May18

Light This City – Terminal Bloom Review

By Mark Z. on May 31, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Creator-Destructor Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 94 comments

“May 2011. A younger Mark Z. has just finished his junior year of college, reeling from adolescent crushes and mired in deep apprehension for the future. In this turmoil, nothing soothed the soul better than the rushing emotion and positive energy of bands like A Wilhelm Scream, No Trigger, and Heartsounds. Were they metal? Fuck no, but their intricate melodic punk was exactly what I needed at the time. This listening regime also had the unexpected consequence of reintroducing me to Light This City.” Hit the lights!

Dunnock – Little Stories Told by Ghosts Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 31, 2018 in 2018, Acephale Winter Productions, American Metal, Black Metal, Experimental Metal, Reviews, 96 comments

“I am a particularly busy man. I’m married with a toddler who requires extra attention due to special needs. I hold down two jobs that currently occupy all seven days of my week. And yet I do my best to hold to my commitment of contributing at least one review to this blog each week; not just for the benefit of you, dear reader, but also for the artists who pour their hearts and souls into their music. I’ve never reviewed a record whose artistic vision and intent has eluded me; good or bad, I’ve always been able to sense the passion and the love for the craft. But Dunnock… oh, Dunnock.” Little music.

Obliterate – Impending Death Review

By Master of Muppets on May 30, 2018 in 2018, Canadian Metal, Deathcore, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Deathcore, 95 comments

“Though the list of bizarre shit to be experienced and eventually incorporated into the norm only continues to grow, there are still some things that you just don’t expect to actually encounter for yourself. Cheese-stuffed fried chicken, lapdogs that aren’t insufferable yippy shits, an album brutal enough for Kronos… each of these wonderful oddities exists, but they’re hard at work being hard to find and proving my point. Among this list of wonderment and rarity is deathcore that I can tolerate beyond 15 seconds.” Buried treasurecore.

Kenòs – Pest Review

By Kronos on May 30, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, Italian Metal, My Kingdom Music, Reviews, 38 comments

“As with a good ninety percent of Mediterranean death metal bands, Kenòs predicate their style on a brutal but boring interpretation of American brutal death, accented with a drum sound that’s preened like a fancy pigeon and monotonous vocals. Somebody out there likes this stuff, I’m sure, but that person isn’t me. Doomed to review Italian death metal every three months like clockwork, I can at least thank Kenòs for trying something a bit different here.” Pasta and pretension.

Record(s) o’ the Month – May 2018

By Angry Metal Guy on May 29, 2018 in 2018, Blog Posts, Record o' the Month, 158 comments

“It is often predicted that whatever records I review in a month will be the Record o’ the Month. This makes sense, as I have repeatedly referred to this as “Angry Metal Guy‘s Record(s) o’ the Month.” But what’s little known about this process is that we do actually vote. The votes don’t always move the needle on what I choose in the grand scheme of things. However, the writers frequently point me, as The Decider (that means that I decide), toward what the various writers and fans are enjoying. This is quite helpful for everyone involved. So yes, as usual, we are looking at my Record(s) o’ the Month. But this time around, there was also a pretty strong consensus behind closed doors which albums should be the Record(s) o’ the Month. And it gets better: it’s even on time! Is it a coincidence? Or did someone threaten to rip out my fingernails behind the scenes if the Record(s) o’ the Month weren’t on time for May? The world may never know. But the world is going to enjoy the hell out of this wallpaper for the next six months…”

Aborted Fetus – The Ancient Spirits of Decay Review

By Saunders on May 27, 2018 in 2018, Comatose Music, Death Metal, Reviews, Russian Metal, Slam, Death Metal, Slam, 28 comments

“Luckily, death metal comes in so many intriguing varieties catering for differing tastes, ensuring the genre is never wanting for quality acts, from veteran enforcers to talented upstarts. But I hold particular respect for the underdog veteran acts toiling away in relative obscurity, keeping it real in the underground. One such act is Russian death metal juggernaut Aborted Fetus, returning in quick time with their sixth LP of groovy, straightforward brutality, entitled The Ancient Spirits of Decay.” Leave it to Fetus.

Nocturnal Graves – Titan Review

By Mark Z. on May 26, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Season of Mist Underground Activists, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, 64 comments

This post has been removed because it promoted Nazi or Nazi-adjacent metal bands or musicians. We apologize.

Uada – Cult of a Dying Sun Review

By El Cuervo on May 25, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Eisenwald Records, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 153 comments

“2016 saw the release of the debut album by Portland’s Uada, entitled Devoid of Light (DoL). It was a top-drawer album on first listen, secured second place in my top 10 records of that year, and remains one of strongest examples of melodic black metal from this decade. Its greatest assets were assuredly its immediacy and infectiousness despite the typically macabre subject matter and black metal tools. A sophomore release is now due called Cult of a Dying Sun (CoaDS) and it faces the burden of unreasonable expectations.” Why no king flashmob? Uada!

Black Book Lodge – Steeple and Spire Review

By GardensTale on May 24, 2018 in 2018, Danish Metal, Mighty Music, Post-metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 98 comments

“Swansong albums are a difficult subject. Most artists don’t know they are recording their final piece when they’re in the studio, dissolving between albums because of creative differences or members quitting or passing away. But occasionally, a band will decide before release that the next album will be their last. Such seems to be the case for Danish progressive outfit Black Book Lodge.” Dying swans, tragic losses.

BornBroken – The Years of Harsh Truths and Little Lies Review

By Dr. Wvrm on May 24, 2018 in 2018, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Self-released, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Metalcore, Thrash Metal, 45 comments

“The scene: Endscape #1047, adj: barren, industrial, gratuitous visual filters. The hero: Gas Mask Mook, exhausted after another long day of near-future photoshoots and fighting off angry crows. The soundtrack: the precise blend of death, thrash, groove, and metalcore that the astute reader might have already surmised lies behind this cavalcade of tropes. Montreal’s BornBroken forego silly grammatical conventions in their pursuit of a record that welcomes all comers, within the Hall and without. Is the soundtrack to your apocalypse, or will BornBroken be forced to face some harsh truths of their own?” Gas mask revival?