my Stack o’ Shame, I bring you some angry, metal blurbs. Mea culpa.” Sometimes sorry is enough.

Ritual Necromancy – Disinterred Horror Review

Ritual Necromancy – Disinterred Horror Review

“When I’m preparing for a full day of preaching stentorian from the mount, I always make sure said mound is grade A golgothic — nothing more, nothing less. Portland’s Ritual Necromancy are fellow infernals, further bolstering Dark Descent’s ridiculous roster with their second coming, Disinterred Horror. Now, masochist that I am, I rather enjoyed debut, Oath of the Abyss, but it was far from perfect, with a few stylistic choices that perhaps could have been better considered. Seven years later, Disinterred Horror casts a ruby eye to the sky and wisely makes some appropriate alterations, so as to more effectively spread their occult plague.” Can you undig it?

Skyborne Reveries – Winter Lights Review

Skyborne Reveries – Winter Lights Review

“It’s not exactly a secret that I enjoy of deep atmospheric black metal just as much as the next guy deems to be unhealthy, though even I don’t know where my own obsession with the sounds ov misanthropy came from. Maybe it was Maine, maybe it was Northern winter nights. Maybe it was you people, maybe it was me and my staunch opposition to joy that lead me here; whatever the case, it sure felt right to pluck Skyborne ReveriesWinter Lights from the promo bin after a bit of… unpleasantness.” Muppet and the winter moon.

Abhor – Occulta Religio Review

Abhor – Occulta Religio Review

“Once upon a time, metal acts – the early ones at least – skirted around the issue of Satanism. “Are they for real?” “Are they not?” “Can’t you just like goats and pentagrams without someone thinking of the children anymore?” But that shit curved back on itself like a funhouse mirror. In no time at all, every band, be they black, death, or retro pop, were sacrificing small animals and pilfering scented candles from their mom’s bathroom, and, in so doing, killed the shtick wholesale. Those same blasphemous symbols that once declared you were in league with Satan lost their oomph when they could be purchased on discount tee shirts at Walmart. So what are we to make of Abhor?” In a bowling league with Satan.

Sadistik Forest – Morbid Majesties Review

Sadistik Forest – Morbid Majesties Review

“Whenever I spot “Finland” lurking at the end of a promo label, I can always rest assured that a brawl is surely brewing, and Sadistik Forest are certainly pugilists to the core, skinning knuckles with their riff-centric death metal, despite their name sounding like every black metal band ever. Three albums in and the Finns’ combination of thrashing rhythms and deathly destruction continues to transcend their obvious OSDM tag, delivering a deceptively genre-fluid assault.” Riffs, man.

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium – Hóstia Review

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium – Hóstia Review

“Italian artist Paolo Girardi has supplied over 6 dozen bands with his infernal artwork, and that number now includes Portuguese blackened weirdos Filii Nigrantium Infernalium for their new album Hóstia. With all this religious symbolism, what do you think: will we be praising the Lord today, or shall we drown the Christian God in a pool of infernal blasphemy?” Rise to offend.

Infrared – Saviours Review

Infrared – Saviours Review

“Each month there’s another thrash release and each month—depending on opinion—they get better or worse. Spain’s Crisix brought it in March. Germany’s Traitor added to it in April. Now it’s May and Canada is here to contribute to the next batch of old-school thrash. And what does Infrared’s Saviours sound like?” Excuse me, friend, do you have a moment to talk about old school thrash and Saviours?

Age of Taurus – The Colony Slain Review

Age of Taurus – The Colony Slain Review

“One of the most difficult tasks for an established band is following-up a successful debut. The task at hand has resulted in many a failure, as artists choke under pressure and fail to capitalize on their promising foundations, buckling under the increased expectation from the record label and swelling fan-base. A follow-up of any sort didn’t seem a certain prospect for UK’s doomers, Age of Taurus. The band’s 2013 LP Desperate Souls of Tortured Times, was a captivating debut, built on a slightly modernized, traditional doom foundation of robust, ironclad riffage and generous hooks.” Doom call it a comeback.

Skogen – Skuggorna Kallar Review

Skogen – Skuggorna Kallar Review

Skuggorna Kallar follows the dying of the light on a Nordic eve. Darkness encroaches and envelops as light fades. Previously, Skogen had crafted airier atmospheric and pagan epics. Earlier albums, especially their magisterial second platter Svitjod (one of my favorites in this subgenre), carry a lofty melodic sheen. The crunching mid-paced riff-craft of their debut was present but filtered in lighter dosages. Four years later and Skuggorna Keller — their fifth album — comes knocking at our door, draped in ash and frost. This is Skogen’s darkest record yet.” Darkness and blackness.

Witch Mountain – Witch Mountain Review

Witch Mountain – Witch Mountain Review

“Who remembers Scion AV? Scion was a Toyota offshoot that clearly had headbanging executives in charge: for a few years they sponsored the release of tracks by metal acts ranging from Meshuggah to The Melvins. And there’s the tie-in: the first time I heard Witch Mountain was from a Scion AV download back in 2010. Those two songs became bonus tracks on a European vinyl rerelease of Cauldron of the Wild, so still relatively unknown, but they showed us what Witch Mountain were: heavy traditional doom influenced by Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, with chillingly mesmerizing vocals courtesy of Uta Plonktin.” 99 problems, but a Witch ain’t one.